Mike Oldfield – Tubular Bells [Vinyl LP]

Mike Oldfield – Tubular Bells [Vinyl LP]

Details

• Format: Vinyl LP (Grey vinyl)
• Catalogue Number: 2703531
• Barcode: 602527035314
• Genre: Progressive Rock
• Label: Mercury / Universal UMC
• Originally Released: 1973
• Reissue Released: 2018
• Pressing: Vinyl, remastered at The Audio Archiving Company, pressed by GZ Media
• Condition: New & Sealed

Description

Tubular Bells is the debut album from Mike Oldfield, released in May 1973 as the inaugural release on Richard Branson’s Virgin Records label. A near-solo instrumental work recorded largely by Oldfield at The Manor Studio in Oxfordshire, the album unfolds across two side-long pieces — each a layered accumulation of acoustic guitar, piano, bass, glockenspiel, organ, and the tubular bells that give the record its name. It reached number one on the UK Albums Chart and remained on the chart for over 250 weeks. The opening motif achieved international recognition after its use in The Exorcist the same year, with Viv Stanshall performing the spoken instrument introductions on Side A.

Recorded when Oldfield was nineteen, Tubular Bells is remarkable both as a compositional achievement and as a document of what could be achieved with minimal resources and a great deal of patience. The album drew on folk, classical, and experimental influences in a way that had no clear precedent in pop recording. Engineers Simon Heyworth and Tom Newman captured a warmth and spatial depth that has made it one of the most sought-after records on vinyl in its various pressings.

This 2018 reissue uses a 24-bit digital remaster by Paschal Byrne and is pressed on vinyl.

Tracklist

Side A

1. Tubular Bells (Part One) — 25:00

Side B

1. Tubular Bells (Part Two) — 23:50

Credits

• Mike Oldfield – All instruments, Vocals
• Viv Stanshall – Voice, Master Of Ceremonies (Side A)
• Lindsay Cooper – Double Bass (Side A)
• John Field – Flute (Side A)
• Steve Broughton – Drums (Side B)
• Mundy Ellis & Sally Oldfield – Chorus (both sides)
• Simon Heyworth & Tom Newman – Recording Engineers
• Paschal Byrne – Remastered By (24-bit digital)
• Trevor Key – Original Artwork