Eurovision Song Contest

Like many instrumental muso's, Mike Oldfield really isn't the strongest of song writers. There are the exceptions however, like the Maggie Reilly sessions! This album really is bad though when you compare it to past and present works. If you are an Oldfield fan looking through his catalogue then don't worry if you never get to hear this! It's just a collection of uninspiring, digitally over produced, sugary ballads that would sit very well on the Eurovision Song Contest stage. Mike is musically eclectic by nature, we know this and are prepared to give time to his self indulgences just because he really is a genius. But there are times when one should not kid oneself! I bought this album and lent it someone, 10 years ago! I haven't seen it since and I'm not bothered. Mike has produced some very wide ranging and enjoyable material over the years but Earth Moving isn't even remotely "moving". Thankfully, through the nineties things have changed. Buy this album at your peril!

Has its moments...

As others will tell you, this is far from Mike Oldfield's best album. Scansion and lyrics are occasionally tortured (see "Holy" for the former, as another reviewer has mentioned, the choruses of "Far Country" and "Innocent" for the latter), but there are bright points. Adrian Belew makes "Holy" work, and the bridge of "Far Country" is a delightful glimpse of what could have been as Oldfield and Belew trade guitar licks--not in the "Look at me, I'm a virtuoso and can play really, really fast" style of McLaughlin and de Lucia, but always tasteful and suited to the tranquil nature of the song. The religious allusions come thick and fast on this album, but my favorite track has to be "Blue Night," IMHO featuring Oldfield's best lyric writing since "Crime of Passion," fine guitar work, and Maggie O'Reilly's always excellent vocals. Call it Oldfield's worst, but it's still worthwhile.

Mike??? is it really Mike??? oh yes, it is Mike.....

"EARTH MOVING" is a total suprise.No instrumental pieces.Only songs.But If you thought that this is a bad album or not Oldfield styled i must dissagree.Mike is representing quite high level of performing and composing, even here.And everywhere you can hear his characteristic Guitar.
There are many guests here like Adrian Belew(King Crimson lead vocalist and guitarist), Max Bacon (From GTR) and Maggie reilly (Most well known Oldfield's voice).OF course, their Voices not always the raise quality of these songs.
"INNOCENT" is the worst track from This cd, Propably one of Mike's most Lowest in eighties.very Boring disco Synthesisers and Anita's Hergland (Oldfield's Wife during eighties) make this tune very similar to Rick Astley's or early Madonna tracks.Just Dreadfull,Skip it."SEE THE LIGHT" is a remain of famous "Shadow on the wall"(a hard rock song with some exciting reefs from album "Crises)."SEE THE LIGHT" is sadly very poor and Boring when compared to "Shadow...".All the strengt had all vanished somewhere."BLUE NIGHT" (echo of "Moonlight shadwow"),"RUNAWAY SON" and "FAR COUNTRY"(nice guitar solo)are very foresight and normal.dissapointing.
The other half of album is more interesting.Title track is a modern pop-Soul piece, very satisfing and catchy.Mike has done a good job here."Hostage" is dramatic and energetic rock song with bacon's good vocals (if you like his voice).And Finaly "Nothing but/bridge to paradise" - the longest track.It starts with a peacefull Soul ballad and later getting into fast electro-pop tune.Nice and catchy,worth of listening.
Well, First i wanted to rate this Two Stars but....When i'm listening it from beginning to the end i really enjoy it (except "Innocent"...) But when i compare it to "Tubular Bells" or "Five Miles out" i can see how poor this is. So in the end i rate this as a normal album, not comparing it to anything.
But still,if you like Oldfield for his long suits, buy something else...

Not as great as Discovery but still good

Okay, this is not his greatest but still enjoyable. Don't listen 2 this CD that it is another album of the creator of Amarok or Omadawn. No! This is a pop-rock album from Mike, and it has some really nice tracks on it I think! If U don't like his pop songs, don't buy it, but if U liked Discovery's, Islands' or Crises' pop songs then it is the time 4 U 2 get it!

Not Oldfield's best, but has its moments.

I knew that something was wrong with this album when I listened to the first track, "Holy", and the words of a line in the chorus didn't seem to match what was on the lyric sheet. Then I listened more closely and realized that the singer had warped the pronunciation and scansion of the words to fit the music: "Miracles, like you've ne-VER seen BE-fore!" Give me a break! From a first-time artist whose native language wasn't English, I could have accepted this. But this is Mike Oldfield we're talking about! And if the music is so much more important than the lyrics, then for goodness' sake he could just stick to instrumentals. We know he's good at those.

If you want a good idea of what this album could have been, I suggest listening to Tony Banks' solo album "Still", released at just the same time in the US. Multiple styles with male and female vocalists, an innovative blend of pop with progressive rock -- there's so much that Oldfield could have done, but he just fails to live up to his own standards on this album.

That said, there are a few gems on this album that make it worth dragging out from time to time, particularly with the programmable CD player. "Innocent" is a well-crafted pop tune that could have been a hit on US radio, if US radio stations had any taste. "Hostage" and "Bridge to Paradise" are two excellent rockers featuring Max Bacon, whose vocal work with GTR is still fondly remembered. But why was "Bridge" grafted onto "Nothing But", a boring musical nonentity in pseudo-gospel style?

(Is it just me, or does Oldfield's quirky sense of humor show through on "Bridge to Paradise" -- I could swear that the background voices are singing "Building the Brooklyn Bridge...")

I know that Oldfield can write a good pop-like tune without compromising his fine music. Take "Moonlight Shadow", "Magic Touch","Islands", or almost all of the "Discovery" album. But on most of this album, he just doesn't make it all the way there.

Some good songs

Well, "Earth moving" may be Mike's one and only full-time pop album. It was by far his most successful record in Germany, peaking at #1 in the album charts for many weeks. Mike features some guest stars, e.g. Adrian Belew (King Crimson) and Chris Thompson (M.Mann's Earth Band). This album doesn't come up with anything reminding you of his art-rock and new age efforts, except for his typical guitar that sounds like a bagpipe. "Holy", "Innocent" and the title track are great pop songs with memorable melodies. But what about the rest? One the one hand Mike and his guests pretend to be hard rockers with "Hostage" and "See the light". On the other hand there are some heavenly female voices on "Blue night" and "Nothing but/..", but these tracks are saccharine and trite. Overall, it's an uneven album, but it's preferable to Mike's pretentious and superficial concept albums like "Amarok" or "Tubular bells II".