Heaven's Open

Last updated
Heaven's Open
Mike oldfield heavens open album cover.jpg
Studio album by
Michael Oldfield
Released18 February 1991 (1991-02-18)
RecordedLate 1990
Genre Rock, pop rock, progressive rock
Length43:13
Label Virgin
Producer Thom Newman
Mike Oldfield chronology
Amarok
(1990)		Heaven's Open
(1991)		 Tubular Bells II
(1992)
Singles from Heaven's Open
  1. "Heaven's Open"
    Released: January 1991
  2. "Gimme Back"
    Released: 1991
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]

Heaven's Open is the 14th record album performed by Mike Oldfield, released in 1991. It was his last album on Virgin, and also the only album he released under the name Michael Oldfield, instead of Mike Oldfield. The producer of the album, Tom Newman's name is also spelled out in a similar manner, as Thom Newman.

Contents

History

By 1991 and the release of Heaven's Open, Oldfield was happy to leave Virgin Records. [2] [3] The final goodbye to Virgin appears at the very end of "Music from the Balcony", where quiet laughter and Oldfield's voice saying "Fuck off!" can be heard.

Heaven's Open is Oldfield's only album where he performs all the lead vocals himself, due to his having come to terms with the sound of his own voice. [3]

After leaving Virgin, Oldfield released the anticipated Tubular Bells II in 1992 with Warner Brothers.

Connections to other Oldfield albums

The album's cover is a reworked version of a photo originally taken for Tubular Bells , when the working title was Breakfast in Bed. In this cover art, blood was pictured dripping from the egg, rather than yolk. [4] The working title for Heaven's Open was Man in the Rain. [5] The song "Heaven's Open" comes largely from an early version of "Man in the Rain". [5] The "Man in the Rain" title would later be used by Oldfield as a single from the Tubular Bells III album.

Stylistically, Heaven's Open returns to the format of Oldfield's commercially oriented records of the early to mid-1980s, and features a selection of accessible pop/rock songs, as well as a more progressive long-form piece. Unlike previous albums such as Five Miles Out and Crises , the album's longer composition closes the album as opposed to opening it, as with Oldfield's album Discovery .

Singles

"Gimme Back" and the title track "Heaven's Open" were released as singles in 1991. Both were also released under the name Michael Oldfield.

Equipment

Musical equipment on the album includes Atari, C-Lab and Fairlight products. Also featured are Roland D50, MKS-80 and D550s, an Akai S900, S1000 and S1100, an EMU Proteus, a Korg M1 a Yamaha DX5 and the Steinberg 'Topaz'. A Harrison series X mixing console, a Sony 3348 digital tape machine and microphones made by Bruel & Kjaer were used in the creation of the album.

Track listing

All tracks written by Mike Oldfield.

Side one

  1. "Make Make" – 4:18
  2. "No Dream" – 6:02
  3. "Mr. Shame" – 4:22
  4. "Gimme Back" – 4:12
  5. "Heaven's Open" – 4:31

Side two

  1. "Music from the Balcony" – 19:44

Personnel

Related Research Articles

Mike Oldfield British musician and multi-instrumentalist

Michael Gordon Oldfield is a British musician, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter best known for his debut studio album Tubular Bells (1973), which became an unexpected critical and commercial success and propelled him to worldwide fame. Though primarily a guitarist, Oldfield is known for playing a range of instruments which include keyboards, percussion, and vocals. He has adopted a range of musical styles throughout his career, including progressive rock, world, folk, classical, electronic, ambient, and new age music.

<i>Tubular Bells</i> 1973 studio album by Mike Oldfield

Tubular Bells is the debut studio album by English multi-instrumentalist, composer, and songwriter Mike Oldfield, released on 25 May 1973 as the first album on Virgin Records. Oldfield, who was 19 years old when it was recorded, played almost all the instruments on the mostly instrumental album.

<i>Tubular Bells II</i> 1992 studio album by Mike Oldfield

Tubular Bells II is the fifteenth studio album by English guitarist and songwriter Mike Oldfield. It was released on 31 August 1992 by Warner Music UK and is the successor to his debut album Tubular Bells (1973). After his contract with Virgin Records ended at the end of 1991, Oldfield signed with Warner and started work on a sequel to Tubular Bells. In 1998, Oldfield released Tubular Bells III.

<i>The Songs of Distant Earth</i> (album) 1994 studio album by Mike Oldfield

The Songs of Distant Earth is the sixteenth studio album by English musician, songwriter and producer Mike Oldfield, released on 21 November 1994 by WEA. It is a concept album based on the 1986 science fiction novel The Songs of Distant Earth by Arthur C. Clarke. The album reached No. 24 on the UK Albums Chart.

<i>Platinum</i> (Mike Oldfield album) 1979 studio album by Mike Oldfield

Platinum is the fifth studio album by English multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Mike Oldfield, released on 23 November 1979 on Virgin Records. It was Oldfield's first album to include shorter songs and music written by others. A modified version of the album was released in the United States and Canada and titled Airborn.

