5 años antes de su primer disco totalmente en solitario, su exitoso “Tubular Bells”, Mike Oldfield probó suerte en diferentes grupos, comenzando primero formando un dúo junto con su hermana Sally para hacer música folk, durante un breve periodo de tiempo, el justo que necesitaron para grabar un álbum para el sello Transatlantic con el título “Children Of The Sun”, así como un single más. Es un disco lleno de canciones simples por sus letras y con una bisoñez propia de dos adolescentes: Mike tenía entonces 15 años y Sally 19. Con sus guitarras acústicas y sus voces (Mike tenía una buena voz, pero no la suficiente como para marcar la diferencia con su hermana), dieron cuerpo a un álbum bien surtido de temas compuestos por ellos mismos, influenciados en la música tradicional de su país y en temas de corte medieval, lo que se nota en muchas de sus letras, y con la estimada ayuda de varios músicos folk como Terry Cox y Ray Warleigh a la percusión y a la flauta, respectivamente. De este disco sobresalen un par de temas, el que da título al álbum y “A Lover For All Seasons”.
Oh, what would the world be without those humble beginnings? Children of the Sun is the first and final album from The Sallyangie, the debut of Sally Oldfield and her younger brother Mike ("Angie" being his favorite guitar tune at the time) working together as a folk duo. This is one review where I'll have to pull my punches a bit, because otherwise I'd feel like I was slapping around a little kid.
What can you really say about an album that makes Jon Anderson's solo work sound stern? Sally's lyrics, oversaturated with enough fairy tale imagery to drive the entire Disney animation staff to drink. In essence, these really are thinly veiled, hormonally-charged rhapsodies of a teenage girl (from the liner notes, she was 20 when she wrote this, though other sources suggest 18). Sample lyrics? Heh heh...all right, you asked for it. "Hey sweet prince/I love your hair of darkest violet...high king/give me princes to walk by my side" ("Lady Mary"); "My lover's hands are whiter than the wings of a dove/His hair is softest fire that falls in heavenly love" ("Children of the Sun"); "Cos I love you lover/I love you like I love the four high seasons" ("A Lover for All Seasons"); "Hey man let's have a banquet/Don't wanna know your name/You're just my lover...So keep off my lover's moon or he'll blind thee/As he walks in beauty on the water" ("Banquet on the Water"). Um, yeah. Are we detecting a common pattern here?
Mike Oldfield, a mere 15-years old, was already an impressive guitar player for his age, and the bonus disc of this reissue features some "Bron-Yr-Aur"-like acoustic improvisations coupled with an already evident sense of humor. However, just considering his vocals alone on disc one and unintentionally hilarious tracks like "Midsummer Night's Happening" (yes, that's really the title), I wouldn't have blamed him if he exercised the vast wealth he has accumulated over the years to personally ensure that every existing copy of this album was tracked down and destroyed.
In fairness, keeping the twee lyrics, twee vocals, and the occasionally noticeable vocal and guitar flubs off the table, some of the music on here is nice: "Banquet on the Water," "Twilight," and an early version of Sally's "Song of the Healer." I think both Oldfields deserve commendation for being good sports enough to let this large-boned skeleton out of the closet to be circulated among fans. I'm sure for many of us who dabbled in recording things back in our high school days that we couldn't imagine the trauma it would cause us if these were released many decades later for literally all the world to hear. Today, both Sally and Mike properly distance themselves from this album, Sally equating it in the liner notes to having your mother drag out those old family photos when the guests come over. On the other hand, it can be argued that other artists in this progressive idiom turned out startlingly accomplished songwriting efforts at an early age (examples include Mellow Candle's Swaddling Songs or Genesis' Trespass), so maybe I'm being too lenient. In any case, both Oldfields went on to make much worthier albums and attained independent success. Mike struck gold first with his run of albums on the Virgin label and Sally eventually emerged with the magnificent Water Bearer and a Germany-based pop career. © Ground And Sky.
