Tubular Bells

I remember being bored listening to this in the 80s. Nothing has changed.

Interesting to hear but nms

Long

This would’ve been perfect for Halloween. Four songs, an hour long. That’s a lot of whatever this genre is.

What a shame - this album would have been perfect for last Friday (Halloween.) I was of course familiar with at least the opening of the first track from The Exorcist but am pretty sure I had never listened to the entire song. It takes a weird turn about 6 minutes in! The part at the end where they are naming instruments and then playing them seemed unnecessary, but it's a 26-minute instrumental piece so I guess "necessary" is a pretty relative term. I found the story of this album fascinating, particularly how it was discovered/chosen for the film and its essentially accidental role in the survival of Virgin Records. I actually liked the first few minutes of "Tubular Bells, Pt. II" more than just about anything else on this album. And then that one gets really weird about 12 minutes in. And closes with a very familiar tune that I now know is called "Sailor's Hornpipe." I don't hate this but it's not really my cup of tea.

Listening to this takes dedication. It's not bad, but I needed space from it after.

Thoughts before listening: Ambient early electronic recording from the 70s. I'm pretty sure that's the general idea here. Probably going to be better than that description would indicate. Review: I would say that I mostly had the sound right. It's fully instrumental and brings in a lot of different sounds. There are long tracks with many different sections, some of which I really enjoy and others that are pretty boring. I was surprised that there were some strong guitar solo sections that caught my attention. However, for the most part this is new age-y, ambient music that doesn't really resonate with me. 2-stars

Weird. It had some moments but overall quite an odd listen.

i mean it's fine, it's better when it's attached to a movie. star deducted for significantly contributing to forcing richard branson on us

A bit too prog for me. It seems like good music, but random music-ettes constantly changing.

Even guest vocals from the Tasmanian Devil couldn't save this one

Sure why not. The sprawling, orchestral opus is a fine way to spend an hour. A change is as good as a rest and ive had too much 90's hip hop recently. Never again but fun

i love the exorcist song of course…then when the oboe really starts making an appearance in the latter songs it’s quite different for me

It wasn't terrible, but also pretty boring except for the first 4 minutes where I thought I had turned on The Exorcist soundtrack by accident. 2/5

Iconic to some degree but bleh

Yeah this had cool and interesting moments. It was a strange blend of like Atom Heart Mother with a touch of LSD Beatles. The opening track started strongly then it got shit then you realise you still have like 15 or minutes or so of it to go. That encapsulates the album really.

I've just started listening but is nice for studying or if you're doing something were you need to be concentrated. Lovely album in terms of the amount of instruments that are played in. The part II is really bad though. I would only listen to the first part tbh

Hey it's that one song from SpongeBob! ...God I'm so cooked.

This pissed me off. Every time I thought it was going somewhere it ended up being some fuck shit

Lotta fucking insanity, shout out to the Exorcist, probably never returning to this album

People make way too big a deal about this. The title track is alright and the bit at the end with someone narrating Sailor’s Hornpipe is fun, but there’s a lot of fluff in the middle.

blah

*1973. English instrumental prog rock. *Sounds like Manheim Steamroller's Christmas album... lots of bells. *Totally fine background RATING - 5.5/10

Not quite as entertaining as the start would have me believe. Sailors hornpipe got me shufflin' a bit. Pairs well with decorating a Christmas tree.

Ehhh. I'm not mad. I just don't really need most of this. There are some nice moments, but generally speaking, I don't have a reason to spend more time with it.

Tubular Bells was definitely an album that had potential but unfortunately wasted it. It definitely has an interesting structure for an album with it just being 2 songs but having multiple parts to them. I can also really appreciate it for trying loads of different styles of music. The problem is some of the parts sound really bad. These parts were mainly the parts where Oldfield decides to commit musical war crimes with his guitars and dear lord, these could get incredibly abrasive. Even some of the good parts could get repetitive. I can't in good conscience give this a 1 because there were good areas and there is also my appreciation for him trying many musical styles but i still don't think its a very good album. Best Song: Tubular Bells, Part Two Worst Song: Tubular Bells, Part One Side note: Yes, i know it is kinda redundant to have a best and worst songs area since there are technically only two tracks here but i don't care, i do as i please.

Not what I expected for my first album! An interesting listen. I think I could put this one while working to help me concentrate

At the beginning I was actually liking it. But it got boring for me really fast. There are songs that you like because they are good background music but this wasn’t that either. I actually did like the theme from tubular bells, but considering it was only a bit over 3 minutes from this whole thing…

Not really for me!

(37/100)

i was intrigued by this album at first but it quite simply did not deliver. it just sounded slightly messy and disorganised, with two 20+ minute songs giving it no real structure. i just didn't understand it. there were specific parts of songs that i could enjoy/appreciate but overall i just found it quite dull and unsettling.

Kan ærligt ikke huske ret meget af det ud over det var instrumentalt. Der var ikke noget memorabelt.

Et virkelig godt album havde det ikke været for store dele af både åbnings tracket og lukkeren.

Interesting listen. Strange, but interesting.

I live near a medieval church and often cut through the graveyard on my way to the local shop. Today I got to do that while pretending I was in a horror movie as I listened to the bit from The Exorcist. But that was probably the most fun I had with this otherwise slightly dull album.

Very interesting way to start my day

Inexplicably, I was sort of enjoying this. I'm thinking, this is way more than just the famous riff from The Exorcist .... and then Mike starts naming the instruments he's playing. Then halfway through Part II, the ACTUAL demon from The Exorcist grabbed the mic for some reason? What?? And then we get into Turkey in the Straw. Hahaha. What is this?

