Tubular Bells

DRAMATIC. EVOCATIVE. IMAGINATIVE. DARE I SAY IT..... TUBULAR. Tracks that bend and evolve with a sound so unique; there's really no other album that sounds like this. The way all the instruments announce themselves one after the other bring to mind a classical orchestra, which makes it more amazing that it was made by one 19 year old and some overdubbing. This is music that can only be made by someone who love music. (which is what I would've said if the rest of the album was the same as that first track, but alas. there's not one, but two drunk skits on here, but we can pretend the album ends before that, right? The bells are still tubular!)

This is an extremely ambitious album, all the more ambitious given it was performed mostly by one person. There are only a handful of "rock" records that had come out before this that matched or exceeded Oldfield's ambition here, and the fact that Oldfield wanted this to be viewed as a singular piece (though it absolutely isn't), adds to the daring. If there was really going to be unification between high art music and rock, or if prog rock really would create its own genre, this kind of thing is where you'd find it. Of course that's not what happened and just about every one of these overly-ambitious records now comes across as sort of bonkers. But I find myself liking this more and more, over time, than I did initially. Because even though I find the final part of Part One incredibly corny (and annoying!) it is a remarkably catchy record, for all its ambition. And it's also neat to look at it from the perspective of bedroom music. In some ways this is the idea of the pop genius in his bedroom taking to its logical extreme (if you forget about the additional musicians and you ignore that it's prog rock).

I get that this was probably groundbreaking, but I found it annoying. Probably was super cool when released.

La premier toune est nice sinon le reste est low-key ass

Fantastic. Hearing this as a teenager blew my mind. A few years back I saw 2 Australians play it live, which was amazing !

It was ok until they started naming instruments

This album feels like another check box for a genre. It’s not that it isn’t pleasant to listen to but not really the type of album you’re going to put on when people come visit. If this album makes the list then are we going to start debating rather all of the classical masters deserve a spot? I’d rather listen to Bach over all the British pop garbage we are subjected to!

A classic.

The exorcist theme, then 43 more minutes of prog rock nonsense

Сара 3 Марко 3 Добар позадински албум

You have to read up on it to figure why it's on the list. A very early one-man-band, a 19 year old on the first album from Virgin Records, and it takes an entire second to feel the wrath of The Exorcist's eternal hold on pop culture. I'm impressed, but I don't really like it. Prog rock can be much more entertaining. Knowing how this was made gives it a few decimals in its favor, but I'd only ever hear this again because of the history. I'd buy the record for a dollar. 2.2/5

I was 13 when this came out. I remember liking the single edit heard on top 40 radio, though also being vaguely terrified of this music due to its association with the movie “The Exorcist” (about which we had all heard the gory details, though I did not actually see the movie until well into my adulthood). Listening now, the only thing actually terrifying is the mind-numbing repetition over 49 minutes. The opening theme goes on for what seems like an eternity, with only the barest of modulation. Then when he finally introduces some new ideas, they are not all that interesting. The part in the back half of side one where he verbally introduces the instruments as he brings them in one at a time is particularly inane. Side two does not improve things. The “vocals“, apparently provided by the bastard love child of Bigfoot and the Cookie Monster, are just plain silly, and do not add to the proceedings. And then there’s the “hornpipe” introduced in the last minute, having literally absolutely nothing to do with anything that has preceded it in the previous 48 minutes. Thank you for that. Should have played it on a kazoo, I would have enjoyed it more. I started out hoping to be able to give this three stars. By a few minutes in, it was clearly going to be two. And then the hornpipe. You have earned your one star. Wear it proudly.

Beautiful and with depth

Genius and madness (in form of medieval crap music) are side by side.

Joooooo!!! De eerste noten van dit album!!! Dit is direct terug naar mijn kindertijd en dan kijken naar Bassie & Adriaan!! Met dat gekke lachlag op dat eiland ergens hahaha, mega spannend. Ik kan horen dat het muzikaal goed in elkaar zit en dat men getracht heeft een verhaal te vertellen. Maar met mijn bekrompen brein kon ik dat verhaal er niet uithalen, al helemaal in het tweede lied waar een soort grunten en wolvengehuil in zat… mwah Dan brengen we deze plaat terug naar de feel en die is er nul….

Dit is een album dat ik ongeveer 15 jaar geleden heb gekocht, vervolgens een paar keer heb geluisterd en daarna bijna 10 jaar niet heb aangeraakt en/of geluisterd. Ik weet heel goed hoe dat komt: dit is een album waar je echt goed voor moet zitten en echt goed de tijd voor moet nemen en je laten meenemen door de muzikale reis. De muziek is op een manier gecomponeerd als een heel groot stuk en niet als losse nummers. Je gaat door allemaal verschillende thema’s en genres heen. Om je uiteindelijk tot een soort eindstation te laten komen. Het einde van deel 1 vind ik ook heel episch met de aankondigingen van alle instrumenten met een hoop plechtigheid in zijn stem. Soms is het heel dromerig en soms is het vrij intens. Je weet nooit wat je te wachten staat. Fun fact: het album is ook het allereerste album dat werd uitgebracht door virgin records en het financiële succes heeft bijgebracht aan het kunnen groeien van het label. Het album is nog beter met hi-fi apparatuur. Op mijn koptelefoon klinkt het een stuk beter dan op mijn slechte speakers.

Bekend van Bassie en Adriaan en The Exorcist. Daar doet het zijn werk maar het album is naar mijn idee heel erg overrated. Zijn allemaal sfeer fragmenten aan elkaar gelijmd zonder dat het een groter geheeld word. Lijkt bij eerste keer interessanter dan het is. Leuk voor onder filmpjes. Het is ook niet mega irritant. Lege sferische huls.

Een kind op de basisschool had t altijd over Mike Oldfield, die kende het van zijn ouders en hij was geleerd dat dit hele goede, interessante muziek is. Ik heb het nu voor mezelf kunnen ontdekken, maar ik ben wat minder enthousiast. Er wordt alsmaar gezegd dat Mike Oldfield alles zelf heeft ingespeeld, opzich knap hoor, maar dat maakt de kwaliteit van het album niet per se beter, een beetje corny stukje vond ik toen hij al die muziekinstrumenten ging opnoemen, waarna je het instrument daarna even hoorde. Het album is misschien wel creatief, maar voor mij niet echt smaakvol.

Вау! Это очень круто. Открытие прям!

Totally tubular

75

It helped create a new genre and it creatively pushes all kinds of new sound but in the end I just don’t think it stands up that well - it falls flat

I really liked that one.

I just couldn't do it. It tried the first song, it's from The Exorcist. So, no.

Quite the journey.

Didn’t expect to like this. I was familiar with the album itself and the part that appears in the exorcist, but didn’t expect it to be somewhat of a journey. I also enjoy finding samples in the wild, in this case a segment from part 1 which was sampled in an eyedea song

This album truly has bits that immediately transport me into a specific setting, but when you truly look at it it sounds like what comes out when I mess around on GarageBand for an hour. It has its moments but the whole thing just isn’t it

i actually kind of liked it bc it’s the first of its genre that didn’t feel just like dissonance

The start of tubular bells part 1 alone is enough to warrant a 5 frankly. But the rest is pretty great as well

Listened before?: once, but it was a looong time ago and i barely remember anything. i'm only rating the OG track listing, as usual Tubular Bells (Pt. 1) - 4/5 Tubular Bells (Pt. 2) - 4/5 Average score: 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ it's definitely a longer listen than i'm used to, so it was hard to fully enjoy with my short attention span (fell asleep a few times lol). none of the tracks were bad at all honestly, he's a very talented instrumentalist. i think both tracks, while beautiful in their own ways, are a little over-indulgent as technically impressive as this album is overall, i don't quite feel right giving it more than 4 stars. it's a beautiful album, just not the most engaging piece of music i've ever listened to and not likely something i'd return to often. good listen either way

This is going to be ranked high, and I refuse to apologize for it. I was raised listening to this album. It's not for everyone, but it is for me. Oldfield was 19 when he recorded this, and I think it's brilliant. Nostalgia might be doing some heavy lifting for me, but I enjoy the sheer 'out-there' creative decisions that led to this album.

