Tubular Bells

A very good album, especially for the time however not for me

First song is an iconic horror movie song that seems to have influenced the horror soundtrack genre in more ways that one. Despite this, the album flops after the first 5 minutes turning into weird groaning unintelligible lyrics that don't fit into the mix at all or various repetitive sounds.

Perfect if you ever find yourself walking through a forest filled with woodland creatures on your way to slay an ogre

Something about this feels very pretentious. Mike Oldfield, through the music, constantly insists that, "Hey, this bit is cool too. And this instrument. And this little melody that you'll be hearing for the next seven business minutes. Spiffing! Hey, did you know that I played 27 different instruments on this album?" During one extended segment of Tubular Bells - Pt. I, he even announces the new instruments as they appeared. This actually would've been pretty funny if the music wasn't taking itself seriously, but I get the feeling it was. In addition, this guy needs to learn about variation over a theme. Some of the musical motifs are pretty good, but they get stale quickly when you play them on repeat for several minutes with the only variation being the entry of a mandolin or a Spanish guitar. This could've been improved with some more pronounced variation in dynamics, texture, maybe some lyrics... but then, this serves its purpose as a soundtrack, so what can you do? The second side of the album is mostly stronger than the first – has kind of a medieval feel with all the overlapping arpeggios – but that gets fairly old after the first five minutes or so. (I'm a Gen Z guy. My attention span is low. Give me more drama!) Then we get to the grunting part at around 12 minutes in, and it's all over. Maybe I just don't get prog rock. Edit 4/1/25: This is way better (and revolutionary) than I gave it credit for. Bumping my rating from 2 to 3 stars. 3/5 Key tracks: Tubular Bells - Pt. II

I got bored honestly. It does get quite bizarre which was good but overall it's a meh, 2.5

That opening theme is fantastic and there are other good moments but it also meanders a fair bit. I know people love Vivian Stanshall but he sort of ruins the end of side one. Listened to on my mum and dad's old copy which is handily filed need their Carl Orff for ease of access to 70s horror vibes.

The length of each track would usually turn me away but I've been listening to a lot of instrumentals recently so this came at the right time. It's cool to know where that first iconic bit that starts the album came from. There were parts of each track I liked and parts I didn't. Really good to work to. I can't imagine a 19 year old making this, that's crazy Rating: 3.4

Of all the prog rock landmarks, this is among the best balanced between originality and listenability. Yes, there are indulgent bits and big shifts in tone/mood, but they seem easier to follow and more of a piece overall. Still, it’s pretty dull and feels dated, cutting a rather direct (and rapid) path between initial intrigue to ultimate tedium, which (again) seems quite proggy indeed. One's not sure how to feel about the music tutorial section – was Oldfield channeling Bernstein's Young Peoples Concert series or something. The grunting/scary monster vocal effects don't add a ton. Ultimately just okay, no matter how essential '70s artifact-y it remains.

Tricky one. Parts of it were brilliant, parts pretentious and others just too rambly.

Yeah, interesting.

parece mt bom, mas a primeira música virou meme

It's funny, I have this on vinyl, I think it was my dad's copy. It was pretty groundbreaking for the time, but that said, I later found Tangerine Dream, Can, Brian Eno, all of which scratch this sort of itch much better.

I think its just too weird for me, but damn that Exorcist theme always hits, it conjured a lot of dread in me. Outside the first track I lost interest, but the story behind creating the album was a good read. I think it probably works best if you're creating ambience, and maybe I'd benefit by listening to it during another activity instead of a walk around the lake.

Love it or hate it or just pass by

Memorable for The Exorcist theme

Well this is fucking weird. Parts of it were cool, parts of it were bad. Why is he growling? Why are we naming instruments?

Mad impressive coming from a 19 year old-- what on earth was that caveman jumpscare doing in the middle of side B though!

It's hard to believe that Mike Oldfield is not only capable of playing so many instruments, but that he did so on this album -- and at such a young age! This was truly a beautiful album, as well as extremely innovative. Dating back all the way to 1973, this album seems to be a very early example of new age music, a mostly-instrumental, relaxing, and typically celestial-sounding genre that saw a big rise in popularity in the 90s. In fact, this may very well be THE first album to exist under the "new age" genre term. The second half of part 2 changes fairly drastically and suddenly into a much more progressive rock sound, complete with throat growls that sound straight out of the metal scene. While jarring, this transition is not exactly unwelcome (at least not for me)! Something that is noteworthy about this album is that it holds up quite well by today's standards of the new-age genre, which is definitely not something you can say about every album that has ever crossed any specific genre, let alone an album that may be the starting point of a genre.

okay i liked part 1 waaaaay more than part 2 but overall it was cool!

Paar hele vette passages, en wel vernieuwend, maar ook echt mindere stukken

Nope

i feel like this has all the capabilities to be super good it but it just doesn’t put the parts together correctly. some parts were really cool but others were really bad

I can't listen to this without feeling it might summon the devil. The quirkiness of Sailor's Hornpipe replaced the pangs of anxiety and looking over my shoulder. He has created quite a range.

An album that is impossible to not be impressed by. So many notes. So styles. The varied instrumentation. Anyone of a certain age knows this album for its opening section. The impact of that theme on scoring for the horror genre cannot be understated - even today. There are other great ideas here but to what end. I have no idea what I am ultimately suppose to feel.

I quite like it

This should have been a couple more songs rather than two long ones. It’s not like the two are wildly different in tone to the point where it makes sense to only have two. There are three points in the first song where you could split it up. It can be a little sloppy. At times it seems like that’s the desired effect, others I can’t tell, but would guess not. I’m not really that impressed by anything here as it does sound like a product of its time. 3/5

Decent ambient / electronic and I can see how this was ahead of the curve in the 70's, but it's not my kind of ambient / electronic. 2.5/5

Interesting

It's interesting that this album did as well as it did. It's almost entirely instrumental and is a little out there (classical / guitar / prog rock / etc). I enjoyed it as background music, especially the parts with mandolin. The parts with the voice-over were a little funny/annoying.

did i listen to the whole thing- no skipping? no. was it good? yeah, for studying or something

Still an album that I struggle to like - just kinda meandering around and never sounding like something cohesive. Influential but not for me.