It was alright, but I'm not going to come back for another listen anytime soon.

Tubular Bells is an interesting and ambitious listen. There are some genuinely lovely moments throughout, and it’s incredible to think that Mike Oldfield played every instrument himself—especially considering he was only 19 at the time. The album is made up of just four tracks spread over an hour, with the opener stretching to 25 minutes. It’s a unique structure, but one that makes it difficult to stay fully engaged. For me, it quickly became background music rather than something I actively wanted to focus on. It’s a clever, experimental album with some strong musical ideas, but ultimately, it’s not something I’ll return to. Favourite track: Tubular Bells Pt. 1 – the most recognisable and engaging piece. Least favourite: Nothing stands out as bad, but much of it feels like musical nonsense by the end. Album artwork: An iconic and instantly recognisable cover.

Different but listenable

I guess this is a 2.... It's not bad, I just didn't want to listen to it anymore. If I had more patience it probably wouldv'e managed a 3 - 2 instrumental songs totaling 50 minutes. Fun concept, let's see... - Strong start. If the quality holds for 50 minutes this will rank well - 6:20 -> oh no, annoying guitar enters. I hope this doesn't ruin everything - Quality is starting to wander a little but it's not bad - Paused around 8 minute mark. Much less patience when I returned. I’m not going to make it all the way through this

Arranque desde casa ya sintiendo que me seguía un ser no identificado y me di cuenta que seguía en el mismo estado de alerta en Avellaneda, como va a durar tanto los primeros 2 temas man. Le sume una estrella porque me pudo mantener mirando el cielo tanto tiempo.

Wow extremely uninteresting. Listen to the first three minutes of track one for that spooky Exorcist vibe, then sign out. You’ve heard the peak and you saved yourself 55 minutes of boredom.

Cool motifs, but they feel a bit hackneyed these days.

#647. This sounds like movie soundtrack music. 2/5: not something that you need to listen to before you die. Feel free to die before you've heard this.

._.

Nice melodies, but too long and kind of the same after all

Well, I suppose it is a feat that this was done by a 19-year-old mostly by himself. Consider me impressed. I am also not at all interested in revisiting this. The guitar work around the 18(ish?) minute mark of the first track was my favorite part.

The first few minutes were cool, as I saw The Exorcist when I was way too young and this song being played on the radio freaked me out. I discovered it no longer does. The rest was just not my thing. If I was at a Ren Faire I suppose it would be tolerable, but I was listening at home. The grunts, and announcing of instruments, was just unnecessary.

ijbol when I saw that ONE song was 26 minutes. You are not Beethoven, Mike Oldfield.

Not feeling the vibe on this one,

Actively dislike this one - would be a 3 or 4 out of 10 - I quite like the opening part and there are occasional moments of brilliance scattered throughout. I also think it's quite funny (in a good way) when the instruments all come in and the posh narrator guy starts saying what they all are. I feel a bit closer to a 2 for now acknowledging it occasionally has me interested.

J - 2/5 Best Track - N/A F - DNL

Weird

It may seem unfair to use an album released in 1973 as a metaphor for living in the AI era, except that somehow the comparison seems apt. After all, it's one guy playing all the instruments (for us). There is a certain randomness and lack of cohesion to the two songs (which are actually named "I" and "II"). Neither track offers any sense of completion. The whole thing feels automated. It's the music is the product of ChatGPT.

Preferred Mike's stuff with the mechanics

Giga boring

Interesting album. Clocked the horror theme to begin with

# 497 : Tubular Bells : 06/06/2025 I know this album. A good friend of mine thought it was the bees knees back in the day, but alas I am not one for instrumentals. I hadn't really listened to it before, just snippets, and this time I found my mind wandering whilst I was "trying" to listen to it. A bit boring and sleepy. ok, but not 5 stars.

I was mildly drunk whilst listening to it, which I think helped.

I remember seeing a re-release of The Exorcist in the cinema in the late 90s. Having never seen it before, I didn't really know what to expect, but both me and my mate dissolved into fits of giggles at the infamous head revolving scene. The rest of the cinema was unimpressed at our disrespect. Anyway, to the album: it's another album my parents listened to when I was a kid in the 80s! Not one of the ones I remember with any fondness, or really remember at all minus the Exorcist theme. I am not sure how I'd blanked out the werewolf, but I clearly had. I am glad I listened to this as an adult, I liked parts of it a lot, but for the love of god, give me a proper song structure! And less grunting. 2/5

An important album, but not to my liking.

Interesting. 2.5

Tubular Bells is so much more than just the soundtrack to The Exorcist. It is also a lengthy, self-indulgent wankfest of epic proportions. My favorite part is when he introduces all of the instruments by name.

Normally a fully instrumental album would get an automatic one star, but this has the poltergeist theme.

I like how towards the end of the first track, he just starts listing off all of the instruments his keyboard can play.

🧌 Piltdown Review (Caveman Voice): "Ruhhh... GONGGG... hmmngrrhh TWO SLIGHTLY DISTORTED GUITARRRGH... brrrrrngnghh TUBES! BELLS! WHALE NOISES! HURRGHHH." (Translation: "This album is culturally significant, but also, who invited the neanderthal to grunt through track II?") This legendary one-man prog epic earns points for innovation, ambition, and accidental horror movie stardom — but let’s be honest, it’s a fever dream in symphonic form. Between the Celtic-tinged serenity and the full-on throat-grunting descent into madness, it’s equal parts fascinating and exhausting. By the end, I was just trying to survive the roll call and hoping the Piltdown Man doesn’t follow me home.