After I got over the initial exorcist jump scare I really liked this! How cool! So strange lol

If we scored in decimals this is a 4.9 star, it’s so close to being a 5 for me but just didn’t quite get me to that point. It is a great album though. There have been instrumental albums where my mind has started to wander at times but even when there was sections I wasn’t particularly feeling, I was pulled back into it pretty quickly.

Songs longer than Alices restaurant and just as strange as Zapa

cooler sound aus der kindheit. in der zwischenzeit schätze ich die orchesterversion als besser ein.

Der Anfang eines Meisterwerks aber gut gab es noch Neuauflagen.

As I was reading the reviews, I noticed that people were talking about this album in a negative manner, mentioning that Mike used virtually every instrument ever created while recording this album. However, I would like to note something that nobody else has seemed to mention. The first 14 minutes of the 1st track contains dabbling on a keyboard with very high-pitched notes. Why is this important, you may ask? Well, the answer has to do with the United States government. It’s a known fact that the government uses birds to spy on everyday civilians, including you and me. But it’s common to note that birds are extremely sensitive to high frequencies. Given that, I had the brilliant idea to loop the first 14 minutes of Tubular Bells pt. 1 and play it outside near all the bird nests. Since then, I haven’t seen a bird in ages! And I would highly recommend that you do the same. And the best part, you can even enjoy the music! Together, we can make a change. Place a tape containing the first 14 minutes of this album near all the bird nests and watch as the government surveillance props fly away! That’ll make the IRS mad!

Has anyone listened to this beyond the first four minutes? You’ve wasted your time if you have. It starts off with the iconic orchestral bit, and then… he just runs out of ideas? So we basically just get every instrument you can think of for about 50 minutes, and then two short tracks that aren’t that worthwhile. Now I’m not saying the art narration over The Sailor’s Hornpipe didn’t have its comic moments, but it hardly suggests that he had plenty of ideas left does it?

The iconic first five minutes, made famous by the Exorcist, is probably the main draw here, but stick with it and there’s plenty more to enjoy. I enjoyed the first half more than the second. The last part of Part one would work better as a grand ending to the whole album than the ‘Sailor’s Hornpipe’ which seemed an odd choice, if pleasant enough. A large proportion of the second half is pleasantly pastoral sounding, but is spoiled somewhat by the caveman grunting. An enjoyable adventure in prog.

An incredibly impressive near-instrumental prog rock debut album from a 19-year-old (?!) Mike Oldfield, who played nearly all the instruments himself. This is a staple reading album for me, given the almost total lack of vocals, but it certainly rewards more active listening too. From the iconic piano intro section of ‘The Exorcist’ fame, we get a fantastic gradual build-up of more and more instruments. There are various different sections across both sides, which introduce new melodic themes and moods to keep things interesting, finally concluding with a silly, but very fun rendition of ‘The Sailor’s Hornpipe’. A strong 4 stars.

The vocalisations ruin everything!

its a mental struggle to listen to a track that's 26 minutes long.

2.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/mike-oldfield/tubular-bells-14/ What a strange strange little album. First you get scared because it’s the theme from The Exorcist and then throughout the album it goes in all kinds of weird directions to finish off with some sort of Old Macdonald had a Farm sound alike. But for the most part is decent relaxing music. Probably inventive for the time, but hardly relevant today.

There was nothing to dislike here! The only struggle I'll have is whether to round this up to four stars or round it down to three ⭐⭐⭐.51

I can't explain why I liked this as much as I did.

I smile and remember .... the beginning of electronic music

Dated but a good reminiscence.

I really got in to this aged about 14 or something. What a fucking weird kid

Kinda sounds like a sci fi movie soundtrack. Cool

Some parts I loved and other parts I found kind of boring

It is impressive work early on but kind of falters in the end. I am glad this is here though. A respectful 3 for me.

its always important with these older records to consider the historical context, realize what is trite now may have been novel and cutting-edge at the time. for example, while we may think of it now as a pop-culture relic, extended popeye the sailorman theme tune outros were the style of the time

I felt like what he was trying to achieve was a contemporary version of a classical music composition, which in itself is quite admirable. Does it land? Yeah sort of, not sure I’d come back to it or if anything in it was truly memorable though

This is an odd one. Clearly well done and interesting. I think I liked it. It certainly held my interest.

I've been reading references to this album for many years, and keep forgetting to listen to it. Here we go! Apple Music lists related or similar artists on the Oldfield page as including popular instrumental composers like Vangelis as well as prog rock type bands such as Genesis, Tangerine Dream, and Pink Floyd. That seems about right ... this is silly soundscape music that unfolds straightforward ideas at a pace any listener can follow. It's ok. Not sure why we would be particularly interested in it. But ... sure. Why not?

Listening to this record made me feel like I was the butt of a joke I truly do not understand.

It's a classic. A little prog, totally experimental like a stream of consciousness almost. I have a ton of respect for 19 year old Oldfield making and releasing this. 3/5 as it's not my cup of tea but I appreciate the effort.

Skipei na segunda música de 200 minutos

Tube slipper filler hog in the void and I have to get it fixed so that we don’t get to see the whole house and I don’t know how long I have a little more than two weeks left and then I’m going back in a little while and I don’t have a little while I don’t have to do it all the time

It sounds like someone playing around with different sounds/melodies with little to connect itself even within the songs themselves. The vocalizations don't serve the music at all.

4/5. Tubular bells is most famous for its first few minutes which became the theme for the 1973 film “The Exorcist.” However that is only a small portion of this nearly 50 minute long instrumental prog epic (though it is split into two halves.) It’s definitely not something you’d put on for some casual listening, but it’s one of those records that really feels like a journey, it goes places. One of my favorite moments is around the 10:00-13:00 minute mark in the first half where the song gets much quieter with a tiny guitar line that slowly develops until another line harmonizes with it. And there’s a ton of moments like that throughout. Great listen.

makes me anxious

Exorcist the book: meh Exorcist the movie: meh Exorcist the theme song the album: moments where it was more than meh

It's a nice change of pace to get this kind of an album. Long-form instrumental compositions are kind of fated to wash over you, but it mostly kept my attention with lots of progression and changing textures. This reads like an album composed by one guy in his bedroom, which surely was not very common at this time, assuming that's somewhat correct. He's clearly a guitarist, as it was heavily favored in his compositions, but I enjoyed the many guitar solos and structural melodies. They complimented the electronic sounds well. The part near the end of the first track, where he's listing off instruments that are actually synth patches, it just sounds like a synth demo (lol). The album artwork fits the sound well I feel, and I appreciate the cohesiveness in that way. Tubular Bells part II had a section with drums that I liked, and "Theme from Tubular Bells" was a nice inclusion (and probably my favorite song, although it's hard to compare when the first 2 tracks are a completely different style of composition with several songs contained within). I think I read that he did movie soundtracks, and you can tell. Solid 3 stars

This is pretty bad (boring/tedious, plodding/ponderous). Apparently made when he was still a teenager, and I'm tempted to say it sounds like it was made by a teenager. Impressive at some level, of course, that he had the focus to make it at all. But it's the music that I'm evaluating, and it's between 1 and 2 stars for me. It's not like I'm opposed to music in this category. I'm a big fan of Terry Riley, e.g., who apparently influenced Oldfield in the use of tape loops and overdubs. I vaguely recall a friend or two in middle school and/or high school talking about this album admiringly (probably appealed to the same people who liked the Alan Parsons Project), and was aware of the single (used in the movie "The Exorcist"), which was a hit in the US in 1974. I'll be nice (less mean), and give this 2 stars, for the youthful ambition of it, and for maybe opening up some people to other kinds of music. Will not seek this out again, though. Might go listen to some Terry Riley, to cleanse my ears.

I'll take this over a lot of the mediocre pop and rock on the list. At least its interesting, eccentric. It is rambling and noodly to a fault, though. And some of the passages, like when he's narrating the instruments as they come in, are a bit much.

