Crises

Mike Oldfield - Crises


History of Crises

Mike Oldfield



Crises is the eighth studio album by British composer and multi-instrumentalist Mike Oldfield, released in 1983 by Virgin Records.

Recorded between late 1982 and April 1983 in Denham (Buckinghamshire, England), the album was produced by Oldfield himself alongside Simon Phillips and engineered by Nigel Luby. The cover art was designed by Terry Ilott. The album marks a period of maturity in Oldfield’s discography, combining a lengthy, conceptual piece with a collection of shorter, pop-rock-oriented songs.



The album opens with the lengthy title track “Crises,” which takes up nearly the entire first side of the vinyl and showcases a Mike Oldfield true to his style of complex instrumental music, featuring carefully constructed guitar progressions, keyboards, and rhythms. This track sets the ambitious and unhurried tone of the album, while the second side introduces a more accessible, vocal dimension, featuring collaborations with various singers.

Among the standout tracks are “Moonlight Shadow,” sungCrisesby Maggie Reilly, which became a massive international hit and stands as one of the greatest hits in Oldfield’s discography. Also noteworthy are “Shadow on the Wall,” with a more direct, hard-rock-inspired sound, and other tracks such as “In High Places,” “Foreign Affair,” and “Taurus 3,” which conclude the trilogy of songs bearing that name.

The album also features contributions from Jon Anderson (lead singer of Yes) and Family singer Roger Chapman, reinforcing the project’s choral and diverse approach.



The original version of Crises was released in various formats, and in the U.S. market it was released with six tracks on the B-side, including the single “Mistake,” also performed by Maggie Reilly. Years later, the album was reissued in a remastered format, with new editions adding bonus versions of “Moonlight Shadow,” “Shadow on the Wall,” and other tracks such as “Jungle Gardenia” and “Crimes of Passion,” the latter featuring vocals by Barry Palmer.



In terms of reception, Crises greatly reinforced Mike Oldfield’s popularity beyond the niche of instrumental music. The album charted very high in several European countries and maintained Oldfield as a central figure in 1980s instrumental pop and progressive rock, combining commercial success with a compositional restraint that continued to appeal to his cult following.





Mike Oldfield's Biography



Mike Oldfield is a British musician, composer, and producer born in 1953 in Reading, England, known for his ability to play multiple instruments and compose lengthy works that blend rock, folk, pop, and film music.



Oldfield’s big break came with his debut album Tubular Bells (1973), composed and recorded almost entirely by himself, which became a global phenomenon and served as the soundtrack for the film The Exorcist. That work defined his style of complex instrumental music, with shifting tempos, layered instruments, and expansive structures, and brought him immediate international recognition.



In the following years, he released albums such as Hergest Ridge (1974), Ommadawn (1975), and Incantations (1978), cementing his reputation as one of the most unique exponents of progressive and instrumental rock. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Oldfield began exploring more melodic and vocal paths, as heard on albums such as Platinum (1979), QE2 (1980), and especially Five Miles Out (1982), where he was already beginning to combine instrumental elements with sung songs.



The release of Crises in 1983 marked a turning point toward more accessible sounds, without sacrificing the strength of his instrumental compositions. Since then, Oldfield has pursued a prolific career, alternating studio albums with reissues, soundtracks, and projects such as the Tubular Bells series, as well as conceptual and experimental works—both solo and with other musicians?



Songs from Crisis with durations

  • Crises – 20:00
  • Taurus 3 – 1:10
  • In High Places – 4:49
  • Foreign Affair – 5:23
  • Moonlight Shadow – 4:11
  • Shadow on the Wall – 4:48
  • Jack in the Box – 4:46
  • Mistake – 3:34
  • Foreign Affair (alternate version, on some editions) – 4:47
  • Shadow on the Wall (alternate version, on some editions) – 4:48
  • Moonlight Shadow (remastered version, on later editions) – 4:11
  • Jungle Gardenia – 4:43
  • Crimes of Passion – 4:10


Mike Oldfield Discography (Major Studio Albums)

  • Tubular Bells (1973)
  • Hergest Ridge (1974)
  • Ommadawn (1975)
  • Incantations (1978)
  • Platinum (1979)
  • QE2 (1980)
  • Five Miles Out (1982)
  • Crises (1983)
  • Discovery (1984)
  • The Killing Fields (soundtrack) (1984)
  • Islands (1987)
  • Earth Moving (1989)
  • Amarok (1990)
  • Heaven’s Open (1991)
  • Tubular Bells II (1992)
  • Tubular Bells III (1998)
  • Light & Shade (2005)
  • Tr3s Lunas (2002)
  • Tubular Bells 2003 (2003)
  • Tubular Bells 4 (2017)
  • Luna Sea (1996)
  • Music of the Spheres (2008)
  • The Killing Fields (complete reissue) (1984)
  • Guitars (1999)
  • Return to Ommadawn (2017)
  • Amarok 25 (reissue) (2018)
  • The Mike Oldfield Collection (1999, compilation, featuring many of his own compositions)


Crises on YouTube

The complete Crises album can be found on YouTube, featuring a 2013 remastered reissue that includes the extended version of the “Crises” suite and some of the bonus tracks from the special editions.