The start of this was epic but quickly devolved into something I wasn't too keen on

Kinda good, but there were moments of displeasure (bells/goblins)

prog-tacular!

This album is like the shitty music they put on in the background of restaurants, and that's not a compliment. ha

Wasn’t in the right mood for that.

Incredibly overhyped. Nice as a background tune while doing your job but otherwise very mediocre.

5 minutes of the famous Exorcist bit followed by prog rock silliness. Ruined my Saturday morning coffee and newspaper reading. Pass.

Huh, wouldn’t have guessed the Exorcist theme song would’ve turn up on here, but life is full of strange little surprises isn’t it? A bizarre album. 2.5⭐️ that’s rounding down for that growly ass werewolf shit going on towards the end. What the hell was that about? What was any of this about?

A super weird album, where the weirdness actually works pretty well? I don't really understand why, but I don't make the rules I just follow them. The vocalizations in part ii ruin most of that part for me, though. Take that out, and this is a much different rating, because I did, for the most part, really enjoy this album. But why am I listening to monster man scream at me. Favorite Song(s): Part i

It's definitely technically impressive and the fact that this guy played all of the instruments on this album is really cool but it's really forgettable just feels like Mike flexing that he can play a bunch of instruments. 5/10 Favourite: None Least Favourite: Pt. II

Lost interest very rapidly

i understand that it was in the exorcist but it doesnt need to be 25 minutes long

I like the Tubular Bells, but the rest of the album feels unnecessarily long.

For most of it, this was a pleasant listen. I just have to ask, why is it on the list?

Lowkey when he was like "tubular bells" and then he started playing the tubular bells, I kinda popped off. A close second was when he said glockenspiel and then started playing glockenspiel. Musical wallpaper, otherwise. Rating: 4/10

Reminds me that i need to watch the exorcist. Although I enjoyed parts of it (particularly the section of part II with vocals), there are a lot of ideas in here, many of which are pretty disparate and some of which are not very developed. It feels like a bunch of ideas that aren't of sufficient quality to carry a song have been combined in a linear way as if the value of the music is just the sum of its parts. There's not much complexity or quality of musicianship and I don't really feel like there are the thematic links or continuity to justify being two long tracks. Tone/production is not awesome either. My dad loves this album so i'm kind of surprised that i was so underwhelmed but I just didn't see much value there. Sounds like a 19 year old has dicked around with a lot of instruments and this is what's come out.

I spent the first bit of my listening scouring the net for tattoo artists that could give me the Sam and Dean Winchester ward tattoo that would fend off demons and ghosts from possessing my body. Then I gave up and turned it off.

This was good, but not something I'd seek out.

For context, in prog rock: just very recently, I had King Crimson and Genesis' "The Lamb...", both absolutely delightful. Now, this? Is not. Credit where credit's due, dude recorded all of that by himself with overdubs, but... I think I can hear that, in this incoherent, self-indulgent mess I had no whatsoever fun with. There are a few fine musical themes in here but those all end up being fucked with by some stupid - "Gimmick:" - gimmick or yet another - "Layer:" layer and there weren't too many good themes to start with, really, in this new age flavoured noodling. It's like Oldfield repeatedly got bored throughout all of this - I guess I can't blame him - and wanted to let us know. Nicest bit, for me, was the part past the angry Klingon; reminiscent of Pink Floyd, albeit without Gilmour's sense for melodies of course - only to be interrupted by "Hello! Now I'll play the jig from Popeye! Wheee!" (-_-) Is this humour? I don't know, I didn't laugh. Just random, cringey and disconcertingly odd, the whole thing. The way this album annoys me puts it into the one star category, but I'll grant it an attainment bonus. It's still rather shit.

Meh.

Wasn't expecting The Exorcist theme. Part 1 was okay background music but Part 2 was garbage.

Idk. Not really so Tubular. Sounds like Halloween them on opening track.

This has not aged well. The famous opening aside the rest is just noise. Pity.

Listened to previously, and not my thing. Appreciate the skill.

Very impressive musical composition. Once in a long while listen.

its ok. very very long.

I’m not really a fan of any songs where the instruments used have to be introduced to the listener whilst the song is ongoing. It’s not great is it.

Well at least they tried something different!

What a weird album for all the fuss made about it. Prog but not. Classical and folky but. Somewhat twee. Keeps you kind of interested because the songs never end, but without ever actually being interesting. And that’s just Pt I, Pt II is plain dreadful. The only positive thing coming from the album is the confirmation (albeit we all knew this deep inside) never to finish an album on a sailors jig. Bonus point for making everyone think this was the future on release.

Eka biisi ainakin on ihan ehtaa klassista. Ensimmäisten sekuntien kauhuteema (en muista missä leffassa toi on) oli hyvä ja myös lopun hetken kestänyt mandoliinipimputus. Kyllä tätä on Oldfield saanut miettiä ja varmasti tietylle yleisölle pärähtää.

Ykkösbiisissä on harvoja kohtia, jotka eivät olisi jollain tapaa tehokkaita. Miinuspiste örkin soolonumerosta kakkosbiisissä.

I honestly did not know what to expect and could not be more confused by the journey this album took me on. Pt. 1 was pleasant. Pt. sounded like GWAR and Enya had a baby?? This is so weird. I did not have the patience for all the extra tracks on the 50th (!) anniversary edition...

Bit of an odd one…

Interesting listen. Starts as the theme to the exorcist but then changes quite a bit. Good background listening

Odd music

Interesting but will never listen to it again.

The Exorcist music. Long and drawn out. Not good for car jams. 2/5

I liked the bells enough but could have done without the growling

Liked this more than I expected to! A solid 2!

