"The Time Has Come" is a single

Single (music)

In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...

 by multi-instrumentalist Mike Oldfield

Mike Oldfield

Michael Gordon Oldfield is an English multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, working a style that blends progressive rock, folk, ethnic or world music, classical music, electronic music, New Age, and more recently, dance. His music is often elaborate and complex in nature...

, released in 1987 (see 1987 in music

1987 in music

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1987.See also:Record labels established in 1987-January-February:*January 3 – Aretha Franklin becomes the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame...

) on Virgin Records

Virgin Records

Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...

.

"The Time Has Come" features Oldfield's then partner and former child singer, Anita Hegerland

Anita Hegerland

Anita Hegerland , is a Norwegian singer famous for her childhood career in the Scandinavian and German markets and subsequent vocal contributions to amongst others Mike Oldfield's work.- Biography :...

, on vocals and is from the album Islands

Islands (Mike Oldfield album)

Islands is the 11th album by Mike Oldfield, released in 1987. Guest singers on the album are Bonnie Tyler, Kevin Ayers, Anita Hegerland and Jim Price. A different track list and cover was used for the American edition....

. The single was performed on a number of television shows at the time, including Peter's Pop Show.

Producer Michael Cretu

Michael Cretu

Michael Cretu is a Romanian musician. He is known also as Curly, MC or Curly M.C. because of his fair curled hair . His peak musical activity was with the Enigma project, which was mainly based in Germany....

, had previously worked on a song featuring the lyric "The Time Has Come", in "Mea Culpa" on Enigma

Enigma (musical project)

Enigma is an electronic musical project founded in Germany by Michael Cretu, David Fairstein and Frank Peterson in 1990. The Romanian-born Cretu conceived the Enigma project while working in Germany, but has based his recording studio A.R.T. Studios in Ibiza, Spain, since the early 1990s until May...

's 1990 album MCMXC a.D.

MCMXC a.D.

MCMXC a.D. is a concept album created by the musical project Enigma, spearheaded by Michael Cretu. Released at the end of 1990, it was Enigma's debut album...

, also on Virgin Records.

Releases

It was released in 1987 by Virgin Records

Virgin Records

Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...

 as VS1013 and VST1013 in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

, as 505539 in Portugal

Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

, as 80351 in France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 as F-609542 in Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

 and as 609542 and 109542 in Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

.

The UK and Portuguese single's b-side was an extract from part two of "The Wind Chimes", whereas in Germany the b-side was "North Point". "The Time Has Come" was co-produced by Oldfield and Michael Cretu

Michael Cretu

Michael Cretu is a Romanian musician. He is known also as Curly, MC or Curly M.C. because of his fair curled hair . His peak musical activity was with the Enigma project, which was mainly based in Germany....

, of the Enigma

Enigma (band)

Enigma was a British disco band from the 1980s. Their only singles were "Ain't No Stopping" and "I Love Music", which reached #11 and #25 in the UK Singles Chart respectively in 1981. They also released an album, Ain't No Stoppin' which reached #80 in the UK Albums Chart in September 1981...

 musical project. "The Wind Chimes" was co-produced by Oldfield and drummer Simon Phillips

Simon Phillips

Simon Phillips is an English jazz, pop and rock drummer.-Career:Phillips began to play professionally at the age of twelve in his father's Dixieland band for four years. He was then offered the chance to play in the musical Jesus Christ Superstar...

, and "North Point" was produced by Oldfield.

The maxi-single's contain an alternate mix of "The Time Has Come", the 12-inch mix, which is over 30 seconds longer than the normal mix. This 12-inch mix was later released on Oldfield's 2006 compilation album, The Platinum Collection

The Platinum Collection (Mike Oldfield album)

The Platinum Collection is a 2006 Virgin Records compilation album written and mostly performed by Mike Oldfield. It contains most of Oldfield's best known work, and some rare mixes of songs that had previously only been available as B-sides to singles....

.

Music video

The Wind Chimes

The Wind Chimes

The Wind Chimes is a video album by Mike Oldfield released in 1988 on VHS and Laserdisc by Virgin. It features the full video album for 1987's Islands along with a number of Oldfield's other music videos from the 1980s....

video contains a music video for the song. The video was also made available on the 2004 DVD release of Elements.

The video makes use of basic 3D visuals, including floating objects. Many images in the video are references to the Ancient Egyptians. Hegerland appears in the video in Egyptian-style dress.

UK/Portugal single

Side A

1. "The Time Has Come" – 3:53 (Mike Oldfield)

Side B

1. "Final Extract from The Wind Chimes (part 2)" (Oldfield)

German single

Side A

1. "The Time Has Come" – 3:53 (Oldfield)

Side B

1. "North Point" – 3:32 (Oldfield)

Spain/France/UK maxi-single

Side A

1. "The Time Has Come" - 4:25 (Oldfield)

Side B

1. "The Time Has Come" (Original mix) – 3:53 (Oldfield)
2. "Final Extract from The Wind Chimes" (Oldfield)

German maxi-single

Side A

1. "The Time Has Come" - 4:25 (Oldfield)

Side B

1. "The Time Has Come" (Original mix) – 3:53 (Oldfield)
2. "North Point" – 3:32 (Oldfield)