Mike Oldfield: Incantations - Part 4 

It took me years to find this after hearing it as a teen.I'm 57.

Possibly Mike's best piece ever, timeless.

My first introduction to Mike Oldfield was this video on the ABC's Video Hits, probably just after the Goodies and before Dr Who. :)

I remember watching this back in the early 80s on the ABC after school. Brings back many memories.

The nostalgia is so so strong with this one... love Mike Oldfield, but the pairing with this film clip is just perfect and I used to be glued to the TV anytime this came on the ABC. I fell 10 years old again :D

I rang the ABC and asked them what the song was called. I was already a MO fan. I just didn't know it. The whole Incantations LP is a classic. I still you love you dad.

Wonderful, marvelous music, plus celestial vocals by Maddy Prior.

The Incantations album represents a rare high point in contemporary music, most likely never to be surpassed or equaled.

I’ve listened to mike since I was 9 years old I’m 52 now when ever I want to find myself again incantations is where I journey to. An incredible piece of imagination and sheer indulgence never to be forgotten.

Maddy's voice brings tears to my eyes *every* time

Thank you to ABC TV. I remembering listening to this as a child and understanding the sadness and fragile beauty of this world.

I used to watch this as a kid and daydream about one day seeing the moon close up myself, never imagining that humanity would drop the ball of manned space exploration for the next four decades. Sadly it will never be possible for me and the other day dreamers of that age, we're too old now...

MO has composed so much beautiful music. He must be in contact with another dimension 🪐

The Space Movie was in theatres in the US in 1979. I missed that but in 1981 whwn I purchased my first VHS player/recorder it was the first video I purchased about the space program. Many more were to follow.

Amazing. I have been looking for this for more than 20 years. I also remeber as a child watching it on ABC. The video and music still move me. Thank you so much...

Mesmerizing! Beautiful! ❤️

Masterpiece.

I was a Mike Oldfield fan before I realised this was one of his works, and when I finally listened to Incantations I was shocked and amazed. I'd sort of wondered, but it was such a joyous surprise to have it confirmed.

2019 Still perfection, Mike. Thank you

I watched this on the ABC as a kid and now my own children get to enjoy it on here. This song is the queen of all music.

This music restores my faith in humanity.

Hauntingly beautiful!

Wonderful Song 👍🎶🙂

Absolutely wonderful !!

Love this from the first time I saw it on ABC back in late 70s

such a long time, I had forgotten this. so wonderful

Thanks echelon for solving a puzzle that has bugged me for so long. What an amazing piece of music from an astounding musician.

This piece of music seems to touch so many people...I close my eyes and feel the powers of the universe reach in lift me up whenever I hear this.

Getting ready for Doctor Who, in pyjamas

I remember watching this as a fill in between programs on the ABC. Decades passed and this song had haunted me that i could never remember it or who composed it until a brief off chance on radio i heard the end of it and Mike Oldfield mentioned. Looked it up and here it is. A most beloved piece of music i will enjoy for as long as i'm able.

Mike Oldfield proved to be The Alchemist of music. In spite of all the unsuccessful efforts to turn an ordinary metal into gold, or any ordinary substance into medicine back in the Middle Ages, this Maestro was able to turn ordinary sound waves into the most precious gems, and the Ben Johnson's lyrics taken to exaltation. AS a catholic, it is not my intention to sympathize with any pagan expressions, but I understand this lyrics as a hymn to Our Lord, The Only God. Morning and night are nothing but part of His Creation. And Mike Oldfield was able to express this wonderfully. Greetings from Chile.

splendid music, marvellous voice.

Absolutely stunning, images and music that produce thick emotions

I loved this from long before I knew who Mike Oldfield was, but I had the sneaking suspicion after I became a fan that this might have been his doing. The first time I listened to the whole album and this tune came in at the end, I had that same "I knew it!" feeling that you see Thor have when Captain America lifts his hammer in Avengers: Endgame.

Only ever saw this in the early 80's on the ABC between episodes of Monkey Magic and Tom Baker 'Dr Who'. Can't find it on either Spotify or Apple Music. Thank you RU-vid.

How nice would it be if the ABC could slip some of these into their Rage Retro nights, during the Summer?

The most wounderful voice of a woman that I ever heard! Great Performance!

