Platinum (album)

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Platinum

Studio album by Mike Oldfield
Released	1979
Recorded	Blue Rock and Electric Lady, (U.S.); Througham, Denham, and The Manor, (UK); 1979
Genre	Rock
Length	37:41 (Platinum version)
Label	Virgin
Producer(s)	Tom Newman
All Music Guide link
Mike Oldfield chronology
Incantations (1978)	Platinum (1979)	QE2 (1980)

Platinum is a record album written and mostly performed by Mike Oldfield. It was his fifth new album and the first to feature "regular" songs and cover material. A slightly different version of the album was released in the United States and titled Airborn.

The first side of LP features the nearly twenty-minute piece "Platinum" that is divided in four parts. The first two parts of "Platinum" can be taken as a form of instrumental progressive rock. (Those compositions rely on strong melody played mostly with electric guitar.) The first part is in a slow tempo and has many changes, while the second part introduces a simple groove rhythm and a more repetitive song structure. The third part, "Charleston", is humoristic and intentionally naive, with a simplistic rhythm and swinging melody that is partly played by a horn section. A female vocalist adds some "spooky" bits while Oldfield himself makes some scat vocals in whispering voice. Platinum Part IV features an excerpt from the Philip Glass work "North Star" (hence the subtitle). The constant bass drum beat and octave-jumping bass line (both borrowed from disco music) start the part and guitar joins with melody later. A funky guitar riff and chorus appear, and the lead guitar continues to play the melody over them.

There is an interesting note regarding the song "Sally," originally written by Oldfield as a tribute to his girlfriend at the time, Sally Cooper (who features on the album). It's a rather silly but cute little song, with the chorus

Sally, I'm just a gorilla,

I'll say I'll love you ever more.

Even an ape from Manila

Couldn't stop me knocking on your door.

However, it was removed from the album (possibly on the orders of Richard Branson) and replaced with "Into Wonderland", sung by Wendy Roberts. Curiously though, the album covers still say "Sally" to this day. Only the earliest pressings of the LP have "Sally" included as part of the original tracklist, and bootleg recordings of the song are a popular trade item with fans.

"Sally" (the original) also appears to have been the start of Mike Oldfield's fascination with voice distortion gadgets (vocoders, equalizers, etc.), which would continue through many albums, most particularly Five Miles Out.

"Punkadiddle" is thought by many to be Oldfield's jocular take on punk music, a genre which he has claimed in the past to be not at all impressed with. In fact, Virgin Records' rampant signing and promotion of many punk bands while not promoting Oldfield's albums is seen as one of the sources of the rift between him and the company.

1 Track listing (Platinum version)
2 Track listing (Airborn version)
3 Mike Oldfield plays
4 Other performers
5 External links

[edit] Track listing (Platinum version)

"Platinum Part I: Airborn" – 5:05
"Platinum Part II: Platinum" – 6:06
"Platinum Part III: Charleston" – 3:17
"Platinum Part IV: North Star / Platinum Finale" – 4:49
"Woodhenge" – 4:05
"Into Wonderland" (mislabelled as Sally) – 3:46
"Punkadiddle" – 5:46
"I Got Rhythm" – 4:44

[edit] Track listing (Airborn version)

"Platinum Part I: Airborn"
"Platinum Part II: Platinum"
"Platinum Part III: Charleston"
"Platinum Part IV: North Star / Platinum Finale"
"Guilty"
"Into Wonderland" (mislabelled as Sally)
"Punkadiddle"
"I Got Rhythm"

Airborn is the title of an alternate version of the album released in the United States in 1980. It is identical except that "Woodhenge" is replaced by "Guilty", a fast-paced live track based on a theme from Incantations.