150K Subscriber Special! Tubular Bells (Mike Oldfield) Reaction & Analysis | The Daily Doug (Ep 278) 

I was 15 and living in England when the record came out in May 1973. Its success had nothing to do with the Exorcist. Oldfield is English. John Peel was a BBC DJ who had a national radio show. He first played the record in May 1973 and championed the music. It became a phenomenon in Britain. Most of the buyers were teenage rock fans. It was played live in London in June 1973 with a lot of well-known rock musicians playing the instruments. Mick Taylor of the Stones played guitar. The Exorcist came out in Britain in March 1974, ten months after the record became a hit in the UK. Most of the Brits who bought it never saw the Exorcist.

The vocal stuff at the end, for example 'Spanish guitar and introducing acoustic guitar' was provided by Mister Vivian Stanshall from the Bonzo Dog Doodah Band - the last great English eccentric. RIP Viv.

So I have a son with severe learning disabilities and epilepsy. As a young child he would spend a lot of time crying, this album without fail always soothed him.

To think he wrote it at 17, recorded it at 19, played almost all the instruments, recording each track over another, keeping it all straight, it was simply amazing.

Here's how good Tubular Bells is; about four minutes in you've completely forgotten any association with The Exorcist.

Vivian Stanshall's clipped accents are doing the master of ceremonies job introducing the instruments. He was from the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band.

One day many will remember the talent of Mike Oldfield, Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze, Jean-Michel Jarre, Vangelis...etc...(Mostly for their albums out in the 70's and 80's and who are astounding...) Merci.

Mike Oldfield is an eccentric man, a musical genius, who had severe difficulty dealing with the attention TB brought him. Some of the pain was evident in certain compositions. He really is a top class guitarist in particular

Oldfield's achievement is even more remarkable when you realize that he had no formal musical education, couldn't read or write music, and actually wrote most of Tubular Bells when he was 17. It took him two years to finish it, record it, and get it released.

I love Tubular Bells, but Ommadawn pt. 1 is my desert island disc. I think it is Mike at his finest. The climax at the end is just sublime.

Please acknowledge Mike’s producer and collaborator, Tom Newman. If it weren’t for his enthusiasm and determination to get this recorded, you wouldn’t be here now doing this. This video is fascinating and for me. I was part of the first live performance in 1973, but I’ve never seen the full score. Fabulous.

Mike Oldfield recorded this in Richard Branson's studio when HE was just starting out... He played virtually all of the instruments and used an 8 track tape recorder to overlay each piece... The Tubular Bells were an accident that Mike decided to 'borrow' as her saw them being brought out of the studio as he was recording....

I’d kill to hear this for the first time again. Masterpiece.

DOUG: Double-speed guitar. A guitar that's recorded with the tape playing back at half-speed. Then, when you return to normal playback speed, the guitar comes back sped up to twice the speed, and in doing so, takes on a different tone from just recording it at normal speed an octave higher.

I have an original 73 pressing and wonder if anyone has noticed the sleeve note in the bottom left corner on the reverse of the sleeve. It reads, 'This stereo record cannot be played on any old tin box no matter what they are fitted with. If you are in possession of such equipment please hand it in to the nearest police station'.

Simply put, Mike Oldfield is a genius!

One thing I like to point out is how much of this piece is actually great guitar work. We think of Mike as doing all kinds of unusual instruments, and can lose sight of the fact that he's a top-notch guitarist in his own style.

The song that made Richard Branson rich. Absolutely classic.

This album is legendary.....he started recording in 1970......completed in 1973.....this was the very first album released in the Virgin Records label, in 1973. I had it on cassette.....and this is still a timeless classic!

