Mike Oldfield – The Complete

I think this sounds very good. Not muffled at all and quite dynamic given there are so many minutes per side. Listen to any one of these songs on the newer vinyl remasters and then decide what is better. It’s night and day.

This review applies to the LP DE retail: Terrible mastering. It sound like there was massive noise reduction being applied. Very unnatural and muffled.

Terrible mastering. It sounds like there was massive noise reduction being applied. Very unnatural and muffled.

on the back cover, listed by mistake:

A2 William Tell Overture
Composed By – Rossini*

On the label:

A2 In Dulci Jubilo

In fact, A2 is In Dulci Jubilo

Acquired 2017. Neither disk is recognized in my boom box or my car. Will not play. Disks appear normal; do not appear to be copies or bootlegs. Foil is so thin you can see through it. My disks are very gold in color, unlike discogs pics. More similar to color of The Complete Mike Oldfield. Certain it's this release though.
Buyer beware.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analyzed: Mike Oldfield / The Complete Mike Oldfield [Virgin Japan VJD-1001]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DR Peak RMS Duration Track
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR8 -5.52 dB -16.25 dB 2:49 01-Arrival
DR9 -4.77 dB -15.57 dB 3:56 02-William Tell Overture
DR10 -5.08 dB -16.50 dB 3:14 03-Cuckoo Song
DR7 -5.95 dB -14.85 dB 2:51 04-In Dulci Jubilo
DR8 -5.71 dB -15.70 dB 2:02 05-Portsmouth
DR11 -5.10 dB -18.49 dB 2:38 06-Jungle Gardenia
DR10 -4.34 dB -16.27 dB 4:05 07-Guilty
DR9 -4.94 dB -16.70 dB 2:09 08-Blue Peter
DR9 -4.81 dB -17.48 dB 3:25 09-Waldberg (The Peak)
DR9 -4.78 dB -17.81 dB 3:40 10-Wonderful Land
DR10 -5.47 dB -19.19 dB 3:08 11-Etude (Theme From The Killing Fields)
DR10 -4.58 dB -16.92 dB 3:37 12-Moonlight Shadow
DR11 -3.78 dB -17.77 dB 3:48 13-Family Man
DR10 -3.82 dB -15.93 dB 2:56 14-Mistake
DR10 -2.77 dB -17.02 dB 4:19 15-Five Miles Out
DR12 -3.51 dB -17.17 dB 3:39 16-Crime Of ion
DR11 -3.80 dB -17.40 dB 4:35 17-To
DR11 -3.78 dB -17.49 dB 5:11 18-Shadow On The Wall
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Number of tracks: 18
Official DR value: DR10

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analyzed: Mike Oldfield / The Complete Mike Oldfield [Virgin Japan VJD-1002]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DR Peak RMS Duration Track
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR10 -3.06 dB -16.57 dB 6:58 01-Excerpt From Ommadawn
DR11 -3.27 dB -18.83 dB 8:00 02-Excerpt From Tubular Bells
DR11 -3.83 dB -17.69 dB 4:21 03-Excerpt From Hergest Ridge
DR11 -3.71 dB -17.94 dB 4:42 04-Excerpt From Incantations
DR13 -3.28 dB -19.49 dB 4:12 05-Excerpt From The Killing Fields (Evacuation)
DR11 -1.44 dB -17.39 dB 3:30 06-Sheba
DR12 -1.60 dB -17.31 dB 5:14 07-Mirage
DR12 -1.74 dB -16.69 dB 14:27 08-Platinum
DR12 -2.27 dB -18.85 dB 4:36 09-Mount Teide
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Number of tracks: 9
Official DR value: DR11

Not bad DR but there are better

On this LP version B3 is "Mistake" instead of
"Pictures in the Dark".

You can consider it another "greatest hits" compilation, but bear in mind that the selections from the instrumental cd are much wiser: the most frightening section of "Ommadawn", the most blatantly minimal and epic from "Tubular Bells", and what deserve whatever money you pay for this compilation, the live tracks. Sheba is alive, Mirage is dynamic, but the Platinum performance is absolutely amazing: it substitutes keyboards for guitars, and turns the piece into a psychedelic feast, sounding at the same time like krautrock and modern classical, without losing any rhythm and mixing roots and influences efortessly.

One wonders where this Mike Oldfield dissapeared.