Five Miles Out
Encyclopedia
Five Miles Out is the seventh record album by Mike Oldfield
, released in 1982
, at a time when his music was moving away from large-scale symphonic pieces towards a more accessible pop style. It is one of the very few albums on which Oldfield sings lead vocals, as he is noted for not having any confidence in his voice's qualities. The album uses the Fairlight
CMI
as a main instrument and produced two singles.
and female chorus
. During the vocal section (called "The Deep Deep Sound") the music quotes a theme from "Taurus I", a song from Oldfield's previous album, QE2
. Immediately after the vocal section the main theme from "Taurus I" is also quoted.
"Family Man
" was Oldfield's first "real" rock song; Maggie Reilly
provides vocals. It was released as a single. Hall & Oates
covered the song in 1982 for their album H2O
, with their version reaching #6 on the US pop charts
and #15 in the UK
. It thus became one of the very few songs penned by Oldfield to chart in the United States
.
"Orabidoo" is another long and changing tune. It features vocals sung by Oldfield and Reilly, both through a vocoder
. At the end of the track, there is a song, "Ireland's Eye
", sung by Reilly and accompanied by acoustic guitar. The beginning of the tune quotes "Conflict" from Oldfield's previous album, QE2
. The song also features sections from "Taurus II".
"Mount Teidi" is a shorter instrumental piece, named after Mount Teide on the Spanish
island of Tenerife
.
"Five Miles Out
" was also released as a single. Despite being less than five minutes long, it had an unusually complex structure, with multiple vocal parts. The lyrics concerned Oldfield's experience of a near-tragic aeroplane flight. Reilly sings with a clean voice while Oldfield uses vocoder
most of time himself. The song features the same guitar riff that appears in the beginning of "Taurus II".
Five Miles Out, the album, was more popular than Oldfield's last few releases. It charted at #7 in the UK
, whereas both QE2
(1980) and Platinum (1979) had failed to reach the top twenty. Oldfield's commercial revival would continue with subsequent albums Crises
(1983) and Discovery
(1984).
The album was recorded in Buckinghamshire in 1981 and 1982, and the Five Miles Out World Tour 1982
was in promotion of the album.
aircraft, with similar markings to the one flown by Amelia Earhart
in 1937. This is often mistaken for a Beechcraft Model 18
(a very similar aircraft) and is referred to in the lyrics of "Five Miles Out" ; "lost in static, 18" and "automatic, 18". The airplane has registration
G-MOVJ, as also referenced in the lyrics (as "Golf Mike Oscar Victor Juliet").
The inner liner notes feature the track sheet for "Taurus II", with the lyrics of "Five Miles Out" embedded within. The track sheet shows the layout of instruments on the 24 track tape and indicates that it was recorded on an Ampex
ATR-124 between September 1981 and January 1982.
, staying there for 7 weeks.
Mike Oldfield
Michael Gordon Oldfield is an English multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, working a style that blends progressive rock, folk, ethnic or world music, classical music, electronic music, New Age, and more recently, dance. His music is often elaborate and complex in nature...
, released in 1982
1982 in music
This is a list of notable events in music from 1982. 1982 was a big year in music with Madonna making her debut as well as the year that Michael Jackson released Thriller which became the world's best selling album and it still holds that title today....
, at a time when his music was moving away from large-scale symphonic pieces towards a more accessible pop style. It is one of the very few albums on which Oldfield sings lead vocals, as he is noted for not having any confidence in his voice's qualities. The album uses the Fairlight
Fairlight
Fairlight is a digital audio company based in Sydney, Australia. In 1979 they created the Fairlight CMI, the first digital audio sampler, quickly used by artists such as Peter Gabriel, Kate Bush, and Jean Michel Jarre. They are now a manufacturer of media solutions tools such as digital audio...
