Like most compilations for just about any artist, this sampling of the works of multi-instrumentist Mike Oldfield falls short in its attempt to cover the artist's best works. A good example of this is the fact that it only provides a "taste" of the "Tubular Bells", only including 4:18 minutes of its opening, when it was his most transcendental work, one who earned him a grammy, boosted him into stardom and helped turn Virgin records into a prominent label.

An attempt is made at covering bits and pieces of his work from most of his periods, and some listeners may end up being dissapointed by what they encounter (or by what they miss) here. The truth is that Mike Oldfield reminds me a good deal of Alan Parsons. Both have been outstanding artists who rose to fame for something great they did in the mid-seventies (Parsons' most famous landmark being his participation as Engineer for Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon"). But both have also had their times during which they put out music that wasn't up to the expectations of those who idealized them. At the end of the day, the balance in the album tends to be less than optimal, but mostly due to its limited selection more than anything else.

While not a bad album, I probably would recommend getting his originals or shooting for his box. There are definitely at least a couple of songs that do not belong in here, but it's mostly the missing songs the ones that you are not getting if you get "Elements".

This is a good introduction to the music of Mike Oldfield, and it includes one great song, a few other good ones, and some disappointments. It also includes several excerpts from long instrumental works that are pleasant, sometimes even beautiful to listen to, but that can't possibly convey the impact of the entire compositions. Finally, there are a couple of execrable tracks that should have been left on the cutting room floor. The album is incoherent as a "listen", but considering Mike's divergent musical explorations, what else could it be?

The great song is "To France". Sung by silver-throated Maggie Reilly, it is beautiful and thrilling, with quiet mandolins, soaring guitars and well-textured electronics forming a transcendent song of regret and hope. The song is a perfect "10", and led me to the album "Discovery", which I believe is Mike's best album of songs and short selections.

The other good songs are "Family Man", "Moonlight Shadow" and "Heaven's Open". I picked up this CD to accompany me on a long drive, only being familiar with Mike's phenomenal "Tubular Bells", and hoping for similarly entertaining soundscape odysseys. Imagine my surprise when all of a sudden... "hey, this is Hall and Oates!" Sure enough, the blue-eyed soul of "Family Man" originated with Mike Oldfield, and includes a wicked high-register guitar solo. Then comes "Moonlight Shadow", a delightful song, sweet and melodic with a strong drum track. "Heaven's Open" is another uplifting winner. I'm not sure if Mike is the singer, but he sounds sort of like a drunken Sting (and I don't mean that as an insult, the vocal is actually quite good). "Foreign Affair" and "Islands" (featuring Bonnie Tyler) are no better than OK, and "Five Miles Out" and "Shadow on the Wall" are more irritating than entertaining.

The instrumental excerpts from the long works form a signficant part of this album, and all are entertaining, especially "Incantations" and "Ommadawn", but they are mere fragments, and whatever the quality of the entire compositions, the excerpts cannot possibly do them justice.

Overall, "Elements" is a good display of what this interesting and sometimes experimental musician has produced over the years, but not a real "album" in itself. I give it 3 stars for the CD as a musical collection, and an extra star for its value in pointing you to those aspects of Mike Oldfield's music you might want to pursue in more depth.

I do own several Mike Oldfield CDs and I like them. Great music, great sound.

This one is clearly not in line with the others. Quite obviously, this CD was put together on a rainy Sunday afternoon... A number of good songs where brought together, but unfortunately the result is far below what one should expect, having disbursed [$$$].

The sound quality is poor (lacks detail and dynamics), and the recording engineers didn't even care to end the tracks in a decent way. Listen to the way track 1, 3, 5, 6 end. It's as if the guy fell asleep and suddenly woke up "uh, oh, the next track is starting. Let me quickly fade this out." The end of track 5 is a remarkable kludge. Further, they did not take the time to check the levels of the tracks... you will want to reduce the volume of track 4 each time: it was recorded at a volume level far above all the others.

Too bad. Mike Oldfield has great music. But at times, the engineers were not at the same level. Spend your money elsewhere.

If you're reading this you're either looking to see if someone agrees with your view of the album or you're wondering whether to buy it. Spooky these powers of mine, aren't they? I never regretted getting this album even though I usually hate single artist compilations. But MO is a noteable exception. This is a really diverse album with tracks you'll dislike but come back and like later, tracks that will grab you and not let go, and some that are just...comfortable, if you know what I mean. And there's a few that maybe you won't like ever. I most appreciated that it didn't take much work to get into it; I didn't have to suspend judgement for 3 or 4 listens, it opened up so nicely but always with the promise of more. Another review ID'd the voice of the angel in Moonlight Shadow but as a counterpoint there's Roger Chapman's voice [he with the voice of a demon, of Family] in Shadow on the Wall. Just one example of the way the album seems to reform around different axis. Elements: elemental? building blocks? I don't know. But don't mistake this for a platter of greatest hits pitched at those who don't want the full works. It might take you exploring his other work, or it might take the music you already know and prompt you to know it again in a different way.

Mike Oldfield, a multi-instrumentalist, achieved worldwide success with his debut, Tubular bells, but never came close to matching its success again although his albums continued to sell well in his British homeland. This collection of his music from the seventies, eighties and early nineties shows Mike's development as an artist. Although titled Elements, this is really a Best of package.

The set opens with the opening theme to Tubular bells and includes his four British top ten hits (In Dulce Jubilo, Portsmouth, Moonlight shadow, Sentinel) as well as Family man, which was only a minor UK hit for Mike but which became a top twenty UK hit via a cover by Hall and Oates. Some of Mike's lesser hits are missing including the UK top twenty hit, Blue Peter, which is Mike's interpretation of the theme to the long-running children's TV series - it was even used on the TV for a few years.

The vastly under-appreciated Maggie Reilly (a brilliant soprano) sings on some of Mike's records, most notably Moonlight shadow, an extremely sad song albeit with a bouncy tune. Another brilliant guest vocalist is Bonnie Tyler, featured on Islands.

While you might wish to buy the original Tubular bells album in its entirety, this sampling of Mike's best music spanning nearly twenty years shows plenty of variety.