MIKE OLDFIELD - TUBULAR BELLS

Publicada: febrer de 1974

Llistes d’èxits: EUA: #7 · Regne Unit: #31

A principis dels anys 70, un jove de 17 anys anomenat Mike Oldfield composava en silenci fragments musicals en un apartament deixat del nord de Londres. Amb poc més que un òrgan Farfisa, un magnetòfon Bang & Olufsen modificat i una ment atrapada entre el geni i el caos, va començar a construir el que acabaria sent “Tubular Bells”. Tocava ell mateix el tema principal i es va inventar un sistema artesanal de multi-pistes, molt abans que la gravació digital ho fes senzill.

Quan tenia només 19 anys, ja havia donat forma a una composició majoritàriament instrumental que fusionava rock, música clàssica i sons experimentals com no s’havia vist fins aleshores. Però cap discogràfica no volia publicar-la. Tot va canviar quan va aconseguir feina a The Manor, un estudi rural de gravació fundat per un jove Richard Branson, que tot just començava el que seria Virgin Records.

Allí, entre parets de maó i cables, Oldfield va conèixer Tom Newman i Simon Heyworth, que van apostar per la seva música i van fer-se càrrec de la producció. Durant sis dies intensos, van donar forma a l’èpica sonora que seria “Tubular Bells”. Oldfield va tocar gairebé tots els instruments: piano de cua, glockenspiel, òrgan, mandolina, i fins i tot un flageolet (un instrument medieval de vent). Només alguns passatges, com les flautes o el contrabaix, van ser interpretats per altres. La seva germana Sally Oldfield i la vocalista Mundy Ellis van aportar veus etèries sense paraules al tram final.

Les campanes tubulars que donen nom a l’obra van aparèixer gairebé per accident. Segons una versió, Oldfield les va veure a Abbey Road Studios; segons una altra, estaven sent retirades després d’una sessió amb John Cale. Les va agafar, sense saber ben bé com encaixarien, fins que les va colpejar amb un martell en lloc del mall habitual, aconseguint aquell so distorsionat i majestuós que esdevindria l’emblema del disc.

Quan “Tubular Bells” va estar acabat, Branson no en va quedar impressionat, però va apostar-hi igualment, i el va convertir en la primera publicació oficial de Virgin Records, el 25 de maig de 1973. L’aposta va ser un èxit monumental.

El disc va rebre una empenta clau gràcies al DJ de la BBC John Peel, que el va punxar al seu programa Top Gear i el va qualificar de “veritablement extraordinari”, tot destacant-ne l’instrumentació poc convencional. Això li va donar al disc credibilitat i visibilitat.

Però va ser un fet inesperat el que el catapultaria al mainstream: el director William Friedkin va escollir la inquietant introducció de piano de Tubular Bells com a tema principal de la pel·lícula de terror “The Exorcist”. L’èxit mundial del film a finals de 1973 va impulsar l’àlbum a l’atenció del gran públic nord-americà. Sense el permís d’Oldfield, es va publicar als EUA un single editat amb un fragment de l’àlbum —i va arribar al #7 del Billboard Hot 100.

Com a resposta a aquesta versió no autoritzada, Oldfield va publicar el “Mike Oldfield’s Single” l’any 1974: una revisió lleugerament polida del tema original. Aquest va ser el primer senzill oficial del músic, un pas artístic pensat per recuperar el control de la seva pròpia obra i narrativa pública.

El que havia començat com l’experiment solitari d’un adolescent introspectiu es va convertir en fenomen cultural. “Tubular Bells” no només va llançar la carrera de Mike Oldfield, sinó que va servir com a pedra angular financera i creativa per al naixement de Virgin Records, una discogràfica que acabaria sent un imperi mediàtic.

MIKE OLDFIELD - TUBULAR BELLS

Released: February 1974

Charts:  US: #7  UK: #31 

In the early 1970s, a 17-year-old Mike Oldfield was quietly assembling fragments of music in a shabby apartment in North London. With little more than a Farfisa organ, a hacked Bang & Olufsen tape machine, and a mind teetering between brilliance and chaos, he began crafting what would eventually become “Tubular Bells”. He played the main motif himself and devised his own way to multi-track, long before digital recording made such things simple.

By the time he was 19, he had shaped a sprawling, mostly instrumental composition that blended rock, classical, and experimental sounds into something entirely new. Yet record label after label turned him down. His luck changed only when he took a job at The Manor, a rural recording studio newly set up by a young entrepreneur named Richard Branson, who was quietly laying the foundations of Virgin Records.

It was there, among cables and brick walls, that Oldfield met Tom Newman and Simon Heyworth, who believed in his music and took on production duties. Together, over six intense days, they sculpted the sonic epic that became “Tubular Bells”. Oldfield played nearly every instrument himself: grand piano, glockenspiel, organ, mandolin, and even a flageolet—a medieval wind instrument. Only a few parts, like the flutes and double bass, were played by others. His sister, Sally Oldfield, and vocalist Mundy Ellis contributed wordless vocalizations for the ethereal finale.

The iconic tubular bells themselves entered the scene almost by accident. In one telling, Oldfield spotted them at Abbey Road. In another, they were being removed after a John Cale session. Either way, he borrowed them, unsure of how they’d fit in—until he struck them with a hammer instead of the standard mallet, achieving the massive, distorted chime that would later define the album’s climax.

When “Tubular Bells” was finally complete, Branson wasn’t overly impressed—but he took a chance, making it the very first release on Virgin Records on 25 May 1973. The gamble paid off spectacularly.

The music world took notice. BBC DJ John Peel gave “Tubular Bells” a powerful boost when he played it on his Top Gear radio show, calling it rather remarkable and detailing its unique instrumentation. Peel’s support gave Oldfield’s work both credibility and visibility.

But it was an unexpected turn of events that launched the music into the mainstream spotlight: William Friedkin chose the eerie opening motif of “Tubular Bells” as the theme for his upcoming horror film, “The Exorcist”. The film’s success in late 1973 propelled the music into public consciousness across America. Without Oldfield’s approval, a U.S. single containing a cut from the album was released—and it rocketed to #7 on the Billboard Hot 100.

In response to this unauthorized version, Oldfield released “Mike Oldfield’s Single” in 1974, a refined, slightly reworked variation of the original theme. This was his first official single, a controlled artistic counter to the American edit, and a move that helped shape his public narrative.

Though it began as the product of an introverted, troubled teen with limited resources and a singular vision, “Tubular Bells” became a cultural phenomenon. It not only launched Mike Oldfield’s career, but also laid the financial and artistic foundations for Virgin Records, which would go on to become a media empire.