Interesting-ish, with Exorcist song offering the most compelling content. Otherwise, largely dull and dated. The spoken word/voiceover is like prog rock version of Bernstein's Young People's concerts. Difficult to disagree with Oldfield's own assessment that it could have been better.

I liked this, great study music.

听不懂思密达

Album 416 of 1001 Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells Rating : 3 / 5 This is different. Includes the track that was used as the theme for the movie The Exorcist. Nothing I would recommend because of the awesome songs but more for just the experience of hearing it. Oldfield, who was 19 years old when it was recorded, played almost all the instruments on the mostly instrumental album.

The end of part 1 is a stand out section. Sailor's Hornpipe is quite amusing.

I had never heard this album before. It was an interesting listen. Obviously neat to learn more about where the Exorcist theme came from. I doubt I’ll ever listen to it again though, just not my thing.

Great idea, amazing musicianship, just a bit dull

Great talent and there are actually a number of very good tracks on the album. I appreciate Mike Oldfield’s musical ability, however…some tracks feel dated and rather cheesy now. (Pop that one back on the shelf for a while…)

Like one giant obnoxious hold music binge. Not bad, but definitely not a re-listen

This was definitely unique. I don’t know if I’ll listen to it again, but I don’t regret listening to it either.

The exorcist!!!! No but honestly this was such a cool album, all instrumental but all interesting.

I actually enjoyed most of the first two songs a lot, interminable as they were. However, my enjoyment vanished any time he opened his mouth. I think this whole album would have been better served as an instrumental. The third song, the first short one, was probably the highlight of the album. I found the last song so annoying that it singlehandedly dropped this album by a star. It's not the type of album that I expect to revisit.

My dad used to watch the dvd of this concert all the time, but I never got into it. Sitting down and listening made no difference.

Honestly not bad. Fairly enjoyed my listen. One of the better instrumentals I’ve listened to. Kept it interesting and wasn’t boring to me.

peaceful , enjoyable. downloaded first

For an almost entirely instrumental album I loved it beyond the obvious choir and orchestra masterpieces some songs like Mike oldfield’s single takes it in a new direction into slower more beautiful music. Favorite: Mike Oldfields single Least favorite: tubular bells part 2 3.7/5

This is a very strange "album." I think the musicality and ingenuity are good, but it's not something I'd want to sit around listening to.

Two very long tracks that riff on a theme. It was definitely interesting, playing all the instruments by himself at age 19 is very impressive. Obviously the beginning of the first song was used for the Exorcist, which brought initial attention to the album, but there is definitely much more to it. A long prog rock symphony. Overall it's a good listen

Spess men fakker med det 3,5

It’s eerie. It actually sounds like John Carpenter dabbled in prog rock. Decent listen, the second track got a little phlegmy which was a tad uncomfortable but this was interesting. 3 stars

Even though I’m not really into soundscapes, this was really good. It’s mostly 2 tracks but they have so many dynamics that it was fun to listen to

Some interesting musical ideas obscured by a decent chunk of the instrumental passages overstaying their welcome. The passages within the two parts of Tubular Bells are also tonally disjointed, which can make for jarring transitions (see the outro of Part II). A bizarre listening experience overall. Fav Tracks/Least Fav Track N/A, it's basically 1 long track... I liked Part I more than Part II, for what it's worth. 5/10

3.2/5 Best Track: Tubular Bells - Pt. 1

It had me at times, but I don’t know that’s listen again. But really I wanted this to be a 2.5.

Had to disassociate this one from its source of fame, but it was better than I expected.

pas d'avis particulier, mais quelques musiques sympathiques :)

That was different. Not sure I feel about it, would be good music to listen to when working

3/5. The Exorcist theme into a hellacious guitar solo? I mean is there anything better than that? I’d say yes, but it’s close.

Interesting and a bit of a different album, I like it! I instantly recognized the first part from The Exorcist movie, but that wasn't the only lead on side one. I actually enjoyed the first half of the 2nd side the most, with its relaxing and mellow tones. Reminded me a bit about tavern music somehow. Would be a good part to play board games to. The latter part of the 2nd side unfortunately regressed quite a lot when someone started doing guttural noises and screaming, which was just too weird. All in all it was an interesting experience and I think a dead-on 3 or high 3 feels fitting.

Admittedly, my heart sank at the title, anticipating a potentially long and dull experience. To my surprise, Mike Oldfield's creation defied expectations, delivering a captivating and eerie journey. The fact that he composed this masterpiece at 19 is nothing short of insane. Tubular Bells manages to be both haunting and mesmerising, showcasing Oldfield's prodigious talent and innovative spirit. NUMBER OF BANGERS - 0 STAND OUT TRACK - None

Partially difficult to listen to, partially nice harmonies.

Pretty damn good, right?

The Exorcist theme! This is one of those albums where I appreciate it as an innovative product of its time. It doesn’t hold up as well for me now.

Zum schaffe im hintergrund isches eigentlich no easy und sicher einiges besser wie die Jazz Orgel Musik ;) 26min isch eifach chli lang für en song, chame halt so nume schwierig uf irgend e playlist due. Naja all in all 3/5

ok mikey de exorcist theme isch schono cool. und jo er het alles selber gspielt und isch erst 20i gsi und so, aber da sött eig nöd beiflusse wiemer er album beurteilt. de teil am 14:30 isch huere geil mit giti time und so. jetz bluesriff mit synthbass wo drunder liit. part two (zweiter teil) findi die erste 10minute nöd so geil s goht irgendwie nienets ane. hahahahha de caveman shit isch funny. er hegs voll bsoffe ufgnoh. unddra groovts zimli. wolf geheule au geil. nocher wieder prog rock melodie und so. mmh zweistimmigs giti solo no nice aber jääh

I really wasn’t in the mindset for this, but maybe if I was I would have appreciated it better, you probably meed to sit down in a dark corner with some red wine and crackers, and I was sitting on a romanian train instead. So it’s a 3 star album for now.

Auch experimenteller und ohne Vocals. Aber ich mag‘s.

I can see why some people gave this five stars. I can also see why some people gave it one star. Liked part one. Didn't like part two. Split down the middle.

Omen

Dude kinda looks like Willem Dafoe.

Knew nothing of this beyond Tubular Bells being used in the Exorcist. Had no idea it was part of another album or that the album was really quite good.

