01	Introduction						05:52
	02	Fast Guitars						01:03
	03	Basses						00:46
	04	Latin						02:18
	05	A Minor Tune						01:21
	06	Blues						02:40
	07	Thrash						00:44
	08	Jazz						00:48
	09	Ghost Bells						00:30
	10	Russian						00:44
	11	Finale						08:32
	12	Harmonics						05:12
	13	Peace						03:30
	14	Bagpipe Guitars						03:07
	15	Caveman						04:33
	16	Ambient Guitars						05:10
	17	The Sailor's Hornpipe						01:44
	18	Introduction (5.1 mix)						05:51
	19	Fast Guitars (5.1 mix)						01:03
	20	Basses (5.1 mix)						00:48

Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells 2003
Country of Origin: UK
Format: CD
Record Label: Warner Music
Catalogue #: 2564602042
Year of Release: 2003
Time: 48:33
Info: Album Website
Samples: Streaming Audio

Tracklist: Part One: Introduction (5:51), Fast Guitars (1:04), Basses (0:46), Latin (2:18), A Minor Tune (1:21), Blues (2:40), Thrash (0:44), Jazz (0:48), Ghost Bells (0:30), Russian (0:44), Finale (8:36). Part Two: Harmonics (5:21), Peace (3:22), Bagpipe Guitars (3:07), Caveman (4:33), Ambient Guitars (5:09), Hornpipe (1:39)

Together with Dark Side of the Moon, reviewed elsewhere in this issue, Mike Oldfield's classic Tubular Bells must be one of the most heavily milked albums of all times. But whereas Dark Side of the Moon keeps re-appearing in remastered and anniversary editions with basically the same recording, Tubular Bells has spawned a multitude of different recordings and interpretations besides the obvious remasters.

Let's see. We had the original Tubular Bells in 1973, followed by the Orchestral Tubular Bells in 1974 and the live version on the 1979 live album Exposed. Then, after more than decade of 'bellslessness' we got the splendid rewritten interpretation Tubular Bells II in 1992 and the less splendid (to say the least) Tubular Bells III in 1998. The next one had nothing to do with the original whatsoever, so instead of Tubular Bells IV they decided to call it The Millenium Bell (1999), thereby safeguarding a continued hitch on the success of the old album. Bits and pieces of some of these recordings were released on Virgin's 2001 answer to the Warner label's 'rehash frenzy', The Best of Tubular Bells.

Simple mathematics calculation of chance tells us that a new Bell thingy should arrive in 2003, and lo and behold ! Here it is. Tubular Bells 2003. I approached this release with a more than healthy dose of scepticism and disgust. And I was pleasantly surprised. VERY pleasantly surprised. Instead of a techno remix of the original masterpiece I got the same masterpiece. Well, almost the same. This is an album that defines the word 're-recording', not 'remix' or 'rendition'. The piece of music is almost exactly the same as the original, but recorded with today's technology, and 90% of the instruments are the same as those that were used on the original. The result? A crystal clear updated version without the bum notes, out of time and tune bits and sounding the way a classic album should sound, if it weren't slowly outdated by the hands of time and pace of technology.

Yes, Tubular Bells 2003 is indeed very true to the original. Only minor things have been changed, some good and some doubtful (perhaps they need some time to get used to). I believe the bass under the Introduction is a synth and the heavy Thrash might be a bit too distorted for my taste. Then again, we are treated to John Cleese as Master of Ceremony in the Finale of part 1 and Sally Oldfield (I guess) joins in as ... err .... cavewoman during the grunting ramblings of Caveman. DPRP's Oldfield-guru BJ also informed me that Latin and Jazz are significantly different with some other instruments and a different balance between the instruments. The melodies, however, remain nearly untouched.

Well, that might be the another minor point of criticism. Those track titles. Okay, it is a tough job to name segments of a classic epic which used to be nameless. And I can live with names like Caveman, Russians, Ghost Bells, etc. But the attempt on Tubular Bells II was a whole lot more imaginative than names like Fast Guitars, Basses, Jazz, Blues or, worst of all, A Minor Tune. Then again, what's in a name ? It's the music that counts. And the music is marvellous.

Still, the whole rehashing process does bug me a little. Therefore it is no big surprise that Tubular Bells 2003 is issued in three different versions. The single CD, the CD with bonus DVD (containing just 8 minutes of music in 5.1 sound plus the videoclip to the dance version (!) of Introduction, which is released as a single - what's the point in this near empty DVD ?) and finally The Complete Tubular Bells, which contains Tubular Bells 2003, Tubular Bells II and Tubular Bells III in a boxset - what's next ? 'Ommadawn 2004' ? 'The Songs of Distant Earth 2005' ? 'Tubular Bells 2003 2006' ?

Still, when ignoring the whole madness described above in gory details, what we are left with is a splendid, amazingly sounding re-recording that is true to the original. Makes me wonder if I should get some extra space in my CD cabinet by putting the original away in an old shoebox .... Anybody who already owns one version (or several) of the original Tubular Bells will have to make up his own mind though if he wants to cough up the full chart price for an album that they actually already own. If you don't own a copy of Tubular Bells yet you should first be ashamed of yourself and second get this version as soon as possible.

Conclusion: 8 out of 10

Ed Sander





Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells 2003

Released: 2003
Label: Warner Music
Cat. No.: 2564602042
Total Time: 48:33


Reviewed by: Duncan N Glenday, September 2003
You are standing in line at the bookmaker-s office, hard-earned dollars clutched in your fist. It-s a two horse race and you-re sweating over the choice.

