Mike Oldfield – QE2 (2012 Reissue on 180g Vinyl)

Released on 31 October 1980, QE2 is the sixth studio album by Mike Oldfield. The album was named after the ocean liner Queen Elizabeth 2.

The album contained both original Oldfield compositions as well as two cover version of pieces recorded by other bands (Arrival by ABBA and Wonderful Land by the Shadows). Some years later the Shadows responded to Oldfield’s cover of Wonderful Land, by releasing a cover of Oldfield’s Moonlight Shadow. The cover songs were released as singles.

The longest tracks on the album are Taurus I and the title track, QE2, lasting 10 minutes and 7 minutes respectively. 

QE2 was the first Oldfield album to feature Maggie Reilly as a collaborator. Some tracks on the album feature vocals sung through vocoder. Conflict has an excerpt from J. S. Bach’s Badinerie (the last part of Bach’s Orchestral Suite No. 2 in B Minor). The lyrics for Celt were written by Tim Cross.

Track Listing

Side One

1. Taurus 1
2. Sheba
3. Conflict
4. Arrival

Side Two

1. Wonderful Land
2. Mirage
3. QE2
4. Celt
5. Molly

Format: Vinyl / 12” Album

Label: Commercial Marketing

Barcode: 0602537088348

Release Date: 30 Jul 2012