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A few months later, in March 1981, Mike set off on another European tour, with a further reduced offering of five other musicians. Worthy of note on this tour was the inclusion of traditional pieces in each country: "O Sole Mio" (Livorno, Italy), "Blue Danube" (Vienna, Austria) and the Royal Wedding Anthem (Portsmouth and London, England). Incidentally, Mike was awarded the "Freeman of the City of London" for writing this piece, which means he can herd his sheep across London bridge whenever he feels like it! There were no further releases in that year, apart from compilations in France ("Episodes"), Germany ("Music Wonderland") and the Benelux countries ("Wonderland") "Five Miles Out" came out in spring 1982 and was the first Virgin-Deutschland album to reach the German Top 20. This work again included longer pieces. "Taurus 2" filled side 1 and "Orabidoo", a thirteen minute track, filled half of the second side. To complement these were the 3 tracks "Five Miles Out", "Mount Teide" and "Family Man". The
album was inspired by a near tragic flight on his preceding tour,
where the small aircraft hit a terrible storm. Mike's most ardent
fans often claim this is the best production in the period following
"Incantations". |
What followed was to alienate many of Oldfield's hardened fans, but at the same time attract the most commercial interest since "Tubular Bells". Crises has been variously described as both "mediocre, with a rather homespun feel", and as one of his most powerful works to date. On side 2, the short instrumental "Taurus 3" earns Mike his due, whilst Moonlight Shadow and Shadow on the Wall were massive hit singles all over the World. The following tour, featuring just over ten European destinations, culminated in the widely acclaimed 10th Anniversary concert at Wembley Arena, which remains one of the best Mike Oldfield concerts to date. Also in 1983, Mike appeared five times as "support act" for Crosby, Stills and Nash at the Midsummer Open Air Festival.
Mike annoyed many of his UK fans by not performing at home on this tour, but he was staying out of the country for a whole year, for tax purposes.
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In
the same year, QE2 was released, which again broke new ground for
Oldfield - no long instrumental piece filling a whole side. The
longest, "Taurus 1" was a mere ten minutes. Once again,
two cover versions are apparent: "Arrival" (Abba) and
"Wonderful Land" (The Shadows). 
Mike
then moved to Villars in the Swiss Alps to record the follow up
album, Discovery. The result was seven poppy songs, which hardly
made the most of his talent, although the instrumental "The
Lake" hinted that Mike was still capable of greater things.
This album has been described as his weakest yet by some of his
fans. The "Discovery Tour" which followed took in over
50 European shows, with about 20 in Germany. Many of his original
fans were disappointed by the 2hr plus concerts, because classics
such as "Tubular Bells" and "Ommadawn" were
sacrificed in favour of his newer works, leaving what many considered
a big gap in the programme.
