Tubular Bells

It’s so interesting that this is the origin of that signature spooky Exorcist sound even though it’s really playful and quite compelling. One of the more genuinely left-field inclusions from the 1970s on this list.

Classic, takes me back to teenage years

Good album.

back in 1001. Masterpiece of electronic progressive music, he was twenty at that time.

Back when his first come out, this was the perfect album to put on after doing some hallucinogens. This time, I listened to it straight and it's still just as awesome. Side one still gives me goosebumps.

I've known about this album for a very long time but never listened to anything more than the first track. Its very good. Not what I was expecting at all. This album would be a 5 if it wasn't for the weird growling and sea shanty stuff.

Love this and the surprise exorcists theme !

It's kind of its own thing - I appreciate that a lot! :) Glad to have heard it fully at last.

I really only knew Mike Oldfield for his hit 'Moonlight Shadow' so when I saw his name I was expecting maybe something along those lines. Boy was I surprised when the theme from The Exorcist started playing. This turned out to be a very interesting album, and I might check out some of his other stuff in the future to see what else there is. Standouts Tubular Bells (Pt. 1) 4/5

Not my cup of tea but I respect it for what it is. Neat that this has some of the exorcist theme in it. I’ll rate it high because it was definitely creative and new for the time but I won’t listen again.

A childhood favourite, prog for the masses in retrospect but done very well.

Really enjoyed this noodle-y collection of jams and sounds.

Rad. I’m definitely going to dig through this guys other records. I get why this is the big one, but it does have some amateurish moments. Still, the majority of it was awesome. Must-listen #279.

4⭐️/5 01.04.2026

Another surprising album, I knew I was familiar with some of the melodic in "Tubular Bells I" and itbturns out it is a soundtrack for a movie. It is quite impressive the 2 songs, it does take you on a sound trip, but 25 minutes is quite a long time, and both tracks are 20+ minutes long.I appreciate the textures and how Mike Oldfield explores the different sounds and especially his guitar skills . 4/5

Hard to believe this album got made by a 19 year old and it went on to become one of the most successful instrumental albums ever and parts were also picked up for the soundtrack to The Exorcist. It falls between progressive/new age genres for me with a wide range of instruments and is structured a bit like a classical suite. Not a record to listen to often and it is easy to tune out of (for me at least) but as a work it is pretty impressive even now.

Pretttty cool! There's a lot of cool shit in here, also was amused by Exorcist jumpscare. Some stuff like the guitar showing up around 6 minutes of part one is sick as hell. Overall this is really too long for me to listen to on any regular basis (and part two has some oddities...), but it's really solid.

I suppose I'm a fan of longform instrumental wankery, this was freakin awesome (even counting the grunting prog rock demon in pt. 2) My only real critique is that, for a two-part piece, there really isn't much cohesion as a whole. Mike Oldfield really just travels from musical idea to idea. Also not a fan of the last two tracks; Viv Stanshall's drunken 3am rambling in the final moments of the album really breaks the instrumental magic that had been built for the past 50 minutes. I choose to forgive this choice though, because Viv also delivers the HARDEST title drop of the 70s at the end of Tubular Bells Pt. 1. Standouts: Tubular Bells Pt. 1 • Tubular Bells Pt. 2

I really liked this album and it was a 5 until I got to four and a half minutes of grunting and snorting in Pt. 2. Genuinely a baffling decision on an otherwise great piece and I can't defend it.

Part 1 was pretty great, part 2 not quite as good. Very good overall for a completely solo effort

4 - great composition. Loved that the music kept evolving

Classic

This is cool!! Pink floydy

Really enjoyed it. Very calming!

Instrumental prog rock; a new spin on an old classic.

Very conceptual

Just so familiar.

very cool

This is a great album to put on a good pair of headphones and sink into a chair to enjoy. 4/5

One of the first albums I bought on vinyl, largely because you can buy it anywhere for about 50p and over the years I seem to have accumulated about 4 copies of it and I only recall buying the first one, so who knows where the rest came from. This was a bold release as the first on the newly formed Virgin Records but the foresight and ambition paid off as it ended up being hugely successful. The opening is instantly recognisable to anyone that know the movie _The Exorcist_ (and hence the spooky connotations) and from there we're taken on a 40 plus minute immersive journey. A truly brilliant piece of music.

Feels like I grew up with this record. Real nice to revisit.

veldig bra. ikke topp topp men bra bra

Over the past year, I’ve been diving deep into prog rock and its various subgenres, and I have to say that for 1973, this is truly a one of a kind album. The first half takes you on a cosmic journey, through otherworldly soundscapes, while the second half shifts to a pastoral journey, guiding you through beautiful fields and landscapes. What really stands out is how Mike Oldfield crafted a new age, cosmic ambient album with minimal use of synths and electronics, relying instead on studio techniques like multi-track overdubbing. The instrumentation is incredibly impressive, especially considering Oldfield was only 19 and played most of the instruments himself.

Natuurlijk! Tubular Bells! Een van de meest onwaarschijnlijke hits in de Amerikaanse geschiedenis! Bedankt he Exorcist... Maar het is ook gewoon best wel een vet stuk, heel mooi hoe meteen het bekende 'refrein' start. Ik had misschien verwacht dat die later pas zou komen, maar nope, meteen aan het begin knalt ie er in! En dan na 5 minuten het orgel er langzaam overheen... Grappig dat het dan eigenlijk niet meer een beangstigend deuntje word, dan word het eerder hemels. Mooi ook. Misschien zelfs wat hoopvol? Maar jezus Mike, je zit wel ver in je eigen billen hoor hahaha Na een kleine 20 minuten begint ie de instrumenten op te noemen en alsof dat niet genoeg was word na 12 minuten in deel 2 een soort gegrunt? Een soort kreunzingen in een vreemde taal? Ergens jammer dat ze dat deuntje niet in The Exorcist hebben gedaan, zou spontaan een comedy worden. En dan laatste minuten van part 2 word er besloten om een soort vrolijk gitaardeuntje als outro te doen!??! Mike wat de neuk ben je aan het doen??? Ik haat en houd van dit album. Muziek is emotie en ik heb ze denk ik allemaal gevoeld op het moment. FAVO: Tubular Bells

Definitely unique, and interesting that the opening riff became so famous when there is so much more deeper into the tracks.

keyifliydi bayağı

Who would hate this it’s hilarious. A wild ride between the familiar and the crazy. I loved it

In the 2nd half of the album I started understanding the music. Beautiful piece of art

I was already familiar with this album. It is some really good progressive rock. It may be a 49 minute two-part instrumental, but it is architected in such a way that keeps it interesting. There is the overall theme that gets established and then revisited, and then a series of smaller, shorter movements which are established and elaborated, and then it is on to the next one. This might not be something to listen to all the time, but it's a very rewarding listen.

I am so confused. Initially, I wanted to dismiss this out of hand but I can’t turn it off. It’s cheesy but it’d compelling…Oops, wrong record. Apparently no one has ever told this guy that there are more words than tubular and bells. Anyway, this is horror soundtrack music and I mean that in the most respectful way. I know that this dude was in an interview one time and said “Who’s Frank Zappa?” I can’t even describe this. I love an artist or band that can’t be categorized and he’s the best example I have heard. I am 100% certain that Mike Patton loves this album. This has to be parody. If so, it’s genius.