CMI
Fairlight CMI
The Fairlight CMI is a digital sampling synthesizer. It was designed in 1979 by the founders of Fairlight, Peter Vogel and Kim Ryrie, and based on a dual-6800 microprocessor computer designed by Tony Furse in Sydney, Australia...
as a main instrument and produced two singles.
Album analysis
The first track, "Taurus II", is a long-form piece with changing melodies and instrumental settings. It features many familiar sounds from his earlier albums, such as uilleann pipesUilleann pipes
The uilleann pipes or //; ) are the characteristic national bagpipe of Ireland, their current name, earlier known in English as "union pipes", is a part translation of the Irish-language term píobaí uilleann , from their method of inflation.The bag of the uilleann pipes is inflated by means of a...
and female chorus
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
. During the vocal section (called "The Deep Deep Sound") the music quotes a theme from "Taurus I", a song from Oldfield's previous album, QE2
QE2 (album)
QE2 is the sixth record album by Mike Oldfield, released in 1980 on Virgin Records.The album contained both original Oldfield compositions as well as two cover version of pieces recorded by other bands .- Album analysis :The longest tracks on the album are "Taurus I" and the title track, "QE2",...
. Immediately after the vocal section the main theme from "Taurus I" is also quoted.
"Family Man
Family Man (song)
"Family Man" is a single by musician Mike Oldfield, released in 1982 . It was released from the album Five Miles Out, with vocals performed by Maggie Reilly.- Lyrical content :...
" was Oldfield's first "real" rock song; Maggie Reilly
Maggie Reilly
Maggie Reilly is a Scottish singer best known for her collaborations with the composer and instrumentalist Mike Oldfield...
provides vocals. It was released as a single. Hall & Oates
Hall & Oates
Hall & Oates are an American musical duo composed of Daryl Hall and John Oates. They achieved their greatest fame in the late 1970s and early to mid-1980s. Both sing and play instruments. They specialized in a fusion of rock and roll and rhythm and blues styles, which they dubbed "rock and soul."...
covered the song in 1982 for their album H2O
H2O (Hall & Oates album)
H2O is the eleventh studio album from Daryl Hall and John Oates, released in 1982. A hit, it featured three top 10 US singles, one being "Maneater", which was the biggest hit of their career, spending four weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts...
, with their version reaching #6 on the US pop charts
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and #15 in the UK
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. It thus became one of the very few songs penned by Oldfield to chart in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
"Orabidoo" is another long and changing tune. It features vocals sung by Oldfield and Reilly, both through a vocoder
Vocoder
A vocoder is an analysis/synthesis system, mostly used for speech. In the encoder, the input is passed through a multiband filter, each band is passed through an envelope follower, and the control signals from the envelope followers are communicated to the decoder...
. At the end of the track, there is a song, "Ireland's Eye
Ireland's Eye
Ireland's Eye is a small uninhabited island off the coast of County Dublin, Ireland, situated directly north of Howth Harbour. The island is easily reached by regular tourist boats...
", sung by Reilly and accompanied by acoustic guitar. The beginning of the tune quotes "Conflict" from Oldfield's previous album, QE2
QE2 (album)
QE2 is the sixth record album by Mike Oldfield, released in 1980 on Virgin Records.The album contained both original Oldfield compositions as well as two cover version of pieces recorded by other bands .- Album analysis :The longest tracks on the album are "Taurus I" and the title track, "QE2",...
. The song also features sections from "Taurus II".
"Mount Teidi" is a shorter instrumental piece, named after Mount Teide on the Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
island of Tenerife
Tenerife
Tenerife is the largest and most populous island of the seven Canary Islands, it is also the most populated island of Spain, with a land area of 2,034.38 km² and 906,854 inhabitants, 43% of the total population of the Canary Islands. About five million tourists visit Tenerife each year, the...
.
"Five Miles Out
Five Miles Out (song)
"Five Miles Out" is a single by musician Mike Oldfield, released in 1982 . It is from the album Five Miles Out and features vocals by Maggie Reilly.- Song analysis :The song make numerous references to flight...
