Artist: Oldfield, Mike
Label: Virgin Records
Release: 1979
Duration: 37:48
Rating: 4.1/5
Incantations marked the peak of Mike Oldfield’s creative run in the seventies, but a project and feat that huge may have worn him out a bit and drained his appetite for such heavy, ambitious undertakings. With Incantations he burned through most of his Celtic rock reserves, so he decided to head in a completely different direction. Platinum shows him as less solemn and more playful. He still kept one long piece, but the presence of four short pop songs was a novelty, one he would use often later on, especially in the eighties.
The album kicks off with the nearly twenty-minute Platinum, split into four parts. All four have their own distinct character. The first two are lively and rockin’, while the third part draws its ideas from the Charleston era. For the fourth part, Oldfield borrowed the theme from the American composer Philip Glass (the piece North Star).
Woodhenge is a calmer creation that recalls Oldfield’s folk period, and with its atmospheric vibraphone motifs it already hints at his interest in new age, which was present to a degree on earlier albums too.
Sally is probably his first real pop song since On Horseback from Ommadawn. It’s a contradictory piece, with a love lyric mixed into a reggae rhythm.
Punkadiddle is a cheeky parody of punk, which was only just gaining ground at the end of the seventies. Oldfield tries to cross punk with folk, and he pulls it off really well. The song is fun, lively, surprisingly complex, and its fast rhythm puts a smile on your face.
Last comes a cover of Gershwin’s I Got Rhythm, where Oldfield comes up with a really interesting arrangement of this Broadway classic and Wendy Roberts shows off her emotional vocals.
On Platinum, Oldfield plays fewer instruments than usual. This time he went for a more standard rock approach built on more basic instruments (guitar, bass, drums, keyboards). There’s still a variety of percussion and woodwinds (on just one song), but they’re not as influential as before. Oldfield also gets help on the album from his wife at the time, Sally Cooper, who the song Sally is dedicated to. Sally, by the way, pounds on those famous tubular bells. A few other old acquaintances stepped in too, like Pierre Moerlin (Gong) and David Bedford, who this time did the vocal arrangements. There are plenty of new faces as well, for example both keyboardists, the drummers (including Morris Pert, a member of Brand X), the bassists, and singer Wendy Roberts, whose voice is very likable, though still not like the one from Maggie Reilly, who later became Oldfield’s favorite vocalist for a few years.
Platinum has a sound all its own, especially when it comes to the synthesizer, whose harsh, inorganic tones point to a new, more modern era for Mr. Oldfield. Compared to his earlier releases, the folk is almost unnoticeable, except on the mystical Woodhenge and the parodic Punkadiddle. For the first time he also uses funkier woodwinds (on the third part of Platinum) instead of the standard strings. Platinum shows an Oldfield who this time shows off his rock talents more. Most people are fairly critical of this record, but personally I find its playfulness, humor and looseness really fresh, and I’m happy to put it on. Sure, it’s not as melancholic, deep and introspective as his earlier work, but its charms lie precisely in that simplicity and joy of life. If you want to brighten up your day a little, I warmly recommend this record.
Lineup
Mike Oldfield – electric guitars, acoustic guitars, piano, synthesizers, vibraphone, marimba, vocals
Pierre Moerlen – drums and vibraphone
Morris Pert – drums
Alan Schwartzberg – drums
Neil Jason – bass
Hansford Rowe – bass
Francisco Centeno – bass
Nico Ramsden – keyboards
Peter Lemer – keyboards
Sally Cooper – tubular bells
Demalza – congas
Wendy Roberts – vocals
Production
Tom Newman
Track list
1. Platinum Part 1 – Airborne (5:05)
2. Platinum Part 2 – Platinum (6:06)
3. Platinum Part 3 – Charleston (3:17)
4. Platinum Part 4 – North Star / Platinum Finale (4:49)
5. Woodhenge (4:05)
6. Sally (3:46)
7. Punkadiddle (5:46)
8. I Got Rhythm (4:44)