It is one of those pieces that contrives an 'epic' feel without 'epic' forces. I also remember the ABC fillers, but I'm pretty sure that the version of this one most often shown didn't include the Apollo footage, but footage from other NASA documentaries from the 1970s covering missions like Viking, Pioneer Venus, Pioneer 10/11. May someone one day upload that as well.

Genius ! Poland Love Michael Gordon Oldfield ;-)

Thank you for posting this. Its been haunting me for years, so glad I found this!

ADORE THIS SONG !!!

I have no words for this.

Absolutely spine-tingling piece, especially with Sally Oldfield and Maddy Prior's singing of Ben Jonson's "Ode To Cynthia". I've often imagined this sequence as the "soundtrack" to the closing section (Aslan's country) of "The Last Battle" by CS Lewis... not quite sure why!

I listened to this first time while reading an article about Carole Landis. I thought it was very suiting; Beautiful music to a beautiful woman.

Thank you. My earworm is completely satisfied.

I love this as much today as I did when I first saw it on ABC when I was a kid...The penny dropped when I became a fan of Oldfield,this filler was in my head,I realised it was Oldfield and youtubed to i found the song.This was a fair few years ago when you tube had not long started

For me, this song is de MAIN THEME of mike oldfield. personally

This music leaves me transfixed. While I do not always fall in love with the totality of his albums, there is usually some excerpt in them that I find mesmerizing.

A tremendous track..👌

The live performance in 1981 is also Great with an extra guitar solo in part 4

I remember watching this when I was 14-15, and being totally amazed at how incredibly insignificant people were, compared to the universe. The music was perfect for the video.

Thank you so much - I remember this from the ABC and it's been with me for so many years - Thank you again Cheers

I LOVED this movie! Please re-release it!

Esta pieza me vuelve loca, tiene así un ritmo de no se que lugar, una mezcla, que incita a bailar por lo menos a mí, extrañamente bella❤❤❤🦋

2024 still perfect. 😊

My favourite track of Mike Oldfield!!

Remember seeing this on an Old Grey Whistle Test circa 1978/1979 some years back.

When the ABC had a spot to fill between programs back in the day, they would quite often play this piece by Mike Oldfield. It took me ages to find out what it was called and who the artist was. Then I tried to buy the album but it wasn't in Australia and had to be imported!

ALLWAYS remember getting Incantations and listening to this for the first time. The feeling that I had.....it was like knowing something that I had no experience of, something ancient. It was mesmerising and it still is. I dont know what it is but I feel something on a really deep level when I listen to this music, it is brilliant.

My music ♥️

Absolutamente hermoso ¿qué más podría pedir? El cosmos y Mike Oldfield.

More meanfull than ever. Peace

Our fledgling wings. We were never better.

When I heard this in the background while I was playing with matchbox cars I used to go out to the lounge room and watch the tv.

Oh my god. Maddy Prior and Apollo/Soyuz missions in the same vision. Best memory from 50 years ago

Masterpiece !.

Magical and splendid song

Molto forte!!!!!!

🌹❤🎸 From Spain.

Touching sense, hearts, then in 1978. Great Mike, always worshipping you and your art!!! Amities du Allemagne!!!!! Never forget his sister Sally Oldfield, appearance on this album, now the lyrics: The Song of Hiawatha: . By the shore of gitche gumee By the shining big-sea-water At the doorway of the wigwam In the early summer morning Hiawatha stood and waited All the air was full of freshness All the earth was bright and joyous And before him through the sunshine Westward toward the neighbouring forest Passed in golden swams, the ahmo Passed the bees, the honey-makers Burning, singing in the sunshine Bright above him shone the heavens Level spread the lake before him; From it's bosom leaped the sturgeon Sparkling, flashing in the sunshine On it's margin the great forest Stood reflected in the water Every tree-top had it's shadow Motionless beneath the water From the bow of hiawatha Gone was every trace of sorrow As the fog from off the water As the mist of the meadow With a smile of joy and gladness With a look of exultation As of one who in a vision Sees what is to be, but is not Stood and waited hiawatha Toward the sun his hands were lifted Both the palms spread out towards it And between the parted fingers Feel the sunshine on his features Flecked with light his naked shoulders As it falls and flecks an oak-tree Through the rifted leaves and branches O'er the water floating, flying Something in the hazy distance Something in the mist of morning Loomed and lifted from the water Now seemed floating, now seemed flying Coming nearer, nearer, nearer Was it shingebis, the diver? Or the pelican, the shada? Or the heron, the shuh-shuh-gah? Or the white goose, waw-be-wawa, With the water dripping, flashing From it's glossy neck and feathers? It was neither goose or diver Neither pelican nor heron O'er the water floating, flying Through the shining mist of morning But a birch canoe with paddles Rising, sinking in the sunshine Dripping, flashing in the sunshine And within it came a people Can it be the sun descending O'er the level plain of water Or the red swan floatin, flying Wounded by the magic arrow Staining all the waves with crimson With the crimson of it's lifeblood Filling all the air with splendour Filling all the air with plumage Yes, it is the sun descending Sinking down into the water All the sky is stained with purple All the water flushed with crimson! No, it is the red swan floating Diving down beneath the water To the sky it's wings are lifted With it's blood the waves are reddened! Over it the star of evening Melts and trembles through the purple Hangs suspended in the twilight Walks in silence through the heavens!