I was close to giving this 5* but the Chewbacca and Blue Peter rubbish on the second side slightly reduced its appeal. It's a good album though, I normally find this kind of thing too pompous and overblown but actually i was mostly captivated to find out where it was going next. He was clearly a talented teenager

The Sailor’s Hornpipe (which I think is less than two mins long) section of part 2 is a stinky shit stain on an otherwise incredible album.

There are some guitar runs in Tubular Bells (Pt. II) that are absolutely outstanding. Pretty incredible music for a 19 year old to write. Great album.

Was going to just give it a three based on how much it's part of our cultural soundscape and not really listen. I'm glad I did and it was the perfect album for Halloween.

Totally tubular! Is that something from a film (Wayne's World)? I can't remember. Anyway, I actually really enjoyed this way more than I expected. I think I had probably listened to this a bit more than I remember at around age 16 and 17 (the Pink Floyd era). It's quite silly, and why he feels the need to put a jig in the middle of it is anyone's guess, but at times it's very atmospheric and the opening few minutes are (horrible word) iconic.

Classic instrumental album, always fun to revisit.

When he said "plus TUBULAR BELLS" I started pumping my fists, crying and shitting all at once. My body couldn't handle it.

Maybe the most well known, or at least most commercially successful piece of property experimental music. This was my first time listening to the whole thing. I really liked the more avant garde sections as well as the more traditional guitar work. I did not expect the last section to sound so much like "Jib Jig" from Donkey Kong Country 2.

musica sperimentale strana, ci hanno ricavato gingle per esorcista. stupito da quanto mi sia piaciuto

Vermutlich viel zu lange Titel für die heutige Jugend. Als 70er Youngster jedoch genau richtig.

I was not prepared for the start of this record to be the theme from The Exorcist, and I also didn’t expect that every time I thought these long arrangements were starting to lose me, they won me back. Really awesome for what it is, and the story behind the production of this record is equally captivating. Best Track: Tubular Bells - Pt. I

Amazing. Would make for an awful doorbell though

This was a pretty weird album. It felt all over the place, but not in a bad way.

It kinda gave me a classical kinda stranger things also a bit of like rock but I think it was really cool 😎 so I'm definitely going to give a good rating.

This is proper weird, I like it! It's getting me upset about the arbitrary choice to exclude classical music from this list. Quite a few of the most influential folks in the the instrumental/experimental/ whatever this is genre, contemporaries to this album, are artists generally accepted as 'modern classical' artists. What, since he grumbles through a song and he was only 19 this counts for the list? The difference is arbitrary. If you want something that'll really knock your socks off, listen to Steve Reich's Music for 18 Musicians

By all rational thinking, I shouldn't like this.

It’s hard for me to get past the title track which as a kid scared the pants off of me because of the Exorcist movie. Even today it still sends chills down my spine, irrational as that is. But I know it’s great.

What a wild ride of emotions.

I liked when he said glockenspiel. Just as it started to get boring, it would switch up. Last song sounds like a SpongeBob song.

Sick album, first song obviously the best but the rest is alright too

I kinda knew what I was getting into, because almost everyone has heard the opening bit for tubular bells. But dear Lord that first track could have been split up into three maybe, dear Lord it goes on forever. I love electronica, but this is a little much. I need a break, Mike. Come on. My rating: 4/5

Your mother sucks cocks in Hell

It grows on you. From part 2

That was a thing. Grunt, grunt, rrrawrrr!

Meditative prog with so gorgeous moments. So simple but so well made

Good instumentals

I liked it. Its interesting but easy to listen to in the background. I just wish it was chopped up into more than 2 tracks so I can just jump to my favorite parts.

Does feel, at times, like a score for a film. (I know parts of this were used for films.) The kind of album you can throw on in the background and do other things (complimentary). 4/5

C’est drôle, j’ai écouté Tubular Bells dernièrement. J’ai répertorié les albums sur cette liste qui font déjà parti de ma discothèque, j’ai vu qu’il était là et je l’ai écouté, juste parce que. Mais, quand même, je vais le réécouter aujourd’hui. Juste parce que. La ligne de basse juste avant le segment où Mike Oldfield présente les instruments : chef’s kiss ! Donc, toujours aussi bon ! J’ai même écouté Ommadawn, juste parce que.

So good! Had been recommended to me before but never gone the full distance - really enjoyable

I usually don't like repetitive music with such a slow build up, but somehow this stays interesting. I don't know how he does it, but it works. pt.1 is better than pt.2.

I happen to like music that sounds like a video game soundtrack, but I do have to wonder why this album made the list. I'll probably annoy someone by saying this, but this might actually break the list-makers' "no classical music" rule; it's hard to bucket this one into a genre but I think an argument can be made for modern classical.

First three minutes of Part 1 and a few minutes in the middle of Part 2: SPOOKY, SCARY SKELETONS SEND SHIVERS DOWN YOUR SPINE SHRIEKING SKULLS WILL SHOCK YOUR SOUL SEAL YOUR DOOM TONIGHT Rest of album: I am at the proper level of high to love this album. prog forever.

Un viejo falopero que sabe hacer música pero es falopero

La delgada linea entre ser un compositor visionario o ser un demente que junta sonidos. La percusión recién entro a los 40 minutos de disco y si bien no entendía que pasaba, seguía expectante por ver que falopa sumaba Interesante

giving me the fall horror vibes!

(Disregarding the last blabbering song)

One I already know, exciting! I very much enjoyed it, tickles the brain in the right way.

Over the past year, I’ve been diving deep into prog rock and its various subgenres, and I have to say that for 1973, this is truly a one of a kind album. The first half takes you on a cosmic journey, through otherworldly soundscapes, while the second half shifts to a pastoral journey, guiding you through beautiful fields and landscapes. What really stands out is how Mike Oldfield crafted a new age, cosmic ambient album with minimal use of synths and electronics, relying instead on studio techniques like multi-track overdubbing. The instrumentation is incredibly impressive, especially considering Oldfield was only 19 and played most of the instruments himself.

So I finally got this album. "Tubular Bells" is impressive, considering Oldfield was only 19 when he recorded it. Most of the album has some cool parts. Everyone knows the first bit from The Exorcist. Look out for Oldfield's vocals in the second half; you'll find them humourous. 4 stars for "Tubular Bells".

Fascinating multi-layered experimental album. Complicated, extremely ambitious composition. Not completely serious though, just quirky and meandering. The kind of thing only a nineteen year old would do. By that I mean it doesn't care at all what you think, just all kinds of crazy ideas one after another, risk free. Nothing to prove, nothing to lose. In the prog rock pantheon I would say. Fun, but scattered. Great for the attention deficit generation.

A solid. A classic. Yes, Tom 4 stars!

Delightful. Minimalist-esque which I always rock with. A fun whistle-stop tour of... something. Not entirely sure what. But it's lovely, its memetic in the good way. Could do so many tasks to this soundtrack

This was a cool listen. I knew the tune from The Exorcist but I had no idea it was an album first. Research led me to some interesting info. Very different and enjoyable.

Very solid Prog album, it reminds me a lot of Long Season, I wouldn't be surprised if the Fishmans were inspired by Mike Oldfield. Some of the sections don't work all that well, but it is constantly changing so nothing overstays its welcome. I guess I need to state that I also think that The Exorcist is a great movie. High 4.

Whimsical

Original and recognizable sound. Nice to listening in the background while doing something.

I enjoyed this way more than most of the prog rock I’ve been dealt. The different motions in the two long tracks could definitely have been considered different tracks for the ease of navigation. I found myself grooving at times and I wasn’t struck by anything dating this work in particular.