<i>Amarok</i> (Mike Oldfield album) 1990 studio album by Mike Oldfield

Amarok is the thirteenth studio album by English multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Mike Oldfield, released in May 1990 by Virgin Records. Oldfield originally conceived it as an "angry, protest album", showcasing his musical technique. It is presented as a single sixty-minute track of continuous, uninterrupted but constantly changing music.

<i>Islands</i> (Mike Oldfield album) 1987 studio album by Mike Oldfield

Islands is the 11th album by Mike Oldfield, released in 1987 by Virgin. Guest singers on the album are Bonnie Tyler, Kevin Ayers, Anita Hegerland, and Jim Price. A different track list and cover was used for the American edition.

<i>Voyager</i> (Mike Oldfield album) 1996 studio album by Mike Oldfield

Voyager is the 17th music album by Mike Oldfield, released in 1996 by Warner Music UK. It is a Celtic-themed album with new compositions intertwined with traditional pieces.

<i>Tubular Bells III</i> 1998 studio album by Mike Oldfield

Tubular Bells III is the eighteenth studio album by English guitarist, songwriter, and producer Mike Oldfield. It was released on 31 August 1998 by Warner Music UK and is the third instalment in his Tubular Bells album series, following Tubular Bells (1973) and Tubular Bells II (1992). After relocating from England to the Spanish island of Ibiza, Oldfield started work on the album and gained inspiration to incorporate electronic music from the island's local bars and clubs.

<i>Elements – The Best of Mike Oldfield</i> 1993 greatest hits album by Mike Oldfield

Elements – The Best of Mike Oldfield is a compilation album by Mike Oldfield, released in 1993 by Virgin Records.

Thomas Dennis "Tom" Newman is an English record producer and musician. In 1970 he began working with Richard Branson and helped to found The Manor Studio in Oxford for the nascent Virgin Records. There, he produced the recording of Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells.

<i>The Art in Heaven Concert</i> 2000 video by Mike Oldfield

The Art in Heaven Concert is a Mike Oldfield concert video taken from 2000 New Year's night concert at the Victory Column in Berlin, Germany, which is currently available on both CD and DVD.

This page is a discography for the musician Mike Oldfield.

Man in the Rain 1998 single by Mike Oldfield

"Man in the Rain" is a pop rock song written and performed by English multi-instrumentalist Mike Oldfield. It was included on the album Tubular Bells III and released as a single on 5 October 1998 by Warner Music. The vocals were performed by Irish folk singer Cara Dillon.

Heavens Open (song) 1991 single by Mike Oldfield

"Heaven's Open" is a single by musician Mike Oldfield, released in 1991. It was the lead single from the album of the same name. The various formats were backed by a mix of the A-side which featured a melodic guitar line not included in the album version, along with two excerpts from Amarok, Oldfield's previous album.

Mike Oldfields Single

"Mike Oldfield's Single" is the debut single by musician Mike Oldfield, released in 1974. The A-side is a variation of one of the themes from Oldfield's 1973 debut album, Tubular Bells, and was made in response to an American single containing an excerpt from Tubular Bells which Oldfield did not authorise. After its use in the box office success The Exorcist, "Tubular Bells" reached #7 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.

<i>Elements – The Best of Mike Oldfield</i> (video) 1993 video by Mike Oldfield

Elements - The Best of Mike Oldfield is a video collection by Mike Oldfield released in October 1993. It was released by Virgin Records on VHS and Laser disc. A DVD edition of the video release, including additional extras, was produced in 2004.

<i>Tubular Bells II Live</i> 1992 video by Mike Oldfield

Tubular Bells II, The Performance Live at Edinburgh Castle is a live concert video by Mike Oldfield released in 1992.

<i>Tubular Bells III Live</i> 1998 video by Mike Oldfield

Tubular Bells III, The Premiere Performance is a live concert video by Mike Oldfield released in 1998.

<i>Man on the Rocks</i> 2014 studio album by Mike Oldfield

Man on the Rocks is the twenty-fifth studio album by British musician Mike Oldfield, released on 3 March 2014 on the Virgin EMI label. The album is Oldfield's second full album of exclusively songs with no long or instrumental pieces, the first being 1989's Earth Moving.

References

  1. ↑ Heaven's Open at AllMusic
  2. ↑ "Mike Oldfield has regained his balance back". MAN "El Hombre. December 1992. Retrieved 13 June 2008.
  3. 1 2 "Not Totally Tubular". Dave Thompson - Goldmine. 1997-07-18. Archived from the original on 22 May 2008. Retrieved 13 June 2008.
  4. ↑ "Tubular Bells - Notes". The Official Mike Oldfield Information Service. Archived from the original on 29 April 2008. Retrieved 8 May 2008.
  5. 1 2 "Mike Oldfield Secrets". Amadian. Retrieved 8 May 2008.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.