Search/Recent Changes
DBTropes
...it's like TV Tropes, but LINKED DATA!

Tubular Bells (Music)

 Tubular Bells (Music)
type
TVTItem
 Tubular Bells (Music)
label
Tubular Bells (Music)
 Tubular Bells (Music)
page
TubularBells
 Tubular Bells (Music)
comment
The hugely successful debut album by Mike Oldfield and the debut release by the then-nascent, then-indie Virgin Records. The album is known for its only track, split across two movements (one per side), which was soon used as the recognizable theme to the film The Exorcist. The album is also well-known for its unexpectedly gigantic financial success, topping the charts in the UK, the US, Australia, and Canada, and being certified noncuple-platinum in the UK, triple-platinum in Australia, double-platinum in Canada, and gold in the United States, France, the Netherlands, and Sweden. This success provided the foundation for what became Sir Richard Branson's Virgin empire, which today covers far too many industries to keep track of; previously, Branson had been the owner of a single, though quite successful, mail-order record vendor.Although Oldfield was to later become known as a New Age artist, he has stated that Tubular Bells is too dynamic to fall into such a category, though some elements are similar. It has, by contrast, been featured on rock album lists, and is usually classified as a Progressive Rock album, along with most of the rest of his output (Earth Moving aside).Tubular Bells was released in 1973, and its success spawned the recording of The Orchestral Tubular Bells in 1974, but it was not until much later that Oldfield returned to his first album in force, releasing Tubular Bells II in 1992, Tubular Bells III in 1998, The Millennium Bell in 1999, Tubular Bells 2003 (a front-to-back re-recording of the original) in, well, 2003, and Tubular Beats in 2013. Oldfield made plans to put together Tubular Bells IV shortly after the release of Return to Ommadawn in 2017, but scrapped the idea the following year, retiring shortly afterwards. A demo of what would have been the fourth installment's intro was included on the 50th anniversary edition of the first Tubular Bells in 2023, thus bookending Oldfield's career. Said demo acted as the sole release of new material under Oldfield's contract with the revived EMI.Oldfield plays nearly all the instruments featured on the first album himself through overdubbing— the only exceptions were flute (Jon Field), string bass (Lindsay Cooper) and drums (Simon Broughton). At the time, overdubbing wasn't so widespread as it is now, and was a notable feature of the album in 1973. The sequels continue this practice, although some instruments are played by others. According to engineer Simon Heyworth, the "Piltdown Man" section (titled "Caveman" in the 2003 version) resulted from Virgin Records owner Richard Branson pressuring Oldfield to add vocals to at least one section to make it more marketable as a single. Oldfield stormed out of the meeting saying "You want lyrics? I'll give you lyrics!", proceeded to get smashed on half a bottle of whiskey and "screamed his brains out" for ten minutes in the studio.Speaking of singles, the album was actually supported by two: in the US, the "Introduction" section from Part One, backed with the "Finale" section, was put out to bank on the popularity that the former gained from The Exorcist; both tracks were simply titled "Tubular Bells", with "Introduction" being distinguished by a parenthetical note about its film spot. Since the single was released without Oldfield's permission, he put together a different release for the British and European markets aptly titled "Mike Oldfield's Single", a re-recording of the "Bagpipes Guitar" segment of Part Two backed with a Cover Version of "Froggy Went a-Courting". 1973 Tracklist:Side One "Tubular Bells, Part One" (25:30)note featuring Vivian StanshallSide Two "Tubular Bells, Part Two" (23:20) 2003 Tracklist: Part One "Introduction" (5:52) "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" (8:32)note featuring John Cleese Part Two "Harmonics" (5:12) "Peace" (3:30) "Bagpipe Guitars" (3:08) "Caveman" (4:33) "Ambient Guitars" (5:10) "The Sailor's Hornpipe" (1:46)note traditional arrangement
 Tubular Bells (Music)
fetched
2024-01-31T00:46:29Z
 Tubular Bells (Music)
parsed
2024-01-31T00:46:29Z
 Tubular Bells (Music)
isPartOf
DBTropes
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_18d15922
type
Title Drop
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_18d15922
comment
Title Drop: At the end of the finale on "Part One", the Narrator shouts "and... TUBULAR BELLS!"
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_18d15922
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_18d15922
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tubular Bells (Music)
hasFeature
Tubular Bells (Music) / int_18d15922
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_19bec249
type
Pop-Cultural Osmosis
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_19bec249
comment
Pop-Cultural Osmosis: Today most people will associate this music with the soundtrack of the film The Exorcist, to the point where Book of Love's Cover Version of the introduction section includes impressions of Reagan's dialogue from the film.
