Crises is the 8th album by Mike Oldfield, released in 1983. Oldfield's well known "Moonlight Shadow" appears on the album.

Album analysis

The title track of the album is a twenty minute long piece, featuring a small amount of vocals, sung by Oldfield. The beginning and end of the track are driven by a synthesised lead passage, stylistically similar to the opening theme to Oldfield's Tubular Bells.

The album also features the massive hit "Moonlight Shadow", sung by Maggie Reilly, who also sung and co-wrote "Foreign Affair". "In High Places" has lyrics by Mike Oldfield and Jon Anderson. "Shadow on the Wall" has vocals by Roger Chapman. The album includes "Taurus 3", a short fast-paced guitar piece unlike the previous two long multi-themed "Taurus" tracks featured on QE2 and Five Miles Out respectively.

The North American version of the album has a different running order and includes the single "Mistake".

The album's cover art was by Terry Ilot.

Charts

The album peaked at #6 in the UK Album Chart. It spent 19 weeks on Norway's album chart, peaking at #1 for two weeks, and is Oldfield's best selling album there.

Track listing

UK version

1. "Crises" – 20:40
2. "Moonlight Shadow" – 3:34 (vocals by Maggie Reilly)
3. "In High Places" – 3:33 (vocals by Jon Anderson)
4. "Foreign Affair" – 3:53 (vocals by Maggie Reilly)
5. "Taurus 3" – 2:25 (instrumental)
6. "Shadow on the Wall" – 3:09 (vocals by Roger Chapman)

North American version

1. "Mistake" (lead vocals by Maggie Reilly)
2. "In High Places"
3. "Foreign Affair"
4. "Taurus 3"
5. "Shadow on the Wall"
6. "Moonlight Shadow"
7. "Crises"

Personnel

• Mike Oldfield - Acoustic bass guitar, banjo, bass guitars, electric guitars, Fairlight CMI, Farfisa organ, Prophet 5 synthesizer, harp, mandolin, Oberheim DMX, DSX, and OBXa , percussion, piano, Roland strings (probably the RS-202), Spanish guitar, and vocals.

Additional personnel

• Jon Anderson - vocals
• Ant - guitar
• Roger Chapman - vocals
• Rick Fenn - guitar
• Simon Phillips - drums, percussion, special effects
• Maggie Reilly - vocals
• Phil Spalding - bass guitar

Recording details

The album was recorded between November 1982 and April 1983 using an Ampex ATR 124 tape recorder, a Neve 8108 with Necam console, and Westlake Monitors, in Denham, England. Oldfield used a Gibson SG Junior for overdriven guitar sounds and a Fender Stratocaster for clean sounds. Tama Drums were Simon Phillips brand of choice for drums on the album.

External links

• Mike Oldfield Discography - Crises at Tubular.net