Lead single “Platinum” and “Incantations (Excerpts Of Parts I-Iv)” start with near-whispers before kicking into giddily catchy, fuzz box-driven hollered hooks. Live In Preston Guild Hall 23.05.1980 isn’t so much a record, as a great effort at dragging you into another world. Nowhere is this more so than on their re-working of Mike Oldfield on ‘Platinum’. Platinum and Incantations (Excerpts Of Parts I-Iv) is really good.
Once Incantations (Excerpts Of Parts I-Iv) gets in your head, it will NEVER leave. Still going through Live In Preston Guild Hall 23.05.1980 and coming to appreciate Blue Peter more and more with every listen. Album opener Punkadiddle is a bright, upbeat ditty. Tubular Bells Part Ii is the album’s biggest hit, I think. Portsmouth is possibly the best song Mike Oldfield has come up. I Got Rhythm motivates you to get up and do something to improve your life and the life of others. Sailor’s Hornpipe is one of the more up-tempo songs on Live In Preston Guild Hall 23.05.1980. Mike Oldfield offers the kind of music here that makes you reflect on yourself. Polka is outstanding work of Mike Oldfield. Vocals of Mike Oldfield in Guilty really capture me and are set perfectly to the rhythm. This track is a fabulous selection of easy listening, suitable for any age, taste or occasion. The sound of Tubular Bells Part I is difficult to describe, as it seems to squirm in a sensual manner, unlike anything ever created.
Live In Preston Guild Hall 23.05.1980 CD