If someone decides to create a Prog rock instrumental album, they would be so lucky as to match this project. Glad to have listened to this!

Shits tubular 🤙

4+/5

Tubular Bells (Part One)

Almost didn’t give it the time of day, very glad that I did - itches scratches didn’t know I had

Now this is the kind of album that I could see someone absolutely adoring or completely despising. Mike Oldfield's 1973 album Tubular Bells is a number of things. It's mostly instrumental. It's comprised of what is effectively one long song split into 2 parts with unique segments within each part. It's mostly the work of one guy. It's fairly proggy. Most importantly of all for this review, it is an album that I like. I enjoyed Tubular Bells. Is it my favorite mostly instrumental album that only has two tracks? No. Miles Davis has it beat with In A Silent Way. However, Tubular Bells is an album that appeals to me. I enjoy cool compositions that last for a long time if they're done well. I've mentioned this a lot lately. Between "Pyramids" on Channel Orange, the title track on 2112, and this, I've now acknowledged my love of long-ass songs in three of the past 4 reviews, which is interesting. I can see why others may not like Tubular Bells as much as I do. It can be seen as a bit repetitive and it's not the most engaging album in existence. However, I could never give an album like this a low score. It's Tubular Bells, man! Good stuff. Low 4/5.

I was very surprised by this album. First off, part one of tubular bells is like a fever trip. It’s wildly challenging at first, just in how repetitive it is at the beginning. But as the song goes past the exorcist theme you realize that it’s just bouncing off the walls if different ideas and constant changes. I guess I didn’t realize going into it that it was going to develop into a progressive rock album and that was a pleasant surprise. Where the album really wins me over though is in part 2. It starts softer and feels significantly less like a nightmare (I don’t mean that in a negative way). It still super progressive and leads into some guitar solos that are fun. It even gets alittle silly near the end (which I’m always a huge fan of when bands don’t take themselves too seriously). The only reason this album isn’t a 5 is because the last two really short tracks just feel like nothing, and I don’t mean they are not long enough. I just mean they have so much less to offer and are pretty forgettable, frankly. But those first two OVER TWENTY MINUTE LONG songs are great and super fun and interesting. If you have a lot of free time to listen to incredibly long progressive rock music, this is like an early gem of the genre.

Awesome and I just learned he played every instrument on this album.

Weird

4./5.0: Very Good

i enjoyed this overall. he incorporated a ton of different instruments which kept things feeling fresh and unpredictable. speaking of unpredictable, my major complaint about this album comes from the vocalizations. the random growls in pt 2 interrupt the groove in a bad way. but they don't hold a candle to the sudden announcement of incoming instruments at the end of pt 1. this made me bust out laughing completely took me out of the music. without those two things this is easily a five star album

Great album, progressive rock slowly appearing into the mainstream. Love it, surely a perfect vinyl suggestion for near future.

Very cool music. Of the time and experimental in the way only a young person can do it without too much influence from the world around them. Now I know where that song comes from!

4/29/25. Very soothing and skillful guitar work here! I can listen to this while reading or doing another task - it's very moving and compelling to listen to, almost like a classical piece.

Why do I like this and hate so much other prog? Dynamics. Since this isn’t so in your face all the time (lookin at you, ELP) the big parts get a chance to shine and actually achieve their intended goal. Because of that, the long instrumentals don’t drag the way they easily could have. Part 1 was better than part 2 (could have done without the guy clearing his throat), but I did like the weird way it ended.

Hell yeah

i loved this melody as a kid. instrumentally awesome but it was a bit too long for me

I think what really gives this music its charm is that you can practically *feel* a young musician's foray into the unknown here. Mike doesn't come across as a veteran composer here, but instead as a wunderkind running amok in his musical toy room, leering at his arsenal of guitars and keyboards with wide-eyed excitement. In every odd arrangement choice, in every sudden shift to a next section, in every introduction of yet another musical motif, you know that you are witnessing the authentic joy of exploration and listening to someone chasing the promises of his wild imagination. Mike Oldfield would of course grow to become a more accomplished composer creating, in my opinion, more accomplished albums. However, the sense of adventure on display here is what keeps so many of us returning to these pieces of music time after time.

This was not at all what I expected, but I ended up having a great time with the album. It takes you to unexpected places. I know it's a "caveman" in Pt. II, but in my head this is Klingon Opera.

I liked it I listened to Tubular Bells part 1 and hoped that there was a part 2 and there was 8 out of 10

Fav: Tubular Bells - Pt. 1 Least Fav: Tubular Bells - Pt. 2 I’d say just get rid of the weird caveman vocals and it’s a 5, some of this was truly beautiful such as the ending parts of Part 1, but those vocals kind of took me out of the vibe

Den här gillade jag verkligen. Första låten/delen är riktigt riktigt bra. Andra delen är svagare och gynnas heller inte av de gutturala lätena mot slutet. Oavsett är detta musikaliskt väldigt imponerande, särskilt med tanke på när det släpptes. Kul överraskning!

Yes

This really is a fantastic album. Almost entirely instrumental, including some really groovy odd time stuff. Orchestral layering of modern instruments, repeating motifs - it's very good.

No way that the tubular bells sound so shitty, I waited 20 minutes to listen to them. The weakest part of the project are the two singles.

Pt. I // Pt. 2

2 minutes into the first track, I was very tempted to stop listening. I'm glad I listened to the whole album. I found that as I treated it like a classical music concert, rather than a collection of rock & roll hits, I enjoyed this album a lot

so good whattt, I had no clue it was all one piece

Weird album. Lowkey fire tho

Excellent classic!

Moments of epicness. Would have liked if it was broken up into more tracks, but this is how it was envisioned and you have to respect that. 4/5

was not expecting the orc-rock breakdown or the captain pugwash coda.

You’d think that this album would exist in the shadow of the opening being the basis for the Exorcist’s main theme, but by the time the bass and piano comes in, you’re firmly back in Tubular Bells land for the duration of the ride. I remember seeing the cover of this album amongst my dad’s (of course; this is the quintessential Dad Album) Pink Floyd and Rush LPs as a kid and finding something very striking about the shape on the cover. I remember my dad showing me Oldfield’s performance of Tubular Bells on the Old Grey Whistle Test and it being a real catalyst for my love of instrumentals, soundtracks, and post and prog rock. It’s been a long time since I last sat down and listened to it and I’ve got to say, it’s still got the stuff. It could easily have been a bloated and pretentious mess, but Oldfield builds the piece with such sincerity that even the spoken word introductions to the individual instruments elicits a smile rather than an eye-roll. It’s wild to think Oldfield was only 19 when he recorded this album; it feels like the work of an Old Master, so profound is its delivery and its confidence to give each movement room to breathe. I particularly love the turn that Part 2 takes midway, but I know even my dad thinks that is “a bit wanky”.

Nagyon nosztalgikus volt a soundja valamiért, kicsit hasonlit itt ott Yann Tiersen zeneihez nekem, ezert meg jobban tetszett::))

Like instrumental Pink Floyd. aged somehow not bad without feeling fresh. Absolute footprint of that time‘s alternative music.