" was also released as a single. Despite being less than five minutes long, it had an unusually complex structure, with multiple vocal parts. The lyrics concerned Oldfield's experience of a near-tragic aeroplane flight. Reilly sings with a clean voice while Oldfield uses vocoder
Vocoder
A vocoder is an analysis/synthesis system, mostly used for speech. In the encoder, the input is passed through a multiband filter, each band is passed through an envelope follower, and the control signals from the envelope followers are communicated to the decoder...
most of time himself. The song features the same guitar riff that appears in the beginning of "Taurus II".
Five Miles Out, the album, was more popular than Oldfield's last few releases. It charted at #7 in the UK
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
, whereas both QE2
QE2 (album)
QE2 is the sixth record album by Mike Oldfield, released in 1980 on Virgin Records.The album contained both original Oldfield compositions as well as two cover version of pieces recorded by other bands .- Album analysis :The longest tracks on the album are "Taurus I" and the title track, "QE2",...
(1980) and Platinum (1979) had failed to reach the top twenty. Oldfield's commercial revival would continue with subsequent albums Crises
Crises
Crises is the eighth record album by Mike Oldfield, released in 1983. Oldfield's well known hit "Moonlight Shadow" appears on the album.- Album analysis :...
(1983) and Discovery
Discovery (Mike Oldfield album)
Discovery is the ninth album by Mike Oldfield, released in 1984. It was recorded at Oldfield's then-home in Villars-sur-Ollon in the Swiss Alps where he was living for tax reasons...
(1984).
The album was recorded in Buckinghamshire in 1981 and 1982, and the Five Miles Out World Tour 1982
Five Miles Out World Tour 1982
The Five Miles Out World Tour 1982 was a concert tour by the British multi-instrumentalist Mike Oldfield.- Background :The Five Miles Out World Tour 1982 was in promotion of Oldfield's Five Miles Out album.- Tour dates :...
was in promotion of the album.
Miscellaneous
- In "Orabidoo", at 9'12" there can be heard a sample from near the climax of Alfred HitchcockAlfred HitchcockSir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
's Young and InnocentYoung and InnocentYoung and Innocent is a 1937 British film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Nova Pilbeam, Derrick De Marney and John Longden...
, when the conductor of a dance band criticizes the drummer: "Don't come in again like that. It isn't funny and I pay someone else to make the orchestrations!"
Album artwork
The cover of the album features a vintage Lockheed Model 10 ElectraLockheed Model 10 Electra
The Lockheed Model 10 Electra was a twin-engine, all-metal monoplane airliner developed by the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation in the 1930s to compete with the Boeing 247 and Douglas DC-2...
aircraft, with similar markings to the one flown by Amelia Earhart
Amelia Earhart
Amelia Mary Earhart was a noted American aviation pioneer and author. Earhart was the first woman to receive the U.S. Distinguished Flying Cross, awarded for becoming the first aviatrix to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean...
in 1937. This is often mistaken for a Beechcraft Model 18
Beechcraft Model 18
The Beechcraft Model 18, or "Twin Beech", as it is better known, is a 6-11 seat, twin-engine, low-wing, conventional-gear aircraft that was manufactured by the Beech Aircraft Corporation of Wichita, Kansas...
(a very similar aircraft) and is referred to in the lyrics of "Five Miles Out" ; "lost in static, 18" and "automatic, 18". The airplane has registration
Aircraft registration
An aircraft registration is a unique alphanumeric string that identifies a civil aircraft, in similar fashion to a licence plate on an automobile...
G-MOVJ, as also referenced in the lyrics (as "Golf Mike Oscar Victor Juliet").
The inner liner notes feature the track sheet for "Taurus II", with the lyrics of "Five Miles Out" embedded within. The track sheet shows the layout of instruments on the 24 track tape and indicates that it was recorded on an Ampex
Ampex
Ampex is an American electronics company founded in 1944 by Alexander M. Poniatoff. The name AMPEX is an acronym, created by its founder, which stands for Alexander M. Poniatoff Excellence...
