1976-1978 Out of the limelight

The following year the now world-famous Tubular Bells theme appeared as a disco record by the Champs Boys, a bunch of French session musicians. It was almost all that was heard of Mike's music in 1976, although fans of equestrian sports heard an extract from Ommadawn introducing the televised coverage of The Horse Of The Year Show.

Mike withdrew from public view for most of the three years from 1976 to 1978. He later told interviewers that he had psychological problems but he was also working in rural Gloucestershire on the music that would be released as Incantations.

To keep him in the public eye, Virgin compiled Boxed, a four-record set comprising the three albums already issued and a fourth containing singles, guest appear ances on other adists' records and an unreleased vocal by Mike on Speak (Tho' You Only Say Farewell).

The only new work from Mike himself in 1976 was the Christmas single, Portsmouth, another traditional tune arranged by Oldfield. This got to No. 3, one place higher than In Dulci Jubilo.

In Januay 1977 Mike made his first stage appearance for two-and-a-half years as a guest guitarist in a performance of David Bedford's suite The Odyssey. He followed this with the release in quick succession of two singles. These were a version of the William Tell Overture and Cuckoo, another arrangement of a traditional English folk tune. Neither was a hit.

Although Mike himself was inactive for the rest of the year, his works continued to receive live performances. In May, Steve Hillage repeated his solo appearance with the Scottish Symphony Orchestra in Tubular Bells and Hergest Ridge, while what was announced as the first live performance of Ommadawn was given at Trinity College, Dublin by the Liffoy Light Orchestra.

The fourth album of original material, Incantations, finally appeared at the end of 1978 In the years since Ommadawn, the British pop world had been turned upside-down by the arrival of punk rock. Shut away in his country retreat, the impact of punk had passed Mike by. Asked in 1977 by an interviewer for his views on this new trend, he had answered, "Punk rock ? I've never heard of it." The changed atmosphere caused Incantations to be less successful than its predecessors, although it still reached the Top 20 in Britain. Out-takes from Incantations plus portions of Tubular Bells and Portsmouth were used on the soundtrack of The Space Movie, a television documentary by Tony Palmer which celebrated the tenth anniversary of the July 1969 moon landing by US astronauts.

Around this time Mike undertook numerous interviews to promote the album and to talk about his change of personal outlook. This was caused by his attendance at a seminar held by exegesis, a form of therapy designed to enhance individual assertiveness. Through exegesis, he believed he had discovered a more positive side to his character. In a press release of the time he was quoted as saying, "I underwent what I would describe as a 'rebirth' experience, which gave me a lot of insight into myself and human nature. I have started again."

In March 1979, Mike released a single, Guilty, that showed a movement towards more contemporary rock sounds. Some reviewers detected a 'disco' feeling in the track which he recorded with session musicians in New York. Later in 1979 came Platinum, his fifth album of original material. This broke with the pattern of the four earlier records in that it contained a range of material. The main composition, Platinum, was broken into five sections and interspersed with shorter songs and instrumentals. Among these were Punkadiddle ment, and Sally, a song for the mother of his young daughter Molly. As well as musical contributions from his siblings Sally and Terry, Platinum included vocals from Maddy Prior of folk-rock band Steeleye Span.

The decade ended for Mike with the release of a Christmas single for the fourth successive year. Like Portsmouth, Blue Peter was a naval hornpipe and already widely known as the theme of a children's television show of the same name. Despite this, Mike's single only reached No. 19 in the UK chart. Royalties from Mike's Blue Peter single were donated to the Cambodia appeal launched by the children's television programme of the same name.