My husband pointed me in the direction of this video, and I am so glad he did. Tubular Bells is one of my absolute favourite pieces. My dad adored it, I heard it so many times during my childhood. We played the last part with the bells at his funeral. It was the thought that we had done our best and left,heads high, to face the next phase of our lives to the bells our dad adored. I have a copy of the official music book, but the notation is poor. It’s not “as the piece flows”, more it’s composite parts. Many years ago I had wanted to sequence it via midi, but have never quite got around to it. Tubular Bells was another piece that really made the most of multi tracking, bouncing down tracks and generally trying new emerging techniques. It was one of the reasons I fell in love with music technology, and had originally planned to study to degree level. It was not to be though. You must listen to the Hornpipe, it has a very drunk Vivian Stanshall describing the studios at 4am after a recording session. Mike Oldfield could only use the studio when it was not being used by paid customers. That meant most of it was recorded at night. It almost wasn’t called Tubular Bells. The bells were on loan and hadn’t been collected at the right time, so Mike Oldfield took advantage of them. I really like the whole of Incantations. We played the last part at Dad’s funeral too, again, it was one of his favourites. The whole piece has a very different feel to Tubular Bells, more ethereal. A few years back my husband got me a first pressing vinyl. It’s a beautiful listen on headphones too.

The Master of Ceremonies is the late Viv Stanshall, from The Bonzo Dog Band, which is a tribute to a Bonzo track from their first album, called "The Intro and the Outro".

Oldfield was actually 16 when he wrote a got on a demo. There is a great interview when he said the repetitive bass part at the end of the piece nearly finished him. It's over 8 mins and he said his arm started cramping at 6 mins, but he had to keep on going.

Doug, do you realize that this is the music that has launched spacecraft? Built an amazing financial empire? This song / album started Virgin and Sir Richard Branson's rise! Music does change the world! Sending love and perspective. Thank you for what you do!🥰

The announcer on the original recording was Vivian Stanshall. In 2003 Oldfield re-recorded the entire album, and this time the announcer was John Cleese. The reason for the re-recording was to correct some flaws (some parts out of tune etc.) in the original recording. Oldfield recorded TB at Richard Branson's studio at the Manor in December 1972 but only had about a week to do it, hence there were some mistakes/imperfections that were left in. Part one was based on demo Oldfield recorded on a re-wired home tape recorder in 1971, while Part Two was a new composition.

As someone that has attempted to actually play this I cannot overstate how ridiculously tricky, and exhausting, that bass guitar at the end is.

There is no way to listen to an Oldfield work and not want to hear its part 2. This work is part of a trilogy (Hergest Ridge and Ommadawn). If you listen to Hergest Ridge, listen to the 1974 mix (specifically part 1) as the newer mix changes a lot and somehow "shortens" the work as a whole. But please listen to Ommadawn which is probably one of the greatest musical works of its time.

Worthwhile remembering that Mike Oldfield was 17 /18 years of age and doing this! Oh and he played practically all of it and overdubbed it. Took a week!

dunno why, but for me, "Ommadawn" just flips all my switches. I become a numb wreck listening to that album. And afterwards, I rise again, revived. Music, man. It's soul food.

Now you got me and my husband reminiscing about how exactly to turn an LP over without touching the tracks... happy days y'all!

I second those who mentioned Ommadawn as a better album then TB, but this one is a seminal record in the history of prog and why not New Age music.

We your audience love to watch your ear connect to each instrument, each note, simultaneously. Been listening to this music since the 60's and beyond. And to see you react to it is awesome. Thank you for your channel and reactions. 🎼

That was one MATURE 19 year-old. Stands up after 50 years.

There's a video where Mike and friends play this live, and I'm astonished it's almost flawless. And btw, that's some impressive sight reading

Tubular Bells II needs to get more love. It is fantastic.

Mike was 19 when he recorded this but he was 17 when he wrote it.

The Tubular Bells part they actually used a metal claw hammer to get the desired sound and really make them ring!

I still remember watching this being played live on a BBC arts show (2nd House) in January 1974 and being absolutely mesmerised. And then I watched Tubular Bells 2 live from Edinburgh Castle in September 1992.

When you want to reach 300.000 subscribers give more reviews on Mike Oldfield . He has got so many hidden admirers around ,for me he is one of the greatest musicians of the past 50 years. .

That Mike Oldfield was all of 19 when he recorded this - is itself amazing. He likely started writing it when younger. The piano riff was a family homage. That the entire recording was done in about a weeks time - so cleanly - adds to how impressive he is.

The attack on the tubular bells was metal on metal. He couldn’t get enough attack from the conventional mallets, so he used a claw hammer ! Also, all of the mandolin lines were actually guitar recorded at half speed and then brought up to speed to make ‘double speed guitar’ imitating mandolin.