Excepting the rote Exorcist passage this was quite compelling for me, just pretentious enough in that special prog rock way. This is nice long form music to soundtrack your day. Rating 4.0

An odd album which sort of stands on its own. What is is? Prog Rock? NeoClassical? Ambient? Film music? It certainly worked as the main theme from The Exorcist from where a lot of people will recognise it. Tubular Bells is essentially two long instrumental tracks in which the then 19 year old Mike Oldfield layers multiple instruments, building to a crescendo. I listen to it about once a year and I'm always surprised by the time variations, the way some parts come in just after you think they should, which keeps you off balance. And then there is that bonkers, but wonderful, part and the end of the first sequence where Viv Stanshall announces each instrument as it joins, finishing with "TUBULAR BELLS!!!". It shouldn't work, but it does.

Pretty crazy that Oldfield basically recorded this whole thing, playing every instrument, at only 19. It's a fun listen, I like all of the prog noodling, and I got a kick out of the slowed down, drunken yelling in Pt. 2. 3.5/4

What a weird album, and not at all what I expected. I like the Caveman part. I think maybe earliest use of harsh vocals I've heard? 3.5/5

I don’t really know why but I get a good amount of enjoyment out of this. I don’t really have anything else to say.

A mind-bending classic !

great, but I cannot listen to it.

Rather enjoyable (mostly) instrumental album. Lots of melodies I felt like I've heard before, whether they were directly from snippets/samples from this or if others have pulled from it for inspiration. 4/5

Love me some prog rock wankery

A very interesting instrumental album with lots of different feels and instruments. Almost perfect but the werewolf portion of the album took me out of it.

A bit too "progressive" for my particular taste, but great instrumental music nonetheless.

Before generating this album, I was thinking about how much I enjoyed yesterday’s (Phaedra by Tangerine Dream), and how I really just wanted to listen to that again. I feel like I lucked out - in a lot of ways, this really was similar: kind of an instrumental journey of an an album. Not quite as spacey or dreamlike, but always interesting and multi textural. I had never heard of the album or artist before today, and had no idea what to expect.

The better I knew a part, the more I enjoyed it. Which meant that the beginning was very good and it was downhill after that. I have heard part 1 multiple times fully so I appreciated the build up to the tubular bells. But part 2 I had never heard and I don't know what it added to the overall experience. Was it even the same song, it felt disconnected. On the wiki somebody had said that it was a shame that Oldfield mashed his 4 demos into one song, and I agree. But still, 4 stars for the amazing buildup and layering of sound.

What an interesting experience. It's always fun to hear where an artist came from, and this must have been quite the introduction for people.

Cool album. Had no idea this is where that piano part was from. Good inclusion, I like the odd instrumental album.

This "album" plays jump rope with the bad/good line so often but ultimately I think it ends on the good side of the line. Really it was the guttural singing/grunting/noises in part 2 that brought me round to liking the album again. What a rollercoaster though.

This came out right when high school ended, and I seem to recall a lot of folks there and in college owned this, but it’s not really one you’d play at a party, or playing cards with my buddies. The radio edit was pretty cool for its time amidst the regular Top 40 songs. Overall I quite like most of this, although the last third or so of track 2 kinda is meh. A 3.5 bumped to a 4 because the surround sound version on Apple Music was quite nice.

Starting with the chilling main theme famously used in horror classic The Exorcist, this magnum opus from a freaking 19 year old also includes a fun and quite beautiful homage to Britten’s ‘The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra’, a great little jig, and a section with full on death metal vocals. It’s maybe a bit too long, with some motifs not being as inspired as others and some transitions between sections seeming a bit stilted (or just having extended periods of silence) but when it’s good it’s really really good

For this album, I tried something a little different. When I went to listen to it, I turned off all the lights in my bedroom, laid on my bed, closed my eyes and — in that near sensory-deprivation — let the music take me wherever it may. To that end, I ended up imagining off the top of my head some kind of plot about a cult who worshipped the tubular bell object on the cover, someone who escaped that cult, and the summoning of a fallen angel associated with that object. Honestly, I dipped in and out of it a bit, so I can't give you a full plot summary... And you're not here for that anyway. Speaking on the music itself, well, put me in the camp of people who're impressed by the fact that this was all performed by one person. A 19-year old, no less. I mean, this is a complex, nearly 50 minute suite that only gets broken up because of the limitations of vinyl. In fact, that's part of why I listened to this album — this piece, really — the way I did; considering it more in the realm of classical music than anything else. And I'm not even someone who listens to much classical music, if any. Through that lens, though, I think it's very good. I'll say, I'm not nutso about it — the New Age-iness about it is probably why I dipped in and out of my imaginary movie every now and then. Y'can't imagine to something if you're not focused on it, y'know? Plus, y'know, extended instrumental music like this just normally isn't my thing. Blame my undiagnosed ADHD, which is the other, larger reason why I listened to this piece the way I did. Honestly, though, if I were to have this on as background music, soundtracking whatever I'm doing instead of dictating my imagination... I'd be perfectly happy with it, yeah. It's tryna focus on the intricacies that can be a problem for me, y'know? Which is kind of strange given how much of a big deal I've made over the fact that I'm "melody first," though that usually applies to shorter songs. Under normal circumstances, I'm probably more likely to concentrate on "Nuclear" than this piece. All that said, however, I'm perfectly happy to give this thing a 4. It's not its fault I have trouble with longform composition like it, and from what I did pick up, I liked what I heard. And, hey, it did allow me to pull an extended FANTASIA segment completely out of thin air, so for prompting that alone... Worse music wouldn't have, is what I'm thinking. Not gonna lay on my back like that for any other albums going forward, though. Gwoof, you should feel how I've felt typing this up. My neck and the taste in my mouth mostly... So odd. Though I suppose I always could've felt worse. Eh, Regan?

I would NEVER have expected this album. An insane blend of medieval musical styles with electronic and prog rock tendencies. Not a perfect album but I think a true unique work. The weird grunt singing is kind of meh but it also kind of works. The exorcist theme slaps.

A unique album in many ways, and it still sounds good after more than 50 years. Only a few long tracks (or should I call it symphonies) on the album. Ground-breaking synths with acoustic instruments too and all played by the same, young (23?) Mike Oldfield. Has elements of minimal classical music. Not a 5 for me because it's all a bit cold and academic and doesn't really move me. It's a bit too show-off like (try and cram as many instruments and variations in as possible). Still, quite a feat and a definite "must hear".

La première partie est juste géniale, la 2ème un peu moins selon moi. Mais ça reste un classique.

la composition est super, album remarquable.

fun piece, not smth I'd listen to a lot independently but he's doing cool shit

EXORCIST THEME, L THEME Лучшая песня - Tubular Bells.

Unfortunate the Exorcist theme was the beginning and end of many peoples' engagement with this endlessly engaging exploratory of guitar and keyboard and their infinite manifestations. I listened to this forever and never tired of it. intriguing to this day. My favorite part? When he starts adding instruments by name to the riff. Sublime.

I always liked this even though it’s become so horror iconic. super impressive that he was 19 when he created it.

Geniunely impressed me, never heard anything like it... and you know what? It was good! 4 stars just because of how different it is

This guy recorded this when he was 19? Pretty impressive.

4 - obviously a masterpiece but for my sake I wish it was broken up into more than two parts. No chance I’m saving a 20 min song

I like different stuff like this and parts remind me of the background music you hear at EPCOT and things like that and I'm a big background music fan. Part 1 was better but for "new" 50 year old now classical music it works. One to revisit

Always enjoy the first half, but never quite had the same affinity for the second half. Still a classic prog rock album for me.

Good

Fully instrumental, I really liked this, good background music and quite varied.

