''Voyager'' is the 17th music album by

Mike Oldfield Mike may refer to: Animals * Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum * Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off * Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and document ...

, released in 1996 by

Warner Music UK Warner Music Group's labels include the following. Flagship labels * Atlantic Records * Elektra Records *Parlophone Records *Warner Records Atlantic Records Group * 1st & 15th Entertainment * All Money In * Artist Partners Group * Asylum Re ...

. It is a Celtic-themed album with new compositions intertwined with traditional pieces.

Background

The album was the last in the original three album deal which Oldfield had signed with Warner after leaving

Virgin Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...

, starting with ''

Tubular Bells II ''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 ...

''. Oldfield would stay with Warner until 2003, where his final album for the label was ''

Tubular Bells 2003 ''Tubular Bells 2003'' is the 22nd studio album by English musician Mike Oldfield, released on 27 May 2003 by Warner Music Spain. It is a digital re-recording of his 1973 album '' Tubular Bells'', released almost 30 years earlier. To date, this ...

''. In an interview from the time, Oldfield claimed that the album was one of his quickest to create, only taking a month and a half to record, also claiming that he composed and recorded some songs in one morning.

Celtic music

The music on this album is the most overtly Celtic music Mike Oldfield has produced. The album was originally recorded using only acoustic hand-played instruments. After the daughter of a

Warner Music Warner Music Group Corp. ( d.b.a. Warner Music Group, commonly abbreviated as WMG) is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and th ...

exec said it sounded boring, Oldfield added synthesizers and more instruments to the album. "The Hero" is a Scottish piece originally written by James Scott Skinner in 1903, as "Hector the Hero". " She Moves Through the Fair" is a traditional Irish song, the melody of which had been used by Simple Minds for " Belfast Child" in 1989. "

Women of Ireland A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regardl ...

", although credited as a traditional song, is not: the main theme is a melody written by Irish composer

Seán Ó Riada Seán Ó Riada (; born John Reidy; 1 August 1931 – 3 October 1971), was an Irish composer and arranger of Irish traditional music. Through his incorporation of modern and traditional techniques he became the single most influential figur ...

as a musical setting of the poem "

Mná na hÉireann "''Mná na hÉireann''" ( en, Women of Ireland) is a poem written by Ulster poet Peadar Ó Doirnín (1704–1796), most famous as a song, and especially set to an air composed by Seán Ó Riada (1931–1971). As a modern song, ''Mná na hÉire ...

", written by

Peadar Ó Doirnín Peadar Ó Doirnín (c. 1700 - 1769), also known in English as Peter O'Dornin, was an Irish schoolteacher, Irish language poet and songwriter who spent much of his life in south-east Ulster. Biography Ó Doirnín was born c.1700 possibly near Dund ...

; Oldfield's rendition also includes an interpolation of the fourth movement (''Sarabande'') of George Frideric Handel's Keyboard suite in D minor, popularised by its use by Stanley Kubrick in his 1975 film '' Barry Lyndon'', where Ó Riada's tune also appears (Oldfield's "Women of Ireland" was reportedly inspired by the coupling of both pieces in the film). "Dark Island" is a Scottish instrumental and song; the original music was written by Iain Maclachlan as Dr. Mackay's Farewell to Creagorry in 1958. Later used as the theme to a 1962 BBC TV series and re-titled for the series. A set of words were later written by David Silver in 1963. Another well known set of words were also set to a variation of the tune in 1963, by Stewart Ross. "

Flowers of the Forest ''Flowers of the Forest'', or ''The Fluuers o the Forest'' (Roud 3812), is a Scottish folk tune and work of war poetry commemorating the defeat of the Scottish army, and the death of James IV, at the Battle of Flodden in September 1513. Although ...

" is a traditional Scottish song, a lament for the defeat at Flodden in 1513. "The Song of the Sun" is composed by Bieito Romero from Celtic band Luar na Lubre. Its original title is "O son do ar" ("The sound of the air"). " Mont Saint-Michel", a piece on the album composed by Oldfield, refers to a tidal island in France.

