Guitars is the 19th record album written and performed by British musician Mike Oldfield, released in 1999. The concept of the album was to only perform it using guitar-like instruments.
| Guitars | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 24 May 1999 | |||
| Recorded | Roughwood Studio, Buckinghamshire | |||
| Genre | Progressive rock, new age | |||
| Length | 42:40 | |||
| Label | WEA | |||
| Producer | Mike Oldfield | |||
| Mike Oldfield chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [1] |
Background
editOldfield plays all the music on the album, using only guitars of various types. The most remarkable usage is that of his Roland MIDI-equipped guitars,[2] which he uses to trigger drum samples and produce string-like sounds. "Four Winds" is a four-part work, whose sections are musical portraits of the four compass points (North, South, East and West).
The Live Then & Now 1999 tour was in promotion of this album and Tubular Bells III.[3]
Track listing
edit- "Muse" – 2:12
- "Cochise" – 5:15
- "Embers" – 3:51
- "Summit Day" – 3:46
- "Out of Sight" – 3:48
- "B. Blues" – 4:30
- "Four Winds" – 9:32
- "Enigmatism" – 3:32
- "Out of Mind" – 3:46
- "From the Ashes" – 2:28
Inner cover photo
editThe liner notes has a photo of Oldfield surrounded by some of his guitars, which he used on the album. From the classical (Spanish acoustic) guitar at the top (and slightly to the right) going clockwise, the guitars are as follows:
- José Ramírez Classical guitar
- Fender Stratocaster, salmon pink (1962)
- Martin O-45 Parlour Guitar
- PRS Custom 24 with Roland synth pickup
- Fender Stratocaster, sunburst (1972)
- PRS Custom 24
- José Ramirez Flamenco guitar
- Wal 4 string bass guitar
- PRS McCarty Thinline
Certifications and sales
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[4] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ Mike Oldfield - Guitars review at AllMusic. Retrieved 2013-12-24.
- ^ "Interview with Mike Oldfield". Roland PowerOn magazine (Issue 4). 6 June 1999. Retrieved 27 February 2009.
- ^ "Guitars press release". WEA. April 1999. Retrieved 27 February 2009.
- ^ Salaverrie, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (PDF) (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Madrid: Fundación Autor/SGAE. p. 951. ISBN 84-8048-639-2. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
External links
edit- Mike Oldfield Discography - Guitars at Tubular.net