2.4 1x great track one with the exorcist but towards the end of track 2 he lost me

I almost skipped ahead, which would have been unfortunate. If I hadn’t finished the first track, I never would’ve gotten to hear him show off all the sounds his new synthesizer could make and would never know what an artificial glockenspiel sounds like.

Not bad. Just not really my thing.

Oh for the love 2 stars barely

Isn't this the theme from the Exorcist?! Epic song, but does it need an hour long extended version? I don't think so.

The first 4 minutes or so were fun, but the rest was extremely wanky, the way a lot of prog can be.

Wasn’t a big fan

Didn't make it all the way through this but I think I got the gist (although I am not sure I really get what he was doing here). This album had some interesting sounds but wasnt really for me. 2.5.

Just...weird!

Damn. I was really vibing with this until the vocals in part ll...

It's definitely not for me. It's not "bad", but I don't see why this album is on this list.

The Exorcist Theme part and the rest of the prog record is very impressive as a debut at 19. A weird record you'd need more than a day to accurately rate.

Jako mi je naporno slušati ovu Egzorcist ponavljajuću melodiju, dođe mi da vrištim. Ovo je opet slučaj u kojem kužim zašto je nešto veliko, ali jebemu mater... 10 minuta in, i dalje mi nije napeto. 20 minuta in, postajem dosta nervozna😂 ne volim kad mi glazba to radi. Melodijica na kraju Pt. I mi je jedino kul na albumu dosada, ne mogu se sjetiti gdje je još korištena. Drugi dio Pt.2 mi je donekle zanimljiv, ali nedovoljno da utječe puno na završnu ocjenu. Pošto sam bila sretna kad je završio album, može se zaključiti da nisam baš uživala u njemu. Meni je ovo 2/5 ili 4/10 i to čisto zbog tih par dobrih dijelova i rispekta za glazbenu svestranost.

Pa ovako, Ako se uzmu u obzir sve stvari oko ovog albuma, da je mikey imao 19 godina, da je mikey snimio sve instrumente, da je ovo kultno, da je ovo statigajaznam, bila bi ovo čista petica Realno će biti dvojka Samo zato što znam za ovaj album već 20 godina, a u cijelosti sam ga poslušao 2 puta Nije toliko ni loš kad ga se sluša, samo mi nema taj potencijal da ga više puta slušam Mislim, kupio sam ovaj album na ploči prije 8 godina i nisam tu ploču pustio niti jednom Et

This loses its way significantly after the first five minutes or so, and just becomes rather generic and unexceptional prog rock. And what's with the caveman on side 2?

When he started naming all those instruments, I began to contemplate purchasing a one-way ticket to London so that I may commit seppuku on the front steps of Virgin Records

Ugh. Felt like a slog

what is happening

Strange, like a movie score. Really liked the sea shanty at the end of the second song. Kind of all over the place, sometimes missing the mark. 2/5 Probably won’t listen again

Totally tubular bro. Tediously tubular, even.

Kinda felt like an organised riff session. I didn't not enjoy it but feels a bit weird for this to be on the list. Middle 2.

It sounds like if The Beatles attempted an EDM record with no bass because Paul is actually dead. Also, not my cup of tea. And I would like to know why this record is 53 minutes long for three tracks? Finally, in the track listing movement 1 is before the into movement. Just doesn’t make since to me. Maybe I am the idiot.

2.5

Kind of boring in my honest opinion.

Very weird! Really takes you on a journey. Don't expect myself to go back, but I'm glad I listened to it 🙂

WHERE ARE THE DRUMS DUDE I WAITED 49:18 AND ALL YOU COULD DO WAS HIT SOME BELLS AND PLAY SOME CRAPPY GUITAR Iconic though.

While it is impressive that he played almost all the instruments on here sometimes I wish he had someone else play some of them. The playing sometimes comes off as a little rudimentary. I’m also not big on the guttural yells in Pt. II. Some cool ideas here but most of it felt like it meandered without much direction. The latter half of Pt. I where the narrator cues in all the instruments was dope. I feel like some drums wouldn’t have hurt the project.

This was a wild ride period. My favorite part was when he started naming instruments.

I've got this on surround sound, it's a classic album, hell of an achievement by a kid and launched Richard Branson into space. But I didn't like it that much. Great concept, but effing sea shanties?

it was good enough to make a spreadsheet to. there are other instrumental progressive things I would choose over this though!

Was a real grind to listen to the enter album

Very talented multi-instrumentalist. And something to only listen to once in a lifetime

What if Kraftwerk and King Crimson had a baby who occasionally sang like the guy from Rammstein? You’d get Tubular Bells.

I didn't like it. I get it, it was a new sound design back then, but it's nothing that special tbh.

A lot weirder than I expected. Wish I hadn't read up on what Oldfield has been up to more recently. But anyway. It's a grand album, but maybe a bit too instrumentally wankerous and too influenced by medieval melody lines and instrumentations. It's also one of those big ones on the list that I was very much aware of but never actually gave even the shortest of listens. Glad I did, but I probably won't come back to it very often if ever.

I was ok

Long ass instrumental thing

2+ Paskan kaveri on kovempi.

it was interesting and cool it's from The Exorcist. But it's way too prog.

Not really sure about this one...

Interesting parts. Boring parts. Self-indulgent parts. Basically in equal measure. Crazy though that one of the most iconic horror soundtracks draws from this of all things.

This is supposed to be ground breaking but it just sounds like background music at a Ren Faire mixed with the occasional Flamenco flourish. And bells.

fattar inte konceptet riktigt. vad är grejen med 2 långa låtar osv. inte för mig, dock är inte det instrumentala helt hemskt

Classical prog

This album feels like boomers love it.