I think it was the first time I listened to some almost pure instrumental album, and I didn't find it boring. It's far from my favorite album from the 1001 list, but it deserves a fair 3 star rating for the production.

I'd probably never listen to it again, but I appreciate the experience. Very unique

It starts with tubular bells and ends in a what may be a drug-induced daymare.

It started out sounding kind of Christmassy with the bells, appropriate as I'm listening in mid-December. I don't remember a lot about the rest except it was mostly instrumental except when he announced a new instrument coming in and the weird phlegmy talking(?). It was fine. I don’t know what he was on about on that last track.

Strangely compelling. Expected to hate it, it was actually ok.

It was fine but um, where were the bells? I was promised bells! And there nothing was tubular about it!

3 - not sure how I felt really.

When it's good it's so good.

3 Part 1: (^_^) Part 2: (0_0) Walking away pretty mixed on this one. After reading that the album is instrumental, I didn’t really go in expecting much, but I found myself grooving with it pretty quickly. Sure, it’s pretty repetitive, but the way it’s broken up musically kept it interesting, and each section was catchy enough to where its welcome never felt outstayed. The final guitar riff at the end of Part 1 in particular was insanely catchy, to the point where I would have been fine with it going on even longer than the near ten minutes it already does. I even liked the intro of each individual instrument during it - maybe it’s a touch cheesy, but I felt like it worked within the context of the song, especially with how the addition of each contributed to the music growing bigger and bigger, providing a great sense of finale for the first half. And then came Part 2. Right out the gate, the music wasn’t anywhere near as catchy or as fun as anything from the first half, “But hey, maybe it picks up!” I thought. I was wrong. Instead, Cookie Monster breaks into the studio halfway through and starts freestyling into the mic. It doesn’t get any better from there, with the actual finale of the album feeling incredibly out of place from absolutely everything that came before it. So, to summarize, I enjoyed half of this album. Part 1 had a fun, grooving energy to it, Part 2 did not give me that. Still, I think I appreciate what this album is doing as a whole, and I have a lot of respect for this dude putting it together single-handedly at the age of 19 no less. So, we’ll air just above a net “okay” by giving a 3. Fun fact: You may already know that The Exorcist theme song came from this album, so here’s another one for you - the guy announcing each instrument in Part 1 is Vivian Stanshall, member of the group The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, a name you may not recognize (I didn’t), but their song Death Cab for Cutie would later go on to inspire the indie band of the same name.

I was bored at work a few months ago, and went combing through the list for something to listen to and settled on this album, but that's the only reason I've listened to it before today. I think this album ambitious, experimental, and incredibly unique. But does a bold vision make a great listening experience on this album? At times. "Tubular Bells Pt. 1" starts off with a haunting melody that builds and swarms over four minutes, before the song starts to add in more guitar parts. Some of the guitar playing is great, but most of the guitar parts are incredibly jarring and take away from the overall feel of the song. The middle fifteen minutes or so of the song really took me out of it. I actually liked the part at the end, when the different instruments are announced, and play the same melody. I thought it was really interesting to hear the different sound that each instrument added, and the announcing of each instrument didn't take me out of the moment. "Tubular Bells Pt. 2" started off great, with some fantastic guitar playing, and I thought Mike Oldfield did a great job of building some great arrangements throughout the first nine minutes or so, until the intensity of the melody starts ratcheting up, and then things really went off the rails when that guttural singing started, which lasted about six minutes or so. the song was great for about another five minutes, until it all of a sudden kicks into a rendition of The Sailor's Hornpipe, which was a really odd choice. Mike Oldfield played it really well, but it just completely tore down what he'd been building in the song until that point. Overall, this album was incredibly impressive in its scope, and the sheer work that Mike Oldfield put into creating it. The early seventies were a wild time in music, and the fact that Mike was able to make a popular album out of only two prog rock marathon songs is incredibly impressive. There are moments of absolute brilliance, but those moments come screeching to a halt throughout the album, and that really takes away from the experience. However, I'm still glad that I got to listen to this album, and I think it's worthy of being on this list.

Some parts were cool. I see why at the time it came out it may have had an impact and how that impact may have carried through, but it just didn't enjoy it that much

This perhaps wasn't the ideal morning for me to listen to some doom and gloom with Smiling Mike. I have a twisted relationship with Tubular Bells. Love, hate etc. I was once obsessive about it. Isn't everyone? Sure, it has structure and superbly crafted production. It's also become a cliche over the years and hasn't aged as well as other classic albums from this period. But it's still very, very good. Just not right now for me.

Tubular Bells Pt 1. is interesting and fun to listen to, albeit tedious and a tad monotonous. The opening is fun, as I like the exorcist a lot. Tubular Bells Pt. 2 IS tedious and monotonous most of the time. If you like 70s proggy stuff then you might like this album, I think it’s just ok.

- Trippy and somewhat interesting but a bit repetitive. - Great opening act.

The theme music to theme music. Glockenspiel! 🔫🔫🔫

забавный)

I wanted to enjoy this more than I did. Parts are interesting soundscapes, and others are shit thrown at the wall that didn't stick. I will probably listen to this again at some point down the road and maybe it will make more sense then but for now it feels like a lot of aimless meander. Song going on my "1001 Songs" Playlist: Tubular Bells (Pt. I). There were two choices and Pt. II had a weird wolf growling section? Other Songs Going On My "1001 Albums Savelist" Playlist: None

Not sure what to make of it...

This is good - probably just a 4 star for me. But I’m deducting a star because he essentially set Branson on the road to being a billionaire.

I kind of like this but it’s too long. Not terrible but not good.

i liked the second half

Very impressive that this guy played all these instruments at 19 years old, and there's some great parts mixed in. Way too long though.

It is what it is. Last song was pretty strange.

I was just a kid when The Exorcist came out but I remember the hysteria around it all. As I recall, Part 1 was used as the theme for the movie. However, I had no idea until listening to the album here that it was over 26 minutes long (pretty sure the long version never made it to Top 40 radio haha). Impressive that he played almost all of the instruments. Extra credit for doing that at 19 years of age.

70s instrumental program epic which tbe Virgin empire was built on. Some bits are a bit sketchy.