# Tubular Bells by Mike Oldfield: An In-Depth Review Released in 1973 when Mike Oldfield was just 19, *Tubular Bells* stands as one of the most remarkable debut albums in music history. As the first release on Richard Branson's fledgling Virgin Records, it launched both a label and a career, ultimately selling over 15 million copies worldwide and staying on the British charts for 279 weeks. But beyond its commercial success lies a complex, deeply personal work that continues to divide listeners nearly five decades later. ## The Music: A Symphonic Journey The album consists of two extended instrumental pieces, each occupying one side of the original vinyl. Part One runs approximately 25 minutes, Part Two around 23 minutes. ### Part One The album opens with one of the most recognizable motifs in music history—the haunting piano figure in A minor that would later become synonymous with *The Exorcist*. What makes this opening remarkable is its unusual 15/8 time signature, creating a disorienting, almost hypnotic effect that was virtually unheard of in rock music. From this minimalist beginning, the piece unfolds through a series of carefully orchestrated sections. The motif repeats and modulates throughout the side, building tension before giving way to folky acoustic passages, hard rock sections, and ethereal ambient moments. The climax arrives with Oldfield's famous instrument introduction, where Vivian Stanshall dramatically announces each instrument as it joins the piece, culminating with the tubular bells themselves. ### Part Two The second half is often considered less cohesive than the first, though many listeners find it flows better as a unified piece. It features more experimental passages, including what fans have dubbed the "Caveman Song"—a section of groaning and grunting that Oldfield reportedly included as a sardonic response to a record company's request for lyrics. The album concludes with a surprisingly jaunty rendition of the traditional "Sailor's Hornpipe"—an ending some find charming, others jarring and incongruous. ## Lyrics and "Meaning" Strictly speaking, *Tubular Bells* has no lyrics in any conventional sense. It is an entirely instrumental work, with only brief spoken word passages and wordless vocalizations. This absence of words is central to the album's character. As one listener observed, "Music doesn't need to have words to be beautiful" . The instrumental format allows the listener to project their own interpretations onto the music—some hear a story of dying and ascending to heaven, others find pure abstract beauty. What spoken content exists serves primarily to introduce instruments: "Grand piano; reed and pipe organ; glockenspiel; bass guitar; double speed guitar; two slightly distorted guitars; mandolin!" . This enumeration creates a sense of witnessing the music being constructed in real-time, emphasizing the meticulous craftsmanship behind the recording. ## Production: A Technical Revolution The production of *Tubular Bells* was groundbreaking for its era. Oldfield employed multi-track recording to layer dozens of performances, effectively creating a one-man orchestra. While this technique had been used by Brian Wilson and The Beatles, few musicians had taken it to such extremes. Oldfield played virtually every instrument on the album—electric and acoustic guitars, grand piano, pipe organ, glockenspiel, timpani, tin whistle, and the titular tubular bells. The production also featured innovative techniques like "speed guitars" (recording at half speed then played back at normal speed to create higher-pitched effects) and custom distortion to create "bagpipe guitars". The album was recorded at The Manor, a 16th-century building converted into a studio by Branson, with producers Tom Newman and Simon Heyworth. The demo had been recorded on a simple two-track tape recorder in a rented house in South Tottenham. ## Themes: Personal Exorcism Understanding *Tubular Bells* requires understanding its creator's state of mind. Oldfield was a deeply troubled teenager when he wrote and recorded the album. His mother suffered from severe depression and died shortly after the album's completion. The family environment was unstable, leading Oldfield to retreat into music as his only escape. A bad acid trip in his late teens compounded his anxiety and left him vulnerable. Many critics interpret the album as a form of musical exorcism—an attempt to work through trauma and find peace in music. The album's structure, with its tension-building passages and triumphant releases, mirrors the experience of anxiety and recovery. "Tubular Bells hinges on the sense of recovery from trauma—its final triumphant blast of the bells themselves signals an end to 'horrible feelings' and a return to 'beautiful feelings'". This emotional authenticity may explain why listeners respond to the album's optimism—its "promise of an end to turmoil and a return to happier times". ## Influence and Legacy *Tubular Bells* proved that instrumental progressive music could achieve massive commercial success, paving the way for countless artists. Its studio techniques influenced productions like Queen's *Bohemian Rhapsody* and 10cc's *I'm Not in Love*. The album's use in *The Exorcist*—director William Friedkin discovered the white-label pressing by chance in a demo room—introduced the music to a massive audience. Friedkin had initially commissioned Lalo Schifrin to score the film but found it unsuitable. When he heard Oldfield's music, he immediately recognized it as perfect for creating an unsettling, childlike atmosphere. The album has spawned orchestral versions, two sequels (*Tubular Bells II* and *III*), and the 2003 re-recording *Tubular Bells 2003* where Oldfield corrected what he saw as flaws in the original production. --- ## Pros and Cons ### Pros **Technical Brilliance**: Oldfield's ability to play virtually every instrument on the album, combined with the pioneering multi-track production, creates a richly layered soundscape that remains impressive decades later. **Emotional Depth**: Despite (or perhaps because of) its lack of lyrics, the album communicates a powerful emotional journey from tension to release, reflecting Oldfield's personal struggles. **Innovative Composition**: The unusual time signatures, seamless transitions between sections, and genre-blending approach (classical, rock, folk, ambient) were genuinely groundbreaking. **Historical Significance**: As the launchpad for Virgin Records and a commercial milestone for instrumental music, its cultural importance is undeniable. **The Opening and Climax**: Part One's famous piano motif and the instrument-introduction finale remain genuinely thrilling moments. ### Cons **Lack of Cohesion**: Many critics feel the album is a collection of ideas rather than a unified work. Sections can feel disconnected, "scatter[ing] through genres with no blending". One listener described it as "a compilation of unfinished intros". **Pretension**: The instrument-introduction sequence, in particular, strikes some as "pretentious and a little cringy". The album's ambitious scope can feel self-indulgent. **Uneven Quality**: Part Two is widely considered weaker than Part One. The "Caveman Song" and "Sailor's Hornpipe" ending alienate many listeners, who find them silly or out of place. **Emotional Detachment**: Despite its technical brilliance, some find the album "hollow" and emotionally cold—"the finest example of skill over humanity". As one reviewer put it, "it's a musical prodigy flaunting his admittedly stellar skills, making no statement whatsoever". **Forgettable Sections**: The album's length works against it for some listeners, with many passages failing to leave a lasting impression and requiring repeated listens to register fully. --- ## Verdict *Tubular Bells* is an album that demands a response—few listeners feel indifferent. For some, it's a masterpiece of technical achievement and emotional expression, a pioneering work that expanded the possibilities of recorded music. For others, it's a pretentious, incoherent exercise in showing off that mistakes complexity for depth. What cannot be denied is its importance. Whether you find the "Sailor's Hornpipe" charming or irritating, the "Caveman Song" playful or foolish, the instrument introduction iconic or cringeworthy, *Tubular Bells* remains a singular achievement—a teenage boy's attempt to exorcise his demons through music, captured on tape for posterity. Its flaws are inseparable from its virtues; its ambition is both its greatest strength and its most vulnerable weakness. Perhaps the most telling response comes from those who love it: "It tells no real story and has no real meaning, but the beauty is that, especially since there are no lyrics, you could take the music as telling a story of some kind". In that open-ended ambiguity lies both its frustration and its enduring power.

Enjoyed that more than expected, better than I remembered it.

The legend that was Trevor Key was usually dismayed when introduced as "the photographer who did the Tubular Bells album cover", it says on the website created in his memory. Trevor told me how he created the image 'in camera'. It was a long time before Photoshop, and even the talented John Abbot might have struggled with the reflections of this as a two-part comp with a sea background. There are other versions by Trevor too and newer ones for follow-up albums. This album smashed the genres when it was released, but without a recognisable single, Virgin had no idea how to market it. Luckily, its inclusion in The Exorcist film propelled it to a huge audience. Thankfully they didn't insist that Mike appeared on the cover. Another example of the quality of the sleeve matching the quality of the album.

twas indeed tubular

Identifiquei música famosa de trilha sonora e tem coisas bem elaboradas ai, mas uma música enorme não dá pra mim kkkk

I feel like an hour-long album with 4 tracks is a bit of a red flag if it's not in the classical genre. Although this album could be argued to be classical-adjacent. This album sometimes sounds cool, but there are some very weird parts and it gets tedious. Is that a werewolf in the second track? Or maybe a rabid muppet? Not sure. Some of the instrumental sections were quite complex. And I can understand why this made the list. But it's not the type of album I'll be adding to the listening rotation.