There's some really great moments on this, but I'm not about to listen to 25 minutes to hear the 3 minute section I liked. This quote on Wikipedia sums it up: After the album was released, Newman said he preferred the demo versions: "They were complete melodies in themselves – with intros and fade-outs or ends. I liked them very much and was a little nonplussed when Mike strung them all together."

Maybe I would have enjoyed this more in times past.

Famous tunes… but silly last 2 tracks

get in the bin Mike, this is awful.

Started out really cool (The first song was the theme to The Exorcist), but then it just noodles and meanders its way through the rest of the album.

I don’t know what exactly this was even going for. I feel this is more of a tech demo showing off his musical skills than a cohesive attempt at making music. Some parts are good, some are boring and too long with no change, and some are downright abrasive. Yes he is talented. No I will never listen again. 2

Not for me

God, what a frustrating listen. It comes so close to being great but then shits the bed every single time. Some great guitar work but overall a really tough album to try and enjoy, and not in a good way

I think this sort of thing is why punk was made, so I can't dislike it entirely.

Disappointed with this one, before listening my preconceptions were it was an iconic album. The lengths of the two opening tracks suggested, as was borne out, this was going to be a musical journey and things started well with that well-known musical motif, but it got a bit too artsy and unhinged as the minutes wore on.

oh so its like from that movie haha oh yeah cool no like that scary movie haha yeah cool lol

No

Meh... whatever

Exorcist

No estoy seguro de querer probar las mismas drogas que Oldfield uso mientras componía este disco. Si, es influyente. A mi siempre me pareció un disco exagerado, maximalista. Como un tótem, un disco objeto, de esos que la gente solía comprar solo para tener en el escaparate de la oficina o sala, como los de Pink Floyd, otros sujetos que están demasiado volados en su propia droga.

Eh

I'm going to assume this was the first experimental instrumental album released, because otherwise if the reason for it's inclusion on this list is it appeared in the exorcist that's a joke. Pretty poor stuff to be honest. I've seen this album referenced a lot so that was a big let down. Massively overrated. The sections were too jumpy, haphazardly moving from one segment to another without any link or keeping the listener engaged and understanding the flow. When he started listing instruments that were due to come it was time to bow out. Way better pieces have been made by this. If there's no Steve Reich in this list but this makes it in that's a crime against humanity.

This started out so strong, and I was really expecting to adore it, but then it kept going, and going, and going…. There’s just no consistency, no arch — it starts dark and turns light, and then, after that arch is finished, it spirals into solos and experimentation without reason. The longer it went on with these sparse solos, the more bored I got, and the minimalism made it almost sound amateurish and strained my ears to their limits. I was so desperate for something exciting that the growls pulled me back in! But then the last 2 minutes threw me completely out again. I fully came in with an open mind expecting to love it, but hey, at least The Exorcist pulled out the best section for its score.

Much weirder than it needed to be. I had high hopes too.

Exorcist theme. Integral part of the movie. Don’t see listening to this unless someone is spewing pea soup and their head spins around 180 degrees

…If XMAS was a horror show featuring congested elves on a boat that overstayed it's welcome…

good instrumental. Really needs a separate scale. 2 which is highest for instrumental. Not my favorite instrumental but cant give it a 1

This did not age well at all. Was a favorite when it came out experimental, unique, quite interesting. Had forgotten this album and now I know why, sadly it is not a classic.

An iconic, influential song but no one needs to hear it for 26 minutes, even if the guitars did take us by surprise. A good song but not a good album.

Starts off promising, goes nowhere

to be h i feel like i might hate this but imma give it a chance. NEVERMIND THEYRE FUCKING 20 MINUTE SONGS BRUH. tubular bells 1- damn spotify wont even load it, its trying to protect me. bro not the michael myers theme 💀. idgaf. 3. and theres still 15 minutes left..... tubular bells 2- booooo even more boring than the last somehow. 2. why did he start making noises...... goodbye mike oldfields single- how to train your dragon type beat. 3 sailors hornpipe- dont care

Goofy goober type music

Sounded familiar

Ouch. Talk about pretentious. 2 stars

gets a bit repetitive and annoying after a while

Some highs and some lows. Very quirky

Again good background music

Music meanders, themes are used and layered atop repeating arpeggios and prior themes. It sort of works but also is self indulgent and boring. There's strange vocals announcing what is happening, sometimes with grunts. This is an art piece album and just not for me as much as I enjoy a good jam. This is not sophisticated enough to be considered a classical piece.

Boring

It’s fine? Rather boring, but great talent.

Ridiculous concoction of simple melodies and then a cataclysm of instrumental oddities. I don’t even like this ironically. It’s boring and superficial.

Meh. Orchestral stuff isn’t really for me.

Oddly interesting, weirdly charming at times, and it feels like I imagine the 1970s to have been. But also it's not something I'll return to.

I don't know what I'm missing but I just don't get it.

Momentarily interesting, decent enough background music, Mike Oldfield was nineteen when he made ‘Tubular Bells’, and he played all the instruments, which is, let’s be honest, quite an achievement. When I was nineteen I could still barely tie my own shoe laces, let alone make a record that sold millions. Still, the main problem I have with ‘Tubular Bells’ is that while Oldfield’s technical ability on multiple instruments is excellent, the actual album is largely devoid of melody for long passages and so ends up being rather…boring. Also, I can’t help thinking that if it wasn’t for the Exorcist using the opening minutes of this album, it wouldn’t be as fondly remembered as it is.

"Sorry. All our agents are busy. Please stay on the line and..."

