I had forgotten how good this album is never having played the vinyl since the ’80’s

It’s through Spotify today but all these folk new into vinyl buy this bit of plastic along with Ziggy Stardust, Hunky Dory, Harvest, Dark side of the moon and treat your ears

Ommadawn’s my favourite Mike Oldfield album (and Return to Ommadawn is pretty good too) but Tubular Bells is still pretty great and really has a feeling of a young Mike Oldfield giving it absolutely everything he’s got in case he doesn’t get another opportunity!

Tubular Bells 2 doesn’t quite land for me, it feels a bit too similar to the original while losing something due to its slicker production, but I do like Tubular Bells 3 which felt much more like its own thing than 2 did. I think that there’s a short demo track for Tubular Bells 4 floating around online (I think I saw it on YouTube) but since its release Mike Oldfield has retired from the music industry so we’re not going to get the rest of that project.

I love a bit of Mike Oldfield 🙂

Yup, one of the sounds of my youth. One of those things that made me think “wow, music can do that?!” (in comparison with the pop stuff I was listening to). A few other things did the same for different reasons, Alex Harvey Band’s version of Next (a version of the Jacques Brel song “Au Suivant”) springs to mind as having a similar impact.

I had a cheeky trail once through his woodland retreat ;-)

Don’t think Simon Cowell would approve of it.

It’s an exceptional piece of music. And every decade when he tries to polish it is so much worse.

Hergest ridge is also great.

I like his ‘Guitars’ album.Give it a go its on youtube.

I remember refusing to believe that Hergest Ridge was “our” Hergest Ridge. I was so conditioned to thinking that I lived in a backwater that had no media coverage at all – it had to be a namesake nearer London.

I decorated my first flat to Tubular Bells, Hergest Ridge and Ommadawn, 40ft corridor inc stairs of brown rose wallpaper, stripped and repainted in a hint of white, 3 bloody coats to get it finished. Hergest Ridge was my favourite, but his early stuff really was creative.

Ommadawn is one of my favourites to this day

Absolutely love Tubular Bells 2, I like Tubular Bells but had heard 2 first. Had it as a ringtone years ago and had to change it as night riding in the woods freaked quite a few mates out and they started to not come out on the bikes (or they did and just made sure I wasn’t invited – more likely!!!).

There were some great Orb mixes of Sentinel that were released to promote TB2.

This is absolutely fascinating.

When I was young I’d sit with my dad’s big headphones on and listen to his vinyl copy. In particular the final part of side 1. I would listen to that relentlessly. Get to the end, pick the needle up and put it back to that part over and over again. To this do I can still list the order the instruments come in without even thinking about it. Two slightly distorted guitars!

When I was 6 or 7 years old I was visiting a best friend’s house, and had wandered into their inglenook room, to find several portable organ/keyboards against the wall, much to my surprise. I was looking at the coloured buttons and knobs of one thinking I’d love to switch it on and press a few buttons. Just then the door opened and a long haired, slightly gaunt looking man appeared, who was just as surprised to see me as I was him. Got the young kid panic feeling and legged it as he didn’t say anything.
Later on I mentioned it in the kitchen to the mums. “Oh, that was Mike.” Turns out the Oldfield’s were friends of the family and in a surreal turn of events Mike’s dad Ray helped decorate our flat.
Given my (guessed) age that was possibly the year Tubular Bells was released.

I have Tubular Bells on picture vinyl (ie the vinyl is the same as the original cover). Good album, but I can’t recall when I last listened to it.

Saw Mike Oldfield live in Cardiff circa late 70’s – really good gig.

We had this on a tape, recorded off a record I think. I listened to it over and over as a kid – but mostly the version with the introductions. ‘Slightly distorted guitar’ was the best bit. And Piltdown Man that was on the same tape – though it was frowned upon, I think because of an episode of giddy running around pretending to talk to dinosaurs as a result of it.

Dont forget Branson is all Mikes fault due to recording tubular bells ;)

I love Songs of Distant earth, its my favourite album to fall asleep to.

listened to it over and over as a kid – but mostly the version with the introductions. ‘Slightly distorted guitar’ was the best bit.

Vivian Stanshall no less :-) The perfect voice for it.

I absolutely loved this album but it had left my head I still have a vinyl copy but unfortunately nothing to play it on. :(

Mike Oldfield stole the tubular bells sample from Jesus on E’s🤷‍♂️

I think because TB2 was my first mike oldfield, and I loved it, I could never go back to TB1. Completely unfair of course.

Songs of Distant Earth was my Revising Album for all of university, even now if I really need to sit down and get some work done I can stick that on and it puts my brain in the right place. Absolutely love that album but I’m afraid to listen to it too much in case it stops working.

Fabulous album.

@Cougar I remember that episode was great to see the new theme coming to life.

I stumbled across “Tubular Beats” on spotify recently. Give it a whirl.

Weirdly,I was thinking about digitising the Incantations album.Will it be worth the effort folks?

Yes. It hasn’t aged as well as the stuff Philip Glass did along the same lines, but is well worth another listen.

Clearly I’m an uneducated oaf as other than Tubular Bells and that Christmas song, I wasn’t aware of the other stuff.

Fell asleep listening to Songs from a Distant Earth last night. Can’t tell if it was good as I don’t think I made it to the 3rd track…so I’ll need another listen.

I used to work in a theatre with a big e story atrium/couple of bars etc big open echoes concrete and glass space.

It had a piano in the main bar. I can play the intro to tubular bells.

I upset a few people by sneaking in and playing it early doors on a morning shift. It’s quite an effect when you think you are the only one in and the earie strains come wafting in to you from somewhere.

My favourite is Crises.
I had the lyrics to In High Places written in the back cover of a lever arch file folder in sixth form. I reckon I could still sing it through without reading. “Navigator to heaven…”

I’ve got TB and Hergest Ridge on original vinyl, plus the picture disc vinyl, along with CD’s of both. I have one copy where there’s a pause at the end, then very echoing voices and the sound of a small engine being started up, and it then going round and round and round, obviously a control-line model aircraft being flown in an aircraft hangar or similar.
Got a picture disc of Sergeant Pepper as well. Nice things to have, but they didn’t really sound very good played on a high-end turntable,though.

I thought Sally Oldfield was good to.

Thank you for whoever segued into Songs of Distant Earth. I read the book as a boy and am enjoying the album.

Also, Jesus on E’s really takes me back! Thanks!