Without doubt, the warmest channel on the internet. What a wonderful place to end up at half 10 on a Friday night. Congratulations on the 150k (still pending), you deserve every one of those and a whole lot more. Peace from the UK :D

As has been suggested, the Live BBC performance is glorious, mesmerizing, and a must see. Congrats on the 150k.

This 2009 version isn't merely a remastered version, it's a totally new mix. Granted, it is fairly close to the original 1973 stereo version but there are differences, not least that the solo acoustic guitar part at the end is a completely new recording! I know Mike himself always wanted to remix the album as he felt he was too limited by the technology of the time (and perhaps his own inexperience), but for me the quirks of the original are all part of the album. Plus I'm a boring old fart and I don't want anything to change anymore. Try Amarok, without a score. It's insane(ly good).

I saw him live in Brussels in 1978 or 79... it was stunning.

I saw The Exorcist when it came out during Christmas break of my senior year with classmates. After we got over being scared shitless, the first thing I did was find out wtf that music was and buy the album. Being a Floyd & ELP fan it definitely hit a sweet spot and I played it over & over. My parents were pretty annoyed 😆 I remember seeing a live performance on TV that just killed. It was definitely one of those moment in time things! Big memories 🤘

I concur with the folks who recommend Ommadawn. Awesome stuff. I love the Introduction to the Instruments section of Tubular Bells. I'm glad you enjoyed this.

Toccata & Fugue (Bach) being played backwards is Tubular Bells main piece, no secret it was explained by MO himself, 🎼🎶🎵🎶

I’m glad you did this piece. Please do more Mike Oldfield.

I'll second what all the others say about Ommadawn. Add in Incantations too. And TB2 - I remember watching on TV the live performance at Edinburgh Castle, which coincided with its release. The reaction of the 60k Scots crowd to "Tattoo", when the pipe band was lit up, said it all! As did the knowing smiles on various faces just before! All that said, TB1 remains THE iconic album that started it all. As well as setting Richard Branson on the road to billionairedom. So Doug HAS to do it! Hopefully others can follow.

When I was in School, I was fortunate enough to have a music teacher show me how to read sheet music. I can't play any instruments, but I love 'hearing' music in my head when I read.

was fortunate enough to attend a Mike Oldfield concert - when the QE2 album came out - one the best I ever attended. So much on offer.

You can see this played live (many musicians along with Oldfield) in this BBC TV performance from 1973: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-KXatvzWAzLU.html. Sounds almost exactly the same as the original studio recording. Also, a very fun rendition of the last 9 minutes or so of the song is done by the Brooklyn Organ Synth Orchestra here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-aeujZtBvMFY.html. Mike Oldfield approved!

So excited for the reaction & analysis of this master piece.

Every single performance Mike did of this was different. And I love him for that.

Double speed guitar is played at half the speed you hear (and an octave lower) by changing the speed the multi track recorder ran. The tubular bells were played with a builders hammer. The announced section was similar to introducing the band at a concert but introducing the instruments instead.

Thanks Doug for Tubular Bells. You gotta do Ommadawn as well as side 2 of Tubular Bells. I think a double speed guitar is when you record something in half speed then play it at double speed. Half speed and double speed keeps the the same pitch but at different octaves. Sir Richard Branson owns his empire to Mike and Tubular Bells.

For those that haven't heard it I recommend Oldfield's album Hergest Ridge! 😎👍

First thought - damn that's good. And then you learn that it's Mike that plays almost ALL instruments and was 19 when he recorded this. Unreal, possibly the greatest instrumental rock piece ever.

Mike Oldfield is a pioneer and the pride of rock guitar players, for he simply shattered the presumptions and perceptions that such intricate, symphonic pieces are (can be?) exclusively composed by piano/keyboard players. "Guitar players of the world; yes, we can do it as well as any of those hoity-toity keyboard people." this piece tells me. :))

Doug I sure hope you're listening to this on big old speakers with double 15" woofs, about three feet away on each side of you! it's the only way to experience the 40-50 Hz lows. love it! Thanx

I think Mikes sister Sally was one of the 'choir'. Check her out on 'Shadow of the Hierophant' by Steve Hackett (Voyage of the Acolyte album). She has quite some voice.

