Tubular Bells II
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Tubular Bells II is a music album by Mike Oldfield, released in 1992 (see 1992 in music). It was his first album for his new record label, Warner Bros. Records, following an acrimonious departure from Richard Branson's Virgin Records after 20 years. It is the sequel to Oldfield's 1973 Tubular Bells and would be the prequel to his 1998 Tubular Bells III.
The introduction of the instruments at the end of the first half of the album was done by British actor Alan Rickman, though he was only listed in the credits as "a strolling player". The album was premiered with a live performance at Edinburgh Castle in September 1992 (see Tubular Bells II Live). The North American premiere was held at the (now closed) McLaughlin Planetarium in Toronto.
Some of the track titles for the album were taken from Arthur C. Clarke's short stories; including "The Sentinel" and "Sunjammer".
Tubular Bells comparisons
Tubular Bells II partly follows musical structures of the original Tubular Bells (1973). Themes of the original Bells are taken and then completely re-composed and played with mostly new instruments. The result is an album that has same kind of thematic variation but is still almost totally new musically. Some themes can be seen as variations of themes taken from the original Bells, while some other parts of Tubular Bells II do not have much common with the themes of the original album except their overall mood or feeling.
Unlike Tubular Bells there is a recurring theme, first appearing at the end of "Sentinel" that reappears throughout the album, though it is most obvious at the end of "The Bell". Tubular Bells 2003, however, is a faithful and accurate re-recording of the original album.
Track listing
- "Sentinel" (Mike Oldfield) – 8:07
- "Dark Star" (Oldfield) – 2:16
- "Clear Light" (Oldfield) – 5:48
- "Blue Saloon" (Oldfield) – 2:59
- "Sunjammer" (Oldfield) – 2:32
- "Red Dawn" (Oldfield) – 1:50
- "The Bell" (Oldfield) – 6:59
- "Weightless" (Oldfield) – 5:43
- "The Great Plain" (Oldfield) – 4:47
- "Sunset Door" (Oldfield) – 2:23
- "Tattoo" (Oldfield) – 4:15
- "Altered State" (Oldfield) – 5:12
- "Maya Gold" (Oldfield) – 4:01
- "Moonshine" (Oldfield) – 1:42
Personnel
- Mike Oldfield – acoustic guitars, banjo, classical guitar, electric guitar, Flamenco guitar, glockenspiel, Hammond organ, mandolin, percussion, piano, synthesisers, timpani, twelve-string guitar, vocals and of course, tubular bells
- A Strolling Player (Alan Rickman) – Master of Ceremonies
- Sally Bradshaw – vocals
- Celtic Bevy Band – bagpipes
- Eric Cadieux – programming and digital sounds
- Edie Lehman – vocals
- Susannah Melvoin – vocals
- Jamie Muhoberac – keyboards, special effects
- P.D. Scots Pipe Band (actually pipers from the New York Police Department) – bagpipes
- John Robinson – percussion
On alternate mixes of The Bell released as single b-sides, Billy Connolly and Vivian Stanshall (the voice in the original Tubular Bells) each played the Master of Ceremonies. On two alternate language b-sides of The Bell, MC Otto and MC Carlos Finally played the Master of Ceremonies in German and Spanish respectively.
The Master of Ceremonies at the premiere concert in Edinburgh was John Gordon Sinclair.
Instruments
Instruments on the album include, among others: (not a complete list)
- Fender Stratocaster guitar (pink)
- PRS Custom Artist (amber)
- Korg M1 synthesizer
- Ensoniq SD1 synthesizer
- Kurzweil K2000 synthesizer
External links
- Mike Oldfield Discography - Tubular Bells II at Tubular.net