Some good, some bad, a bit weird, not necessarily in a bad way.

pretty good, great melodies and it sounds great, i'm hardly convinced this album is 50 years old as of writing. however i think i'd rather listen to the likes of "thick as a brick" if i wanted a super long prog rock song.

Ik noem dit eigenlijk geen album. Het is in mijn ogen gewoon en single met heeeel lange nummers. Geweldige nummers en ik houdt er van. Het lijkt een beetje op een ritje door droomland in een pretpark. Helaas gaat het op den duur wel een beetje vervelen omdat het behoorlijk langdradig is. Een ritje in de Efteling duurt ook geen 30 minuten, he.

Wat er ook gebeurt, altijd blijven lachuhhhhh! Lekker variëren rondom het thema van een domme clown en vervelende acrobaat. Track 1 mocht van mij het hele album vullen. Het is bijna een soort jazz maar dan net wat minder abstract. Gordel om, netjes zitten op de billen en dan maar hopen dat de weg naar de eindbestemming niet te hobbelig is. Track 2 is een beetje als een telefoongesprek met een langdradige gesprekspartner, je kunt tussendoor gerust even weglopen/wegdromen en als je terugkomt haak je gewoon weer probleemloos in. Al zul je je dan wel afvragen waarom je opeens een soort gruntende piraat aan de lijn hebt.

Kinda interesting but not that great to listen to.

perfectamente aceptable pero si no fuera por el exorcista…

This was strange but cool. Haven’t heard any of this in many years.

Interesting album. A historical curiosity and somewhat impressive for its time, but I don't feel it has aged well.

80% background music 20% weird throat noises

Pretty sure I've listened to this before? Opening is iconic. Side one is great, side two not so much

This was weird! I liked parts of it and not so much others, but the downside of the extremely long song lengths is there’s not a single song I liked completely, as each had sections I enjoyed and sections I didn’t.

Genres: Progressive rock Formed: Late 60’s Run time: 4 songs, 56 min, 7 sec The debut studio album by Mike Oldfield. It wasn’t until track 1, "Tubular Bells, Part One" was used in the horror film “The Exorcist” in 1973, that the album gained traction and went on to become a major worldwide success. The album consists of two long instrumental tracks: "Tubular Bells, Part One" and "Tubular Bells, Part Two”, plus two short tracks: “Mike Oldfield’s Single” and “Sailor’s Hornpipe”. The later contains spoken words, but it is utter rubbish! The two long tracks comprise a number of sections, so it’s not 20 plus minutes of the same thing. Despite the name, tubular bells aren’t actually a large component of the album. The name and imagery would go on to feature in much of Mike Oldfield’s subsequent work. I’m not a fan of Prog Rock and these instrumentals are not to my taste. It is a unique album and well crafted, but I wouldn’t call it ground breaking. Great for the theme to “The Exorcist” but it’s not for me. Listen Again?: No My Rating: ***

This was quite the journey. It’s worth reading the wiki page for context on this album.

My favorite part was when he started calling in instruments like Pokémon. This album contains about 10 minutes of eargasmic perfection and 40 more minutes of random goofing around with a bunch of stuff Mike Oldfield found in his garage. Man ruined what could have been one of the best drops in prog history at 11 minutes into Pt. II by making horrible growling orc noises. I've heard people complaining about them before listening to this, and it's even worse than I could have ever imagined. Special shoutouts to the short "Mike Oldfield's Single". It's not on the official release of the album, but it was on Spotify so I listened to it, and I liked it more than Pts. I and II. Weak 3/5. It sucks how much better this could have been without the goofy noises.

Innovative, but I can only listen to it on odd occasions.

If the title, average track length, album cover and fact that this album is entirely instrumental (aside from some interesting monster growls and a narrator telling us about a secret painting in an old house) haven't turned you off yet, congratulations. You might actually get some enjoyment out of it. Though not totally tubular, this isn't made up of all bells. It's actually a decently produced prog rock album with some lush guitars and catchy sections. However, I do feel like the two title tracks do meander for a bit too long; almost as if chasing a 25 minute runtime was part of the challenge.

This is a strange album. There are only 4 tracks but probably should have been divided up into more. Some of it is great, and other parts are pretty silly.

3/5

You know that certain kind of crazy person who convinces you he's not crazy (despite his former erratic behavior), you believe him because he seems so convincing, but then he ends up being crazy anyway? Well, that's this album. It's schizophrenic at its core, not knowing what it is--or rather, intensely knowing what it is in a precise moment, but then forgetting when it moves into a new moment, thus knowing itself once again anew. So many fractured pieces coming together, coalescing in a unified musical statement at the end of Side A, convincing the listener, in the quiet moments of flipping over the vinyl, that all is well. This deception continues in the calm, pastoral phrasings of the beginning of Side B, only to shock you out of your complacency with a punch of the piano keys, howling at the moon, and growling in gibberish. This insanity returns with a full-on mad carousel ride.

Quite boring.

J’ai été surprise par le thème de l’Exorciste au début! C’est certainement mémorable. C’était intéressant de voir les pistes se déployer sur de longues périodes avec de nouveaux instruments

Reminds me a bit of a new era take on early Pink Floyd. Not my favorite but I could appreciate it I guess. 5/10

7/10

Enjoy the start but got a bit boring towards the end

Yawn

Gotta admit my expectations were pretty low after hearing the theme from The Exorcist at the beginning but was blown away by the rocking instrumental jam that it evolves into.

Delightful instrumental to end the week. Title track had a lot of radio time back in the day due to use in the Exorcist movie. Fresh listen with a much better audio system and quite nuanced!

Well that was fun. A bit weird towards the end, which is a shame because I really enjoyed track 1 and probably would have given it alone a 4.

honestly not bad? gives me videogame soundtrack vibes

I was immediately put off by seeing it had two 20+min tracks however it was better than I expected. Learning it was entirely made by a 19 year old in the 70s is quite impressive. It's fine as background music but I wouldn't listen to it again.

I used to have the iconic bit of tubular bells as a monophonic ringtone for a long time when I first got a mobile! I enjoyed him telling me what instrument I was about to hear in the track.... This was pretty nice to listen to in the background while working, quite prog rocky without the rock. Did enjoy it but shouldn't think I'll be going back. Not sure about the weird sailor bit, but ignoring I think Tubular bells part 1 was the best bit. 3.5 if I could

Alrighty then. Next.