It's a journey, definitely, being a 48 minute continuous instrumental piece. In the end you can't but marvel at ot as an accomplishment by a teenager playing all the instruments on a composition he wrote himself and the end product being an incredible, influential piece of music. 5/5

Tubular Bells was a term Len Houmous’ 16th wife used to describe his genitalia. 2.0 1/4 Tubular Bells Pt1

3.0

Tubular bells, yep a fantastic 4 minute tune... What do you mean it's almost an hour?

The album that kickstarted Richard Branson’s success. He signed it because no one wanted it. I had the picture disc my ex girlfriend appropriated it, so many records. She cheated on me with her boss. Anyway used to like this record, not so much anymore.

It's a classic I suppose but it just isn't a go to album for me.

Innovative for its time, sure, but apart from a few high points it's a fairly drawn out way to get the hornpipe stuck in your head.

truly amazing how music imprints on you. props to Oldfield for me not having any idea those 4 tracks could have been generated by the same person: iconic horror soundtrack, steve-reichish minimalist, hobbit music, three minutes of talking

.....

So it's about 2 minutes of one of the greatest movie themes ever and then 45 minutes of some ponderous stuff.

Not my type of music.

Not sure what I expected, not sure why it is on the list. It was fine, I did not turn it off even though it was a bit weird at times.

Sorry my guy- tried it twice and didn’t get passed the first song. I just couldn’t make myself eat the veggies today.

Supposedly, serial killer Dennis Nilsen burned the body parts of some of his victims, while listening to this. 2.5 minutes in and I can see why it appealed to him.

soundbath

Часто бачу обкладинку цього альбому, але не знаю хто це. Клас. Подобається!

Very cool very neat, keeps things moving and interesting.

Of all the albums Mike Oldfield put out, this sure might've been the first, but I really wouldn't say it's the one you'd have to have listened to.

Holy shit is this album bad. The first 30 seconds are kinda great -- you know, the bit they loop on The Exorcist. The rest is completely pointless and aimless guitar noodling. It absolutely sounds like a 19 year old made this because it's basically the 1970s version of a guy who plays coffee shops with a loop station, piling a bunch of diatonic crap on top of each other. I legitimately think he could have looped The Exorcist bit for 40 minutes and had a post-minimalist masterpiece. But alas, we have to live with this garbage forever. And somehow Richard Branson became a zillionaire from this?

The album that launched Branson, eventually into space...

Very good but for a specific mood

Amazingly forward-thinking for 1972. I enjoyed the mix of early electronic, metronomic beats and eerie soundscapes, warmed by various guitar tones and other live instruments. Of course, the first notes of the record are instantly iconic to my Gen X generation as the sound in “The Exorcist,” premiere horror film of the ‘70s. The fact that this was done by a 19-year-old handling all the instruments himself is pretty impressive.

I’m not sure I have ever heard more than the beginning of the first track; even just that one is far more varied than I thought it would be.

Listening session: july 23rd, while chilling at home Listened to before: no Thoughts: I liked the first part of Tubular Bells, but when the grunting started I got annoyed Favourite track: Tubular Bells - Pt. I

Man that first part is really dope, but then it just gradually deteriorates If it could've kept as cool as the first 5 or so minutes then a definite 4! But just a 3 from me

2.5 stars Wasn’t sure what I’d think. Pt 1 was surprisingly good. I could see myself throwing it on for some background study music. It was a nice journey. Pt 2 wasn’t as good. When the Satanic voices kicked in I was out. Overlong and unnecessary, but the first half was surprising.

I liked the first 5 minutes of the first song a lot. The rest was interesting but not necessarily compelling.

Musiquinha de suspense de filme antigo.

Excellent. Takes one back to their youth and all that.

When I told my boyfriend I was listening to this, he said, and I quote: "I regret to say there is no reason to listen to the entire Tubular Bells record (sorry, British)." Having now listened to the entire thing, I can confirm he is in fact correct. There are a couple of interesting parts, especially in Tubular Bells - Pt. I, but everything kind of goes off the rails in Pt. II. Definitely not going to listen to it again & can't say I would wholeheartedly recommend it.

Fascinating, just so many shifts in style and instruments. I even had fun with the caveman grunting, though it's inclusion is kinda out-of-nowhere and confusing. It's very cool how it shifts so organically between so many different moods and sounds.

Very calming until the growling started

Interesting

Not my thang

Track 1 was much better than expected. I knew to expect the grunting in track 2 but i still couldn’t believe how much it ruined the track

That Mike Oldfield wasn't lying, those bells were pretty tubular.

kind of unbelievable lmao??? its less in the tradition of 70s sidelong prog epics and more in the tradition of fucking long season. not to over compare them but they have a similar Coherent Liquidity, clear transition points that nonetheless sneak up on me, and a feeling of making the most use possible out of a relatively limited area of material rather than just endlessly expanding and sprawling. the moment near the end of part i where he names out the instruments is indicative of a lot of the accumulative magic and Love Of Pure Musicmaking, a love for Form that just about eludes any wider context at least in ur conscious mind. euphoric and free morphing and remorphing, with a set of instruments and sound palate that i cant help but be suckered in by. i know this is a classic and a dark horse commercial success but it still feels kind of underrated.

Now I know where the theme for Halloween came from. This artist seems like they know how to have fun

They used to play this at the gymnastics club that my sister went to during the bars routine at the yearly Christmas display

So good - like early Pink Floyd without the need for any lyrics. Lots of interesting not-quite-in-sync-but-somehow-working rhythms and enough variation minute to minute that you don't get bored. Nice that they start out with the Exorcist music in part I and then there's a callback in part II where Pazuzu the demon sings a verse. Only not giving this 5 stars because I can't imagine just throwing this on and listening through it many times.

Zuerst wars nur angenehme Hintergrundmusik für Clash Royale, aber hat echt nice bits. Ist halt schwer die dann in 27min songs wiederzufinden.

Holy moly is this long, but I appreciate the instrumental output

Music from The Exorcist, okay cool, we vibing. I'm into it. But somewhere between the 11 and 12 minute mark of the second song there is an actual real life demon they failed to properly exorcise and now it haunts the whole album forever and I hate it. Also please give it a cough drop.

An iconic album, and one of the first LPs I bought as a youngster. I rarely listened to in in the past couple of decades, so this was an interesting relisten. The result is that it's retained it's interest better than many of the albums of that era, but doesn't seem quite as groundbreaking as it seemed. I still thoroughly appreciate it, but ...some of the impact has gone. So, 4.5 stars.

Fun.

3.5 🧟

cute😐

I didn’t need 50 minutes of the exorcist song

Intricate, elaborate and surprisingly soothing "soft" prog that is also quite accessible. I could have done without the weird vocals that add nothing to it but there are several interesting passages on this thing.

Heard it before. The first track is absolutely fantastic. Prog songs sometimes feel like the band tried really hard to glue different ideas together and failed but Oldfield always makes it seamless. It's a whole wonderful journey. The second track is a bit less wow but also nice 4/5

That first part gave me the heebie jeebies. Theme song to the Omen?

