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Rating: After long courting the simpler pop music with various singles published at the end of the '70s, Oldfield manages to climb the charts with "Moonlight Shadow" in 1983, and so why change direction? Indeed, "Discovery", which sees the light in 1984, resumes the easier side proposed by Oldfield in the previous "Crises" by dedicating a large part of the work to the song form, neglecting the purely instrumental part, relegated to the sole "The Lake".
Recorded on Lake Geneva, Oldfield employs the voices of Reilly and Barry Palmer and the percussion of Simon Phillips. The songs that come to life do not excite, they are Pop exercises that often plunder things already proposed by Mike; "To France" is practically the carbon copy of "Moonlight Shadow". Even "Crystal Gazing" with its monotonous flow reminds too much of the hit "Foreign Affair", "Poison Arrows" is pleasant and nothing more, "Tricks Of The Light" is awful Muzak, light years away from Oldfield's creative freshness. Maggie Reilly's voice in "Talk About Life" vaguely resembles that of Annie Haslam of the Renaissance, the song also starts very well, with an opening that refers exactly to the typical atmospheres of the Renaissance, a pity then that everything fades into a predictable melody, "Saved By The Bell" deals with Mike's passion for the stars but does not rise from the general mediocrity of the album. Thankfully, "The Lake" arrives to make the work less anonymous, a very beautiful and well-executed instrumental track, a balanced Oldfield, very linear in weaving the leading melody of keyboards and initial bass, also beautiful is the addition of percussion that leads to the main theme of guitar played masterfully by the usual Mike, this is the real wizard of tubular bells, not the author of the banal POP tracks heard previously.
This remains one of Oldfield's less interesting works; the subsequent "Islands" will offer better tracks like "North Point" and will be the album in which the balance between suites and songs will work better.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 To France (04:39)
Taking on water, sailing a restless sea
From a memory, a fantasy
The wind travels into white water
Far from the highlands
Don't you know you're...
Never going to get to France
Mary Queen of chance will they find you
Never going to get to France
Could a new romance ever bind you
Walking on foreign ground like a shadow
Roaming in far off territory
Over your shoulder stories unfold
You're searching for sanctuary
You know you're...
Never going to get to France
Mary Queen of chance will they find you
Never going to get to France
Could a new romance ever bind you
I see the picture
By the lamp's flicker
Isn't it strange
Those dreams fade and shimmer
Never going to get to France
Mary Queen of chance will they find you
Never going to get to France
Could a new romance ever bind you
I see the picture
By the lamp's flicker
Isn't it strange
Those dreams fade and shimmer
Never going to get to France
Mary Queen of chance will they find you
Never going to get to France
Could a new romance ever bind you
Never going to get to France
Never going to...
02 Poison Arrows (03:57)
Silence in the air
Is anybody there
Searching every sound
Walking un quiet ground
Chorus:
Somebody's out to get you
Hiding in shadows - poison arrows
Somebody's out to break you
Hiding in narrows - poison arrows
When you gonna brake
Watching every move you make
And every thing you do
Evil eyes'll be on you
Repeat Chorus
Don't give in, don't come any closer, no sir
Keep running, coming in closer, closer
Don't give in don't come any closer, no sir
Keep running coming in closer no sir
What you gonna do
Time is running out on you
Anywhere you choose
Anyway you're gonna lose
Repeat Chorus
03 Crystal Gazing (03:02)
Watching For A Spot, It's A Moonlight Show.
Reaching Through The Dark. Do You Have To Go?
Try To Put A Message Through To Your Sweetheart.
Won't You Like To Know The Secrets Of The Heart?
Whatcha Gonna Find In Crystal Gazing?
Crystal Gazing, Crystal Gazing.
Whatcha Gonna Find In Crystal Gazing?
Chorus
Crystal Gazing, Crystal Gazing.
Voices In The Dark And The Lights Turned Low.
Teachers Of The Art That You Never Know.
Try To Put A Message Through To Your Sweetheart.
Won't You Like To Know The Secrets Of The Heart?
Pictures From The Night, Won't You Be My Guide?
What You Talk About On The Other Side.
Carry You A Message Back From Your Sweetheart.
Won't You Like To Know The Secrets Of The Heart?
Chorus
Crystal Gazing, Crystal Gazing.
Voices In The Dark And The Lights Turned Low.
Teachers Of The Art That You Never Know.
Try To Put A Message Through To Your Sweetheart.
Won't You Like To Know The Secrets Of The Heart?
Watching For A Spot, It's A Moonlight Show.
Reaching Through The Dark. Do You Have To Go?
Try To Put A Message Through To Your Sweetheart.
Won't You Like To Know The Secrets Of The Heart?
Watching For A Spot, It's A Moonlight Show.
Reaching Through The Dark. Do You Have To Go?
05 Discovery (04:35)
When you want the score,
When you need a helping hand.
When you find closed doors,
When you're back where you began.
Keeping those secrets,
Telling those lies.
Can anybody tell me what's the big surprise?
[ Chorus ]
Discovery.
Who has the chance to know it all?
Discovery.
Give me some truth and stop makin' me cry!
Discovery.
How can you sleep?
How can you turn away?
Thinking so cheap,
Someday you're gonna pay!
You're keeping secrets,
I can see in your eyes.
Can anybody tell me why the big disguise?
[ Repeat Chorus ]
[ Repeat Chorus ]
Please, give me some chance.
Give me some confidence.
Would you please set me free?
Oh, someone, deliver me!
Who's keeping secrets?
I got my spies.
Does anybody think we live in Paradise?
[ Repeat Chorus ]
[ Repeat Chorus ]
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