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_19bec249
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_19bec249
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tubular Bells (Music)
hasFeature
Tubular Bells (Music) / int_19bec249
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_1b65dfad
type
The Cameo
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_1b65dfad
comment
The Cameo: John Cleese, acting as master of ceremonies on Tubular Bells 2003 in place of the deceased Vivian Stanshall.
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_1b65dfad
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_1b65dfad
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tubular Bells (Music)
hasFeature
Tubular Bells (Music) / int_1b65dfad
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_3096c919
type
Boléro Effect
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_3096c919
comment
Boléro Effect: The finale of Part One (aptly titled "Finale" in the 2003 version), like the original Boléro, adds a different instrument each loop until everything is playing beneath the majestic entry of the titular instrument.
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_3096c919
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_3096c919
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tubular Bells (Music)
hasFeature
Tubular Bells (Music) / int_3096c919
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_38da8916
type
Uncommon Time
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_38da8916
comment
Uncommon Time: From the first: The opening riff is in 15/8 (7/8, then 8/8). The "Thrash" section just before the nasal choir switches between 7/4 and 4/4. The album in general seems to come across as this due to its heavy use of polyrhythms, which each instrument playing in a considerably different time signature than the rest. Combined with the specific choice of instrumentation, this makes the whole album sound both jarring and mesmerizing at the same time.
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_38da8916
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_38da8916
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tubular Bells (Music)
hasFeature
Tubular Bells (Music) / int_38da8916
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_4af55b78
type
Credits Gag
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_4af55b78
comment
Credits Gag: Tubular Bells has a caption reading "This stereo record cannot be played on old tin boxes no matter what they are fitted with. If you are in possession of such equipment please hand it into the nearest police station." This is a parody of labels advising listeners that stereo LPs may be played on mono equipment given suitable cartridges are used. The gag is preserved on Tubular Bells 2003, where it reads "This stereo record still cannot be played on old tin boxes no matter what they are fitted with." Meanwhile, the 2023 edition, meant to close the book on Oldfield's career following the announcement of his retirement, states on the back that the album "can also be played on mono equipment at a pinch."
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_4af55b78
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_4af55b78
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tubular Bells (Music)
hasFeature
Tubular Bells (Music) / int_4af55b78
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_5262cf20
type
Longest Song Goes First
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_5262cf20
comment
Longest Song Goes First: While the album is generally treated as a single, expansive track, it had to be split into two segments due to the constraints of vinyl; the first of these segments is just barely longer than the second by 2:10. The 2003 version, meanwhile, averts this, splitting the suite into even more segments, the first of which is outpaced by the 8:32 "Finale".
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_5262cf20
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_5262cf20
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tubular Bells (Music)
hasFeature
Tubular Bells (Music) / int_5262cf20
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_5313c266
type
Bookends
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_5313c266
comment
Book Ends: The original version of the album was Oldfield's debut release. His final release, meanwhile, was a demo of the scrapped Tubular Bells IV on the 50th anniversary edition of the original Tubular Bells.
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_5313c266
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_5313c266
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tubular Bells (Music)
hasFeature
Tubular Bells (Music) / int_5313c266
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_5ade32d1
type
Metal Scream
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_5ade32d1
comment
Metal Scream: The "Piltdown Man" section, starting at 11:55 of Part Two, features a very harsh Type 2; if the instrumentation were a bit more distorted or hadn't been performed in a major key, this might be thought of today as proto-Death Metal. (This segment features riffs that would actually work very well in a metal context, although they'd be more typical of Folk Metal than of Thrash or death metal.)
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_5ade32d1
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_5ade32d1
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tubular Bells (Music)
hasFeature
Tubular Bells (Music) / int_5ade32d1
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_5e835a41
type
Gratuitous Panning
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_5e835a41
comment
Gratuitous Panning: For the finale of "Part One", the instruments as announced by Vivian Stanshall make their entrances on the far left, but then gradually move across - sometimes all the way to the far right, sometimes only part of the way across, so that by the time the tubular bells make their entrance, the instruments that preceded it (in order: grand piano, reed and pipe organ, glockenspiel, bass guitar, double speed guitar, two "slightly distorted" guitars, mandolin, Spanish guitar and acoustic guitar)note  The order reflects the order of their first entrances in the opening minutes of "Part One". are all in different places on the soundstage.