Amiable meandering bollocks.

the power of christ compells you ... to listen to the very end

Mixed emotions. Was kind of digging this on and off, and then the Klingon wailing bit started and I was like nah...

Interesting album but would have been bored if it weren’t for the throat singing.

Ok

Definitely interesting, not the most amazing thing I've heard but a good listen.

uuuuuUUUUUuuuuuuu

Interesting music. Impressive how he created so many changes off a few movements. Probably won’t listen again, but mainly because tracks this long are hard for me to appreciate

Fun sounds

One man's schizoid dreams made into an interesting and visionary album.

Je sais pas si c'est bien ou pas....

PREFS : Tubular Bells, Pt. 1 MOINS PREF : Tubular Bells, Pt. 2

Very weird, very interesting and very much a must listen. This is a nice slice of life from the explorational age of music when electronic instruments were starting to be used. 3/5.

It’s a modern composition and one that will never not sound menacing and almost tribal. Those tubular bells certainly cause a helluva ruckus.

Allememaggies! Iconische piano-intro, die iedereen van onze leeftijd (in NL althans) herkent als de muziek van Bassie & Adriaan (in het buitenland bekender van the Exorcist blijkbaar). Verder stroomt het als een kabbelend beekje voort met al dan niet interessante gitaarpartijen en synths. Alleen al voor het jeugdsentiment verdient deze plaat een paar sterretjes, maar het is niet iets wat ik regelmatig zal opzetten.

Tubular Bells seems to be the prog-ambient icon I never knew I wanted (at least visually) to know. The approach doesn't make me an instant fan, mostly thanks to the excesses of the former genre. Projects like this, though - the same name on both LP sides kind - deserve looking-at as a simple piece, and in that Tubular Bells easily surpasses its name.

Way more rock and roll than I thought it would be. I especially liked the upbeat turn that part 1 takes at around the 10 minute mark and then the part where the narrator introduces the different instruments as they join the mix. This is much more than the ubiquitous melody from The Exorcist. Maybe you had to be there to see what makes it so groundbreaking. Still quite impressive that the album is 100% the brainchild of Mike Oldfield who produced, recorded and played every instrument. 3.5 stars

Background music but ok

How am I supposed to know the shape of the bells of I can't see them?

Actually quite kooky

only listened to first song, pretty cool music

This was pretty interesting! Equal parts cool and bafflingly weird lol. Don't think I'll need to revisit it any time soon, glad I heard it once though!

Buen disco instrumental para escuchar de fondo

What is this? A classicalfolkprog endurance-test novelty record? If I could, I’d give parts of this a 1, 2, 3, and 5. So I’ll average it.

When you go too far Prog do you just become Classical?

I've still somehow never seen The Exorcist (who someone on here seems to think was directed by Roman Polanski). Tubular Bells II came out when I was a kid though to a big buzz so this was everywhere for a while, I believe I may have listened to this in full once or twice then, and not in fact the maligned sequel. After the famous recognisable part is over... Well it's more prog rock isn't it, but is it good prog? I'm not sure it is really. For large swathes the ideas come thick and fast and then he's done and moved on. Of course there's a Mellotron in there, which is kinda fun as usual. It's basically one big solo jam session. Not my kind of prog either, mostly. There are high points though obviously, usually when he sticks with an idea for more than one minute, who knew. So the beginning, and the end of part 1 are both obviously great. Anything redeemable about part 2? Er, well not from the first half. The second half, with the Klingon and whatnot, erm, no. The very end of the album is good - nice, noodly and chill. Which is then ruined by him launching into Barnacle Bill - whyyyyyyyyyyyyyy Overall, a very mixed bag, which is an entertaining enough listen as a one off for this but can't see why I'd put it on as a whole piece again.

eh

Neat

One great song...the rest is fine but nothing great. 3/5

I avoid prog-rock, in general, and I wasn’t looking forward to anything that gets listed as both “rock” and “new age.” Still, this was interesting, and it gets an extra star just for the dwarves growling vocals at one point.

Still fresh and on point in 2022

C’est un classique. C’est plein de bonnes idées, mais ça sonne comme un moodboard pour mettre des idées pour les tounes d’un album, pas comme un album.

Tout à fait en accord qu'il faut avoir écouté cet album. Cette ouverture est magistrale et ajoutée au film The Exorcist, ce mood froid a influencé le genre dont notamment John Carpenter pour ses réalisations. Une ouverture vraiment importante pour la musique de film et pourtant elle n'était même pas dédiée pour ça! Donc les 4 premières minutes de Tubular Bells (Pt. I) sont pas mal l'essentiel de cet album et auraient été suffisantes. Pour le reste, c'est un beau travail d'exploration autour d'un thème, mais ça vient long. Est-ce que son âge (19 ans!) à cette époque peut expliquer ça? Probablement.

BASSIE EN ADRIAAN!!!!

Sometimes you have to appreciate aptly named content. This is what the name says it is.

crazy sounds. 3.5

So this was another album that just blended into the background. Nothing to make my earholes bleed, but also nothing that grabbed my attention or interest. Very meh, for me...

This was different. Creepy and then so completely not creepy that it was kinda creepy. And then just ordinary. I appreciate having listened to it but I can't say that I really liked much of it.

They were high AF when they made this

Interesting

This is a pleasurable piece of work, for all the bits that are now known there are still musical interludes that are interesting and challenging. That a record company was built on the back of it (and indeed the whole Virgin Branson empire) is amazing in retrospect. However, it's not going to get me to 4 or 5 as I wouldn't listen to it again and again.

Coming in all I knew about this album is that it has the theme for the Exorcist, which in hindsight created certain expectations that made the listening experience less… satisfying than it might’ve been otherwise. There is a lot of innovation and I have a ton of respect for what this 17-year old musician put together, but personally I found the album meandering and inconsistent. There are brilliant bits, but also parts that made me thing “oh yes, there is a teenager behind it”. Inconsistency aside, the first 4 minutes alone made me curious enough to want to check out more of Mike Oldfield’a catalogue and if the internet is right, I should not be disappointed.

Tosi kiva

The vocals actually breathe some life into what was a pretty underwhelming track. Decent overall, though.

disappointing this album came up the day after halloween for me hahah, || Very cool how long and winding the first track is, and how far away it gets from the spooky Exorcist theme melody it starts with.