When I was a kid this filler amazed me both musically and visually. Laying on the carpet, on a hot afternoon with fan on. Waiting for Countdown or Doctor Who to come on. Thinking WOW, amazing and dreaming how we are goin to travel so far in the future. Now it's the future and the missions at best an epic waste of time, money and effort, at worst fake. Though the music remains constant and still lifts me with my dreams.

翻訳字幕付けてくれた方、お疲れ様です ありがとう

one of my favourite piece of music.. un de mes morceaux préférés..

I would love if it this was updated with the amazing images from Hubble and the JWT... but these images are so beautiful, they show bravery and hope and wonder. It's a history that so many today will never know of.

Uma das musicas instrumentais mais belas e profundas de sempre. Adoro

Tout simplement grandiose🦸🦸🦸🦸🦸

2'45" parte il Chorus of Angels....pelle d'oca

Just beautiful.

Top marks to who ever posted this. As a kid no matter how many times I watch this clip it just filled me with Aw and wonderment.

Simply amazing

This is my driving Force!! Lordy Life..Here Goes another adventure...This music is inspirational :)

The ABC used this and many other short films to fill in around kids shows. I'd love to see more of them. Other clips I can remember were: Rainbow Connection with Kermit, Love Is All (Butterfly Ball) by Roger Glover & guests, Portsmouth by Mike Oldfield. Clips I can't name but would like to track down: A short film with a woman painting garden gnomes, a film of a model railway backed by (I think) fairground organ music, scenes from a steam railway and a film of two kids playing with toy soldiers seen from the soldiers point of view (I seem to remember the boy and girl running of hand in hand leaving all the soldiers behind). Does anyone know what any of these were called?

Right between Danger Mouse and News Free Zone...

I'm another one with memories of this clip from the ABC, for years they played this and another clip. Never knew what it was until tonight it occurred to me the guitar and overall arrangement sounded like Mike Oldfield (isn't it structured a lot like Tubular Bells?) so I googled "Mike Oldfield video with moon landing" and lo and behold. The other one they played all the time was by Yellow Magic Orchestra and it took me almost as long to find out what it was, it's called Firecracker, with all the computer vector graphics and analogue video processing on it. If you remember this from the ABC look up that one too, you'll remember it (also posted incorrectly as Rydeen but skip about the first 2 minutes of that one)

Es un genio

the bell was a total tune for me with his genius adding of more instruments which he played individually to add together love mike

Totally love Maddie Prior. Immortal voice.

Used to see this all the time growing up on ABC in between the kids shows

I concur with "MoonUnit640,AlBoerik and OzNormandy' I also have been waiting 30 years to find this gem. You gotta love UTube !!!

fantastic music, best wishes from athens greece

I just came back here after watching "The Dish"....A great movie that has A kind of magic

Wonderful

For a surreal experience, open this clip in 2 tabs. Then start them 3 or 4 secs apart.

Time for a remake using HD video of the many Spacex flights and booster recoveries... (and one day the moon again).

I love this song so much!!!!!

What a pretty little Melody.

Yeah baby...we did it!

Eines der besten Lieder vom Meister

DIVINE