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Tom Newman — Variations on a Rhythm of Mike Oldfield - David Bedford
(Voiceprint BP191CD, 1995, CDEP)

by Dane Carlson, Published 1998-07-01

Variations on a Rhythm of Mike Oldfield - David Bedford Cover art

This is a four track EP, and is basically a Tom Newman album. It's confusing, I know. This is some of that stuff you know Oldfield and Co. did for laughs (when perhaps beer and worse entered the studio!). The concept of this release is far better than the execution. For the title track, Newman, Bedford and Oldfield all have a kit; comprised of bottles, squeaky toys, clay pots, percussion, and other odd things. It comes off as the nightmare of percussion it was meant to be, its father claims to be a theme from Tubular Bells, thus the title of this album. The rest of the songs are essentially Tom Newman demos. There's "Superman" a reggae-like piece of no real substance, or necessity. "Day of the Percherons" which features a very wee bit of trademark Oldfield guitar. And last (thankfully, though misnamed) "Have Mercy on My Eyes." It's all very dated, I have heard far better from all the names that appear here. If you are a Virgin completist, looking for that last piece of Oldfield's work, or just a masochist, you may want to get this. Voiceprint will love you for it.

Filed under: New releases, Issue 15, 1995 releases

Related artist(s): Tom Newman, Mike Oldfield, David Bedford

 

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