THE BEST OF TUBULAR BELLS

As a big Mike Oldfield fan I see this album as an interesting idea to celebrate the 'Tubular Bells' phenomenon. It joins together what Mike judged to be the 'best bits' from TB 1, 2 & 3 and MB into one unit. (One nagging question - was it really necessary - perhaps a TB promo to far?) I don't find myself criticising any of the inclusions, even the 'Sailors Hornpipe' (which is not a favourite of mine) because, well, such a complilation would be lacking without it - wouldn't it? It's great to have bits from the absolutely brilliant live 'Exposed' album - it's raw, edgy energy complements the relative smoothness of the studio bits. The extracts are pulled from a period spanning 30 years and actually hang together pretty well. Probably it's 'The Millennium Bell' that feels out of place due to its rather loose relationship musically with the rest. It's a shame the 'cotton-wool in the ears' sound of the orchestral TB parts make them sound a bit droll - with much better production they'd sound so much more dynamic. Does it work as an intro to Mr Oldfield's mega-talents? I guess so if someone wants to know what in particular this Tubular Bells thing is about. Personally I'd get them to buy the 'Elements' CD or the double CD 'Mike Oldfield Complete' (though uneven production quality lets the latter down a bit and the newer music isn't on it).