Incantations  by Mike Oldfield

In December 1978, Mike Oldfield released the fourth studio album of his career. Incantations is the first and only double studio album he recorded. The recording took place from December 1977 to September 1978 and was mainly carried out at his private studio at Througham Slad Manor in Gloucestershire, England.

Oldfield played almost all the instruments (guitars, keyboards, synthesizer, percussion), using the technique of overdubbing. He collaborated with David Bedford for the direction of strings and choir, as well as with artists like Maddy Prior, Sally Oldfield, and the Queens College Girls Choir. Incantations is a complex blend of progressive rock and symphonic rock with many intense new age and world music elements, with extensive use of choral vocals. The cover photo was taken at Cala Pregonda beach on the island of Minorca in Spain. Oldfield's image appears to have been added using a cut-and-paste technique onto the landscape, giving a distinctive aesthetic, while he appears in a more modern style with short hair.

The album reached No. 14 on the British charts. Incantations went platinum in the United Kingdom, with over 300,000 pre-orders before it was even released. Despite its success, it was Mike Oldfield's first album that did not enter the top five, partly due to the rise of punk rock during that period.