According to Oldfield, the bass line at the end was done in one take, as they didn’t have the technology back then to dub, and he just had to persevere playing the line. After about one minute he was about to get a cramp in the left arm - and still seven more minutes to go 😂 And yes, the Tubular Bells are metal on metal. The wooden mallet wasn’t clear enough, so a genuine hammer was bought and used.

I'm a female from the 70s along with my regular rock I love to see you listen to that talent that the progressive rock bands had they were extremely talented

Tubular Bells=Great. Ommadawn=Amazing. Amarok=Masterpiece. Thanks Doug for this, try Amarok next!

YES! Please do Hergest Ridge next! I never got it when I was younger, but one day it just clicked, and it is a majestic piece of music.

Doug, I’ve been listening to this for nigh on 50 years, my older brother bought the album. I can’t remember not knowing every sound that is coming next. It’s beautiful watching you experience it for the first time. Thank you for your enthusiasm and expertise

Timeless masterpiece. I was ten when I first heard this. I had shivers when the Bell came in, and still have at 51.

Hi Doug, Im not a musician but been loving TB since its first release in the UK in 73. You can get too familiar with things you love. What you have done is make it new and exciting again. So thankful Doug, well done mate.

Loved that ! Have you heard Swiss harpist Andreas Vollenweider? I would love to hear your take on his stuff.Especially his albums 'Behind the garden....' or 'White winds' Very much like 'Tubular Bells' they are musical journeys,incorporating many different stylings,and I doubt the harp has ever sounded so interesting !

You're ready for Amarok, now, for a special one hour friday. 🙂

I think I remember an interview with Oldfield where he said that the first section is actually a Bach piece played backwards.

Philip Glass, you must do one of his pieces.

Hey Doug, I along with gazillions of others probably have every note of this piece etched into our 1970's auditory receptors, and being a little familiar with musical notation I thoroughly enjoyed being able to follow the little black marks on the stave, oh joy! Of course, your analysis made it all the more enjoyable.... Fantastic job from the beautifully lispy, Mr. Muthic for the score. .... Mr. Vivian Stanshall (R.I.P) is a wonderful English eccentric, artist, multi-instrumentalist, lover of words, and founder member of the ever-delightful Bonzo Dog Doo-Da Band, and the gorgeously surreal, Sir Henry at Rawlinson End. Was, Master of Ceremonies. He features in the Sailors Hornpipe at the end of the box set version of T B. Marvellous! Love your channel. Yuletide greetings from Liverpool.

Absolutely brilliant, great commentary and insight as usual. Look forward to you flipping over the record and doing side two!

The voice is Viv Stanshall (now sadly decd) formerly of the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band. He happened to be wandering around the studios being nosey and very drunk! Try also Ommadawn Part1 - wonderful!

You have made my day Doug ! , Mike Oldfield is my favourite musician ! You must do Ommadawn as well !

Yay, another favorite!

Thank you for reminding me of one of the most underrated musitians. The guy wrote this at 19 yrs! And played almost all the instruments. And there are plenty of them. And I love and respect him.

Thank you for creating brilliant content, Doug! May you track 150 million! 🤘🏻

TB was a game changer for me. Bought it on the cover alone! Walked past a record shop on my way back from school, saved up and got it. Seen Oldfield play many times, the best was a free gig in a park in London with David Bedford & choir, MOs guitar that day was blistering! I briefly spoke to him. Ommadawn is my favourite album. I also Love "First Excursion" and the title track from "Instructions for Angels" with Bedford on organ, a mind melt piece.......................

An interesting insight into the times and state of the technology of the early 70’s, is that true multi track recording was still in its early stages. And of course they were recording on tape. With Mike playing nearly all the instruments and bouncing each track down onto the master tape, the constant overdubbing wore the original master tape down so much that it eventually snapped. Apparently it was so thin parts of it were becoming almost opaque. Can you imagine a 19 year old Mike recording with todays digital technology where you can have an almost infinite number of tracks playing at the same time. However, it’s the fact that Tubular Bells was recorded at that particular time with that particular technology, by such a brilliant multi instrumentalist, that makes it such a seminal recording in the history of rock.

19 yrs old.........and played all the instrument. The Virgin Record Born with this outstending album.