Album #204 Mike Oldfield: Tubular Bells As a prog fan, this album has been long on my radar, yet for whatever reason I’ve never gotten around to listening to it. My only real exposure to it is it being used as the theme for The Exorcist, which is about as iconic as a song can get for horror fans. Artsy symphonic prog can really hit with me, or just leave me feeling like it’s a load of pretentious bullshit; Tubular Bells manages to capture both. The peaks are incredible and can rival even the best of the genre, but young Oldfield takes a few risks here that I don’t think necessarily land. One is the very repetitive nature of the side one ending, which honestly can easily come across as childish, with Oldfield playing the same few notes but on different instruments, and announincing exactly what he is playing; on one hand it is weirdly soothing and demonstrates the impressive range of Oldfield, but on the other hand it feels like when I was five and was trying different settings on my toy keyboard. The other part, which I really don’t know how I feel about, is when Oldfield decides to start doing a Cookie Monster growl à la Tom Waits in the second half. If I’m generous, it fits the album thematically, since there had been no real vocals to that point, and perhaps he is trying to get across that this beautiful, serene instrumental could not be accompanied by words, and instead puts forward the dichotomy of melody and abrasion. But on the other hand, it just isn’t all that pleasant, and I can’t say that it improves the song. But really, other than that, the album is quite consistently intriguing; I was captivated by the changing movements, and sometimes I was utterly entranced. Though this is sort of the adult contemporary of prog, to me that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Best Song: Tubular Bells Part One Worst Song: Tubular Bells Part Two Score out of 10: 7.5

I mean it's all very clever and impressive, and you do spend a lot of it going, wow, what an effort and piece of brilliance to create this at 19 and play most of it yourself! But, I can admire that and still not like it particularly. Portions were nice and I think it's worth being on the list, glad to have listened to it. But... I'm probably okay without listening to it again.

How can this separated from the context/ reference point of “The Exorcist”?!? I appreciate why Oldfield gets props as a New Age/ Prog innovator, but some things are too time-stamped.

His first album but not his best, and it hasn't aged well. But I do have to give it props for lending it's eerie beginning in the Exorcist (or the Exorcist made it eerie) and for being an inspiration for John Carpenter's music in Halloween.

I knew from the start that this was going to be a 5/5 This is the kind of album that belongs on any “must-listen” or “you really have to hear this!” list. It transcends us, marks an era, elevates us, awakens us, and elicits a reaction that goes beyond a simple “meh, not bad!” These days, we get lost in the chaotic, over-exploited (and exploitative!) frenzy of the music and artists we’re bombarded with, leaving no room for anything truly original and one-of-a-kind. With Mike Oldfield and this album, for example, it’s impossible to say, “Where have I heard this before?”—because his style is truly unique and timeless! If I could give it a 100, I’d give it a 100. And this also calms me down and lets me make peace with this project, which has been disappointing me for a few days now with the nonsense of the choices it’s throwing at me.

Pretty cool instrumental album. Could probably use this as focus music in the future. 3/5

No podía faltar

Meh

NHB. Has some weird vocal parts. Could be good for sampling

Somehow I have a vague memory of this album without having ANY actual idea what it is… Wow. So I do believe this is yet another selection from my father’s album collection that was, in fact, put on fairly regularly in my very early years to quiet me. The first track anyway. Not sure I ever made it to wolf man. That would have been a riot. I think I was very fond of this at the age of two. I even have a memory of the announcement and subsequent introduction of the instruments into the mix. I think I was particularly fond of “glockenspiel!” Isn’t it amazing how music shapes us? I don’t know if I would have experienced as much pleasure as I did listening to this had I not realized my early relationship with it, it’s lack of percussive depth is a definite detraction, but it’s obvious to me that in some ways this album actually shaped the way I would later listen to music. 4 Boolean: true, this is definitely why I am here, coming back daily

movie soundtrack. 2.5

Beetje of early relaxed techno

+: Tubular Bells, Part One, Tubular Bells, Part Two 7,0/10

I was wondering how long it would take to get this one. 648 is the answer I guess. This is one of the albums that I have seen a million times and know that it's hotly debated but I don't think I've ever actually heard any of it. I'm excited to finally check this one of the list today, let's dive in... Ok so I had at least heard some of this before, it's in The Exorcist. I had no idea that's what this was. Maybe I'm dumb. Who writes a song in 15/8 time? Or maybe alternating 7/8 and 8/8. But there's a 9/8 thrown in too I think? Wild. I really liked this album but can get why it's so divisive. It definitely deserves a spot on this list. It's super ambitious and quite an achievement to have pulled off. I would absolutely buy this if I came across it in the record shop and though I might not play it all the time, it would be a good one to pull out when I felt like it. 4/5

Love the movie but I can’t do instrumental for that long

Reminiscent of a GCSE composition. Appreciate the ingenuity of it at the time but both songs had me repeatedly checking to see how long was left

I don't know how to evaluate this. I like the actual Exorcist theme part, but I think songs are typically under 10 minutes for a reason.

Tubular bells innit, everyone knows it and either love it or hate it. I think it’s awesome. And I’m not ashamed of that either.

Not for me, it was nice to work while listening to, but not my style of music.

More like Tubular... Balls hehehehehehehehehehehehehehe

Alright buddy we get it. Exorcist theme was cool then it went on. And on. And on. 3/10

Je sais pas pourquoi mais cet album m’a touché, il pourrait être la bo du film de ma vie Un peu long donc seulement 3 étoiles mais sinon 4

Would not listen again, but interesting

I like this a lot more than I thought I would. Don't be in timidated by the track length of the first two songs. There's enough movement and variance that it doesn't get bland

I never knew this was album. I guess Mike crawled so Vangelis and others could run.

He's so much more than just the exorcist!

It was decent instrumental rock music until the end when they added werewolf noises - I hated that part, it was very jarring and didn't go with the music at all

As someone who doesn't watch horror, I couldn't put my finger on where I had heard the start of the opening track from. It makes sense it was used for the Exorcist given the unsettling, repetitive nature of the piano. Around the 8 minute mark, it felt like I missed the transition to a different track. You could imagine my surprise when there were 16(!!) more minutes left on it, along with the fact that the second track is also 20+ minutes and it's just named Pt II. Interestingly, I liked the second one a little bit better, and somehow didn't get sick of the length of either track.

Fetch me a flagon of mead, for I toil long at the Ren Faire.

Didn't really enjoy it as an album but appreciate the artist's achievement.

Valid placement on the list given the cultural importance of being part of The Exorcist, but there are a few bits I didn't enjoy, like for example the new instruments were announced or the grunt/singing on the second side of the vinyl.

I liked the part where they let the goblin do a solo.

phew, that one's easy

At least now I know where the sample from Even Shadows Have Shadows comes from.

Interesting listen. Familiar melody in long play format that I hadn’t heard before. But by the end of Part II, it just got silly and disappointing.

the whiplash i got when i recognized the tune of the Exorcist. I think it is a profound and experimental showing of prog music. i find it difficult to classify due to its instrumental nature. But that is what's more impressive: making such a compelling, flowing, and emotional work, without words. that said, i feel it suffers from having such extended songs. Is gratifying and awards the listening time, but it's not something you can hear easily in the day or something.

Pretentious

la película elexorsista le dio a este experimento un increíble espaldaraso.No es lo que más me gusta de este compositor...pero el futuro traerá un par de melodías qué si valoro.

I do like it but it does go on a bit!

I like this album okay. Maybe comparing it to Brian Eno is unfair, but Eno's music has a bit more restraint that I think this album would've benefited from.

I was vibing with it but it really hits a wall after track 2.

This brings back some childhood memories of "Bassie & Adriaan". But overall it's not really my thing

works in the movie

this gotta be the soundtrack to something HE WAS 19? gosh i'm useless aren't I don't piss me off this is fucking incredible

Anytime the music is inturruped buy speech (or growls), the magic is lost on me. But all the instrumentals are truly magic. 4/5

Yet another shocking discovery for me that the Exorcist theme comes from this..... album is tubular though

I used to listen to this album all the time and its awesome... i also like how often its been sampled and used in rap songs and I basically now just know it as The Exorcist theme haha... its so dope!