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_5e835a41
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_5e835a41
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tubular Bells (Music)
hasFeature
Tubular Bells (Music) / int_5e835a41
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_5f70322e
type
Public Domain Soundtrack
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_5f70322e
comment
Public Domain Soundtrack: The first album ended with "The Sailor's Hornpipe", a traditional hornpipe melody that's been around for centuries.
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_5f70322e
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_5f70322e
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tubular Bells (Music)
hasFeature
Tubular Bells (Music) / int_5f70322e
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_5ff56a1f
type
Long List
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_5ff56a1f
comment
Long List: The liner notes' list of instruments Oldfield played on the album.
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_5ff56a1f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_5ff56a1f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tubular Bells (Music)
hasFeature
Tubular Bells (Music) / int_5ff56a1f
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_6dc7d2c
type
Fake Loud
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_6dc7d2c
comment
Fake Loud: In Tubular Bells, the peak volume is intentionally held down until the titular bells are heard, leaving the impression that their sound is louder. Oldfield also mentioned that he wasn't able to get the "cathedral bell" sound he wanted, so he ended up hammering the tubular bells with a claw hammer rather than the usual mallet (hard enough to crack them, inspiring the cover.) He also recorded them with excessive microphone gain, resulting in a distorted sound.
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_6dc7d2c
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_6dc7d2c
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tubular Bells (Music)
hasFeature
Tubular Bells (Music) / int_6dc7d2c
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_74149c93
type
Epic Rocking
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_74149c93
comment
Epic Rocking: Probably one of the most extreme examples of the LP era; the original 1972 album consists of just two tracks, each one taking up the entirety of one side of the record and altogether making up a single, unified piece. Oldfield would continue this practice through 1978's Incantationsnote which, on LP editions, featured the nearly 73-minute title track split up over four sides, although several CD reissues add the four-minute bonus track "Guilty" at the end, before eventually reviving it with the release of Return to Ommadawn in 2017. The 2003 version, meanwhile, separates Part 1 and Part 2 into multiple tracks, each based on a specific movement in the piece. Of those, "Finale" clocks in at 8:32, while "Introduction" just barely falls short of the six-minute mark.
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_74149c93
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_74149c93
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tubular Bells (Music)
hasFeature
Tubular Bells (Music) / int_74149c93
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_74b7629c
type
Instrumentals
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_74b7629c
comment
Instrumentals: The album consists almost entirely of these, barring the "Finale" section on "Part One" and the "Caveman" section on "Part Two".
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_74b7629c
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_74b7629c
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tubular Bells (Music)
hasFeature
Tubular Bells (Music) / int_74b7629c
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_76cbbc0b
type
George Lucas Altered Version
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_76cbbc0b
comment
George Lucas Altered Version: Tubular Bells 2003 is rerecorded with all the recording, mastering, and editing equipment that didn't exist in 1973. Most bits are more or less the same, but there are some significant differences (for a start, "Master of Ceremonies" Vivian Stanshall had died in 1995, so the entries of the instruments in the finale of "Part One" were announced by John Cleese).
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_76cbbc0b
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_76cbbc0b
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tubular Bells (Music)
hasFeature
Tubular Bells (Music) / int_76cbbc0b
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_8409a385
type
Exactly What It Says on the Tin
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_8409a385
comment
Exactly What It Says on the Tin: The "Bootleg Chorus" (Mike Oldfield and producers Simon Heyworth and Tom Newman) credited on "Part Two" is so named because their chant sounds like "Boot! Leg! Boot! Leg!". They are also credited as the "Manor Choir", named after the Manor studio where the album was recorded. A similar case exists with the "Girlie Chorus" credited in the liner notes, simply being choral parts by Mundy Ellis and Sally Oldfield. "Mike Oldfield's Single" is a single by Mike Oldfield; what else is there to say? Tubular Bells 2003 as well.
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_8409a385
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_8409a385
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tubular Bells (Music)
hasFeature
Tubular Bells (Music) / int_8409a385
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_951a2326
type
Musical Theme Naming
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_951a2326
comment
Musical Theme Naming: Tubular bells are a real-life instrument, producing a sound similar to church bells, but looking more like a rotated marimba.
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_951a2326
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_951a2326
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tubular Bells (Music)
hasFeature
Tubular Bells (Music) / int_951a2326
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_a33b90b2
type
Improv
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_a33b90b2
comment
Improv: That epic acoustic bit right before "The Sailor's Hornpipe" on the original? Mike wrote the bassline and the basic direction he wanted it to go in, and bam. "Piltdown Man" was a drunken Mike growling and screaming nonsense into a mic attached to a tape machine recording at intentionally too high a speed, resulting in a gruff, growling caveman voice when played normally.
