Five Miles Out, released in 1982 through Virgin Records in the UK and Epic Records in the US, is the seventh studio album by English Progressive Rock musician Mike Oldfield. Recorded fresh off the heels of the European Adventure Tour in support of QE2, the album was made with the close support of Oldfield's touring musicians, all of whom were previously session musicians on QE2. Appropriately, this album continues the style of that one (and, by extension, Platinum), featuring a side-long suite that acts as a Sequel Song to "Taurus" and a side consisting of more accessible material.
The result would be Oldfield's best-selling album up to that point, reaching No. 7 on the UK Albums charts (and thus being his first album to reach the top ten there since Ommadawn) and being certified platinum in Spain as well as gold in the UK & Germany. Concurrently, the Five Miles Out World Tour that Oldfield conduced in support of this album became the largest in his entire career, spanning from April to December of 1982. The success that this album generated would pave the way for Oldfield's greater UK commercial comeback with Crises a year later.
Five Miles Out was supported by two singles: the Title Track and "Family Man", the latter of which saw even greater success through a Cover Version by Daryl Hall & John Oates.
Tracklist:
Side One- "Taurus II" (24:43)
Side Two
- "Family Man" (3:45)
- "Orabidoo" (13:03)
- "Mount Teidi" (4:10)
- "Five Miles Out" (4:16)
Here's a trope to take with you:
- Book Ends: The Title Track, which closes the album, quotes portions of the opening track, "Taurus II".
- Call-Back: "Taurus II" reprises the intro to Tubular Bells. In turn, sections of "Taurus II" reappear midway through "Orabidoo" and the Title Track.
- Chroma Key: Used copiously throughout the music video for the Title Track, both to superimpose a model plane and the performers into a hurricane and to place various backdrops against Oldfield's silhouette.
- Cover Drop: The Title Track ends with the pilot successfully flying his plane out of a fierce storm — the exact situation depicted on the cover art.
- Distinct Double Album: Like Platinum and QE2, Five Miles Out is divided between a side-length suite and a side of more accessible songs (barring the 13-minute "Orabidoo").
- Epic Rocking: "Orabidoo" clocks in at a whopping 13 minutes, while "Taurus II" is so long that it takes up the entire first side of the album.
- Genre Roulette: "Taurus II" switches between a myriad of styles throughout its side-length runtime, including Hard Rock, Celtic folk, lullabies, rockabilly, and even disco.
- Ghibli Hills: Maggie Riley's part at the end of "Orabidoo" describes Ireland as a lush and scenic natural paradise, complimented by the section's gentle, pastoral musical arrangement.
- Instrumentals: "Mount Teidi".
- Limited Lyrics Song: For all of its nearly 25-minute runtime, "Taurus II" only has one verse of vocals that takes up just a small sliver of the total composition.
- Longest Song Goes First: The album opens with the nearly 25-minute "Taurus II", which takes up the entire first side.
- Miniature Effects: In the music video for "Five Miles Out", the pilot's airplane is represented by a model plane superimposed against a stormy backdrop via Chroma Key.
- One-Word Title: "Orabidoo".
- Real Life Writes the Plot: The Title Track was inspired by a flight Oldfield took that nearly ended in fatal disaster when the pilot flew into a thunderstorm thanks to a faulty weather forecast.
- Seduction-Proof Marriage: The title character in "Family Man" ends up successfully rebuffing every attempt a prostitute makes to seduce him. Though he readily admits that he's weak-willed, his love for his wife and children is strong enough to keep him faithful.
- Sequel Song: "Taurus II" acts as a direct follow-up to "Taurus I" off of QE2, right down to the name. As both songs are mostly instrumental, "Taurus II" ends up succeeding its predecessor in style and structure rather than subject matter.
- Special Guest:
- 10cc guitarist Rick Fenn provides additional guitar parts on the album.
- Paddy Moloney of the Chieftains plays uilleann pipes on "Taurus II".
- In the vein of Phil Collins' spot on QE2, Carl Palmer of Emerson, Lake & Palmer plays drums on "Mount Teidi".
- Step Up to the Microphone: Oldfield himself provides vocals on "Orabidoo" and voices the air traffic controller on "Five Miles Out". Both times, his voice is heavily distorted, owed to his self-professed insecurity with singing at the time.
- Studio Chatter: "Orabidoo" features occasional interjections from Oldfield directing the other musicians, though these are buried in the mix somewhat.
- Surreal Music Video: The music video for the Title Track loosely adapts the song's lyrics about a pilot flying through a hurricane through a mix of Miniature Effects, Chroma Key, mimed performance footage, and various miscellaneous videotape effects.
- Title Track: "Five Miles Out".
