Tubular Bells
by Mike Oldfield

I purchased Tubular Bells in 1983, ten years after the release of the album but I didn't even have a turntable on which to listen to it. I can't remember exactly why I bought it other than seeing the cover at a record shop and thinking it looked really cool. Perhaps the attendant at the store mentioned "It's the music from The Exorcist" (which of course it isn't true, rather some of the album was chosen by William Friedkin for the centerpiece and soundtrack of the film ... though oddly enough, the creepy part, the "caveman" isn't in the film at all), and maybe I thought that sounded like it might be fun too. But I can't say for sure. I just know that the first time I ever heard the album was during an acid trip party with some friends. It didn't turn out to be such a fun night, especially once Pilty showed up ... but it seems like that horror connection turned into a kind of love affair between Pilty and me, as I get the biggest kick out of singing along with him when his part comes along. And so I can say that I truly enjoy the "caveman"part.

Most of Side One is unparalleled fabulousness. The exception being the finale with Viv Stanshall. For the life of me I cannot understand why people think the finale is so good. It's just a silly self-aggrandizement and annoyingly repetitive. I'm not knocking how impressive it is in how Mike plays all those instruments, nor dismissing the fact that he plays the really fast, finger-bending bass line throughout the finale in a single take! It's just that, with the exception of the last minute or so of that bit, I could totally do without it. In fact, IMHO we could cut everything from 19:45 - 23:16 and finish off with the remnants of the bells (et al), and the ladies voices and that'd be a good Side One.

When Side Two starts out, it sounds like little light creatures dancing upon the clouds, or the sounds of vines growing over the mouth of a jungle cave. Then it goes into all sorts of bits and pieces strung together (similar to how it's done on Side One), and then into the bizarro bagpipes sound, leading up to those creepy tribal/Celtic drums and heeeeere comes Pilty!

The final portion on Side Two (Sailor's Hornpipe) I could kind of complain about as it seems really out of place, and more like a filler, BUT, it also acts as a reprieve from the nightmarish visit of the caveman, even though there's the calm part that immediately follows Pilty. So SH acts as a kind of comic relief in a way. I always refer to it as the Popeye segment.

While the Edgar Winter Group created "Frankenstein" by metaphorically stitching together bits and pieces of disparate, unfinished pieces, Mike Oldfield creates as entire album by such means. And both work very well.

I play this album/CD at least once per year. And when I do play it, I'll often loop it through several times. Either that or I'll play Tubular Bells II next, or maybe Ommadawn ... which I'll end up playing probably 3 or 4 times in a row. And then it'll get stuck in my head ... again.

Tubular Bells is one of my top ten favourite albums ever.

* An oddball note: For some reason, almost every time, during the Side One finale, which I still let run through even though I don't give a hoot about it (I just like continuity) when Viv Stanshall says "Grand piano" my left cheek, just under my eye, jumps a little -- like a nervous twitch. Strange, eh?

A very good instrumental album with loads to explore as it is complex and multi layered. The first half is pure brilliance with the diversity of instrumentation being simply fantastic. The composition itself is brilliant as well and is such a classic in the history of music. It works as both an album to dive deep into or one that you can just sit back and relax to. Overall, this album is a joy to revisit and I love looking into the depth of the music and discovering all of the quality on show.

From PAPPITUFO 02/09/2024 16:52 | #301870 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

An album that not only changed the lives of Mike Oldfield and Richard Branson but also those of who love his music. Very risky structure with 1 only song per side. Impossible to commercialise in radio stations and that definitely was boosted by being the central theme of The Exorcist soundtrack.
It doesn’t bother me the repetition in the last part of Pt. I. My favourite moments are: The Exorcist part, the “Caveman song” and the last 3 minutes of Pt 2. (Edited)

The 1970's was THE decade for great albums and this was among the very best. Do artists release instrumental albums any more, or was that just a 1970's thing? A very imaginative and creative work. I wish that there was anything in the last 20 years that came anywhere close to this quality.

Amazingly original, this rock symphony of sorts redifined what could top the charts. The first half is energetic and shows us a wealth of ideas, while the second half is more relaxed and ambient, developing individual ideas more.