Awesome that you're tackling this one. What a classic, love this piece and remember the first time I listened to it in its entirety...mind blowing. There was a great documentary about Mike that talked about the production of this and how the live special where they performed it came to happen. He almost didn't go on due to stage fright/nerves, but was able to pull through. Fantastic.

So glad you finally chose Mr Oldfield. We all have those albums that helped us through our crazy up and down teenage years - Mike Oldfields first 3 albums got me through those years, constantly on my player. Beautiful music. Ommadawn next please ☺

So glad you ended up landing on this one and some of Mike's work. I've been listening to TB and the rest of his music for over 40 years and it's still captivating. Here's another vote for Ommadawn as another reaction. It's my fave and a firm fave of many Oldfield fans. Incantations is also superb. Very glad you gave Mike a go. Here's hoping you find scores to some of his other longer pieces. ;) Thanks a lot, this was a cool video and reaction.

I really like the 2003 version. The original seems like a living room demo in comparison. Edit: of course I understand why.

Back in the day when this was released in 1973, it was a musical revelation and was one of the go-to LPs regularly being played everywhere that year, along with Dark Side Of The Moon. The fact that he played all the instruments and managed to layer the parts so well, in order to bring colour and texture to the repeating motifs, led to endless hours of repeated immersion in what is a unique musical odyssey. It's so fabulous following the musical score with your detailed explanation as it unfolds. Truly a joy to revisit this with your input, like all of the other episodes from my musical awakening as a youth, thank you man.

Oh wow I cant wait to hear this. The first four albums, all extended suites of music, are worthy of analysis :) #4 Incantations has a 4 side 'symphonic' structure, for example.

First I was a little disappointed that you only played part 1, because part 2 is my favourite. But when I realised how much work you did, I was stunned. You went far deeper into the time signature changes and chords than most can even attempt. Keep going back to rehear what you missed. I can't read music, but I appreciate someone way more knowledgeable to explain why the music I love is so good.....(Listen to more old Genesis).

That was an absolute joy to watch - thank you so much! I have loved this music since the 1970s - so to see you experience it in its entirety (do side 2!) for the first time was wonderful - to see it as a score was fascinating although i am not a musician myself - I truly believe this music has significance and is important and will live a long long time. Interesting that your impression of it began with the Exorcist - it is so much more than that - it launched the Virgin Empire for Richard Branson - it was also a means of expression for Mike as a young man but it remains a significant, complex wonder of a piece to this day - and I adore it - it centres me - I would love to see you discover Hergest Ridge And Ommadawn - save Amarok for when you have a new bottle of Bourbon - that will help! it is also one of my all time favourites Truly I have just spent time well watching this - re-igniting a passion for this music - thank you Doug - i will check out your other videos - with much respect and gratitude - t

Richard Branson was an integral part of Oldfield’s success. He owned the recording studio.

Tubular Bells has been one of my favorite pieces of music since it was first released. Your added commentary and music knowledge just helped me learn more about how this “little” tune came to be. While my high school vocal music classes and choir performances taught me some good basic music understanding your explanations made me appreciate music even more. At 69 I’m a long way from high school choir but now I have a place to better understand the music I’m hearing and how it comes together. Thank you.

Loved the insight about your experience with encountering composers during their sponge-like creative development at 19, not to mention insight into your own experience at that age 💥 so great to see this with sheet music too 🤘

This is a refreshing channel and I enjoy watching .It's informative and on a good wavelenghth. There is always substance to your analysis and it's great that I discovered these music analyses...entertaining and informative thanks .

Congrats Doug! Awesome reaction, I remember when this album was released. Bought it right away, Was always a classic to chill put on the headphones & drift away! Super glad you did this as well that you enjoyed this. Thanks, Kevin from Canada

Check out "The Lake" from Oldfield's mid '80s album "Discovery". IMO one of his best albums.

My parents snuck me into the drive in to see the Exorcist....this song was stuck in my head for a long time, and I was 12!!

If I remember correctly, Oldfield did not have tape loops or sequencers available so he had to play every single note himself manually.

Tubular Bells has been among my favorite works since I first heard it in the early 1980s. I truly enjoyed your analysis going through it all. Thanks for all of your work!

In a BBC interview Mike said that the intro part is toccata e fuga from Bach upside-down.