Ommadawn
With his first release,Tubular Bells, Mike Oldfield created a genre that can best be termed "symphonic folk-rock."Ommadawn, his third album, continued in a similar though somewhat more ambitious and less portentous vein. Including the African percussion group Jabula and Paddy Moloney of theChieftainson uilleann pipes, this is Oldfield's most easily palatable release. Oldfield plays almost 20 instruments here. The two instrumental pieces that make up nearly the entire album are similar to ambient music in intent and effect, with an almost constant recycling of themes. The album closes with "On Horseback," a classic piece of English whimsy.--James Swift