Falls under the Eno school of thinking when it comes to defying genres and tropes of its time. A bit fantastical, a bit surreal, a bit goofy. I have the patience and time at work to sit through this one, and it rewarded me enough to be pleased after an hour. I think the first noteable point was about 4 minutes into part 1, the bells/chimes that come gliding over the top are very pretty. A few passages later, around 13:30, the hymnal melody over the piano was a really nice moment of reprieve too. Wasn’t as big of a fan of the guitars that followed immediately after. But then at 21 minutes when he’s running the main melody through every instrument, he gets to the glockenspiel and the magic is restored. That’s the moment where it all came together for me. A sticky melody thats driven into the mind through iteration. And a nice acoustic outro to boot. Part 2 doesn’t do as much for me, it’s very much something out of Zeppelin’s IV for the first while, then evolves into a bit of a typical rock ballad. But if you give it time, the very hilarious guttural grunting comes in halfway through the song. It’s a Star Wars type of language before Star Wars was even a thing! Oldfields single is even more folkloric in nature, like something out of a Celtic countryside. All wrapped up by the very silly “Sailors Hornpipe” which is a … story? Theater of the mind? Who's to say. It’s vivid and memorable. Soft 4/5. It’s very bravely itself and probably completely unaware of its bravery. As the guy says at the end, buggered if I know

Pretty cool and seems ahead of its time. I wouldn't revisit this album, but it was a fun listen.

The Exorcist

Imagine if the world remembered you for a single thing, and this was that thing...

nigga me hizo escuchar el exorcista, claramente no escuche esto y me fui a escuchar toxicity y since i left you

I’m probably biased when it comes to 𝘛𝘶𝘣𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘉𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘴, but I don’t really care. It’s one of those albums that completely justifies its reputation. The opening of Part One is instantly recognizable, yet it’s only the beginning of a piece that constantly evolves without ever feeling aimless. By the time the famous finale arrives and the instruments are introduced one by one, the album has built an incredible sense of momentum. What impresses me most is how naturally the album moves from one idea to the next. It can be peaceful one moment, strange the next, and somehow it all feels like part of the same journey. The Caveman section remains one of the oddest detours on the album, while the closing Sailor’s Hornpipe feels like Oldfield ending the whole adventure with a grin on his face. Considering that this was the debut album of a young, largely unknown musician, the ambition is remarkable. More importantly, the ambition actually pays off. Even after countless listens, 𝘛𝘶𝘣𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘉𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘴 still feels imaginative, unique, and completely unlike anything else.

Interesting how all these sounds are going on at once and yet none of them are entertaining.

long winded instrumentals. oh boy, my favorite! it sounds cool but i would not listen again. Also what’s up with the growling. So dumb

Udda!

Mycket märkligt album med ett par riktigt långa låtar. Vissa delar byggde verkligen upp en stämning, men de var lite repetitiva, och de mer varierade delarna var mest oklara och sämre. Men helt klart värt en lyssning hur som helst.

Klassisk artist, klassiskt album. Jäkligt konstigt men också right up my alley!

Och nu kom lååånga låtar. Funkade som bakgrundsmusik.

Interesting album. I knew very little of it outside the first few bars. It's a proper prog rock symphony, it's full of interesting details. The songs don't feel long at all.

This was unique. I can appreciate the different sound given the time period. I don't believe I would relisten though.

Two long instrumental prog rock tracks full of overdubs and a wide range of instruments. I really enjoy music that takes you on a journey and this definitely did that. I wouldn't want to listen to it all the time but the first track in particular was really enjoyable. It's also really impressive that this was made in 1973

It’s an extraordinary achievement for its time but it sounds mightily dated today. It was very effective in the Exorcist, but I’ve never really felt the need to sit and listen to the whole thing. I get its influence, and it certainly belongs on the list but I’m happy to continue avoiding it if I can.

I get the "iconic" Exorcist bit, but listening to the whole thing (admittedly for the first time ever) it now sounds like an elaborate demo of all the effects etc on a keyboard. As such it might well have been some sort of breakthrough but not sure where it leaves us at the end.

I was willing to sort of like this, but he lost me halfway through Tubular Bells pt. II with the weird growling noises.

I do love me some rock epics! This album is also really goofy - him listing off the instruments as they come in, suddenly singing in Klingon or something in the one section that has a drum kit - and I love that. I feel like this is going to be one of those records where I keep hearing new things on every listen, looking forward to giving this one another spin. Great record.

Qué puedo decir

Not my style, and maybe not tubular?

Quite a journey that one.

I get that this is a significant album, I even quite like the 25 minute songs. Instrumentally it is interesting. What I don't get is the growling. It was good to hear, but for me it's a oncer

holy fuck dude. i'd been looking forward to this one and it sure didn't disappoint. its real good. the seamless flow of textures and styles makes it hard to get into the specifics of why i enjoyed it so much, but i did. its definitely another "u just gotta hear it" situation. i will say though, that the last 15-20 mins is the peak to me. idk why he started going werewolf mode but its awesome, and i love the instrumental section afterwards with the organs and intricate guitar work. and then closing it out with the fucking popeye jingle?? insane. massive respect for not being afraid to clown on the listeners like this. its so wild that this was oldfield's debut, and im kinda blown away learning that he was only 19 and performing most of the instruments himself. what the fuck man. music is awesome.

Cool opening track. The rest is less impressive

2/5 Favorite Song: Pt. 1

bells

Easy Listening

A plethora of styles and instruments- quite interesting.

Not for me. The grunting and growling was pretty funny though. And I liked the end of the second song.

I was skeptical at first but this is a whole goddamn experience and it is worth every minute. I liked it the most while I was walking to it. Also I was surprised to learn this was used at the exorcist theme; it makes sense, but it didn't strike me as that scary on first listen.

Mostly just weird.

A pleasant listen as a piece of instrumental noodling. The grunting is a little odd mind. Still it beats jazz hands down.

it was… something, every minute felt like a surprise and for parts it was good!! wouldnt listen to it again but i can see all the work behind it

A wild journey

Fuck me. Got woken the fuck up halfway through Pt. II. Part 1 does seem the more interesting side but I think the end of Part 2 does bring it back somewhat. -wait. I just finished writing this as a I finished the album. Hmm. That's either one of the strongest closes I've heard or one of the worst. I enjoyed this but I don't think either side ever wowed me enough to think I'll come back. It'd be hard for me to pick this over the many prog picks of the era. I'd take Thick as a Brick, Tarkus, Animals, Court of the Crimson King, or maybe even In a Gadda Da Vida if I was missing a certain feeling from this. It has a lot but nowadays I think prog has explored quite well all the areas it covers. The start is still sick though. Highlight: Tubular Bells Pt. I (tough choice here!)

I think it's worth listening to once to get the vibe, but would I sit down and listen to it again? No.

Hmmm.... there were sections of this that I really liked... then 11min at pt II came on and it made the whole thing weird. 1973 had some real bangers and some interesting takes like this that brings the 70's back to earth from it's lofty place in music history. 2.5/5

Aside from the opening track, this album doesn't really offer anything exciting or captivating to the listener. I can understand, potentially, the groundbreaking nature of this album when it came out, but I feel we've progressed enough musically since then for this to not need to be included on this list.

Buenardo. Ahora ubico de dónde vienen varios soundtracks

another one of those albums which isn't necessarily enjoyable to listen to but 100% deserves a place on this list

If I was making a movie and I needed a score, I would definitely consider hiring Mike Oldfield. I might even consider using some of the music from this album. But it's ridiculous to think that I'm just going to sit and listen to an hour of this for any other purpose.

It's a decent album. Not one you're camping in the comfy chair and rocking out to, but a decent set of songs. Think weird prog symphony, without the symphony. Although I swear I remember hearing this with an orchestra at one point. I'm sure people have put their own spin on it. Interesting listen. Worth it but keep in mind the first track is an entire side of the album. It's not a drive around and listen to kind of thing.

