TUBULAR BELLS

I've never understood why people call it "overrated". It is simply one of the greatest creations of all time.

Tubular Bells, Mike Oldfield's debut album, is an instrumental album full of rhythmic breaks, haunting melodies, extravagant and innovative sounds and otherworldly atmospheres. It is one of the most experimental progressive rock albums in history and also one of the best. The fact that in his youth, Oldfield managed to create such an incredible piece of music using a wide range of instruments that he had managed to learn, is one of the most inspiring concepts if ever there was one.

The most important promotion of the recording came from an unexpected source, when the introduction to the first part was chosen to appear in the film The Exorcist, which was released in the United States in December 1973 and in European cinemas in March 1974. According to British film critic Mark Kermode, the decision to include the music was a fluke: director William Friedkin had decided to scrap Lalo Schifrin's original score and was looking for music to replace it. Friedkin was visiting the offices of Ahmet Ertegun, president of Atlantic Records (which distributed Tubular Bells in the US), and picking up a white label from the selection of records in Ertegun's office, he put it on the record player and instantly decided that the music would be perfect for the film. Although the introduction only appears briefly in two scenes of the film, it has become the most commonly associated theme of the film. Oldfield has stated that he did not want to see the film because he thought he would find it too scary.

Oldfield learned to play guitar at an early age, and by the age of 12 or 13 was playing in folk clubs with school friends. His teenage years were marred by problems in the family home, and to escape his troubles Oldfield spent many hours in his room practising guitar and composing instrumental pieces, becoming an accomplished performer. He formed a short-lived folk duo called Sallyangie with his sister Sally, and after its dissolution became the bassist for The Whole World, a band formed by former Soft Machine member Kevin Ayers. The Whole World recorded their album Shooting at the Moon (1970) at Abbey Road Studios over several months in 1970, and the 17- year-old Oldfield was fascinated by the variety of instruments available in the studios, which included pianos, arpischords, a Mellotron and various orchestral percussion instruments. When the band wasn't booked for a recording session until noon, he would arrive at the studios early and spend hours during the morning experimenting with the different instruments and learning how to play each one.

Tubular Bells is divided into two parts. The first part is the most interesting, it is a gale of emotions through the ears, and I want to give you a sensory review of the journey of listening to it. I offer you, section by section, the impressions produced in my nervous system by this melodic orchestration. First of all, it should be very clear that "Tubular Bells" was already a hit in the music world before it was incorporated into the soundtrack of "The Exorcist", but for many film buffs and music lovers, Olfield's theme is irremediably associated with the film, and it goes without saying that part of its great success in sales came from its incorporation into the film.

This album has moments of gentle beauty, great slices of widdly prog, some strangely exciting moments where Oldfield simply decides to rock, parts that defy explanation (the whole Piltdown Man section still baffles me, as does ending the album with "The Sailor's Hornpipe"), and it still has time to be one of the key releases in the evolution of electronic and ambient music. As far as instrumental orchestral rock music goes, there is little to compare with it.

As much as his fans salute the intense genius that is Mike Oldfield, it must be admitted that he has struggled to match the artistic and commercial success of Tubular Bells ever since, despite repeated attempts to recapture its elusive appeal through sequels, orchestral follow-ups and even full, state-of-the-art re-recordings. Perhaps it is partly due to the fact that, despite the technical virtuosity and painstakingly constructed from dozens of overdubs, the original version of Tubular Bells was largely organic, and subsequent attempts to eliminate even the slightest error have robbed this largely instrumental monster of its humanity.

9/10, 4.8 stars. A great, sentimental and powerful piece, created on the basis of a single person... One of the greatest artists ever born.... Mike Oldfield, ladies and gentlemen!

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