Islands (Mike Oldfield album)

Islands
Studio album by Mike Oldfield
Released	7 September 1987 (1987-09-07)
Recorded	circa 1987
Genre	Progressive rock, pop, rock
Length	48:11
Label	Virgin
Producer	Michael Cretu Geoffrey Downes Tom Newman Mike Oldfield Simon Phillips Alan Shacklock
Mike Oldfield chronology
The Killing Fields (1984) Islands (1987) Earth Moving (1989)
Alternative cover
Original United States cover
Singles from Islands
"Islands" Released: 7 September 1987 "The Time Has Come" Released: 9 November 1987 "Flying Start" Released: 1 February 1988 "Magic Touch" Released: 22 February 1988

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]

Islands is the 11th album by Mike Oldfield, released in 1987 by Virgin. Guest singers on the album are Bonnie Tyler, Kevin Ayers, Anita Hegerland and Jim Price. A different track list and cover was used for the American edition.

Music videos, producers and singers

Islands was also released as a full-length VHS video album. For each track a video was made and released, often mixing state of the art (for the time) computer-generated images with real life images. This was released as part of The Wind Chimes.

The album boasts the largest number of co-producers out of all of Oldfield's work; production was handled by Michael Cretu (later of Enigma fame), Geoffrey Downes, Tom Newman, Simon Phillips, Alan Shacklock and Oldfield himself. Singers on the album are Bonnie Tyler, Kevin Ayers, Anita Hegerland and Jim Price.

Four singles were released from the album, three of which were released in 1987, "Islands" (as Mike & Bonnie), "The Time Has Come" and "Flying Start", and finally "Magic Touch" in 1988.

Album artwork

The UK front cover artwork was of a tropical island, and hidden in the surrounding sea is a large number of hand shapes. The hand images are based on a still frame from the longform video released at the same time as the album; a couple of scenes in the video, which was mainly filmed in Bali, feature a group of natives performing a ritualistic dance which involves hand-waving movements. The American cover is completely different; it displays two cube shapes. The photography on the back of the US version was by Jerry Uelsmann.

Charts

The album peaked at number 9 on Norway's album chart and at number 29 in the UK Album Chart.

The major single in Europe was the title track, "Islands", which was sung by Bonnie Tyler. In the United States, "Magic Touch" was a top 10 hit on the Billboard Album Rock charts in early 1988.

Track listing

All tracks composed by Mike Oldfield.

1987 UK release

Side one

1. "The Wind Chimes (Part One and Part Two)" – 21:49

Side two

1. "Islands" – 4:19
2. "Flying Start" – 3:36
3. "North Point" – 3:33
4. "Magic Touch" (New Jim Price Vocal) – 4:14
5. "The Time Has Come" – 3:51
6. "When the Night's on Fire" – 6:41

Original 1988 US release

Side one

1. "The Wind Chimes (Part one)" – 2:33
2. "The Wind Chimes (Part two)" – 19:14

Side two

1. "Magic Touch" (Original Max Bacon vocal) – 4:14
2. "The Time Has Come" – 3:51
3. "North Point" – 3:31
4. "Flying Start" – 3:36
5. "Islands" – 4:19

Personnel

• Mike Oldfield
• Simon Phillips – drums (on "The Wind Chimes")
• Anita Hegerland – vocals (on "The Wind Chimes", "North Point", "The Time Has Come", "When the Night's on Fire")
• Bonnie Tyler – vocals (on "Islands")
• Kevin Ayers – vocals (on "Flying Start")
• Max Bacon – vocals (on "Magic Touch" [1987 Original Issue]; backing vocals on "Islands")
• Jim Price – vocals (on "Magic Touch" [2000 Reissue])
• Tony Beard
• Raf Ravenscroft
• Andy Mackay
• Mickey Simmonds
• Phil Spalding
• Micky Moody
• Rick Fenn
• Björn J:son Lindh – flute (on "The Wind Chimes")
• Mervyn (Spam) Fence
• Pierre Moerlen
• Benoit Moerlen

References

External links

• Mike Oldfield Discography – Islands at Tubular.net
  • Islands lyrics at Tubular.net
  • Islands press kit at Tubular.net