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_a33b90b2
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_a33b90b2
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tubular Bells (Music)
hasFeature
Tubular Bells (Music) / int_a33b90b2
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_a4c37cbe
type
Mood Whiplash
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_a4c37cbe
comment
Mood Whiplash: Owing to the seamless nature of this album's arrangements, a number of transitions come as quite abrupt due to their shifts in mood. For just one example, the final three movements of Side Two are the bizarre "Piltdown Man" movement, which features Mike screaming over some distorted major key riffs; followed by the sombre minor-key "ambient guitar" movement; and lastly, "The Sailor's Hornpipe" movement, which features the folk tune of the same name given an incredibly cheery arrangement. Transitions between these movements come with little, if any, advance notice, contributing further to the mood whiplash.
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_a4c37cbe
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_a4c37cbe
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tubular Bells (Music)
hasFeature
Tubular Bells (Music) / int_a4c37cbe
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_c4286511
type
For Doom the Bell Tolls
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_c4286511
comment
For Doom the Bell Tolls: Tubular Bells cools down near the end with the sound of a distant tolling bell, setting the piece up for its climax.
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_c4286511
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_c4286511
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tubular Bells (Music)
hasFeature
Tubular Bells (Music) / int_c4286511
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_cff53786
type
Cover Version
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_cff53786
comment
Cover Version: The album closes out with an arrangement of "The Sailor's Hornpipe", a traditional English folk melody. "Mike Oldfield's Single" also contains a cover of the Scottish folk song "Froggy Went a-Courting" as a B-side.
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_cff53786
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_cff53786
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tubular Bells (Music)
hasFeature
Tubular Bells (Music) / int_cff53786
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_d280a296
type
Teen Genius
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_d280a296
comment
Teen Genius: Oldfield was 19 when he recorded the album, though it wasn't released until shortly after he turned 20.
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_d280a296
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_d280a296
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tubular Bells (Music)
hasFeature
Tubular Bells (Music) / int_d280a296
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_da4a8208
type
Progressive Instrumentation
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_da4a8208
comment
Progressive Instrumentation: The "Finale" section of Part One is built around this, consisting of a single melody being repeated by multiple instruments that gradually make their way into the song, layering on top of one another to complete the song.
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_da4a8208
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_da4a8208
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tubular Bells (Music)
hasFeature
Tubular Bells (Music) / int_da4a8208
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_ddbbcf6a
type
Idiosyncratic Cover Art
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_ddbbcf6a
comment
Idiosyncratic Cover Art: Every sequel and re-release (as well as Tubular Beats) features the iconic bent tubular bell logo on a different background, and sometimes in a different color. The logo has since become one for Mike Oldfield himself, and as such is typically featured on various compilations, press releases, and other tidbits.
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_ddbbcf6a
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_ddbbcf6a
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tubular Bells (Music)
hasFeature
Tubular Bells (Music) / int_ddbbcf6a
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_e3edc213
type
The Show Must Go Wrong
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_e3edc213
comment
The Show Must Go Wrong: According to Mike himself, he made several mistakes while recording, but had to leave them in. Then again, considering part one was recorded in just a week, he didn't have a choice.
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_e3edc213
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_e3edc213
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tubular Bells (Music)
hasFeature
Tubular Bells (Music) / int_e3edc213
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_f64a9cf7
type
Earn Your Happy Ending
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_f64a9cf7
comment
Earn Your Happy Ending: Simon Heyworth commented that the cover of "The Sailor's Hornpipe" was added to the end of Part Two because it otherwise ended on a gloomy note.
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_f64a9cf7
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_f64a9cf7
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tubular Bells (Music)
hasFeature
Tubular Bells (Music) / int_f64a9cf7
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_name
type
ItemName
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_name
comment
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_name
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_name
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tubular Bells (Music)
hasFeature
Tubular Bells (Music) / int_name
 Tubular Bells (Music) / int_name
itemName
Tubular Bells (Music)

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Tubular Bells (Music)
hasFeature
Boléro Effect / int_5b8d82c2
 Tubular Bells (Music)
hasFeature
British Music / int_5b8d82c2
 Tubular Bells (Music)
hasFeature
Covered Up / int_5b8d82c2
 Tubular Bells (Music)
hasFeature
Longest Song Goes First / int_5b8d82c2
 Tubular Bells (Music)
hasFeature
Progressive Rock / int_5b8d82c2
 Tubular Bells (Music)
hasFeature
Scare Chord / int_5b8d82c2
 Tubular Bells (Music)
hasFeature
Sequel Gap / int_5b8d82c2