tubular bells 2003

mike oldfield

rhino/wea, 2003

Mood—Shizophrenic, grandiose, and exultant.

Sample: "Finale"

Thoughts— I was first introduced to Mike Oldfield via Tubula Bells 2, and it remains my favorite. Mike Oldfield is by far my favorite musician; I could do an entire month of degenre posts on his albums alone... and in fact, I probably will in the fall. But let's get to the matter at hand.

The original Tubular Bells came out in 1973, the first album ever released on Virgin Records. It's an amazing album, but Oldfield has become a bit of a perfectionist later in life. The little "mistakes" or incongruities here and there throught the album bothered him, so in 2003, 30 years after the initial release, he re-recorded the album the way he wanted.

Much like in the instances of George Lucas or Steven Spielberg going back to their classic movies and add new effects, much of the charm of the original is found in those imperfect, quirky bits... removing them or upping the productiong values often has a sterilizing or negative effect. People don't like it when their memories are messed with.

Luckily, Tubular Bells 2003 gets it right. While I still prefer the original version due to nostalgia, there are certain things that the remake does that are superior to the 1973 recording. For one, the spoken part in "Finale" is performed by John Cleese this time around. If you put a Python in, that will always add value.

Second, the recording is crisper and more listenable. Mike has taken full advantage of the advances in recording technology without relying on gimmicks.

Lastly and most importantly, he has stayed very true to the spirit and feel of the original. There's nothing crucuial that's missing, and no superfluous nonsense has been added. TB2003 still evokes the same emotions as TB1973. Good stuff.

Recommended? It's a must-have.

Link—mikeoldfield.com/

Tracklist
1. Introduction
2. Fast Guitars
3. Basees
4. Latin
5. A Minor Tune
6. Blues
7. Thrash
8. Jazz
9. Ghost Bells
10. Russian
11. Finale
12. Harmonics
13. Peace
14. Bagpipe Guitars
15. Caveman
16. Ambient Guitars
17. The Sailor's Hornpipe