Honestly a bit disappointing. I was very excited to hear this album being a fan of prog rock and The Exorcist. And while the spectacle does come through, some parts started to drag and felt repetitive in Part I. Still a great listen, but not the masterpiece I was expecting. Part II was much better in my opinion, keeping things moving and engaging without dragging

Muscial masterpiece and an amazing journey. I once heard a friend of mine describe this album as ranging from a deep and dark terror of a nightmare, a musical performance, to an afternoon stroll through a quaint Italian town.

Pleasant surprise

The ones tunes towards a happy mindset on a grey morning.

Mike the prog riff machine. Lots of fun and he was 19 when he made this.

Ótima opção para audição de instrumental com muita qualidade.

Nice

Surprisingly enjoyable!

Found this in the used bin at a record store years ago and decided to check it out since I was getting into prog rock and absolutely loved it. I know it’s nerdy. I know it’s pretentious. I know it’s absurd. I don’t care. There is something about this album that just clicks for me. He does a great job of building tension and then paying it off.

SO THIS IS WHERE THE DEATH NOTE KIRA'S THEME WAS SAMPLED FROM OHHHHH AND THE EXORCIST OPENING!! I FEEL MORE CULTURED NOW!! I LOVE THIS SO MUCH. My cat was called Tube and we used to call him Tubular Bell :) Pt. 1 was my favourite but honestly loved every minute of this - the entire hour of it. Absolutely saving this and adding it to my study playlist.

something new

Klassiker!!! Fast jag gillar Crises och Discovery bättre.

It does tail off a little after the first track, but my god that first track is a triumph. Not sure i've ever given it a full listen either.

This album is crazy, never heard anything like this. Then reading the backstory it gets even more interesting.

Good but bizarrely overrated. How did this sell so many albums?

This album was introduced to me by my dad. It was also one of the first albums that made me pay attention to what was going on with music. Isolating instruments to hear what they are doing. I still listen to music like thwt to this day. I can't give my honest answer of how I like an album until I've listened to it a few times. So I can pick out what all is going on. This album is layers on layers. It's not as enjoyable to me now, as it once was. I'm not saying it's bad... There's just some things that I don't like about it. Mainly in the second 2 minute song. The vocals part sounds like a muppet dying. It's awful. They could have kept vocals out and the song would have been great. The first 20 minute song had basically no vocals, and the instruments guided you on this musical journey. It's hard to write a 20 plus minute song and keep it interesting. Oldfield manages to achieve this twice on the record. It's a cool show off album. I don't need to keep it on rotation, but it's fun to show people this record who have not listened to it.

It is a classic and something I listened to a lot when I first discovered it.

I had a High School teacher who talked about this record incessantly. Somehow up until now I had STILL only heard the excerpts used in The Exorcist. This is a wild ride, and totally rocks, except for maybe the weirdo Popeye the Sailor jam at the conclusion. I should've listened to Mr. Nouri over 30 years ago.

Self indulgent as it is, this marathon of prog by 19 year old wunderkind Mike Oldfield is actually pretty fun to throw on. While I often find prog to be long, meandering, and unentertaining, this kid is jumping from instrument to instrument, playing incessantly sick riffs in this unceasing composition. This is prog at it's ideal, in my opinion. While this is not in my top albums list or anything, I'm not mad at all taking this for another spin. So many epic and vibey moments that just feels like a fun celebration of a collision of both studio nerdery and instrumental mastery. At one point he's even calling out the instruments as he's introducing them, by name.. "grand piano".. "mandolin"... ect. Let the boy cook, I say! While he's not writing songs in the traditional sense, and never repeated the height of effectiveness with subsequent Tubular Bells 2 or any of his other work, the kiddo gave us one hell of a youthful flex here. His career really had a tricky time finding his footing after this one, but he did go on to land some other tracks of real value. For my ultimate favorite, check out the track "Foreign Affair". Nothing at all like this album, but then again, is there anything quite like this album?

Not wat I was expecting, but fun

Cool!

I enjoyed these songs quite a bit, and had a lot of fun with each of them. Still felt like an album, due to how much the songs changed over time; they were basically multi-songs.

I'd probably give this a 3.5 for myself, but it is pretty amazing all that it does for the time it came out. It's both very experimental and avant-garde while also having a lot of ambient elements. I'm not sure how often I'd listen to it, casually, but I do very much respect it.

Aunque un poco freak

Heard this so many times but still great

Favorite Track: Tubular Bells - Pt. I

Listened while watching IMAX Coral Reef Adventure and that made for a very nice experience. Pairs well with the ocean

Very good instrumental music. Some wired parts with the grunt language, but overall an enjoyable listen.

I've heard his name before due to his music being used for The Exorcist, but I've never really listened to any of his music otherwise. I have to say, it's pretty good to just have on in the background. The music is unobtrusive and pretty relaxing, aside from the introduction of Tubular Bells Part 1 but that's because of the horror connotations. It's not exactly a hard-hitting, moving album, but it's pretty good for what it does.

This is some of the most active instrumental music I’ve heard. Constantly changing sounds and sections with a myriad of different instruments (almost entirely played by one 19 YEAR OLD KID) keep this album, with only two distinct compositions, very interesting all the way through.

GLOCKENSPIEL

Slightly distorted electric guitar

Classic

Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells is an album I wasn't expecting. With the minimal vocals, I found it easy to focus on the progression and the various instruments. This album went a lot of places (serene piano playing to new age to a fast folk sound), but the important thing is that it was such a satisfying listen. It's hard to believe that Oldfield explored so much in the span of 49 minutes. On the subject of vocals, the first time there were vocals, I jolted because I was so enraptured with the instrumental. The growling vocals in part two were rather unexpected but somehow enjoyable? The growls added a different vibe, and this 1974 album reminded me of the upcoming metal scene.

In a nutshell: proof that one man CAN be an orchestra. Overall: 7/10

Un classique instrumental, c’est certain qu’il doit aliéner une couple de monde, mais moi, j’aime

A great listen when you’re in the mood for (mostly) wordless droning music.

Excellent but not for me. Backstory on artist more interesting than music.

A very interesting listen. Will want to come back to in the future.

A masterpiece of musical creation. This might have got 5 stars if Mike Oldfield hadnt created Tubular Bells 2 and Tubular Bells 2003 which only improve upon this sound. If you enjoyed this then I suggest you check the aforementioned versions but also a Celtic themed album Mike did called Voyager which is, in my opinion, one of the most perfect musical creations ever made.

Iconic horror theme. I'm not sure I enjoyed the whole piece, it dragged at times and did not feel very cohesive, but many parts were inarguably brilliant

Seminal album, some really good, good music on this. Some parts can get a bit drawn out though. But still a very accomplished album

I kinda liked it for background while working.

This completely surprised me how good it was.

3.87 out of 5. Positively surprised.

No lo quiero para vinilo. Igual la canción Tubular Bells sí, pero el resto no.

Love it! Perfect for dinner parties and exorcisms.

Epic prog that manages to never sound too up it's own arse. 4 stars!

Good!!!!

very good

Gear: DCA ÆON 2 Noire Artwork: die verbogene Glocke ist unverkennbar und einmalig - wurde auf einigen Re-Issues aber hübscher dargestellt Mix: verschwenderischer Detailreichtum und Klangtiefe zum Ersaufen 🎧😘🤌 Musik: zeitloses und in seinen Bestandteilen wunderschönes Meisterwerk - bei den Übergangen stolpert es aber immer wieder (teils tatsächlich mit Ansage) über die eigenen Füße Wertung: 🔔🔔🔔🔔(🔔)/5

Another classic. Parts stand the test of time. Parts are timeless. Some brief parts not so much.