Not a great fan

I was super skeptical of this to say the least. But this was way better than I was hoping for based on the description. Very cool stuff!

Reputation precedes this one for sure. I can hear a VERY talented multi-instrumentalist exploring what he can do. Sort of aimless. And then once in a while the clouds part, the low end gets DEEP, I mean *DEEEEEP*, and the clouds part to expose some focused and really interesting music. Definitely deserves a spot, but would I ever return sober? Nah.

Surprisingly listenable - initially I dreading having to go through it but it’s actually fun at times and while still a little oddity - it’s still easy on the ear. Now that I know it was the brainchild of a 19 year of mid triply impressed.

alright but somewhat of its time in a bad way

Alright I guess

Iconic opening track though it changes and morphs into a glorious sound from its eerie start. Diverse.

Absolutely so weird. But I didn’t hate it?

osea ya lo sentí muy snob IGUAL soy re hincha de los instrumentales así que no me molestó tanto y lo disfruté en bastantes partes pero bueno mentiría si dijera Seee lo re escucharía de nuevo!! 6 / 10 ig no pq sea mala música pero bueno no me Copa

Wack af

You know, I don't mind this. It's a bit pretentious and a bit weird but unlike other cerebral entries on this list, it doesn't sacrifice listenability on the altar of pseudointellect.

Uniquely creative and it felt like a 70's rock opera. Don't know if it's just my inability to speak instrumental but, all in all, this one left me a bit empty in the end.

Familiar and interesting with an unexpected (and unsatisfying) ending.

Weirdo wunderkind Mike Oldfield creates two long mostly instrument tracks but the smart part is though they are jam packed with different sections, none of them last longer than a minute or two so before you can get bored, it moves and keeps on moving. Best Track: Tubular Bells - Pt. I

LETS GO!!! Tubular bells first track out the gate is Exorcist, this is awesome. Also noticing some guttural growls on the second track. There's only a few on this album but what a wild experience. And an even more wild album cover! Finishing the album up, I think the first track is the best, there's some talking on the next few tracks that takes you out of the music a little bit but overall this was a really fun album.

This was my first real listen to this record. I feel like it commanded more discussion than it warranted. It was music from the future, like the year 2000 or something. I bet it wrestled with the robots from the Flight of the Conchords song...

Creepy once you realise this was the Exorcist theme... some impressive instrumentals but I'm not entirely sure what all the original fuss was about.

Heard before: yes I enjoyed it more this time round.

Me ha gustado bastante aunque hay algunas cosas que quitaría. En la primera parte cuando enuncia cada instrumento, creo que se podría presentar cada uno musicalmente solos y en la segunda parte algunas de las partes vocales, el final también me ha rallado un poco, pero me ha gustado :)

27th July 2022 Started in the morning and finished the morning after. Went to Joyeuse market, swam and got pizza. From the exorcist theme to a sailors jig and everything in between. Did not expect the funny news report at the end.

Immediately recognized the exorcist theme in the beginning. The song evolved and I'm impressed on how good the composition is. Not really something I would listen to frequently.

Weird but interesting

I had been hoping for something wildly different and boy did we get it. I listened to the full album twice and still don't know if I enjoyed it. I appreciate the groovy sounds, luscious tones and jam feeling over most the album. The spoken word and growling caught me off guard. Overall it felt completely unique and oddly beautiful.

Who? Okay. Interesting. I am kind of liking it but it takes some weird turns from time to time. Ahhh, it's music used for The Exorcist, which makes a lot more sense. So I am back in. Context matters. The instrumentation is crazy. So much going on. Pretty cool. I think accompanied with visuals (and/or drugs), even basic, this album could be an amazing experience, but without them, the tone changes end up feeling strange on a first listen. Sailor's Hornpipe... wut? This might have been the difference between 4 and 3 stars. How does this fit in the context of the album? I am clearly missing something on that one.

Segurament, el clàssic instrumental més important de la història del rock. Les primeres notes formen part ja de la cultura pop universal, molt lligades a la BSO de "The Exorcist". La resta, un bon exemple de rock progressiu fet des de la ment i técnica d'un artista de veritat, com és Oldfield. Molta elegància i savoir faire, tot i la juventut que encara tenia en aquella época

Just not my sound. It was well done but didn’t appeal to me

What a ride! I did not expect to enjoy this as much as I did. It started off on a deeply eerie note with the actual theme music used for The Exorcist. Those opening tones carried so much menace I wasn't sure I could listen to a full album of it. As it progressed to the midway point of the first track it leaned into a more triumphant rock groove. And it just kept shifting and changing tonally countless other times from there. It was an oddball record that charmed my way through to the end.

What an interesting album. Of course the classic theme from Halloween is the highlight, but there is some nice work throughout. It has plenty of oddities and strange bits, yet it takes you on a journey. And that's what music is about.

This album is okay for what it is, but I found it a bit dull. The part where he is just announcing the instruments as they come in sounds like an old Disney documentary about sound. It's cool that he was so young when he did this, and that he played all the instruments. It's one of those examples of an album concept that was produced with a huge amount of talent and effort, but still doesn't work that well in the end. Also, I've never really understood why people like the movie The Exorcist so much. I just figured while I'm tossing out unpopular opinions related to this album I might as well air that one out as well 3/5

Interesting instrumental music again

Best Song: Tubular Bells Pt 1. Particularly the spot around 12:30 where the instruments harmonize together. Worst Song: Tubular Bells Pt II. The part where he begins to sing(?). I'm not certain that what this album needed was traditional rock drumming and non-traditional vocal shouting. It doesn't sound bad, necessarily, but it deviates so heavily from the musical themes set up in part one that I feel it ought to have been placed on another album entirely. Overall: Tremendously weird. The instrumentation is fantastic, and all of Part 1 is engrossing and interesting, genre-defying music. It is only in Part 2, when the weird gets turned up a bit too high, when the progressive elements take over and the album feels like it starts to lose its mind a bit, even if it retains its soul.