Wieso han ich immer die weirde? Ich finds voll okay aber mich nimmts mässig mit. Han chli s gfühl es isch eifach experimentell, damits experimentell isch. Luut em qobuz artikel über s album woni glese han (und wo findet es isch e absoluts meisterwerk) isches teilwiis würkli so. D caveman noises gege de schluss sind gsi wel de produzent gseit het er söll gsang iibaue und er het extra chli dumm tue. Finds eifach chli mässig originell, wär villicht anderer meinig hettis '73 glost. I glaub es het au meega relistenability wels so komplex isch und da hani mega gern. Bim 10 mol lose fändis wohrschinli genial aber i ha kei bock zums nomol lose wels für mich gar kei hook gha het. Da hend anderi ähnlichi albe vo dere ziit. Und moment woner d instrument seit wo ie chömed isch uuuultra cringe, da isch nöd peter und der wolf do.

han nöd mega vill dezue z sege. erinneret mich chli ah filmmusig, aber nöd speziell guet iwie, sorry mike :( han funny gfunde woner di verschiedene instrument vorgstellt het hahahah jz gad im nachhinein erinnerets mich glaub chli an suufjan? also han iwie s gfühl aber ich los nöd nomal ih das arschlangwilige album vom suufjan inne. eig hett ich ihm sölle es 1 geh, ich han en us irgeme grund sehr en subjektive hass uf ihn, tja aber ja leider isch de mike nöd vill besser, au wenns nüt "schlimms" isch

Prog dressed up as instrumental experimentalism. Not as bad as most prog, saves it from a 1 because it has some curious moments, but enough of this fucking instrumental stuff please.

Does an incredible job of creating a mood for most of the first track (which is 26 minutes long tbf), but loses its way after that. Can't decide whether I like him naming all the instruments as they come in towards the end or not. However, there's not enough there to warrant a 23 minute track two, which is a variation on the same themes, and no one deserves the odd growling in the middle of the track. Then the third track is a cut of part 1 that they could release for radio, and the last track is a horrific sailor's jig. 2/5, pushing 3 but the good first 10-15 minutes isn't good enough to hold up the crappy final 40.

Everything I thought it would be

The intro from “Tubular Bells” was famously used in the movie “The Exorcist.” Somehow that was enough to elevate this album to a must-listen and Mike Oldfield to a national treasure worthy of an Olympics ceremony performance? It’s a memorable bit of music, but it doesn’t even feel like a horror theme. It sounds more adventurous or magical. If I had never seen or heard it, I wouldn’t guess it was used in “The Exorcist.” There is a lot that is interesting on “Tubular Bells,” but it all feels so random and disjointed. Progressive rock needs to ebb and flow, with threads of sound coming in and out to unite the piece. Prog songs tend to be long, but the 26 minutes here is just excessive, and mostly missing those hallmarks of the genre. “Tubular Bells (Pt. 1)” sounds like several separate songs - though all mostly interesting. Until the 20 minute mark, with the unexpected naming of the instruments. Luckily the song finally ends after that derailment, and “(Pt. 2)” gets back on track.

There was plenty of this that was perfectly pleasant, but the naming of the instruments in track 1 and especially the growling in midst of track 2 ruined this for me.

After he said GLOCKENSPIEL, did anyone else wonder if he was gonna ask whether we wanted to touch his monkey?

Like a score to a weird art film thats really annoying and pointless. Even the bit where he shouts the name of the instruments is terrible and managed to make them sound meh. Enjoyed the sailors horpipe though especially the viv standshaw version.

Probably ought to be on this list, but apart from the few interesting moments here and there I didn't enjoy this

I struggled with this one. I knew of Tubular Bells because of The Exorcist, already iconic in my mind, but never listened to the album - I was told (at the time) it was a modern classic. Listening today, I can only assume that everyone only heard the opening 5 minutes of the title track, yes iconic, then spirals off into a prog-rock mess. Reminded me of the first time I went to Za Za Bazaar, too much choice, you pick everything, now you got to eat with a mountain of food from every corner of the world. Vindaloo flavoured Dim sum is interesting, but regrettable. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. The rest of the album has its interesting parts, but quickly forgettable. I didn't hate it, just felt messy (as an album).

I had previously known of this record and how it came to popularity from the Exorcist soundtrack. Honestly, I’m quite surprised it gained as much popularity as it did. It’s ambitious, no doubt. Oldfield was 19 when this was composed. There are great moments in this record, especially the guitar playing. It just feels a bit directionless.

There are some fun guitar moments but on the whole this album feels pretty empty. I didn't hate it but it didn't really grab my attention at any point.

Merkwürdig sphärischer Instrumental Rock

As soon I started listening and heard the opening, I got goosebumps and thought this is from Halloween. After reading, I found it was the Exorcist, bur gogdamn, it did give me goosebumps. This was a very unique album. I didn't really mind to much in the beginning, but it seem to get progressively worse. But the surprise guest appearance of the Cookie Monster from Sesame Street in song #2 may be the highlight of the album. Well done, Mike! Really enjoyed the lyrics to Sailor Hornpipe too. Especially the line, "buggered if I know." A little torn on this one. Such a unique album that I would never listen too, yet I found myself talking about it after the listen. I got goosebumps and I smiled when I heard the Cookie monster and finally the lyrics to Sailor Hornpipe leave me at a 2.5. Scoreboard will show a 2. 2.5

The Exorcist theme is an hour long? I like it better a 4 minutes. Totally not tubular, bro. Except for the Exorcist part. 2

Huh?

Nice background music, but that's about it. I don't get it.