This is #day656 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here we are with some early-'70s stuff again. My first-ever listen to Mike Oldfield. The guy can surely play the hell out of many instruments, but it all feels too loose, or whatever. Sonic doodles, if you will. Another case in point that most progressive rock just isn't my gem. Also, WTF is that growling in Pt.II for? Let it be a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day657.

que viagem

Definitely a groundbreaking album, with a very fascinating origin story. Unfortunately its not an album that one just listens to, as it gets very tedious very quick. I get why its on the list, but its not an enjoyable listen

The album Tubular Bells is an absolute masterpiece. I have no idea how a 19 year old person could conceptualize such a brilliant and lush soundscape using so many different instruments. I remember during the pandemic when some group organized 600 musicians around the world to submit clips of them playing tubular bells which was awesome (look it up on YouTube if you're interested). Part 2 is a nice use of the instruments, and while it doesn't reach the insane peaks of Pt. 1 it's still pleasant. I love this album. 5/5

One of my favourites, especially the front side. I'll listen to it when I want to slip away

Bloody awful. Opening track 25 minutes long? No thank you.

That was a really fun listen. Yes, it was long, but I enjoyed the creativity and tubularness of the bells. :)

That’s one of the greatest 1001 albums? Pretentious much?? 2

As a fan of jam bands and Horse Lords, I feel like I should probably like this. And did, at least for the first few minutes! I read another couple of reviews that lauded those first four minutes, and I think they’re right — that was the most comprehensible, musically interesting bit. And let’s be clear — I love a 20 minute song. Goose is my jam. But those jams are (1) improv, and (2) tend to work towards a clearer peak and theme. This seems less musical, and more of an interesting dubbing experiment — how many instrumental tracks can we get on this album? And yes, I probably would have rated this more positively had I listened high. 5/10 Decent

I don't think so.

Dá sa to počúvať, neurazí...

Lost the artistic vision mid way through song 2

vibing but like not really!

Bit of an odd one, but a surprisingly engrossing listen

It was alright, a strange one. Some parts i liked but other parts were just odd. Tempted to go down to a 2 but scraping a 3 for now.

Not entirely consistent, but it had its moments. Mid part 2 was solid

Repetitive and annoying.

Is this the theme to a horror film? Idk I don't think I'm cultured enough

- The instrumentation was pretty, atmospheric, and varied. It was easy to get lost in and took you on a journey. - The album could have used some editing, like on track 2, the whole feral middle growling part and jig at the end. - It had a theme, but I did feel like it was a little all over the place at times.

This album had to turn up eventually, and I finally had a reason to listen to the whole thing myself. I must admit it is certainly an iconic album full of complex soundscapes and percussive elements. it did sort of remind me of the music of disney's fantasia where the music is used to represent different emotions and atmospheric tones. I personally thought it was an ok album, but no plans to listen to it again or listen to any sequels made though.

Si bien este es un experimento interesante cuando hablamos de nuevas formas de componer y utilizar los instrumentos y técnicas de grabación que surgieron luego de la explosión creativa de los '60s; no hay que verse la suerte entre gitanos- Mike Oldfield alcanzó la cima de los tabloides solamente porque los primeros minutos de su "movimiento" Tubular Bells aparecieron en el éxito de taquilla "El Exorcista" de 1973. ¿Un antepasado del post-rock? Probablemente ¿Aburrido? Totalmente

Almost sapped my will to live

herinneringen aan zowel The Exorcist, als Bassie en Adriaan...

Liked parts of it but didn't feel cohesive

Bonkers

Set adrift with the timeless pleasures of Tubular Bells! Some of Part I reminds me of JRPG music. Honestly it's pretty impressive that the dude played a ton of different instruments on this. Part I mostly keeps itself pretty interesting as it moves through the different parts. It falls down a bit with Part II, there are some lulls and I could do without the weird vocalizations.

The caveman part does seem kind of misguided but otherwise this is a high-quality, interesting, and varied instrumental album. Good inclusion.

Would listen again, still not watching the exorcist tho

tubular bells spoilers // when he animorphed into a cat-wolf in the middle of part 2 and started hacking up hairballs and howling broooivdjfvfbf fave track: tubular bells - pt. ii

A ver. Qué se puede decir que no se haya dicho ya. Disco seminal que explica todo lo que vino después. Le damos el 5 y pasamos a lo siguiente.

I don’t understand why so many of the negative reviews are at the top. I think this slaps. Though I do admit the growling was a little strange, probably the only thing that stops me from giving it a 5.

First 3 minutes are amazing

when i saw that there are 2 tracks which are each 20 minutes long my jaw dropped, i gave them a listen while doing my dishes, and honestly its the only way ill ever listen to these songs because by god i am NOT putting a 20 minute song in my playlist, the songs are cool and i see the artistic vision, the moment when he said tubular bells went unironically hard, but it could do with splitting the songs into multiple smaller songs (which the sequels to this album apparently did)

I don't think I have ever been to a used record store, church sale, or yard sale and not seen this record while flipping through crates. Now I know why.

A mix of everything. Loved it.

The bit everybody knows from The Exorcist is great, the rest is pretty good too. My friend, born in 2000 as was I, is unaccountably a massive Mike Oldfield fan, owning most of his albums on vinyl. He's never seen The Exorcist (nor most movies) and likes a strange smattering of music while being unaware of most canonical artists. Weird.

Odd

Tubular Bells tickles my brain with prog vibes. Mike Oldfield actually has a pretty great music career but suffers from Nas Syndrome: when your first album is such a classic that the public won't see past you for making such a masterpiece. Nevertheless, if you're a Mike Oldfield fan you probably like some of his other albums better. The only real fault on this 'album' is that it's like Thick As A Brick by Jethro Tull: the song is the album. And it's a great song!

Klassikko aloitus. Ihan mukiinmenevää settiä. 3,5/5.

It was pleasant to listen to, and made for some good revision music, but it wasn't really interesting enough to be anything more than that

It’s like five albums in one! Fortunately, most of those albums are pretty good!

Iconic and very cool experimental music

Wait a minute, I've heard this song before?

Nice enough as background music but doesn’t stand out as something I will listen to again.

Oh dear. I found this long and largely unremarkable. Although there are are brief moments of clarity and intrigue, they are hard to come by.

Не понял что в этом альбоме делают последние 2 трека. В остальном прекрасная смесь эмбиента и прогрессив-рока

This was fun to revisit. I love the wacky little noises constantly going off. I also love that album cover. Perfectly captures the sound of the album. 👹 Favorite track" Tubular Bells - Pt. I

I made it through 1.5 songs

Those bells were mad tubular mannnn

My main complaint in this album is that I don't know why it has to be all one big long song. If there were certain jams, sounds, or pieces I wanted to listen to at a particular time, no easy way to find them. But to just turn it on and let it groove in the background, it was great! The last song, I didn't enjoy. Almost ruined it for me.

The Exorcist theme is a classic. I was really looking forward to re-listening to the rest of the album after many years. It was good but not as great as a I thought it would be. Oh well... 4 stars. Love the guitar work.

Well done, entertaining. ++ for song where he demos all the diff instruments. ++ for long version Exorcist song turning peaceful at the end which messed with my brain. ++ for jovial Hobbit drinking song at the end. -- for the werewolf song. 4

The music is fine. Not overly memorable outside of the Exorcist bits and a few other things. I was expecting a lot more bells in the album, given the name.

Would I listen again: yes This was really nice and interesting. Especially love part 1, the dynamics and the introducing of instruments at the end was so fun!

The progression and building was insanely impressive and unforgettable.

