Tubular Bells III

Tubular Bells III
Studio album by Mike Oldfield
Released	22 September 1998 (1998-09-22)
Recorded	Ibiza (December 1996–March 1998) London (April 1998–June 1998)
Genre	New Age, Progressive rock, Electronic, Chill out
Length	46:38
Label	Warner
Producer	Mike Oldfield
Mike Oldfield chronology
Voyager (1996) Tubular Bells III (1998) Guitars (1999)
Singles from Tubular Bells III
"Man in the Rain" Released: October 1998 "Far Above the Clouds" Released: April 1998

Tubular Bells III is the 18th album by Mike Oldfield, released in 1998. A sequel to Oldfield's 1973 Tubular Bells and his 1992 Tubular Bells II albums, it was released on the 25th anniversary of the first Tubular Bells album.

At the time of creating Tubular Bells III Oldfield had been living in Ibiza, and thus certain elements of the album reflect the moods of the island.

Track listing

All tracks by Mike Oldfield.

1. "The Source of Secrets" – 5:35
2. "The Watchful Eye" – 2:09
3. "Jewel in the Crown" – 5:45
4. "Outcast" – 3:49
5. "Serpent Dream" – 2:53
6. "The Inner Child" – 4:41
7. "Man in the Rain" – 4:03
8. "The Top of the Morning" – 4:26
9. "Moonwatch" – 4:25
10. "Secrets" – 3:20
11. "Far Above the Clouds" – 5:30

Early versions

Oldfield has stated that he initially recorded over 70 minutes of music for Tubular Bells III but trimmed it down to the current 46 minutes and 38 seconds. An early version of "Man in the Rain" was written shortly after 1983's "Moonlight Shadow", and is similar in style to the song. An early version of "The Source of Secrets" appears on the compilation Mike Oldfield XXV.

Premiere concert

Main article: Tubular Bells III Live

On September 4, 1998, six years to the day after the premiere of Tubular Bells II at Edinburgh Castle, Oldfield held a premiere concert for Tubular Bells III at Horse Guards Parade in London. The live version of the complete album from the premiere concert is available on the double DVD Tubular Bells II/Tubular Bells III (see Tubular Bells II Live and Tubular Bells III Live).

The Live Then & Now 1999 tour was in promotion of this album and his following album, Guitars.

Critical reaction

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic

Tubular Bells III is the least successful of the three main Tubular Bells albums, only attaining #4 on the UK chart, unlike its two chart topping predecessors. Critical reaction was mixed. The very distinct similarity of "Man in the Rain" to the hit "Moonlight Shadow" was sometimes interpreted as Oldfield trying to retread old ground.

Vocalists

The tracks "The Source of Secrets", "Jewel in the Crown", and "Secrets" feature Amar as a vocalist. Oldfield can be heard on "Outcast". "The Inner Child" features Luar Na Lubre vocalist Rosa Cedrón and "Man in the Rain" was sung by Cara Dillon (of Polar Star), with additional vocals by Heather Burnett. "Far Above the Clouds" features Clodagh Simonds and Francesca Robertson.

Instruments

Some of the instruments which appear on the album are a Roland D-550, JD-990, JV1080, Clavia Nord Lead, and Korg Trinity synthesisers. The Roland VG8 Guitar synthesiser is used on tracks such "Man in the Rain".

Oldfield also used sampled drums from his Crises and Ommadawn album on certain tracks. "Man in the Rain" features sampled drums from "Moonlight Shadow", "Outcast" features sampled drums from "Shadow on the Wall" and "Far Above the Clouds" features sampled drums from the end of "Ommadawn part 1".

References

2. "The Bag of Secrets". Amadian.net. http://www.amadian.net/secrets.htm. Retrieved 2010-12-11. 

External links

• Mike Oldfield Discography - Tubular Bells III at Tubular.net