Covered Up: Daryl Hall & John Oates's cover of 'Family Man' is much better-known than the Oldfield original.Similarly with the 80's, there is one big outlier, though in a positive direction rather than a negative one: most fans agree that 1990's Amarok was a huge step up for Oldfield, with many considering it one of his greatest albums. With the 90s, 2000s, and 2010s material pre- Return to Ommadawn, fans are split as to whether his more electronic-tinged experimentation was a return to form or a desperate tentative to stay relevant.Despite this, most fans tend to agree that 1989's Earth Moving was a step too far with its pure pop rock direction. With the 80s material post- Crises, fans are split on whether or not Oldfield's shift to more accessible material detracted from his quality as an artist or simply helped him reinvent himself for an age where Progressive Rock was no longer considered relevant.Broken Base: Oldfield's output after Crises and before Return to Ommadawn tends to attract divided reactions from fans.
