Mike Oldfield’s Orchestral Tubular Bells

Mike Oldfield’s first and most popular record Tubular Bells was also great success of Virgin Records – new label started with this recording its beautiful growth and multidirectional development. After premiere of second Oldfield’s album Hergest Ridge it became clear that commercial potential of popular composer’s suites is almost unlimited. Pressure of managers for publishing next tittles was fully understandable. One of popular ideas of seventies was to create projects joining rock and orchestral music in both directions – by playing symphonic classics in arrangements with electric instruments and typical drum set and by arranging popular tunes in symphonic manner. Creating the symphonic version of Tubular Bells was only a question of a time. And in early autumn of 1974 it became real challenge for David Bedford who rearranged whole composition and recorded symphonic version of this composition with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Published by Virgin Records Orchestral Tubular Bells was first unsuccessful Oldfield’s recording.

Mike Oldfield’s Orchestral Tubular Bells (1975)

Orchestral versions of Tubular Bells and Hergest Ridge were subject of well sold shows but Oldfield himself was not contented with it. Both arrangements were made David Bedford, well known composer and master of orchestration, but his attitude was too academic and conservative. Classical style of orchestration was not adequate to music by Mike Oldfield. Recording of Tubular Bells made for Virgin in September 1974 was in many parts just imperfect. The wind section was able to carry best parts of arrangements where it was only part of orchestral sound, but fault in episodes where winds led melodic and harmonic narration. Articulation was exaggerated thus Oldfield's phrases in Bedford's rendition sound sometimes too emphatic and in consequence just grotesque.
Maybe most disappointing part of orchestration is coda. In Oldfield’s original recording it’s only kind of alternative culminating point, light and witty end of the whole composition. In orchestral version this finishing episode matches more Popeye dance than joyous exploring the range of folk modes. What is exalted and affirmative in Oldfield’s suite, in Bedford’s orchestration sounds forced and stilted. And here comes the real value of this orchestration. It’s inadequate and conservative, it is not connected to the original Oldfield’s style, so we can clearly see no other version of recording may compete with the very first Tubular Bells rendition. And this is really comforting, there’s no way to falsify music. In music always sounds the truth about our thoughts and values.

Mike Oldfield's Ommadawn

After Tubular Bells and Hergest Ridge third incarnation of Oldfield’s musical idea became Ommadawn – and this trilogy seems to be complete cycle. In September 1974 first succesful Oldfield’s composition was recorded in David Bedford’s orchestration. Mike Oldfield played guitars, but this version was convincing only for greatest fans. Bedford’s rearrangement makes guitar parts mainstream of musical narration and strengthen them in orchestral section. But rules of arranging for symphonic orchestra forced him to make this in academic manner. And this was the same as loosing most of the power of Oldfield’s ideas. Next year, on August, 28th Virgin Records had published The Orchestral Tubular Bells. Few days after premiere it was clear this record definitely was not able to reach the popularity levels of Oldfield’s prior recordings. In next few weeks Mike Oldfield in his home in Hergest Ridge recorded his third two-part composition Ommadawn. Released month later on October 21st this became third commercial success, reaching 4th UK Album Chart position.

Mike Oldfield - Ommadawn (1975)

In this recording for the third time Mike Oldfield did something phenomenal. Repeating uncomplicated melodic phrases in the minimalist way and using simple polyphonic effect to build structures where interfering tension between themes is able to focus the attention of listener. This gave this work a great narrative potential. Maybe it was not very inventing from the historian point of view, but it gave a chance for those who was not ready to decide. Especially this has happened in the crucial moment of collision between radical counter-culture and pop-cultural disco fashion trends.

Trying to resist against pop-music, producers decide to publish on 7" single final part of Ommadawn called The Horse Song and previously unreleased Oldfield's recording of In dulci jubilo. In later reeditions of Ommadawn LP these comes out interchaengably or In dulci jubilo was added as a bonus track.

Mike Oldfield's Hergest Ridge

After becoming a prominent person of progressive rock scene Mike Oldfield continued his musical career composing material for new album. He found peaceful place suitable for creative working in country home near the border between England and Wales. One of recognizable points in this area was Hergest Ridge, the highest hill in England and this makes it the tittle hero of the new work. In spring 1974 he has recorded material for new album which had been premiered the same year on August 29th.

