To the keen music fan, he is probably best remembered for his epic Tubular Bells album. To the informed pop fan, he is the artist who gave us Moonlight Shadow, but to the music world in general, Mike Oldfield has been a prolific contributor of major releases that extensively span the entire music spectrum. From the expanded rock roots that marked his earlier work, Oldfield has absorbed ethnic, experimental and electronic elements along the way - although not necessarily all at the same time or in that order - to produce a long list of significant (and some less so) records in the space of over three decades.

His latest – a double-disc effort that marks a move to a new label – will appeal mostly to those who were enthralled by the electronic core of the Voyager and Songs of Distant Earth albums, and the second disc in particular could easily pass as an accompanying (though slightly less engaging) instalment. The most noticeable aspect here (especially the Shade side) is how much Oldfield has embraced technology over the expressive timbre of his guitar, a fact that may not necessarily appeal to all his fans. But, seen from another perspective, Light and Shade (particularly the Light side) is still interesting in its larger part, indicative of Oldfield’s ongoing quest to meet the ever-changing musical trends while still maintaining his reputation and his following!

CD COURTESY OF EXOTIQUE