Had "The Exorcist" not used this in their soundtrack I'd guess that this album would have languished in relative obscurity. Stripped of the visual context (the movie) or lyrics, I found this to be kind of a tedious listen. It seemed so self-indulgent, especially the bits where he growled throughout the song and where he would announce the various instruments as they were added. I hated the ending. After the spacey sound journey he suddenly dives into this jarring, square-dance, Popeye themed hootnanny which was so disconnected from everything that came before it. It totally took me out of the listening experience. Another one and done listen.

Not sure why this is on the list

2.5

Great 80s pop.

All time favorite

Prog rock? More like slog rock, because it was a slog getting through this snoozefest.

Really interesting to listen to. A bit of an oddity, but solid.

LSD?

When this album was released I was a child, which probably explains why I liked it. Now I'm an adult, apart from The Exorcist segment(!) it's fairly tedious showing off.

Decent album but a bit repetitive

Too much tubular bells

I was feeling charitable, but then I hit 12:01 in "Tubular Bells, Pt. II" and immediately rescinded my generosity.

D+ Tubular Bells, Pt. I 2 Tubular Bells, Pt. II 2 Mike Oldfield's Single 2 Sailor's Hornpipe 1 This was annoying because of the length of the first two tracks. There were parts of the 50 min or so that were actually great, but they were stuck in tracks that were 26 min and 23 min long, so it kind of ruined the music for me.

Nope. weird and far too long with the same weirdness. 2 stars.

Prog-rock that's a little too prog

Some interesting. Some not.

going in, i recognized the opening song as the iconic theme to the movie “the exorcist”. however i was not aware that that song is 26 effing minutes long. in fact the album contains only two songs, and the other one is just over 23 minutes long. in other words, only one song per side on a vinyl record. both songs are mostly instrumental and progress into stages. it’s almost as if each song can be separated into about half a dozen suites. it was not really my thing, but it was well crafted.

Meh

Oh, THOSE tubular bells

Found this really uninspiring background music for the most part

I can't say this album is a "must hear" album for me. It's interesting to listen to and the background that he played all the instruments is...interesting. Out of that context though, it's an album of instrumental music that is good for me to hear once, but not sure I would listen to it again. I just don't know WHEN I would. A person can be talented and make music that I think is background music, but it is not a reflection on the talent.

haha the exorcist-soundtracket! lite gås men ah.

Interesting and important, but not actually that good. Obviously "the exorcist" blah blah blah, but the hornpipe section is weirder to me - not sure why though!

Like choosing between ham and lamb Woah shack yeti, Ham lamb man. Woah shack yeti, Ham lamb man. Shack yeti loves lamb, Lamb and ham. Shack yetis from the land of the isle of man.

Background music with occasional death metal vocals I guess. Ok.

Interesting tunes

Pretty boring. I see why they only use the first bit for the Exorcist.

?!

Boring.

I don’t get why it’s labeled as “rock”, maybe seeing that made me have different expectations of it, instead just left me feeling slightly confused

While I understand songs can have different 'movements' or whatever, Mike has clearly just stuck a bunch of different bits together and called it a day. Obviously know the exorcist theme at the beginning and nothing else, which I don't think is enough to call it an essential album, don't imagine other film soundtracks are coming up in the list. There were some parts I enjoyed in isolation but there's nothing that made me want to repeat.

A bit tedious and boring. It kind of amazes me that there was enough demand for two sequels to this album.

How much LSD does it take...

Good bits here and there. But far too long for it’s own good.

Hugely iconic, with great moments, but overall not a great album. In fact quite a lot of needlessly odd or bad.

Kind of ridiculous but I can't help but like it. Jumped the shark a little when he started calling out instruments as they came in. OK having waded all the way through Pt. II I have to admit this album is not actually all that good. I started listening certain that Tubular Bells belongs on this list but finished somewhat more ambivalent on that point.

kinda boring ngl, never really did anything for me as a kid and still doesn’t do anything for me now Passages that don’t go anywhere, no emotional build up or climax. Instrumentation is cool I guess

Lovely for background music, but kind of boring for 20+ minute long songs.

miiiiiiiiid

Bells bells and more bells

When I saw the name come up, I misread it as Oakenfold. I unfortunately was disappointed.

Ook dit is weer een verzameling geluiden. Een ander album op de lijst liet al walvissen met de band mee spelen. Hier zijn het onder andere wolven. Wat moet ik daarmee? En moet ik nu echt uitleggen dat gerochel niet het mooiste geluid is? Natuurlijk. Je kan er niet om heen. Er staan iconische fragmenten op dit album. Die rechtvaardigen een plek op de lijst en die moet je waarderen. Ik overwoog zelfs nog een 3 (2,5 is ook een 3). Maar dan sluit het af met een nummer waar doorheen gekoekwausd wordt. Hou toch op.

I can't not hear the exorcist. too creepy.

Tava esperando um rockzao progressivo mas o sim é muito sem vontade de viver

Some pleasant parts in the first song but not very easy to listen to.

Listened Before? N Interesting but not my cup of tea. The 70s were a magical time. Something like this would never go mainstream today. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Mike's Single

This definitely sounded like tubular bells. It was good background music while I painted my kid's room, but not really my cup of tea.

Let's be honest the album is only list because of the exorcist. Side one is pretty good but side 2 is meh.

Not for me. Some of the bits were fine. But it sounded like listening to a movie soundtrack at best. Was glad when it was done and I can't see I'll put it on again.

Not my cup of tea

Weird af

I didn't even realize The Exorcist had any music in it, let alone a theme song. Maybe it was just overshadowed by all the head spinning and "FUCK THE BREATHING". At any rate, John Carpenter's Halloween Theme blows this shit out of the water. This dude was apparently all of 19 years when he recorded this and played most of the instruments. So, props I reckon? The phrase "not my cup of tea" constantly comes to mind.

