Mike Oldfield collaborated with many artists throughout his career, and one of my all-time favourites is Shine, released in 1986 and featuring Yes co-founder Jon Anderson. Issued as a non-album single by Virgin Records, it arrived during a period when Oldfield was moving away from his instrumental roots and towards more accessible, lyric-driven pop songs.
Shine didn’t set the UK charts alight, only managing to scrape in at number 100. It fared much better in continental Europe, however — particularly in Germany, where it peaked at number 31 and stayed in the Top 100 for eight weeks.
I love it, so of course it’s earned a place on my favourites list. Enjoy!