ATR-124 between September 1981 and January 1982.
Charts
The album peaked at #7 in the UK Album Chart and at #16 on Norway's album chartVG-lista
VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by...
, staying there for 7 weeks.
| Chart | Position |
|---|---|
| UK Album Chart | 7 |
| Norway VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
16 |
Side two
- "Family ManFamily Man (song)"Family Man" is a single by musician Mike Oldfield, released in 1982 . It was released from the album Five Miles Out, with vocals performed by Maggie Reilly.- Lyrical content :...
" (Oldfield/Tim Cross/Rick Fenn/Mike Frye/Maggie Reilly/Morris Pert) – 3:45 - "Orabidoo" (Oldfield/Cross/Fenn/Frye/Reilly/Pert) – 13:03
- "Mount Teidi" (Oldfield) – 4:10
- "Five Miles OutFive Miles Out (song)"Five Miles Out" is a single by musician Mike Oldfield, released in 1982 . It is from the album Five Miles Out and features vocals by Maggie Reilly.- Song analysis :The song make numerous references to flight...
" (Oldfield) – 4:16
Personnel
- Mike Oldfield – guitars, bass, keyboards, vocals, producer, engineer
- Richard Barrie – technical assistant
- Graham BroadGraham BroadGraham Broad is an English drummer who has been playing professionally since the age of fifteen, after attending the Royal College of Music in 1970....
– drums - Tim CrossTim CrossMajor General Timothy Cross, CBE is a retired British Army officer and military logistics expert. He was commissioned in 1971 into the Royal Army Ordnance Corps and went on to serve in Germany, Northern Ireland and Cyprus, interspersed with staff duties and further education...
– keyboards - Rick FennRick FennRichard 'Rick' Fenn is an English rock guitarist. He is best known for being a member of the band 10cc since 1976. He has also collaborated with Mike Oldfield, Rick Wakeman, Hollies singer Peter Howarth and Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason....
– guitars - Martyn FordMartyn FordMartyn Ford is an English musician, best known for his orchestral contributions to rock music albums of the 1970s and 1980s.Ford was originally classically trained; he studied French horn at the Royal Academy of Music. While in his senior year there, he formed his own orchestra, which debuted at...
– conductor for strings - Mike Frye – percussion
- Richard Mainwaring – engineer
- Paddy MoloneyPaddy MoloneyPaddy Moloney is one of the founders of the Irish musical group The Chieftains and has played on every one of their albums.He was born in Donnycarney in Dublin. His mother bought him a tin whistle when he was six and at the age of eight he started to learn the Uilleann pipes. He also plays button...
– Uilleann pipesUilleann pipesThe uilleann pipes or //; ) are the characteristic national bagpipe of Ireland, their current name, earlier known in English as "union pipes", is a part translation of the Irish-language term píobaí uilleann , from their method of inflation.The bag of the uilleann pipes is inflated by means of a... - Tom NewmanTom Newman (musician)Not to be confused with Thomas Newman.Tom Newman is an English record producer and musician...
– engineer - Maggie ReillyMaggie ReillyMaggie Reilly is a Scottish singer best known for her collaborations with the composer and instrumentalist Mike Oldfield...
– vocals - Carl PalmerCarl PalmerCarl Frederick Kendall Palmer is an English drummer and percussionist. He is credited as one of the most respected rock drummers to emerge from the 1960s...
– percussion - Morris PertMorris PertMorris David Brough Pert was a Scottish composer, drummer/percussionist, and pianist who composed in the fields of both contemporary classical and jazz-rock music...
– percussion, keyboards, arranger for strings - Fin Costello – photographer
External links
- Mike Oldfield Discography - Five Miles Out at Tubular.net
- Explanation of the radio message in "Five Miles Out"
- 1982 Interview with Mike Oldfield from Stereo Review