I know little about this artist other than that he released a mega-selling album called Tubular Bells and is responsible for this magnificent track. I know the Exorcist Theme is his doing, but the below is all I've heard, otherwise. Any fans?








Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012-05-19 04:41 by Big Al.

I love Mike Oldfield, especially his live concerts...but unfortunately only until 1983.After that his music became too ambient for me. But i love 'Guitars' and "Amarok".

Richard Branson said his Virgin empire never would have happened without Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells selling millions on Virgin Records. It was the first Virgin product that brought massive cash flow, which funded Virgin's subsequent growth. So much so the company's nickname for him was "Mike OILfield."

Somewhere on this forum are linked videos of Mick Taylor playing Tubular Bells.

Ommadawn - one of the best in my SACD collection.

[www.sa-cd.net]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012-05-19 12:57 by Toru A.

Ommadawn and Tubular Bells are excellent albums.

I think he started getting involved in some whacky new age theories, after Ommadawn, so things weren't quite so good.

I would add that Mick Taylor played on a live Tubular Bells from 1973: I don't know if recordings exist of it. I think it was after Brussels, so Taylor must have been really on fire.

Tubular Bells featuring Mick Taylor (amongst others):














"As we say in England, it can get a bit trainspottery"

I had that album - cool listen. Thanks for posting it - I remember in Marianne Faithfull's book (Faithfull) she mentions that his sister, Sally, was one of her good friends from the convent school.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012-05-19 20:04 by memphiscats.

I'm glad to say that I didn't get to know Tubular Bells via The Exorcist (which I've never seen and don't want to) so it has no sinister associations for me - just a lovely piece of music. I used to own lots of Mike Oldfield on vinyl: all those mentioned above plus Hergest Ridge, Incantations, Five Miles Out, QE2, Islands.
After that his music seemed to get more mainstream commercial and I lost track of it. Then I lost all the vinyl in a fire, and still miss it.

Not the best artist to discover via YouTube as some of the good stuff is too long to go on YT in one piece, and something like (for instance) Incantations is really a modern symphony in four vinyl sides, and needs to be heard that way. I'm still annoyed by the CD version of Five Miles Out, because I need the pause after the end of the first track (Taurus 2) which is a complete side - not diving straight into the next track after half a second. I know that people who first learned to love Exile on vinyl feel the same.