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Rating: The expressive potential of Oldfield is astonishing. After a poorly executed work and a bit of compromise between personal tradition and novelty like "QE2", Oldfield released in 1982 an album that remains his best production throughout the '80s. "Five Miles Out" is a work that doesn’t disappoint the fans of good Mike and once again gives music a beautiful page of great inspiration and fantasy. The formula Oldfield uses for the construction of the new work follows the one tried in the previous album, a suite for one side of the record (generally the A side) and a series of songs or short instrumental pieces for the second side.
The beginning of "Five Miles Out" is entrusted to the suite "Taurus II", which despite the title is not a continuity with the previous "Taurus I" on "QE2"; the main theme of the piece is an Arabesque style of guitars and synth, the use of electronics is more pronounced, and for its vocal parts, Mike frequently uses the vocoder. The evolution of this composition is marked by various musical explorations, from reggae to gypsy atmospheres to the typical sounds of Northern Europe. Mike references Celtic and Scottish music, with extensive use of bagpipes, xylophones, and flutes. "Taurus II" is an emotional crescendo, the most successful composition of this kind in Mike's '80s work; unfortunately, already from the following "Crises" Oldfield starts to lose his way, gradually becoming a shadow of himself.
In the '70s, Oldfield had frequently frequented the singles charts with small instrumentals, Christmas songs, or reinterpretations of English folk tunes; the first real song to make a chart impact is "Family Man", a piece with electronic and chaotic accents that opens the B side of "Five Miles Out". It’s not a great composition, Mike’s songs often have the flaw of being too artificial. The peaceful sensations arising from listening to "Orabidoo" are much better; a little gem that opens with the relaxing notes of xylophones, although Mike's vocoder singing clashes too much with the rest. "Mount Teidi" is pure percussion, with Carl Palmer on drums, and the conclusion is entrusted to the title track, which narrates an unfortunate flight experience of Mike. The music is once again strongly electronic; the singing is shared with Reilly, and the video accompanying the track is as gloomy as Oldfield’s artificial voice.
In conclusion, "Five Miles Out" is a great album, full of sounds and beautiful sensations. The subsequent "Crises" of 1983, celebrating ten years of Mike’s activity, is still interesting, but albums like "Islands" of 1987 or "Discovery" of 1984 are truly negligible.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Taurus II (24:43)
Hush now baby made a start
There's a jewel in your heart
And a star that shines for you
Watching everything you do
Don't you cry though it may seem
You were born into a dream
There's another race to run
You were not the only one
Standing in the morning sun
Waiting though it had begun
May you never run aground
Or call into the deep deep sound
Stormy weather turns to blue
Here's a song to take with you
(mike oldfield)
(vocals: maggie reilly)
02 Family Man (03:45)
She had a sulky smile,
She took a standard pose as she presented herself.
She had sultry eyes,
She made it perfectly plain that she was his for a price.
But he said, "Leave me alone, I'm a family man,
And my bark is much worse than my bite!"
He said, "Leave me alone, I'm a family man.
If you push me too far, I just might...."
She wore hurt surprise
As she re-checked her make-up to protect herself.
She showed less than pride,
She made it totally clear that she was his for a price.
But he said, "Leave me alone, I'm a family man,
And my bark is much worse than my bite!
Please just leave me alone, I'm a family man.
If you push me too far, I just might...."
She gave him her look
That would have worked on any other man in sight.
He could not mistake,
She wanted to go back with him and spend the night.
But he said, "Leave me alone, I'm a family man,
And my bark is much worse than my bite!
Please just leave me alone, I'm a family man.
If you push me too far, I just might...."
She turned, tossed her head and then
She started to make her final exit line.
She showed real disdain,
As if explaining again she could be his for a price.
But he said, "Leave me alone, I'm a family man,
And my bark is much worse than my bite!"
He said, "Leave me alone, I'm a family man.
If you push me too far, I just might...."
But he said, "Leave me alone, I'm a family man,
And my bark is much worse than my bite!"
He said, "Leave me alone, I'm a family man.
If you push me too far, I just might...."
But he said, "Leave me alone, I'm a family man,
And my bark is much worse than my bite!"
He said, "Leave me alone, I'm a family man.
If you push me too far, I just might...."
He said, "Leave me alone, I'm a family man,
And my bark is much worse than my bite!"
He said, "Leave me alone, I'm a family man.
If you push me too far, I just might!"
03 Orabidoo (13:03)
Watch the skys dawning on you,
Soaring over country land.
Message comes from Kathmandu:
Sky is blue and clear.
Program your outing.
Gaze at clouds in this window pane.
Where is your wish going?
The wind to control you at night.
[ Chorus ]
O
Orabibi
Orabibiba
Orabibi
Orabibaba
Orabibibabi
[ Repeat Chorus ]
Lazing in the sun, we glide.
Soon you come from watch.
Touched, you save me just in time,
Storm is out to catch.
Program your chartering.
Gaze at clouds in this window pane.
Stay patched through onto me.
Crawling into trouble, that's plain!
[ Repeat Chorus ]
[ Repeat Chorus ]
Watch out! Storms in Kathmandu.
Calling from country land.
Message comes from Kathmandu:
Sky is blue and clear.
Program your outing.
Watching now your system for rains.
Clouds: forty storeys!
(Don't come in again like that, it isn't funny,
And I pay someone else to make the orchestration!)
Oh, island of the soul,
Valleys hushed and white with snow.
Ireland's eye...
You'll linger with me 'til the day I die.
Oh, how it hurts to go.
The waters ebb and flow.
The changing seasons come and go.
Ireland's eye...
Forever reaching up into the sky,
Oh, how I'll miss you so.
The sunlight dancing on your rocky shores,
The moonlight playing upon the water.
Your memory will stay with me forever more,
Wherever I may roam.
Stay with my dreams, I will see you!
Safe in my heart I will keep you.
05 Five Miles Out (04:16)
What do you do when your falling,
You've got 30 degrees and you're stalling out?
And it's 24 miles to your beacon;
There's a crack in the sky and the warning's out.
Don't take that dive again!
Push through that band of rain!
Five miles out,
Just hold your heading true.
Got to get your finest out.
You're Number 1, anticipating you.
Climbing out.
Just hold your heading true.
Got to get your finest out.
You're Number 1, anticipating you.
Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!
Calling all stations!
This is Golf-Mike-Oscar-Victor-Juliet
IMC CU.NIMB...icing,
In great difficulty, over.
The traffic controller is calling,
"Victor-Juliet, your identity.
I have you lost in the violent storm!
Communicate or squawk 'Emergency'!"
Don't take that dive again!
Push through that band of rain!
Lost in static, 18,
And the storm is closing in now.
Automatic, 18!
(Got to push through!) Trapped in living hell!
Your a prisoner of the dark sky,
The propeller blades are still!
And the evil eye of the hurricane's
Coming in now for the kill.
Our hope's with you,
Rider in the blue.
Welcome's waiting, we're anticipating
You'll be celebrating, when you're down and braking.
Climbing out.
(Climbing, climbing)
Five miles out.
(Climbing, climbing)
Five miles out,
Just hold your heading true.
Got to get your finest out....
(Climbing, climbing)
Five miles out,
Just hold your heading true.
Got to get your finest out....
(Climbing, climbing)
Climbing out.
Just hold your heading true.
Got to get your finest out....
(Climbing, climbing)
Five miles out,
Just hold your heading true.
Got to get your finest out....
(Climbing, climbing)
Climbing out.
Just hold your heading true.
Got to get your finest out....
(Climbing, climbing)
Climbing out.
Just hold your heading true.
Got to get your finest out...
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