Loved it good background music

part 1 first half was so peak

Tubular Bells - Pt. 1, Noelle type ah music. I've never head a bell choir outside of church. It was interesting. Im not sure how often I will be resisting this album but it was an interesting song. With is long songs, and it's changing themes, it almost felt like Prog. (Turns out it is prog) Also there are 20 instruments on the first track, mostly recorded by the same dude. 4/5

🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑 (rounded down because I don't see myself listening often) People are so rude dude! So many of the global reviews are passing this by blasé or downplaying its accomplishment as "amateur" and "teenage" as if it didn't erupt near-fully realized from the brain of a nineteen-year-old boy. Have any of them birthed an unfiltered, unique vision like this? Every human has one swimming somewhere beneath the surface, that I'm sure of, but so few know to treat them like a newborn baby. Okay, maybe a rough-and-tumble toddler with superpowers like being impervious to rocks or snooty commentary. Even still—I get so offended sometimes for music I don't even like because someone saw into another person's soul and said they didn't like the look of it. Huh! My reviews are based on my own resonance with something, and unless said something is obviously corporate lab-grown crap or imitation meat (or unless it really, really hurts somebody), I try to keep my ratings fair. But I don't need to explain myself, because I'm the only one who sees these anyway besides Emily (hi Emily) so it's really just ramblings. And not even about Tubular Bells! Maybe it's because I don't listen to a lot of prog rock, but for 1973 (even if it was post-Pink Floyd), this composition has such startling range. Really hypnotic and mature at times, other times crass and abrasive, and the transitions between these swings are often decently smooth. I'll have to listen again sometime to be sure, but honestly, I'd play this to get into a creative state of mind, do homework, write, or even just to enjoy the atmosphere. The growling section might challenge that, but honestly, after the way everyone described it, you'd think they'd never heard any metal—pearl-clutching, honestly. I mean, what do these people listen to?! 1: Bad | 2: Okay, No Desire to Revisit | 3: Good, Conditionally (OR Inconsistent Mix of Qualities | 4: Great (OR Technically amazing but missing the sauce emotionally) | 5: Amazing

I genuinely don’t know what to make of this. I never would’ve guessed that the most horrifying part of the album is NOT the part sampled as a horror theme (cue ghoulish screaming)

Fav- Mike oldfields single 2/5

4/5 - not something I'd choose to put on, but so unique and interesting

Not a fan of this album. 2 stars or D.

Me gustó, fué por todos lados. Aunque un poco difícil la escucha. No creo que haya repetición. Nota: 3.5

I've seen this album cover while flicking through the 1001 Albums book. Quite possibly on the Internet as well, though I can't say with certainty. Outside of that, I've never heard of this album or artist before, though I think it's fairly obvious that I've got a 70s prog rock album on my hands when looking at the album artwork. Might as well just get into it. Here goes. Well, what's to say about this album? The twenty-minute tracks certainly make it difficult to surmise. On the whole it's competent, though I think it's impossible for anyone to avoid spacing out while listening to this album. While I do commend the broad scope of the music, it covers no ground whatsoever. There's no sense of meaningful progression across its runtime, with the album shuffling in place and cycling through different instrument pairings before they unceremoniously cut out. Some of these instruments are decent, like in the case of the nice piano chords, the oriental, pan flute-like instrument, the prog rock/acoustic/bass guitars and the organ. In order to fit these instruments (among others) onto the album, the leading instruments of both songs are notably quite minimal, which I thought was a good and pragmatic decision. The best parts of this album typically have a "warm" sound to them, and I favoured the second half of this album for having more of that sound. The werewolf vocals are kind of strange however, even if the pianos and synths which accompany said vocals are nice. I've, of course, heard the intro to Part One of this album before. I've never actually watched the Exorcist, but I've absorbed the song through yet another case of pop culture osmosis. It's mighty surreal to boot up what I was expecting to be a prog rock album only to immediately be confronted with a tense horror theme. I'm not sure what comments I can make about such a minimal piano piece and there's no way in hell I'm breaking down the full twenty-minute piece that it accompanies. All I'll say for now is that the piano chords are effective, both in a horror movie context and the epic context of the full album. Book time. It's the "...most misused album, which today finds itself as much the fodder for dinner-table background muzak as it is the hallowed listening material for progressive rock freaks.", apparently. Features a ton of instruments. The book refers to the vocalisations on part 2 as "caveman grunts" - I prefer my werewolf interpretation. A "'70s essential". Wikipedia says Oldfield was 19 when this album was recorded (strange detail to highlight, but impressive nonetheless) and played most of the instruments by himself. Unremarkable sales at first, but obviously picked up following its use in The Exorcist. The resulting boom grew Virgin as a record label and caused the album to linger on the UK top 10 for over a year. It also sold 15 million copies worldwide, has received warm and enduring acclaim from critics, was used in a few things aside from The Exorcist (including a musical adaptation of the album) and was played in part by Oldfield during the 2012 Olympic Games. The album topped the charts in Australia, Canada and the UK in addition to placing very highly in the Netherlands, Spain and US. It was the sixth best-selling album of 1974 in Australia and the third in the UK, with the album lingering on the year-end charts for four years in the latter country. It was also the third best-selling album of the decade in the UK. Wow - definitely hitting it big on the commercial front. I cosign this inclusion - it's certainly earned it.

Weird but fantastic

Why is this even included? Absolutely terrible.

This was hard to get through. The yelling/grunting/talking was very odd and off-putting

Exorcist soundtrack theme, ambient, driving, wide ranging instrumentals and those grunts in the middle! Really great experimental album.

this was weird, but I like that

This is really good. Love a good instrumental album. The monster growling threw me off a bit, but just made it more interesting.

That caveman section during part two completely sold it for me. Upon multiple listens, a fascinating view into the mind of a prodigy. Then it got used to score the most terrifying movie of that era (9/10, 5/5 on this scale)

Just a bit of a laugh really

It is totally shocking that Oldfield was basically a kid when he composed this, that he played all the instruments himself, and absolutely incredible what an impact the lead track has had. I have seen the Exorcist one time and had never even heard of this album, yet the song was totally familiar to me as if I had heard it a thousand times before. An almost mystical feeling. Having said that. I don't know how much I loved the rest of the album. Still very cool, and would put on again, but maybe in the background.

Liked the start but overall a bit too meandering

Wow. Now, this is music!

Highlights: Tubular Bells (Pt. I)

5 sterne

I mean, it's good, but I'm not so sure it deserves a spot on this list.

The theme from the exorcist was bad enough, but to find out there is an entire album.. rough

Thought I would like this a lot more as obviously the single of Tubular Bells is great, but I found the spoken references to instruments, etc, and the growly parts pretty irritating. The more acoustic parts remind me of Jethro Tull.

I know this is a tough listen! The critique of this album is also compounded by people evangelising it as the most important album ever created (or some-such claim). The truth is that even Mike Oldfield thinks this album is technically flawed and jumped at the chance to re-record it for its 30th anniversary. Regardless, it is a triumph of recording, music production, and engineering, not to mention music talent in its writing and performance. Mike Oldfield has been a massive influence on me in music and recording. So I'm always going to rate this album highly. I actually prefer the iterations that came after it, Tubular Bells 2 and 3 to the first, but thats because they are recorded better and the instruments/recordings are actually in tune! lol.

This is a lot. Like... a lot. Makes me feel like you could do just about anything in the 70s and it was a go'er, so much in music was new and exciting. To be honest though, I found this tough to get through!.

Groovy

8/10

The part everyone knows is in the first 3 minutes of the Part 1. That at least helps entice the listener to stick around for the next 40 minutes. This full-album suite is meant to by played as a single continuous piece, only separated by the need to turn the record over 23 minutes in. Divorced from its Exorcist context, the opening movement of Part 1 still retains a tense atmosphere before slowly transforming into one of wonder, through only a slight chord change and sheer repetition. Despite Oldfield himself being a maximalist musician - a teenage prodigy who composed the entire album and played every instrument himself - this is a surprisingly minimalist release. It recalls modern classical pieces like "Music for 18 Musicians" or "In C" more than it captures anything even vaguely pop or rock. Unsurprisingly, Tubular Bells was eventually considered a precursor to new age, which is pretty well exactly where I would fit Tubular Bells. Each new section of the first half showcases a different instrument, almost like mini-concertos; towards the end, a voice actually introduces each instrument as though this was a live recording of some symphonic ensemble - I found that rather charming. The second half is much the same as the first, featuring pastoral guitars and Hammond plinking that recalls rolling hills and greenery. It's in this section that I fully realized this album is new age to the core. There's a little bit of prog rock that shows up about 12 minutes in, another surprise in this album's bag of tricks, which it uses sparingly otherwise. The whole thing ends with some ambient-sounding guitars and strange little jig to wrap the whole thing up, so if that isn't the most Clannad way to end this album, I don't know what is.

it was ok i guess