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Rating: Excellent |
"Tubular Bells" is Mike Oldfield's debut album, released in 1973. That same year, Queen released their debut album, and Pink Floyd released their classic "Dark Side of the Moon." Between all these greats, an instrumental album emerges, experimenting with unusual instrumentation, unusual sound effects, and nasal male voices. How could such an album achieve such fame?
The album is certainly unusual for its time. It's essentially one long experimental track, divided into two parts for the sake of vinyl. The album contains no sung lyrics, although vocals are added on the B-side. Furthermore, there are no drums on the first part. The demo, recorded in his apartment, was rejected by all existing record labels. Richard Branson, who was just starting Virgin Records, believed in Oldfield and allowed him to record in his spare time in the studio. "Tubular Bells" became the first album released on Virgin Records, with catalog number V2001. The album is one of the best-selling albums of all time, selling 15 to 17 million copies worldwide. It spent 279 weeks (over five years!) in the UK charts, but only reached number one after the release of his second album, "Hergest Ridge."
The album opens with a piano, followed by an organ and chimes. A bass guitar follows, supplemented by an organ riff. Throughout the song, more and more instruments are added, all of which Oldfield plays himself and has overdubbed onto the album. At around 2:55, a flute (flageolet) softly emerges, which is drowned out after almost a minute by an electric guitar. After about 5 minutes, the acoustic guitar makes its first appearance. After about 6 minutes, the first mood change occurs. And so it goes on. This first original version has left a lasting impression on music history. If any readers have never heard "Tubular Bells," it's time to seek out this album.
= Full Album Play List =
= Track List =