Tracklist:
CD 1:
1. Strangers — 1:14
2. Lady Mary — 3:45
3. Children of the Sun — 5:04
4. A Lover for All Seasons — 3:43
5. River Song — 3:42
6. Banquet on the Water — 4:47
7. Balloons — 5:30
8. Midsummer Night's Happening — 4:08
9. Love in Ice Crystals — 3:07
10. Changing Colours — 0:26
11. Chameleon — 2:25
12. Milk Bottle — 0:34
13. The Murder of the Children of San Francisco — 4:03
14. Twilight Song — 1:18
15. Song of the Healer — 3:00
16. Strangers — 1:14
Disc 1 time: 49:26
CD 2:
1. Children of the Sun (Minus Intro) — 4:07
2. Mrs. Moon and the Thatched Shop — 6:14
3. Branches — 6:50
4. A Sad Song for Rosie — 2:12
5. Colour of the World — 2:28
6. Two Ships — 3:17
Disc 2 time: 25:25
Total time 74:51
Cómpralo aquí / Buy it here:
- CD Universe
- Freakemporium
- Ciao.co.uk
Oh, what would the world be without those humble beginnings? Children of the Sun is the first and final album from The Sallyangie, the debut of Sally Oldfield and her younger brother Mike ("Angie" being his favorite guitar tune at the time) working together as a folk duo. This is one review where I'll have to pull my punches a bit, because otherwise I'd feel like I was slapping around a little kid.
What can you really say about an album that makes Jon Anderson's solo work sound stern? Sally's lyrics, oversaturated with enough fairy tale imagery to drive the entire Disney animation staff to drink. In essence, these really are thinly veiled, hormonally-charged rhapsodies of a teenage girl (from the liner notes, she was 20 when she wrote this, though other sources suggest 18). Sample lyrics? Heh heh...all right, you asked for it. "Hey sweet prince/I love your hair of darkest violet...high king/give me princes to walk by my side" ("Lady Mary"); "My lover's hands are whiter than the wings of a dove/His hair is softest fire that falls in heavenly love" ("Children of the Sun"); "Cos I love you lover/I love you like I love the four high seasons" ("A Lover for All Seasons"); "Hey man let's have a banquet/Don't wanna know your name/You're just my lover...So keep off my lover's moon or he'll blind thee/As he walks in beauty on the water" ("Banquet on the Water"). Um, yeah. Are we detecting a common pattern here?
Mike Oldfield, a mere 15-years old, was already an impressive guitar player for his age, and the bonus disc of this reissue features some "Bron-Yr-Aur"-like acoustic improvisations coupled with an already evident sense of humor. However, just considering his vocals alone on disc one and unintentionally hilarious tracks like "Midsummer Night's Happening" (yes, that's really the title), I wouldn't have blamed him if he exercised the vast wealth he has accumulated over the years to personally ensure that every existing copy of this album was tracked down and destroyed.
In fairness, keeping the twee lyrics, twee vocals, and the occasionally noticeable vocal and guitar flubs off the table, some of the music on here is nice: "Banquet on the Water," "Twilight," and an early version of Sally's "Song of the Healer." I think both Oldfields deserve commendation for being good sports enough to let this large-boned skeleton out of the closet to be circulated among fans. I'm sure for many of us who dabbled in recording things back in our high school days that we couldn't imagine the trauma it would cause us if these were released many decades later for literally all the world to hear. Today, both Sally and Mike properly distance themselves from this album, Sally equating it in the liner notes to having your mother drag out those old family photos when the guests come over. On the other hand, it can be argued that other artists in this progressive idiom turned out startlingly accomplished songwriting efforts at an early age (examples include Mellow Candle's Swaddling Songs or Genesis' Trespass), so maybe I'm being too lenient. In any case, both Oldfields went on to make much worthier albums and attained independent success. Mike struck gold first with his run of albums on the Virgin label and Sally eventually emerged with the magnificent Water Bearer and a Germany-based pop career. © Ground And Sky.
Tracklist:
CD 1:
1. Strangers — 1:14
2. Lady Mary — 3:45
3. Children of the Sun — 5:04
4. A Lover for All Seasons — 3:43
5. River Song — 3:42
6. Banquet on the Water — 4:47
7. Balloons — 5:30
8. Midsummer Night's Happening — 4:08
9. Love in Ice Crystals — 3:07
10. Changing Colours — 0:26
11. Chameleon — 2:25
12. Milk Bottle — 0:34
13. The Murder of the Children of San Francisco — 4:03
14. Twilight Song — 1:18
15. Song of the Healer — 3:00
16. Strangers — 1:14
Disc 1 time: 49:26
CD 2:
1. Children of the Sun (Minus Intro) — 4:07
2. Mrs. Moon and the Thatched Shop — 6:14
3. Branches — 6:50
4. A Sad Song for Rosie — 2:12
5. Colour of the World — 2:28
6. Two Ships — 3:17
Disc 2 time: 25:25
Total time 74:51
Cómpralo aquí / Buy it here:
- CD Universe
- Freakemporium
- Ciao.co.uk
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