This album was released in 1973, a year after yesterday's Foxtrot album, and it stayed on the British charts for 279 weeks - that's almost five and a half years. It is a highly enjoyable masterpiece - Tubular Bells Part One is one of the cornerstones in progressive rock.
Wednesday, August 24, 2016
August 24 - Tubular Bells Part One
The early 70s was the golden age for progressive rock. Yesterday I played Genesis for you - today I am playing a one-man band. At least mostly. Mike Oldfield was 19 years old when he holed up in Richard Branson and his Virgin Records' studio The Manor to record Tubular Bells, a very remarkable piece of music. He did have help on drums, string bass, and flutes, but all other instruments were played by him. Most people may be familiar with the first theme, which was used to great effect in the movie The Exorcist, but the part I first got familiar with starts at 17:20, which was the excerpt featured on the very poorly named The Complete Mike Oldfield (should be considered sarcasm) - and I still love that section, where the instruments are introduced one by one.
This album was released in 1973, a year after yesterday's Foxtrot album, and it stayed on the British charts for 279 weeks - that's almost five and a half years. It is a highly enjoyable masterpiece - Tubular Bells Part One is one of the cornerstones in progressive rock.
This album was released in 1973, a year after yesterday's Foxtrot album, and it stayed on the British charts for 279 weeks - that's almost five and a half years. It is a highly enjoyable masterpiece - Tubular Bells Part One is one of the cornerstones in progressive rock.
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