Light + Shade

Light + Shade
Studio album by Mike Oldfield
Released 26 September 2005 (2005-09-26)
Recorded 2004–2005, Buckinghamshire
Genre Instrumental pop
New-age
Electronica
Length 82:01
Label Mercury
Producer Mike Oldfield
Mike Oldfield chronology
Tubular Bells 2003
(2003)Tubular Bells 20032003		 Light + Shade
(2005)		 Music of the Spheres
(2008)Music of the Spheres2008
Singles from Light + Shade
  1. "Surfing"
    Released: 2005 (promo disc)

Light + Shade is a two-disc record album by the English musician Mike Oldfield. It was the first album to be released by Oldfield following his signing with Mercury Records. The album was released on 26 September 2005. Some of the music on these CDs was originally released, with alternate mixes, on the soundtracks to his virtual reality games, Tres Lunas and Maestro.

Background

The album offers two genres of music for two different moods, a division which Oldfield created by making two CDs of music. The first nine tracks are dubbed "Light" and feature brighter and quiet pieces; the second half of the album is the "Shade" portion and brings in a much darker feel. Many of the tracks on the album are remixed and/or extended versions of the music from the Tres Lunas video game.

On his official website, Oldfield reported that besides the standard version of the album, a 5.1 surround mix of the album had been produced as well. However, as of 2010 it has not been released. Four tracks from Light + Shade were made available in the U-MYX format for fans to mix themselves.

Oldfield's attraction to vocal modification surfaced again, this time in the form of Vocaloid, a virtual vocal software package. The voice of "Miriam" was used. The virtual voice "Miriam" is based on the voice of Miriam Stockley, with whom Oldfield had previously worked. One of the Vocaloid tracks, "Surfing", was meant to be the album's first single, according to the Spanish website zm.nu.[1] "Tears of an Angel" also featured Miriam singing alongside the Cantor software.

The tracks "First Steps" and "Ringscape" were arranged by Robyn Smith. Christopher von Deylen makes a guest appearance on "Nightshade". Oldfield repaid the favour by playing guitar on "Morgentau", a track from the Tag und Nacht album for Deylen's band Schiller.

"Quicksilver" is an alternative name for the metal mercury, which is also the name of his then-current record label. On Oldfield's following album, Music of the Spheres, he repeats this trick, with a track title "Musica Universalis" which when translated is Universal Music.

The track "Blackbird" is named after one of Oldfield's motorbikes, a Honda CBR1100XX Blackbird.[2]

The track "Romance" is a Techno version of a fragment of the 19th century classical guitar piece by the same name.

Track listing

Light

  1. "Angelique" – 4:40
  2. "Blackbird" – 4:39
  3. "The Gate" – 4:14
  4. "First Steps" – 10:02
  5. "Closer" – 2:51
  6. "Our Father" – 6:50
  7. "Rocky" – 3:19
  8. "Sunset" – 4:47
  9. "Près de Toi" (Bonus track)

Shade

  1. "Quicksilver" – 5:55
  2. "Resolution" – 4:33
  3. "Slipstream" – 5:15
  4. "Surfing" – 5:36
  5. "Tears of an Angel" – 5:38
  6. "Romance" – 4:00
  7. "Ringscape" – 4:22
  8. "Nightshade" – 5:11
  9. "Lakme (Fruity Loops)" (Bonus track)
  10. "Cook's Tune" (Bonus track)

U-MYX CD-ROM tracks

Equipment list

Use in other media

Pieces from Light and Shade have been used in media, such as the use of "Resolution" and "Slipstream" in the BBC's technology series Click.[3]

References

  1. ↑ "Mike Oldfield regresa con “Light + Shade". Zona Musical. 19 August 2005. (in Spanish)
  2. ↑ "One Track a Day". Tubular.net/Fanny Oldfield. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
  3. ↑ "Click". BBC iPlayer. 10 October 2009. Retrieved 13 October 2009.
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