TUBULAR BELLS

No. 1 in a series of album reviews I changed my opinion on(AICON)

What I once thought was a "dragged out, drugged out blob of nonsense" (courtesy of my premature 'Ommadawn' review) is now what I view as one of Oldfield's best works, if not best. Then again, I built that opinion before my altercation with prog. This "nonsense" is nothing but an anthology of noises, meant to be pieced together like a puzzle. And I've had practice with other difficult albums like 'Freak Out' and 'Duck Stab/Buster and Glen', so I was very ready for a closer inspection. As always, Mike Oldfield plays most instruments here, with some exceptions being drums, flutes, and string basses. 'Part I' is a nice, complex noise fest, drifting through many different melodies and sections, one with the comical announcements of Vivian Stanshall, the singer and songwriter for the Bonzo Dog Band, who lay their talents here, accompanying Mike Oldfield at play. It never gets too crazy: avant-garde, if you will. 'Part II' is very guitar-heavy, both acoustic and electric. It also drifts through many different parts (what suite doesn't?: 'Halleluwah'?). Much less repetitive than its predecessor, though. And much more enjoyable, in my opinion. There are some moments that wouldn't be out of place on a Frank Zappa album: crazed electric guitars, drunken shouting noises, and so forth. At other times, this could fit on a Yes album: somber acoustic guitars, heavy bass riffs, and others. Crazy or not, I highly recommend 'Tubular Bells' (I say like the people reading this haven't already heard it) for any prog lover in for some difficult music, or just a fun instrumental record to zone out to. Prog on, Bonzo Dog.

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