Singles

Promotional singles for "The Voyager" and "The Song of the Sun", in Germany and Spain respectively, were released in 1996. Mike Oldfield's rendition of "

" was released as a single in 1997.

Other artists samples

The song "Celtic Rain" was sampled in 2008 by Snoop Dogg, in the song "Why Did You Leave Me" of the album '' Ego Trippin'''. The song was produced by

Polow da Don Jamal Fincher Jones (born October 15, 1977, or 1978), professionally known as Polow da Don, is an American record producer and rapper. Jones has produced a variety of singles for a multitude of artists including "Anaconda" by Nicki Minaj (2014 ...

Track listing

# " The Song of the Sun" ( Bieito Romero) – 4:32 # "Celtic Rain" (Mike Oldfield) – 4:41 # " The Hero" (Traditional; arranged by Oldfield) – 5:03 # "

" (Traditional; arranged by Oldfield) – 6:29 # "The Voyager" (Oldfield) – 4:26 # " She Moves Through the Fair" (Traditional; arranged by Oldfield) – 4:06 # "Dark Island" (Traditional; arranged by Oldfield) – 5:43 # "Wild Goose Flaps Its Wings" (Oldfield) – 5:04 # "

" (Traditional; arranged by Oldfield) – 6:03 # "Mont St Michel" (Oldfield) – 12:18

Charts

The album charted highest in Hungary at number 1, but also charted around Europe.

Certifications and sales

Personnel

* Mike Oldfield -

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...

Máire Breatnach Máire Breatnach is an Irish fiddle, violin and viola player. She also sings in Irish on some of her albums. Since the early 1990s, she has recorded five solo albums, participated in many collaborations, and developed didactic material for chil ...

– fiddle *

London Voices London Voices is a London-based choral ensemble founded by Terry Edwards (1939-2022) in 1973. In its early years, it also incorporated the London Opera Chorus and London Sinfonietta Voices and Chorus. In 2004, Ben Parry, became co-director of th ...

– choir vocals * Noel Eccles – percussion *

Liam O'Flynn Liam Óg O'Flynn ( ga, Liam Ó Floinn, 15 September 1945 – 14 March 2018) was an Irish uilleann piper and Irish traditional musician. In addition to a solo career and as a member of Planxty, O'Flynn recorded with: Christy Moore, Dónal Lun ...

–

Uilleann pipes The uilleann pipes ( or , ) are the characteristic national bagpipe of Ireland. Earlier known in English as "union pipes", their current name is a partial translation of the Irish language terms (literally, "pipes of the elbow"), from thei ...

* Chris Apps, Roger Huth, Ian Macey, Bob MacIntosh - Highland pipers * Seán Keane – fiddle *

London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's Hall Orc ...

Matt Molloy Matt Molloy (born 12 January 1947) is an Irish musician, from a region known for producing talented flautists. As a child, he began playing the flute and won the All-Ireland Flute Championship at nineteen. Considered one of the most brilliant ...

– flutes, tin whistles * John Myers – tin whistle, fiddle * David Spillane – Uilleann pipes, low whistle * Pat Walsh - additional music * Robin Smith – musical arrangement (track 10), music conductor (10) *

Henry Jackman Henry Pryce Jackman (born 1974) is an English composer. He composed music for films such as '' Kong: Skull Island'', '' X-Men: First Class'', ''Winnie the Pooh'', ''Wreck-It Ralph'', ''Puss in Boots'', '' Monsters vs. Aliens'', '' Captain Phi ...

– additional music programming ;Technical * Gregg Jackman – assistant engineer * Tom Newman – assistant engineer * Richard Barrie – technical engineer

References

External links

Mike Oldfield Discography – ''Voyager''
at Tubular.net
"Dark Island" lyrics
at Tubular.net {{Authority control Mike Oldfield albums 1996 albums Warner Music Group albums Reprise Records albums