TUBULAR BELLS 2003

My 5 stars go to the DVD-Audio version of this remake and then to the high-definition surround version. If you're into surround sound, adventurous surround, that is, this is a must have! I know many listeners don't like this aggresive approach of mixing ("making my head spin...") but for me it's "if you make it surround than really use those 5 (5.1 actually) channels". And that's what they've really done here. For example, the sailor's hornpipe start scircling around you faster and faster as the melody accelerates. The whole album is packed with such effects. If you're a straight stereohead, you'll surely hate those guitar solos starting on the front left speaker and then zigging away to the back right...

As for the music, it's basically the gold old Tubular Bells, which Mike wanted to re-record without those mistakes in the old rushed recording (which I never noticed anyway, but I really tend to listen with the heart and belly and not so much with an analytic mind...). So, whenever he could remember how he did something, he reproduced it faithfully (without those wrong notes, of course).

When you can't get a grib on the - as it seems - long-cancelled DVD-Audio (which is getting more and more expensive as a second-hand item) look out for the "Mike Oldfield DVD Collection" which includes the DVD-Audio. And thus you might get it much cheaper with two bonus DVDs (that aren't that good, but we fans don't mind having them, do we?) than only the DVD-Audio.