Tubular Bells

Mike Oldfield

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 29, 1992)
• Original Release Date: 1973
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Virgin Records Us
• ASIN: B000000WG4
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (105 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #41,382 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. Tubular Bells, Pt. 1

2. Tubular Bells, Pt. 2

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The opening bars of this classic album by Mike Oldfield were heard by audiences that packed theaters to witness one of the scariest films of all time--The Exorcist. And it wasn't long before this debut release, not only from Oldfield but also from Richard Branson's new record label, Virgin, found itself in the upper echelons of pop charts around the world. Primarily an instrumental album, with performances on almost every instrument credited to Oldfield, it takes the listener into widely varying musical territories, ending as Viv Stanshall formally announces each instrument as it joins the mix. --Paul Clark

Product Description

Remastered edition of the new age/art rock composer's 1973 release. Digitally remastered by Simon Heyworth (who originally co-produced 'Tubular Bells' with Oldfield and Mike Newman) using the latest technology. Artwork has been digitally restored and includes additional photos and brand new sleeve notes. 2000. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great. Just like I remembered it., April 5, 2000

By	Eric V. Moye (New York, by way of Dallas) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Back in college, one of the guys in the dorm used to play this VERY LOUD, so that it echoed all through the Quad. Somehow, I rather enjoyed it more in the solitude and exclusivity of a pair of headphones, the sounds just traversing throughout through my head.

This was a thick piece of music. It throbbed, in a rather sensual way. It rose into peaks and dove into valleys. Mike Oldfield took a bunch of instruments, (some electronically created, some all the way live), and melded them together. The last third of the title cut starts with a bass guitar, and starts an inexorable, growing orchestra. He introduces and adds one instrument at a time to create a huge wave of sound.

I love it.

32 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Almost perfect, September 16, 2004

By	mathew (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tubular Bells (Audio CD)

The remastering of this classic makes a huge improvement. My only gripe is that they kept the ending of the first album release, and didn't restore Mike Oldfield's original intended ending.

The album was supposed to end with a drunken version of the Sailor's Hornpipe recorded live one morning, with semi-coherent commentary by Vivian Stanshall. That's the version on "Boxed", and I so wish it was the version on this release--so much so that I edited my own version by combining the two.

This elderly recording has an earnestness and heart that shines through the limited recording technology available; warts and all, it's a better album than the 2003 re-recording.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A pop-classical masterpiece..., October 28, 1999

By A Customer

I first heard the 4-minute (Highly edited) cut of the beginning of "Tubular Bells Part 1" on the "Pure Moods" compilation. I later saw "The Exorcist" and found that the movie used the song as well. When I got the CD I didn't realize that the whole thing (parts 1 and 2) was almost 50 minutes long. And I LOVED it!!! This is one of the most eclectic musical masterpieces of all time. Covering the range from rock to classical to funk to ambient and back like a frantic marathon runner, this is a true original piece of music. Mike Oldfield has melded the genres of rock and classical unlike any other. Only the progressive greats like Yes, King Crimson, Emerson Lake & Palmer, and Pink Floyd have succeeded at such eccentricity and even then, this truly a different and original musical masterpiece! A classic!!!