Loved parts of it. But just because it's interesting, doesen't mean it's good. 2.5

As a fan of early Genesis, Yes, ELP and Pink Floyd, I'm surprised that I was unaware of this album until about 4 years ago (2018). Seeing that the album was recommended, I listened to part of the album, and the 'Mike Oldfield 'Tubular Bells' Live at the BBC 1973' concert. Apparently I have only heard Part I. The weird grunts and growls in Part II were an unpleasant surprise. The album is worth a listen, but I may not get to Part II again.

Exorcist theme.

Good, but slightly silly. Very groundbreaking I suppose; but is one to listen in that mind frame?

New age. Progressive rock. An interesting listen. Wasn't a huge fan of whatever the growling was partway through, but the whole album is unconventional enough that it was like "well that's odd... ok." Can't hear anything but The Exorcist during the first song haha.

Not bad. A little boring but not entirely uninteresting. Not sure what situations I'd listen to this in.

Technically impressive? Yes. Fun to listen to? At times. A bit of a slog? Of course. British music in a nutshell. 6/10

Some interesting bits, some strange bits and some very daggy bits. Somehow I've escaped listening to this until now - good to check it off the list I suppose.

Part 1 is decent but part 2 drags

Intriguing, musical and corny in equal measure

This is wicked cool and dynamic. Those are some TUBULAR bells.

The first 10 minutes are a fascinating idea, and so groundbreaking for the time, but it loses steam pretty quick.

3, NICE

Kept oscillating between thinking it sucked and thinking it was genius, so will go in the middle. Would be good music to study to. 5/10

Instrumental con referencias a toda una película clásica. Agradable de escuchar y con diferentes melodías.

EXORCIST!

Melkosen pitkiä biisejä. Välillä soundi oli oikein mielekästä eikä edes vituttanut kuunnella. Kolmonen yläkanttiin.

Hm, kai tää on ihan hyvä proge. Pitäis varmaan kuunnella vielä useemman kerran niinkun pitkien progebiisien kanssa yleensä että sais jotain kunnolla irti, mutta ihan hyvä tunnelma vaikutti olevan ensikuuntelemalla, ja ihan ok siirtymiä. Ei ehkä kuitenkaan säväyttänyt niin paljoa että ansaitsis nelosta.

Very odd to hear the iconic, familiar opening with its absolute association with The Exorcist, then have it unfold into the much different context of the overall composition. I admire the inventiveness, technological experimentation, and boldness of the composer in putting such a thing out there. It doesn't all hold together however, and the vocalization on side two in particular struck me as truly pointless and actually detracted from the whole.

It's The Exorcist music! Your Mother darns socks in hell! The power of Christ compels you! It is nice. Mostly just showing off the advancements in studio technology I think, but an engaging tech demo. And one which features the dulcet tones of Viv Stanshall, one of the greatest rock madmen to ever exist. His job is to list instruments, oddly enough. Part 2 is less exciting, possibly due to the lack of connection to one of the greatest horror films ever made. It's also just a bit more meandering, lacking the urgency of part one. It improves (by which I mean gets very odd) about halfway through. Fans of four minutes of weird guttural growls (well hello Mike Patton fans) will like it. Then it gets dull again. Then it goes all last night of the proms. Overall it's pretty good. Occasionally too drawn out, but when it's good it's great. When it's not, it's background noise. Can at least see why it's on the list. One of the weirder multimillion selling albums!

A lot of talent to write, play, record, produce, release this at 19. Not very “listenable” though. I did enjoy the unexpected Klingon remix of The Joker.

This album is purely instrumental and that is not a thing bad. I enjoyed it. The main song is recognizable because it is the theme song to The Exorcist.

but its definitely a unique way to go about an album and the music isn't -that- bad...probably like 2.5 or so out of 5 and when you factor in its nearly 50 years old to still be unique now is impressive

I have never heard any of Oldfield's stuff before. I am familiar with the riff from Tubular Bells, as any prog-head should. When I first sat down to listen to this, I hit play, and then I looked at the length. I did not realize this was going to be one of those "Thick As A Brick" type of affairs. Worse yet, there's no real lyrics on the album. It gets very... meander-y. The worst part of it was when he was naming the parts that came in. I wonder if that is what non-prog fans think of some of progressive rock music. I was impressed by his musicality, but as a whole I don't imagine me listening to this again.

From the opening sound I thought "was this from Halloween?" Clearly too early for that, but apparently it was used in the Exorcist. So right genre, wrong film. Cool stuff, I definitely wouldn't have turned to it on my own. Amazing that Oldfield played pretty much every instrument himself (and there were a ton of instruments). The first song started off strong but got weird in the latter half. The "singing" didn't seem to fit; ditto for some of the instrument mixes. Second song was more of the same - some really cool stuff mixed in with some weird.

This isn't the first time I've listened to this album. I've tried to figure out why this is considered such a great album and I just don't see it. It's not bad, I just don't see why it's all that. I'm a big prog rock fan and this one just doesn't connect with me at all. I listened three times this time and still don't get it. Oh, well.

Quirky and pretentious. I enjoyed it.

6/10

What a fucking bonkers album. Forgot how completely insane this is. I totally respect his efforts to make a big intricate piece of music with unconventional arrangements. However, although I own this on vinyl myself, I must admit I hardly ever put it on, except maybe for people who haven't ever heard it before, just to take them on the wild ride. I prefer the following album "Hergest Ridge" and feel it is a much more cohesive statement. Blows me away that this was accepted by popular culture in the 70s. Speaks to the open mindedness of the era.

Fascinating read about this album and the production/artist. To produce this at 19 is pretty impressive, especially back in the 70s. In terms of execution it feels a bit too polished for me though, I would have preferred a more minimal piece, which apparently the original demos were according to Wikipedia. Not my type of instrumental music (sans the Tom Waits-lite screaming), but I respect it.

experimental ambient collides with an absurdist radio station. everything seems lightly out of tune...

Liked it. Which was a surprise to me

Can't really assess, though definitely appreciate the work for this period of time

Tubular

This album was not spectacular but it was not bad. Just took some getting used to.

Mjaaaa.. 2 lange numre Egentligt lidt imponerede. Men også meeeget lange

This was boring

Erg gave experimentele muziek met een bijzondere keuze aan instrumenten.

Obviously everyone loves this. I thought it was fine but not something I would want to listen to again.

wow that Tubular Bells Pt II was surprisingly wanted … that’s about it

It wasn’t just scary music!

grew up on this 25 minute song

Strong start, tapered off a bit.