On the one hand we have a 19 year-old English prodigy. He creates a brilliant album in no time at all in 1973 using low cost, old fashioned techniques. He calls it Tubular Bells.

On the other hand we have an accomplished 50 year old musician living in the Spanish sunshine with a discography running into the dozens, and more platinum discs than he can count. He takes his time and creates a brilliant album in 2003, with the very best recording and mixing technologies. He calls it Tubular Bells 2003.

So v where does the smart money go?

Tubular Bells 2003 is not simply a remastered version of the original. It was re-recorded from scratch, so that Mike Oldfield could correct v in his own words v all the ?-imperfections, notes out of tune, out of time, rushed playing, mistakes in performance, electronic noise etc-¦. We understand that Oldfield-s contract with Virgin included a clause blocking the re-recording of Tubular Bells for 25 years after the original release. So now v 30 years after the original v he has finally managed to correct the earlier flaws.

All due credit to Mike for sticking to the script, as there is hardly any embellishment. It is almost note-perfect, and the two albums run within 20 seconds of each other. The new album is impeccably produced, and the playing v on every instrument v is nothing short of outstanding. Tubular Bells 2003 is sharper than the original, with each instrument sounding crisper and more vivid, with considerably more dynamics than the original.

And you know what? The 19 year old kid played with more heart, more raw emotion and anger and flair. Those imperfections Oldfield speaks of made it the album more human, and consequently more approachable. The new album just may be too perfect.

The real differences between the kid-s LP and the old man-s CD are in the mood and the overall ambience of the music. Technically, the albums are so similar that you really have to look at the details to find the variances:

The original album had Viv Stanshall doing the roll call of instruments. Sadly, Stanshall died in a house fire in March, 1995. On the 2003 album his place is taken by ex-Monty Python, actor, John Cleese. The first time I heard John Cleese-s distinctive voice on the album, I started smiling. It was a Pavlovian response v I was waiting for the punchline. Isn-t that what you always get when Cleese starts up? You half expect him to declare that the two slightly distorted guitars are ?pining for the fjords¦! There is no humor, of course, and frankly Cleese-s delivery is ridiculously overdone. He has a good voice and excellent diction, and Oldfield should have made him emulate Stanshall.

Remember the caveman bit on the second side of the LP? (Remember LPs?) That also gets a makeover, and the Piltdown Man now does a grunting duet with Piltdown Woman, played by the once golden voiced Sally Oldfield (Mike-s sister).

There-s another difference that may or may not be important, but I found it disappointing: The 19 year old had just 2 tracks on his album, named (very maturely) "Part I" and "Part II." The 50 year old gave each piece a name, and there are now 17 separate tracks with poorly chosen names, many of which have little bearing on their content.

Other more subtle differences: A more distinct bass guitar. A better ?bagpipe guitar¦ sound. A softer feel to the whole of what used to be called "Part 2." Beautiful little touches added to many of the melodies, and subtle twists and variations in the instrumentation and the mix.

All in all, though, these differences are minor because the music is essentially the same, and still as compelling as ever. The distinctive voice Oldfield wrung out of his guitar (we understand the original was a Fender Telecaster) is still there. The catchy tunes, the Irish ditty now called a ?Sailor-s Hornpipe¦, the elegant mix of electric and acoustic guitars, and those Tubular bells ... all still there.

Tubular Bells 2003 is a must-buy for connoisseurs and ardent Oldfield fans. For the rest of us discerning listeners, you can-t go wrong with either album. But if you already own the original, you-d be hard-pressed to justify shelling out the full price for an album that you already own.

So who-d you pick? The 19 year old, or the 50 year old?

My money-s on the kid.

Rating: 4.5 / 5

More about Tubular Bells 2003:

Track Listing: Part One: Introduction (05:51) / Fast Guitars (01:04) / Basses (00:46) / Latin (02:18) / A Minor Tune (01:21) / Blues (02:40) / Thrash (00:44) / Jazz (00:48) / Ghost Bells (00:30) / Russian (00:44) / Finale (08:36) / Part Two: Harmonics (05:21) / Peace (03:22) / Bagpipe Guitars (03:07) / Caveman (04:33) / Ambient Guitars (05:09) / The Sailors Hornpipe (01:39)

Musicians:
Mike Oldfield

Contact:

Website: www.mikeoldfield.com
Note: will open new browser window

Email: webmaster@mikeoldfield.org

Discography

Tubular Bells (1973)
Hergest Ridge (1974)
The Orchestral Tubular Bells (1975/1999)
Ommadawn (1975)
Mike Oldfield (1976)
Boxed (1976)
Incantations (1978)
Exposed (1979)
Platinum (1979/1994)
Impressions (1979)
Airborne (1980)
QE2 (1980/1994)
The Essential Mike Oldfield (1980)
Five Miles Out (1981/1994/1999)
Music Wonderland (1981)
Crisis (1983/1999)
The Killing Fields (1984) (OST)
Discovery (1984)
The Complete Mike Oldfield (1985)
Islands (1987)
Earth Moving (1989)
Amarok (1990)
Heaven's Open (1991/1999/2000)
Tubular Bells II (1992)
The Best Of Mike Oldfied (1993)
The Elements (1993)
The Songs Of Distant Earth (1996)
Voyager (1996)
XXV: The Essential (1997)
The Essential Mike Oldfield (1997)
Tubular Bells III (1998)
Guitars (1999)
The Millennium Bell (1999)
Best Of Tubular Bells (2001)
Elements: Mike Oldfield 1973-1991 (2002)
Tr3s Lunas (2002)
Tubular Bells 2003 (2003)