Voyager (Mike Oldfield album)

Infobox Album | Name = Voyager
Type = studio
Artist = Mike Oldfield


Released = start date|1996|8|26|df=yes
Recorded = Roughwood Studio, Buckinghamshire
Air studios (Orchestra)
Genre = Celtic
Length = 58:30
Label = Warner Bros. Records
Producer = Mike Oldfield
Reviews =
* Allmusic Rating|2|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:bxs9kectkq7v link]
Last album = "The Songs of Distant Earth"
(1994)
This album = "Voyager"
(1996)
Next album = "Tubular Bells III"
(1998)
Misc = Singles
Name = Voyager
Type = studio
Single 1 = Women of Ireland
Single 1 date = 1997
Single 2 = The Voyager
Single 2 date = 1996 (Germany promo)

"Voyager" is the 16th music album by Mike Oldfield, released in 1996.

Celtic music

"The Hero", "Women of Ireland", and "She Moves Through the Fair" are traditional Irish songs, and "Dark Island" and "Flowers of the Forest" are traditional Scottish songs, which have been arranged by Mike Oldfield. "The Song of the Sun" is composed by Bieito Romero from Celtic band Luar na Lubre.

The music on this album is the most overtly Celtic music Mike Oldfield has produced. This caused some critics and reviewers, unfamiliar with the Celtic strands in his past output, to accuse him of "jumping on the Celtic bandwagon".

The album had originally been recorded acoustically using only hand-played instruments. Apparently the daughter of an executive of Warner Music expressed her feelings that the album may have been a little boring; thus Oldfield added synths and more instruments to the album. [cite web |url=http://amarok.ommadawn.net/mike/discog/extras/raretracks2.htm |title=Rare Tracks 2 |publisher=amarok.ommadawn.net |accessdate=2008-07-10]

Track listing

# "The Song of the Sun" (Bieito Romero) – 4:32
# "Celtic Rain" (Mike Oldfield) – 4:41
# "The Hero" (traditional arrangement by Oldfield) – 5:03
# "Women of Ireland" (traditional arrangement by Oldfield) – 6:29
# "The Voyager" (Oldfield) – 4:26
# "She Moves Through the Fair" (traditional arrangement by Oldfield) – 4:06
# "Dark Island" (traditional arrangement by Oldfield) – 5:43
# "Wild Goose Flaps Its Wings" (Oldfield) – 5:04
# "Flowers of the Forest" (traditional arrangement by Oldfield) – 6:03
# "Mont St Michel" (Oldfield) – 12:18

Charts

The album peaked at #30 on Norway's album chart, at #26 on the Belgian albums chart [cite web |url=http://www.ultratop.be/en/search.asp?lang=fr&cat=a&cat2=s&search=oldfield |title="Voyager" |publisher=Ultratop |accessdate=2008-09-17] and at #12 on the UK Album Chart.

Singles

Mike Oldfield's rendition of "Women of Ireland" was released as a single in 1997. A promotional single for "The Voyager" was also released in Germany.

Other artists samples

The song "Celtic Rain" was sampled in 2008 by Snoop Dogg, in the song "Why Did You Leave Me" of the album "Ego Trippin'". The song was produced by Polow da Don.

Personnel

* Mike Oldfield
* Maire Breatnach - Fiddle
* London Voices - Choir
* Noel Eccles - Percussion
* Liam O' Flynn - Uillean pipes
* Highland Pipers
* Seam Keane - Fiddle
* London Symphony Orchestra
* Matt Molloy - Flutes, Tin Whistles
* John Myers - Tin Whistle/Fiddle
* David Spillane - Uillean Pipes/Low whistle
* Pat Walsh
* Gregg Jackman - Assistant Engineer
* Tom Newman - Assistant Engineer
* Richard Barrie - Technical Engineer
* Robin Smith - Arrangement of "Mont St Michel"
* Henry Jackman - Additional Programming

References

External links

* [http://tubular.net/discography/Voyager.shtml Mike Oldfield Discography - "Voyager"] at Tubular.net
* [http://tubular.net/lyrics/Voyager.shtml "Dark Island" lyrics] at Tubular.net