I can the talent and art, but not for me

cool

6/10

My impression is that I had already previously heard this everywhere but didn't even know, it sounds like a typical horror movie soundtrack. hauntingly beautiful, makes you feel like you're roaming around a hall of distorted mirrors and smoke comes down..then it turns epic.

Album art:1

Fun to listen

Tubular bells part 1 - like the start but then changes and goes a bit weird. Part 2 - also a bit strange

couple of cool instrumentals but to Long

it was really exciting at first but the fact it was a 25 minute song made it seem never ending, and the short songs were just disappointing. really loved the beginning tho!

Anyone above a certain age knows the beginning theme from the first two or three notes and for some it immediately sends a chill down the back of their necks. So I'm one of those and I love that beginning part.... yet amazingly had never heard the entirety of either the album or even the full song (although to be fair it is 26 minutes long). There's so much more to it than the blood-curdling proggy-intro: ventures into heavy rock, Chuck Mangione-type light jazz, Yes-like progressions, fusion, new age major chords via synthesizer... I definitely don't know how to review this, nor how to recommend it, but I will say it's a really really interesting listen - the two lengthy tracks at least (the final two short ones are weird throwaways). I give it 3 stars for the genius mind that put this all together - it's not exactly catchy due to the fact that it kind of sounds like a very long rock opera prelude, but I could see putting this on again.

Melodic

Very interesting music. Had not heard the musician or album before.

weird pipes ? idk

Instrumental album that has impacted the course of other composers and instrumental efforts such as Blue Man Group.

It does take you on a musical journey and I like the range of styles, instruments and transitions. However, it doesn't quite have the maturity or refinement I would expect from a prog rock album. If you take out the classic riff then the rest is a bit uninspiring musically.

An album that I have fond memories of, but listening now I can only appreciate more than enjoy.

I can see why this was special on release and impressive in parts but time has been a cruel mistress or something - still enjoyed parts of it

It's on the verge of popular music - it sounds more like philip glass or steve reich to me. I do quite like it for the same reasons I like those musicians, it's an unusual one for this list

Fascinating story as to how this ended up as the theme to The Exorcist. Don't think I would return to this as an album, but I can appreciate the composition and the cultural impact, and actually really enjoy the music Saved: Mike Oldfield's Single

Saved Prior: None Off Rip: Tubular Bells Pt. 1 Cutting Edge: None Overall Notes: Some really cool parts, some eh parts. That'll happen when the songs are 20+ minutes long. Crazy enough, I liked those better than the shorter songs at the end.

3/5 some iconic sounds, but nothing to buy it for.

What an interesting ride that was. Thanks 1001 for providing the motivation to listen to this whole album with no skips or breaks. Thanks Mike for taking some big risks. This thing went all over the spectrum from motononous repetition to straight up weird human growling. Pretty in many spots. Very moving in two spots. "TUBULAR BELLS". Mike, you're no Beethoven but I respect your modular experimental soul. B

Production: 15/20 Songwriting: 12/20 Innovation: 13/20 Bangers: 10/20 Emotional response: 8/20 =58 Interesting stuff. Some bit's were banging. Some bits were well annoying.

Bueno, pero la verdad es que no me atrapó

It’s fine as background music in a show or a video game. Is it terrible like some other reviews make it appear? No. The guy is certainly talented playing most of these instruments himself at 19. The final track really brings this down though. Short attention spans aren’t going to let a lot of people tolerate this album though. Maybe if he just split the tracks up they’d have liked it better. It’s good music. I just don’t have a desire to listen to background music much these days.

A solid variety of different genres mashed together to make a distinguished soundtrack. Not sure if there is much replayability for me personally though

nice minimalism. Hard to separate from the exorcist. Immediately got chills listening to it. nice guitar work.

has a lot of hype but its very meh

Oh shit, this is the opening from the Exorcist. No wonder this is rad. Prog rock as all get out. The album is quite ethereal and gutsy. Like a lot of early 70s prog, this skirts the line between playful and far too self serious. Still quite enjoyable. Even if I'd like more defined song structure. It's a full symphony made by a single young man.

Goofy 70s prog noodling. Not my thing at all. I can’t even judge if it is good or not.

First rating, personal scale may change

Manheim steamroller presents!

weird but good

false

It's a different album. It's not something good all of the time, but it's really well made.

A bit of a weird vibe but pleasant background listening.

Tubular Bells aka The Exorcist theme (plus a whole lot more). Some neato 70s-era prog rock. Swanky

It was quite weird in the beginning, but it was pretty trippy by the end. Quite awesome.

Interesting, love the different instruments used. Prefer the second part of the movement when everything comes together and kicks in. Theme is good too.

It was fine

I know I should be more open-minded but I don't have the patience from 20+ min instrumentals.

Uninspired

Boring, accomplished yes but it bored

The Exorcist theme but not atmospheric. This was not an album

I gasped when I heard a song that was featured on Pure Moods. It was downhill from there

Ooooh a Taurus artist I don’t see great reviews but I’m tryna keep an open mind Not terrible but don’t know if I can listen to 25 mins of this Lowkey the last song was the best? It was really the only one that went anywhere

I understand the analogue single person album importance at the time of this. That's a plus mark in it's favour. I heard this many many years ago. The initial start, the famous bit from the movie, thought would enjoy the whole but instead found myself frowning through it. On the positive as listening experience, there are the odd bits of music that are pleasant and grab your attention and genuinely good unfortunately a lot of that is in the slow burn first few minutes. But, and it appears to be a big but what follows it actually appears to be a fairly non cohesive collection of musical ideas, of varying interest to me the listener, which may or may not be self indulgence depending on your view of 70s prog rock. So while can admire the application, as listening it meanders to much for my taste,with good editing could be a decent 10 to 15 minutes. It sounded better all those years ago, 2 Star

The king is naked. This album is a tedious, annoying, self-indulgent and boring wankery.

Would have been a chant, but the weird throat guttural chanting for 1/4 of the album really knocked it out of me

Hey it the theme to The Exorcist! Hmm I probably should have just turned it off after hearing the first bit.

At least I didnt hate it as much as I thought i would.

The spooky Christmas music at the beginning is cool, but almost everything that follows is a random mess