Jun 25: Discovery (and the Lake)

Mike Oldfield released his album 'Discovery' on this day in 1984.

The cover is quite striking.

Following his touring in 1983, Oldfield relocated to Villars-sur-Ollon, Switzerland for tax purposes and started work on this album.  He had also recorded another album in the area.

All the instruments were played by Oldfield, other than the drums, which were from Simon Phillips.

The best track on the album, and one of the best that Mike Oldfield produced is called 'The Lake'. 

It's a long instrumental piece, and this is the remixed '1984 Suite' version of the song. It builds wonderfully...

Whenever I listen to this song I am transported to Norway and it's 1984.

I first travelled to Norway with a friend from my student days. It was the summer before the final year of my geography degree and he had made a connection with a student called Yngvild. We ended up staying with the family and then heading off hitch-hiking for two or three weeks - heading north up towards Bergen and beyond...

Hopefully now that Rayburn Tours are offering trips to Norway I might get back there some day.

May 23: The Lake

Just remembered today that Lac Leman in Geneva, pictured below was the Lake referred to in the title of one of my favourite pieces of music: Mike Oldfield's 1984 classic.

Image: Alan Parkinson

I remember this being an important piece of music when I was in my final year of undergraduate studies, when you had to chase down music...

Listen to it now, turn the speakers up loud...