Just like composition of his debut album, this multi-thematic fantasy was divided into two parts – each one fill in the whole side of the album (side 1 - 21:40 and side 2 - 18:51). Comparing Hergest Ridge to Tubular Bells one have to notice improved orchestration and better economic of arrangement. Developing of this composition has been made not only in repetitions of the same material, like it was in Tubular Bells. Composer has reached his aim more by rearranging and variating rather basic motifs than themes.

Mike Oldfield - Hergest Ridge (1974)

Personnel was still based on multi-instrumental skills of composer who played on acoustic guitar, bass guitar, electric guitars; Farfisa, Gemini, and Lowrey organs; glockenspiel, gong, mandolin, nutcracker, sleigh bells, Spanish guitar, timpani, and tubular bells. His abilities were supported by Ted Hobart (trumpet), percussionists Chilli Charles (snare drum) and William Murray (cymbal), wind instruments Lindsay Cooper (oboe), Terry Oldfield (woodwinds)  and June Whiting (oboe). vocals of Sally Oldfield and Clodagh Simonds, choir London Sinfonietta Voices and strings conducted by David Bedford.

Recording session took place in The Manor, exactly the same country house studio as it was with first album. Branson’s studio was idea took just from experiences of krautrock artists and this has ideological meaning. Working off the city studios, living in the countryside, eating no meat looking for alternative point of view was complex attitude for big part of after war generation in late sixties and early seventies. Ringing on the basis of massive vocal section in finale of first part tubular bells make religious-like connection for emotions and whole nature.

Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells

Concentration of power in 20th century became devastating to the structures of traditional society. After decades and centuries of drawing creative ideas from the country, then creating more unified, universal output and selling this product back to the wide area, the very same procedure endangered possibilities of surviving of the traditional culture. Totalitarian state gave enough evidence that political power is not emanation of transcendental will but comes from subconscious fears and desires of the people. After the Holocaust most of the Europeans perceived the Holocaust as something that exceeded the human ability to understand and that it was not possible to re-experience such a traumatic event. Only little fraction of society noticed the connection between hierarchical social structures and modern rituals, between political and economic power and secular or religious institutions. Only few chose quiet rebellion against centralisation and mass culture. In many cases this became the pillar of counterculture. Creating alternative culture outside the centers, capitals or metropolises, living on countryside, practicing new age philosophy, vegetarian cuisine, world music or ecology – no matter if it’s anti-fur campaign or waste segregation, all this became the new style of life and manifestation of something much bigger than only a new manner. This was the direction chosen by young English composer and multi-instrumentalist Mike Oldfield.

Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells (1973)

After early musical experiences with popular music based on english folklore Mike Oldfield tried something more complex. He used possibilities of multitrack recorder and made his debut recording. For the first time in history of music complete orchestral composition was playing by one instrumentalist. New technology, modern studio and especially the Ampex 16-track tape recorder gave composer a chance to overdub parts and instruments and to build orchestral structures just by adding one layer after another. Freedom of building any structure he like was the liberation from the dictate of tradition. Maybe this is why two parts of composition remain untitled. For both sides of the record editor gave only credits and timing - side 1 composed by Mike Oldfield - 25:00, side 2 composed by Mike Oldfield - 23:50. Content of both sides is characterized on back cover by listings of instruments. Mike Oldfield used wide range of acoustic and electric guitars, fuzz guitar, speed guitar, bass guitar, even guitars sounding like bagpipes and mandolin-like guitar. The same with keyboard instruments, from Grand Piano and Glokenspiel through Farfisa Organ, Hammond Organ, Lowrey Organ to Honky Tonk Piano. Mike Oldfield played also assorted percussion instruments Concert Tympani and marked in italics Tubular Bells. There were also side men – Lindsay L. Cooper on oboe, Jon Fields with flutes, Steve Broughton on drums and vocalists Mundy Ellis and Sally Oldfield.

Debut Tubular Bells was much more than only a new album of popular music, it was a great creative attempt of taking advance in artistic discourse of post-war generation of Europeans. The structure of composition is based on folk and mediaeval models of musical construction where themes are repeated with small changes or in exact form but with changing one parameter – instrumentation, tempo, rhythm or key. Theme of characteristic, close to English folk tune melodic idiom and construction rules made Tubular Bells stylish try of fixing the connection between historical and contemporary mode of transposition folk culture into concert music. It was composer’s conscious choice. Modern technology promotes one musician to be an orchestra and any private room makes a concert hall. On back of the record cover editor placed few jokes about possibility of playing the record on old mono-equipment and handing old equipment to the nearest police station.