Never heard of this guy. The art looks cool. The first song was boring but then got really loud suddenly. Now it's interesting. It keeps kind of droning on. I mean it sounds pretty but it's just a bit long and repetitive. OH I LOVE THIS BIT (12:37) Now it's getting good... This is like one really long song. The bit where he goes 'glockenspiel' is dead funny. I think this album's very nice to listen to but it's not very interesting. It's still nice though, so I'll give it a 3/5. It kind of reminds me off The War of the Worlds. At 37:27, it's kind of funky. I like the weird noises the guy's making, it gives you a proper image in your head of some fantastical setting. At 47:21, it's like the album itself is saying a happy goodbye to you. It reminds me weirdly of when, while I was about 5 or 6 years old, I would visit my grandfather and when we'd leave he'd stand at the door waving, saying 'cheerio'. And we'd wave back for ages. Every time, he'd also shake my hand and go 'how do you do', and I'd have to reply back the same, and we'd laugh. Every kid in my family did that. I'll actually give this album a 4/5 for that. It made me feel such a strong emotion from just that part at the end. Most music doesn't make me feel a thing.

Cover art: floating muffler in the sky, why are there waves? Oldfield sounds like Okenfold, we got some early techno here? Unlikely, but I have no idea what to expect based on looking at this picture. What in the Halloween (oops...Exorcist) is happening, a 26 minute opening track? I'm going to count that guess as a win as this starts off as like an acoustic techno. I know that doesn't make sense, but I'm quite satisfied with that call. Electronics are building up now too. What an interesting piece. Halfway through it does a drastic change to the point it should probably be a different track, but then the roll call at the end really gives it that stage/play like feel. I do feel it would be better suited as individual movements like the Nutcracker in that regard. Part II was pretty nice too, there were some familiar folksy melodies, but then the odd lyrics started creeping in. The final song was just silly, apparently a duet of sorts with Vivian Stanshall that may have well been a Monty Python bit, a pleasant comedic surprise to top off an album full of all other kinds of surprises. Just about every movie genre is hit across this soundscape of an album. Bravo. Favorite track "Part I" 4/5

Imagine how much more fun our world would be if instead of the opening movement, The Exorcist instead used the section where a guy makes monster sounds over a wailing guitar solo for its main theme. Four stars.

You guys are deaf, this is crazy

The guitar at the 14 minute mark was jarring and could have been approached in a more kind manner, otherwise this album is near perfection. Not sure what listening is like for a neurotypical but my neuro spicy brain was bouncing back and forth with the left to right change in the bells. Very soothing and stimulating at the same time. I listened to an anniversary edition that included a performance for the London Olympics and it was spectacular!

4.0

Discovered that it's a theme for The Excorcist as well as Death Note

It took me ages to listen to Tubular Bells, I kept getting put off by the Exorcist opening score..little did I know what a diverse and lovely range of music this album had. Very good.

Pretty cool stuff. Sounds super dated now and like a Mannheim Steamroller album

This feels like a precursor to techno. Some very strange choices at times, but that genre hadn't really been figured out yet. I could honestly live without the hacking a loogie sounds in Pt. II.

It's quite something. My favourite part is definitely mid pt 2, those vocals are a good time. Will I listen to again: 80%

Progressive rock. A weird meandering album consisting of two parts, each over 20 minutes. I can't say I hated it, I really like how quirky it is, but I also can't say I loved it. It had moments of genius and then would regress into what sounds like someone playing random notes. Maybe my brain isn't big enough to fully comprehend it all, but it just felt very unfocused at times. Like each instrument was taking its turn until a new one would take its place, the only thing linking them being the times where the "background" instruments just played the same thing over and over. Very cheesy to just call out an instrument every time it joins the song, but at least the payoff was pretty good when it built up to the finish. I enjoyed part two slightly more, but overall this album just didn't quite hit how I thought it would. I'd revisit in the future because I feel like I'm missing something, not necessarily because I really liked it. 3.5/5

Like most people I only knew the first 30 seconds or so. I Liked it though, the sort of thing that could only be popular in the 70's, some good bass licks, some good guitar, some good... bells?

The moment at 23:25 when he says, "plus Tubular bells!" is quite moving. I like a good concept album.

Didn’t expect to enjoy this at all but it set such a great atmosphere

Hard to remove it from being the Exorcist song, even though it was a wing before that. But the more I was able, the more into it I was. 4/5

First notes are quite familiar. Everything else is mostly good background music.

Iconic intro of course. This then goes places I didn't anticipate, covering a lot of ground over the two roughly 25 minute pieces. Both sides build to something approximating a crescendo near the end. Undoubtedly a classic. I'm docking a point for whatever those vocals are in part 2.

Experimenteel en vreselijk muzikaal. Part 1 is fantastisch, part 2 valt een beetje tegen met halverwege een lang stuk grungy gezang.

This album has a special place in my heart. I remember listening to it a lot in high school and bonding with my dad over it. The iconic intro with "The Exorcist" theme is great and I think the album holds up for the most part. It never really gets dull during the first part and has a nice ending crescendo with all the instruments layered on. When I say i listened to it a lot I mean the first side. The second side I've always found boring and struggled to listen through. Still for nostalgia's sake I'm giving it a 4, just maybe skip the second side.

Arjhjsdjdjhfldsklfgkg;;;;kllhhjfhvbbnnjkkjfoiioioioio

Yeah, I'm thinking this might just be totally tubular dude.

First time I ever listened to this all the way through and I really liked it I get it’s like one long song but some parts I enjoyed more than others and it would be nice to have more track listing but it’s groovy I get it The second half of the first track really had me when they were introducing the instruments, that riff was tasty Production was really nice, really opened up the stereo image Banger for me was track 1

Interesting with more to it than one would think. Bit like tangerine dream?

OMG this is where they got the theme song from The Exorcist! At least the beginning is, then it goes all sorts of places. It’s weird, kind of funny, somewhat simple melodies all joined together, but I found it thoroughly entertaining. Listens: 2 Fave Track: Tubular Bells - Pt I Rating: 4

Heerlijke plaat

Haha nice Flashbacks van bassie en adriaan

Oh it's The Exorcists theme... Oh it's actually pretty tight! 1st bit is obviously familiar, then goes off to become much more than just the spooky theme we all know.

HAHAHAH ich h welle sege geils churzes album 4 lieder ABER 26 MINUTE S ERSCHT LETSGO, ich mach mis yoga dezue bis jetz vibets.ok ich liebs? Es isch wie eh gschicht, mega toll und mir wird auned langwiilig bim lose. Mol i dig it bi voll im film. Oke es isch schochli kitschig aber ich find das derfs au sii? De fakt dass de typ all 20 instrument uf dem album selber spielt spricht glaub für sich…

This album really grew on me. Bonus points for the cookie monster collaboration

ye it's pretty good. the bells are nice but the rest aint that interesting

With regard to the release year, it's a milestone.

At first I thought to myself, “Why would this ever be on a list of things people have to hear?” I suppose most people would think, “Oh cool! The Exorcist soundtrack.” But I’ve never seen the exorcist so I didn’t know to think that. However, it turns out that Oldfield’s (mostly) instrumental offering has many layers like the palette of a fine wine. I taste the drought in the earthy notes if you know what I’m saying. He layers and layers and layers and the layers keep shifting, twisting, and contorting. They continually shift at just the right instants to keep my attention throughout the whole album. Well done.

