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For information on "Platinum status" for albums, see Music recording sales certification.

Platinum
Studio album by Mike Oldfield
Released	1979
Recorded	Blue Rock and Electric Lady, (U.S.); Througham, Denham, and The Manor, (UK); 1979
Genre	Rock
Length	37:41 (Platinum version)
Label	Virgin
Producer	Tom Newman
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link
Mike Oldfield chronology
Incantations (1978) Platinum (1979) QE2 (1980)

Platinum is a record album written and mostly performed by Mike Oldfield. It was his fifth new album and the first to feature "regular" songs and cover material. A slightly different version of the album was released in the United States and titled Airborn. It peaked at #24 on the UK album chart.

Contents 1 Album analysis 1.1 Platinum parts 1 to 4 1.2 Sally 1.3 Punkadiddle 2 Track listing 3 Airborn 3.1 Track listing 3.1.1 LP1 3.1.2 LP2 4 Performers 5 External links

The first side of LP features the nearly twenty-minute piece "Platinum" that is divided in four parts. The first two parts of "Platinum" can be taken as a form of instrumental progressive rock. (Those compositions rely on strong melody played mostly with electric guitar.) The first part is in a slow tempo and has many changes, while the second part introduces a simple groove rhythm and a more repetitive song structure. The third part, "Charleston", is humoristic and intentionally naive, with a simplistic rhythm and swinging melody that is partly played by a horn section. A female vocalist adds some "spooky" bits while Oldfield himself makes some scat vocals in whispering voice. Platinum Part IV features an excerpt from the Philip Glass work "North Star" (hence the subtitle). The constant bass drum beat and octave-jumping bass line (both borrowed from disco music) start the part and guitar joins with melody later. A funky guitar riff and chorus appear, and the lead guitar continues to play the melody over them.

There is an interesting note regarding the song "Sally," originally written by Oldfield as a tribute to his girlfriend at the time, Sally Cooper (who features on the album). It's a rather silly but cute little song, with the chorus

Sally, I'm just a gorilla,

I'll say I'll love you ever more.

Even an ape from Manila

Couldn't stop me knocking on your door.

However, it was removed from the album (possibly on the orders of Richard Branson) and replaced with "Into Wonderland", sung by Wendy Roberts. Curiously though, the album covers still say "Sally" to this day. Only the earliest pressings of the LP have "Sally" included as part of the original tracklist, and bootleg recordings of the song are a popular trade item with fans.

"Sally" (the original) also appears to have been the start of Mike Oldfield's fascination with voice distortion gadgets (vocoders, equalizers, etc.), which would continue through many albums, most particularly Five Miles Out.

"Punkadiddle" is thought by many to be Oldfield's jocular take on punk music, a genre which he has claimed in the past to be not at all impressed with. In fact, Virgin Records' rampant signing and promotion of many punk bands while not promoting Oldfield's albums is seen as one of the sources of the rift between him and the company.

1. "Platinum Part I: Airborn" – 5:05
2. "Platinum Part II: Platinum" – 6:06
3. "Platinum Part III: Charleston" – 3:17
4. "Platinum Part IV: North Star / Platinum Finale" – 4:49
5. "Woodhenge" – 4:05
6. "Into Wonderland" (mislabelled as Sally) – 3:46
7. "Punkadiddle" – 5:46
8. "I Got Rhythm" – 4:44

Airborn is the title of an alternate version of the album released in North America in 1980. It is identical except that "Woodhenge" is replaced by "Guilty", a fast-paced live track based on a theme from Incantations.

In Canada a single LP version of Airborn was released.

1. "Platinum Part I: Airborn" - 4:59
2. "Platinum Part II: Platinum" - 4:36
3. "Platinum Part III: Charleston" - 3:11
4. "Platinum Part IV: North Star / Platinum Finale" - 4:36
5. "Guilty" - 3:48
6. "Into Wonderland" (mislabelled as Sally) - 3:36
7. "Punkadiddle" - 5:39
8. "I Got Rhythm" - 4:35

There is also a United States 2-LP release, with one LP being a version of Platinum (as above), the other having an alternate live version of Tubular Bells side one from the same tour that produced Exposed, and a mix of studio and live elements of Incantations and Tubular Bells side 2.

1. "Tubular Bells (Part 1)" (live) [European Tour Mar-Apr 1979] - 23:40
2. "Incantations" (studio & live) [European Tour Mar-Apr 1979] - 19:26

• Mike Oldfield - Acoustic guitars, electric guitars, marimba, piano, synthesisers, vibraphone, and vocals.
• Francisco Centeno - bass guitar
• Sally Cooper - tubular bells
• Demelza - congas
• Neil Jason - bass
• Justin Lawes - keyboards
• Pierre Moerlen - drums and vibraphone
• Morris Pert - drums
• Nico Ramsden - keyboards
• Wendy Roberts - vocals
• Hansford Rowe - bass
• Allan Schwartzberg - drums

• Mike Oldfield Discography (Tubular.net) - Platinum

v • d • e Mike Oldfield
Albums
Studio albums: Tubular Bells | Hergest Ridge | Ommadawn | Incantations | Platinum | QE2 | Five Miles Out | Crises | The Killing Fields | Discovery | Islands | Earth Moving | Amarok | Heaven's Open | Tubular Bells II | The Songs of Distant Earth | Voyager | Tubular Bells III | Guitars | The Millennium Bell | Tr3s Lunas | Tubular Bells 2003 | Light & Shade
Orchestral albums: The Orchestral Tubular Bells | Music of the Spheres | Live albums: Exposed
Singles
1974: "Mike Oldfield's Single" 1975: "Don Alfonso", "In Dulci Jubilo" 1976: "Portsmouth" 1977: "William Tell Overture", "Cuckoo Song" 1978: "Take Four" 1979: "Guilty", "Blue Peter" 1980: "Arrival", "Sheba" 1982: "Five Miles Out", "Family Man", "Mistake" 1983: "Moonlight Shadow", "Shadow On The Wall" 1984: "Crime Of Passion", "To France", "Tricks of the Light", "Étude" 1985: "Pictures In The Dark" 1986: "Shine" 1987: "In High Places", "Islands", "The Time Has Come", "Magic Touch" 1988: "Flying Start" 1989: "Earth Moving", "Innocent", "(One Glance is) Holy" 1990: "Étude (Nuforen Advert)" 1991: "Heaven's Open", "Gimme Back" 1992: "Sentinel", "Tattoo" 1993: "The Bell", "Moonlight Shadow", "In Dulci Jubilo" 1994: "Hibernaculum" 1995: "Let There Be Light" 1997: "Women of Ireland XXV" 1998: "Man In The Rain, "Far Above The Clouds" 2002: "To Be Free", "Thou Art In Heaven"
Related content
Changeling | Virgin Records | Richard Branson | Sally Oldfield | Terry Oldfield | Anita Hegerland | Maggie Reilly | The Sallyangie