Kinda spooky, I can see why they wanted the music for The Exorcist. Overall, a very strange album. Parts of it were very cool but ultimately in my view it wasn't enough to justify 45 minutes. Standouts: There are literally 2 tracks on this album.

Wtf is this

Don’t like to listen to an album of this kind of moviemusic

LP Classifieds (1973): “Wannabe Soundtrack in search of Melodramatic Film. Should enjoy occasional rambling incoherent dialogue. Please meet me in $1 bin at the nearest used record store.”

Kinda felt like it went on forever. Read up on it, apparently this album is pretty renowned? I recognized the Exorcist theme. Impress he made this album at 19 years old. Feel like it could've been chopped into tracks instead of being 2 crazy long pieces. Maybe I'm missing something, but just ok for me. Yet to have an instrumental album really grip me.

Haunting Exorcist theme aside, how listenable is this really? Does it transport you? Does it amaze you? I fear this is lost on me.

It struck me that the album starts like a Tool album, if Tool had only chimes to work with. I got through half of track one and just can’t spend my time on this one. I see the value but it’s not my thing.

I will never listen to this again

This was pretty odd to find in this list. The melodies were interesting but the musicianship was bad, often the different instruments are not even playing together. It really feels over hyped due to the exorcist

dude wtf is this?

por momentos me gustó, y por otros se me hizo un suplicio seguir escuchando. sería un 2.5/5 pero redondearlo a tres me parece demasiado

I'm not sure if it is brilliant or if it is the most pretentious load of twaddle I have ever heard. I'm going with the latter.

Not enough variation on the theme for a whole album IMO. Was this the dawn of synth-wave?

While it may be great music, it's not something I would listen to again, it gets a 2 for being important for the music scene, but not being a great listen.

Didn't finish. Cool to hear the exorcist pulls, but I'm good on random instrumentation sporadically inserting itself throughout a 20 minute track. Not for me.

Des bouts sont excellents, d'autres plus étranges et certains sont répétitifs voir annuyant.

Feels like it goes on forever

Such an amazing bell song , of course it will always make me shiver with its link to horror flick! Dont even need to list movie….we all know which one

Well this... this was certainly something. If you crammed EVERY genre of music into some psychedelic form of music this would be it. I just picture people tripping their balls off and listening to this. It doesn't really seem to make sense to me, but I am obviously not the intended audience here, though who really is? How did this wind up in this list? I will never know.

A bit repetitive.

Made writing an ethic application seem slightly more epic in parts.

It wasn’t as bad as I was expecting.

lol

The music was ok, but a bit too experimental for my tastes. Wouldn't listen to this again. Normally I'm a fan of longer songs, but it was tough getting through parts of the first two songs.

This was used in the exorcist! I thought it sounded familiar. Nice album, probably ahead of it's time with modern world music / new age-y sort of feel to it as it came out in 1973. Many of the transitions are kind of blunt in my opinion and don't have much finesse which weakens the overall experience. A good example is halfway into the first track, about at the 13 minute mark it goes from a computer-y dual clean guitar part - to a groovy distorted guitar chunker section for a total of 20 seconds- then immediately into a humming piano part. and it kind of lacks panache. To me it comes across as a million ideas all stitched together without a lot of development.

Yeah ok the first 10 mins and the bit with Viv Stanishall are great, but you're not telling me there's not filler on side 2. And the hornpipe. Grrr.

2 fuckin song’s and mostly instrumental I already know I won’t be a fan… Well technically you could just consider it one track being a part 1 part 2 scenario… Part 1 is quite cool it lives and breathes through multiple instrumental parts, much more interesting than any instrumental by tortoise. The song is very diverse, my favourite bit is the rock section around 14 minutes in it’s quite cool to be fair. At the end of the song there’s a tiny bit of speaking but no vocals as such so yeah a shame on that front. The second part is slower and calmer,like an album closer should be there’s cool elements scattered throughout this to be fair and the middle section is essentially a song in it’s own right being this weird way energetic track backed by inaudible noise! I mean at least it was easy to review. To be fair it’s great background music but other than that the chance of a revisit is very, very low.

Musically proficient and rumour has it that it paid for the Sex Pistols but this is so not my thing.

I loved this as a teenager - the soundtrack to many a ZX Spectrum gaming session - but listening now, it just feels a bit limp and odd and the opposite of what I find compelling in music

weird

It starts really well, but it seems like it runs out of steam after about 15 minutes and then it seems like a kitchen sink approach... "what if we throw in THIS next!" begins to seem like a random collection of styles glued into the same song. Also what is going on at 12 minutes on track 2?.... it made me think "what would it sound like if Meddle was bad?"

An experience. Don't know if it was a good one or not.

Oh hey, it's Poltergeist...And then a bunch of prog-rock with plenty of variety the whole way through. The 2nd act is way more prog-rock, but for some reason about halfway through the 26 minute track, they decided to add unintelligible grunts and dry-heave noises that would have been better left out. Overall...fine? I don't have the attention span for these extended journeys through musical exploration that might have ingenious bits scattered about...It's not my job to edit your album, buddy.

Well, I liked the bit from The Exorcist.

Well, this was interesting. 2 25-minute suites that stopped being good 5 minutes in. Then they added growls at the 45 minute mark. Why? Also, was this where the Halloween theme came from?

Good for a nap

Manaajastako toi oli? Erikoinen setti

This was fine until the werewolf showed up. Best track: Tubular Bells, Part One