Wonderfully spooky and organic acid folk. It's delightfully hypnotic and at times, almost therapeutic.

A real work of art. Idiosyncratic, weird and enjoyable. If you can get Viv Stanshall or Ivor Cutler on your albums, get them on your albums (you can't: they're dead).

This album was pretty cool, especially the intro. My only problem with the album is the way it was presented, two really long tracks. So many cool parts to the tracks, but a lot of progression to get there, that doesn’t really feel like the same song.

Yes, this is where that song in The Exorcist came from. But more than that, this is a staggering work by a 19-year-old musical prodigy: even with its flaws, it’s highly complex and ambitious.

Well this was different. Did not care for at first. Did like the part 1 and part 2 songs. Don’t know what to make of the 2 final shorter tracks. Overall it was interesting

I was only really familiar with Mike Oldfield and Tubular Bells through The Exorcist. This is a very, very extended version of that song though, and dare I say? It's sort of brilliant! Much proggier than the aforementioned version led me to believe it could be, this album veers in all sorts of directions. I'm typically not a fan of long songs, and to be completely honest, I sort of had this on as background noise. But everything that I registered sounded pretty damn cool.

I'm going into this thinking I'm not going to enjoy it. I think I have it on vinyl actually but have never listened. 4:25 changeup, nice. 7:25 organ, not feeling this. 12:40 now we're getting Spanish. 14:10 not sure where we're going now but I'm interested. 20:20 grand piano 21:05 glockenspiel! Side 2 - just kinda nice. Very chilled, medieval folky. 11:50 - what just happened, i love it. Do I like this or not? I don't even know. I don't know what the occasion to listen to this is, its very much like a piece of art rather than a piece of music. Listening through this certainly does make me want to check out more of Mike's catalogue. 3.6/5

I really enjoyed this.

This was interesting. Started off feeling like the score from “Halloween,” then went just about everywhere else. Will never be a go-to listen, but was well worth the experience.

Sounds fantastic Not bored at any point

the very beginning sounds like horror movie soundtrack. tubular bells 1 is long but it switches up so it stays interesting. I like the variety of different sounds and instruments he uses, but I don't love when he announces what instrument I'm listening to. tubular bells 2 at 8:30 is is really pretty. I think I like part 2 more than part 1, in contrast to the plays statistics. actually, the growling in bells 2 is a little unpleasant. these tunes remind me a bit of shine on you crazy diamond. The single is real nice too but I don't know why this would be singled out. I don't like the sailors hornpipe, maybe I just don't get it but it doesn't do anything for me. overall very nicely made album, good to listen to in the background, but maybe not for active listening. I enjoyed everything except the sailor, it ended on a wack note.

This is the longest jam session you’ll ever listen to. It’s clean.

Whoa weird I just watched the Exorcist last week so this brought back some weirdness this morning. Parts of this opening track feel like they should be in a space movie. That part at the end of Pt. I where the dude just says the instruments and then they all start coming in is pretty sick. This song is being added to all my playlists. Interesting growling on Pt. II. Feel like this could've been part of the Exorcist. The end of Pt. II sounds like I'm back at Renn fest. Overall some really good stuff in here. Wish it was fleshed out a little bit more but I was into it almost all the way through. Easy 4.

Let's see where this goes!! Fun, great fuzz tone acid rock vibes along with everything else.

Cool melodies made by one man

Nostalgic but still kicks ass.

Still surprisingly good

Interesting. Innovative use of instruments though some of them don't always seem to fit, in my opinion. Mostly the electric guitar. Sometimes it comes out of nowhere and is quite different then the tone of the piece.

''Your mother listens to Mike Oldfield in Hell!''

Like most people, I only knew the portion of this that was used for the Exorcist. Overall I liked the album. Extremely well produced. Should probably listen with headphones next time. Not sure how to categorize it — prog rock? Very impressed by the musicianship.

So much potential, but I think it ultimately fails to live up to it. While I enjoyed it I would much rather listen to modern electronic music or even classical. 3.5/5

Classic album

So good, until it gets all folksy, I'll just pretend it finished after the titular bells.

The haunting theme from the exorcist. Impressive Mike was 19 and played all The instruments on this album. Instrumental prog rock really isn’t my thing but this gets 4 stars on pure talent alone.

Really enjoyed this. There are parts that are weird and clunky but it's raw and powerful in a way that is astonishing to have come from a young teenage mind. Really impressive stuff and the melodies are really incredible across these long concept pieces.

for the most part, pretty atmospheric

4.5 stars. Experimental and out there, but got to me in a good way. Composition is pretty much just two long and mostly instrumental tracks. Implements orchestral elements, music meanders through different moods. Interesting that Oldfield, who played nearly all the instruments himself, was only 19 at the time and it became the first album on Virgin Records.

It was competing for a 5 before the random tribal grunts kicked in. But an excellent listen nonetheless.

I enjoyed this one. Lots of cool instrumentation, pretty good sense of melody, suites/sections that were memorable and easy to follow, and a really big sound that wasn’t too pretentious. I’ve never really been into prog rock or instrumental rock, but this is a good listen.

Bored slightly by the first track, extremely relaxing pianowork nonetheless. Enjoyed the second track much more, range of instruments and sounds making it a classic prog rock album. Almost everything composed and played by a 19 year old makes this a 4/5 for m

Always worth sitting down with this one and playing it through some quality speakers. Phone speakers do not do this justice.

first listen a delightful symphonic prog journey

A blast from the past. I can see how it doesn’t look (or even sound) like much today, but it was certainly something back in its day, and it has more of a “making of” story than most other albums. Personally, I prefer the second version, which Oldfield released in the early nineties. However, even that one (or the ones that followed since) aren’t enough to bridge the gap to where the music world is today. Anyway, it's hard for me to rate this music which has been all over the background of my life's soundtrack. It has been many years since it stopped mesmerising me, but that doesn't mean I no longer appreciate Tubular Bells.

Mike Oldfield’s Renaissance fair fever dream of a debut record (best known for its use in the opening theme of The Exorcist) features over 20 instruments (mostly played by Oldfield alone), runs over 49 minutes across just two songs, and gets two thumbs up from me.

Good!

ima nekih cudnih melodija, al dost dobro i zanimljivo mi

Fine debut

Wow. Starts with one of the most recognizable diddies you thought was just random TV music and launches into a proggy journey with every instrument imaginable.

