I think my first Halloween post is probably still my favorite.
I spoke about Tubular Bells on that post, and now I think it's finally time for it to have it's own space.
Born in 1953 in Reading, England, Mike Oldfield was a talented multi-instrumentalist from a young age. He started playing music with his siblings and soon became involved in the burgeoning progressive rock scene. He played bass guitar in Kevin Ayers’ band, which was part of the Canterbury scene—a blend of rock, jazz, and experimental music that came from the university town of Canterbury. Oldfield’s style blended rock, folk, and classical influences in his compositions, which led him to experiment with long, continuous pieces rather than conventional song structures.
Tubular Bells was released in 1973, when Oldfield was just 19. He recorded the album mostly by himself, playing nearly every instrument. The album began as a kind of musical experimentation, partly influenced by the stresses in his life, including a challenging family background and the lack of control he had over his music in his previous band work. The album became iconic for its complex structure, genre-blending, and haunting atmosphere, and it played a significant role in launching Virgin Records, which was then a fledgling label started by Richard Branson.
Funny thing is, Oldfield was reportedly surprised by its inclusion in the movie The Exorcist, as he hadn’t intended the piece to evoke horror. William Friedkin, the director of The Exorcist, was in post-production, he was searching for music that would fit the eerie, supernatural atmosphere of the film. Friedkin happened to come across Tubular Bells in an office at Atlantic Records and was captivated by its unsettling, hypnotic quality. He decided to use a small section of it in the film’s opening scenes, where it perfectly captured the ominous, creeping dread of the movie.
And now you know the rest of the story.
