He wrote an awful song, „Shadow on the Wall“, and the albums of his sister Sally, boring lessons of fairytale‘s nirvana. But, once upon a time, who didn‘t like Tubular Bells when listening to it for the first time, on vinyl, on air, as soundtrack of a famous horror movie? How could it happen so many record companies rejected it till Richard Branson realized its potential? And as a soundtrack, it would easily work, but horror? Quite addictive, the music.
Years later, Ommadawn, somehow similar, somehow different, a one-trick pony? Now set into the wide open? The more mature work? This is written from memory, probably with errors, without Google. As far as I remember, Ommadawn was composed to come clear with the death of his mother. The music is far from overtly sad, it‘s like someone moving into the zone creating hymn-like moods to overcome the sadness. Simple as that, I don‘t know.
But is Ommadawn such a great work, I listened to it today, in the dark, and it was impressive in some ways, not so much in some others. A great flow of ideas, sudden changes of the scenery, appealing folk chants, entrancing drum parts, but, somehow, I felt it all a bit too well-mannered, overcrowded with big gestures. On the other hand smart tricks seem to contradict the deep emotion that (as I think I have heard somewhere) set it all into motion. Really I don‘t know what to think and feel about it.