This album was definitely an experience, technically only consisting of 2 songs, Mike Oldfield’s ‘Tubular Bells’ is an instrumental journey of sorts through a variety of musical genres. Let’s start with the first track ‘Tubular Bells - Part I’ that probably features the most recognisable piano tune in all of cinema history let alone just the horror genre and what gave Mike the recognition he deserved for this album. Despite this part of the song only lasting for no more than a couple minutes at the beginning, accompanied with some nice electric guitar, the whole track is very eerie and a lot harder to pin down than the following part II track. Electric guitar is actually used quite frequently through this track whether it be subtly lurking in the back as in the final couple of minutes of the track or standing on its own at around the 13:30 mark. Finally in the last 6 minutes of the track we get an instrument break down where singular instruments are introduced one by one with a voice in the background to create a climax of sorts out of the so called ‘tubular bells’ which stand out rightly so which leads to the track ending on some folk like acoustic guitar. The end of Part I sets up Part II very nicely which instrumentally is far more acoustic and folk like on the front half and a mix of rock genres on the latter half. There is also the introduction of some wind instruments around the 5:30 mark which definitely gives this part of the track a slightly medieval touch. We start transitioning to the next part of the track around the 9-10 minute mark where more drums are introduced and an electric guitar is forever present at the front with a strange set of noises being repeated in the background sounding like they come from sort of mythical creature. This continues to the 16 minute mark where we transition to another phase of fairly somber Spanish guitar that is played beautifully all to finish at the end with an up beat folky style playing in the last couple of minutes as a sort of ‘happy ending’ to a story if you will. Overall I think this album is fantastic and can definitely see why it is highly praised but as an album for enjoyment I don’t get that much out of it, it is not something I feel like I’d want to return to it’s more something you feel deserves to be heard in a theatre and that’s my only downfall to this is that it really does not feel like it should be an album but something in its own lane. Nevertheless I recognise the quality this album displays and I think it is worth the listen regardless. 4/5

This is an Iconic album, and now 50 years old. Part one and part two are the most enjoyable parts of the album, it loses its way with the rest of the tracks. In my opinion, as a result, I’ve only given it a 4 out of five

Well this has been a while coming. Like many I've avoided this on the basis of my dad playing this over and over again. Of course I hadn't seen the Exorcist as a kid, but hey, it's worth remembering this was already the start of the Virgin empire. So, historically, so much too it. But musically? I'll leave it to all you prog rockers and musical historians.

this RULES!!! and it just keeps going. really great stuff. cannot believe a 19 year old made this. no clue what's going on in part two tho. howling and demonic chanting i guess? very rock-opera esque. the 'prog' is really coming thru here. "Angered by Branson's suggestion, Oldfield returned to the Manor where he drank half a bottle of Jameson's whiskey from the studio's cellar and demanded that the engineer take him to the studio where, intoxicated, he "screamed his brains out for 10 minutes" into a microphone. The incident left Oldfield so hoarse that he was unable to speak for two weeks. The engineer ran the tape at a higher speed during the recording, so that upon playback the tape ran at normal speed, thus dropping the pitch of the voice track and producing the "Piltdown Man" vocals listed on the credits." (via wikipedia)

Never knew anything about Mike Oldfield other than the creepy intro that’s used on The Exorcist. Saw this come up and really couldnt be bothered with an hour of bell music. But this was surprisingly good for me! Was not expecting this progressive, experimental sound. Good chunks of it you can hear in lots of the late 00s mathy/progressive scene. Deserves way more credit than I ever thought. Also, he was only 19 and recorded almost all instruments! Thats mental.

Good stuff, very impressive considering he was 19 or so when he did these. Enjoyed the Sailor's Hornpipe at the end of Part II, bit of a laugh.

Quite enjoyed this one for background listening. Nice instrumental prog rock. What kept this from being a real attention-grabber was mostly the sameness and slow progression within the two titular tracks. In that regard the second part was a bit better, not just because of the vocals, although those also helped in making the piece feel more varied.

✅ proggy ✅ folky ✅weird

Unique and good! Funny that the opening track was used for The Exorcist

Ok, I had no idea what to expect from this album, but it definitely wasn't this! One man recording show, so many musical influences that basically are gelled together. It's not that it flows, but it all compliments each other. A really interesting work. Definitely need another listen to digest, but you can tell it's something else

Everyone have listened the opening minute at some point in their lives. What follows is just as interesting, even if not as instantly recognizable. Prog classic.

This album is not boring! Very strange and interesting. I think strange in a good way, although I completely understand why this isn't universally loved. I like the experimental vibes, and I can hear the influence of 20th century classical composers on this as well as the influence this album had on jazz and electronica that came later. Not everyday listening material, but extremely cool. Deserving of its place on the list, and a fun excursion into experimental sounds. 4/5

Not really sure why this was included but good horror movie soundtrack

incredibly fresh, will relisten

Zoals ik bij Jean-Michel Jarre al schreef, 'nu nog Tubular Bells van Mike Oldfield en de soundtrack van Bassie en Adriaan is compleet'. Nu schijnen de befaamde clown en acrobaat ook nog diverse andere muziekstukken te hebben gebruikt van lieden als Vangelis en Clannad, toch is vooral het intro van deze plaat bij mij blijven hangen als het gaat om spannende deuntjes die de avonturen van twee circuslieden en een pratende robot begeleiden. Maar Tubular Bells is zoveel meer dan het intro. En dat is jammer, want op een gegeven moment zakt de spanning enigzins uit de plaat weg. Wat voor genre is dit eigenlijk? Een groot experiment kennelijk, een lange reis langs de muzikale ideeën die bij Mike in zijn hoofd opkomen. Inclusief een grommend monster, een weerwolf en een snippertje folk aan het eind. Een uniek stukje werk, voorzien van een iconische hoes, bijzonder ook dat dit zo'n hitalbum is geworden. Maar voor mij is de reis iets te lang en wijdlopig. Geen vijf sterren daarom.

Engaging and interesting throughout!

Absolutely bonkers. Love it

Good listen. On the whole, the music really went all over the place, but still fit together and flowed so well. Randomly reminded me of other artists at various times. One point I'm thinking Metallica, at another Tenacious D, and then I'm thinking of that song "I Come from a Land Downunder" or whatever. Closes out at some Medieval Fairground for a Diddy. With it being an instrumental, I like to do a "could this be played at a dinner party check". The answer is probably dinner party music, but not for every dinner party.

Okay before I write anything, just know that I am *for sure* buying this album on vinyl. And it is going at the absolute top, most-easily-accessible place in my future dream record playing room A cooky, campy, proggy symphony if there ever was one. I came into this listen with LOW expectations. A while back, I saw a YouTube vide of Mike Oldfield performing the title track of Tubular bells, and 20 minutes left I was left feeling dizzy, Eurovision-y, a little numb from its sheer length (?), and feeling super unimpressed. Just confused, like... what is this silliness? It felt very indulgent, but the music behind it was so uninteresting, very loop-y. A guitar would come in after 15 minutes and you'd be like, oh wow, something new. And then lost again. I don't know where *that* piece of music is on Mike Oldfield's original Tubular bells from 1973... it seems to be absent. This Tubular Bells is very different. There are high highs and low lows. My high point was probably the growling muppet prog rock in the last third of Tubular Bells Pt.II... so silly. Then there are themes that, no fault of Oldfield, have been completely beat into your brain by every video game composer of the 90s and 2000s. The opening track, while I'm sure was used well in The Exorcist, sounds... kind of lame. We've heard it. But again, there's so little continuity between the vignettes that, at some point, he just pulls the rug on you, and you're off to some other land. Super proggy (especially the second part, which I liked vastly more than the first part), never too serious (I'm thinking of the "And Now... Spanish Guitar!" sections), sometimes genuinely interesting or beautiful. Really a surprise, a grab bag. And recorded in one of the best years for music recordings, so that doesn't hurt either. It's hard to hear it, today, as something groundbreaking, but sounds like it really was. Nowadays, it may be a little unserious, a little silly, medieval, parochial, but... it's one of those one-of-a-kind experiences. Absolutely worth a trip. 4/5 PS: I found the YouTube video that I saw, of a very late 90s Tubular Bells... prepare thine ears. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSRJvq4Wd48

4/5