Entertainment For Lively Minds
Tubular Balls
Well, maybe that's a bit harsh. Inspired by last Friday's Prog Rock Britannia I listened to Tubular Bells for the first time in at least 30 years and lo! I have found yet another record that will never ever sound as good on my system as it does in my head. Given the limitations of the times, it is of course a prime example triumph over adversity and as someone once said of a walking dog, the miracle lies not so much in the expertise but the fact it was able to get done at all. This is especially true, given that Tubular Bells could very easily be made nowadays on something as simple (and as free) as Garage Band, in a fraction of the time.
But. Not all the ideas gell, the thing is riddled with mistakes and small wonder the MO continues to re-record the damn thing as he searches for the perfect version.
I prefer side two.
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Funny you should mention this
I got up early last Sunday and turned on WFUV from New York. It was a late night session over there and the dj was playing what was obviously Tubular Bells but a completely different version to the one I know. It was pretty good but it is fairly obvious this is a massive millstone round Mike Oldfields neck. It must be so upsetting to start off with something so widely familiar, so loved by the public that the chances of ever surpassing it are slim.(I just know there will be comments suggesting that Ommadawn or Hergest Ridge are better but are they really?)
Yes
Hergest Ridge Side One is the bomb.
Yes
"Ommadawn" is tons better than "Tubular Bells". "Hergest Ridge" is patchy. As for "TB" I prefer "Tubular Bells 3" out of all the versions.
Oh, and in my opinion "Amarok" is the best thing he's ever done, but it isn't for everybody.
Oddly enough
I'm listening to Amarok right as I'm typing and it is rather fabulous.
The only thing that grates on me is the (late) Janet Brown's Thatcher impersonation towards the end, which is a bit self-consciously "wacky" as far as I'm concerned.
But it's chock full of lovely melodies and a great showcase for his guitar playing.
Actually...
When "Ommadawn" was reissued recently the deluxe edition came with a rough version of it, and at the end of it there is an extended section where Mike is saying bad "I say, I say, I say" jokes. When he was working on "Amarok" Virgin apparently wanted to call it "Tubular Bells 2" but Mike saw it as more of a successor to "Ommadawn", hence the African drumming at the end, choirs, the cover image, and - perhaps - the silly spoken stuff at the end, just like on his original rough sketch.
Oh, and the reason why "Amarok" is so fragmented is apparently because Virgin insisted he released singles from his records - hence the series of pretty poor albums like "Earth Moving", "Heaven's Open" etc. - and he decided to make "Amarok" like it is so that they couldn't get a single-length piece from it that wouldn't have some kind of weird sound effect in it to break the mood. As a result they didn't promote it and it pretty well disappeared.
TB III
Agreed. This is a fabulous piece, sound quality fantastic, melodic, inventive, more oomph than the original. They called it the Ibiza TB, but the idea doesn't really hold up. Never ever understood why people think Amarok is so good, it's just tedious and musicaly undeveloped == hence the gimmickry. There was a really bad patch for MO for quite a long while. Songs of Distant Earth was a return to form, though,a nd some stunning guitar playing.
OTOH
The 2009 stereo mixes sound a zillion times better than the original mixes. Much airier and with more of a feeling of space.
And Stanshall's version of the hornpipe is guaranteed to make me laugh, especially his pissed up difficulty with the words anthropologist and apology
Interesting
You usually talk sense Illuminatus - i love TB and listen to it often. You reckon the remixes are that much better? I'm not interested in the rerecords for the reasons mentioned - I like the original with all its imperfections, not despite them. Like the bit where he sniffs half way through an acoustic guitar solo. I simply could not enjoy it without that sniff. Should I buy the remix?
I think
he means the remix, not the actual re-recording.
The re-recording is pointless.
The remix is pretty good apparently (I haven't actually heard it).
Best mix I've heard? The "Boxed" set one from 1976.
Yes, that's what I mean
NOT the 2003 re-recording which I think is a bit sterile, not a patch on the original and just a bit redundant, really.
What I do notice is that bits of the original mixes that sounded a touch clipped or a bit harsh (like top end stuff on the bells and some of the cymbals etc) sound so much clearer. I have only listened to the stereo mixes, however, so couldn't tell you anything about the SACD transfer, for example.
I remember reading that the original CD transfer of TB was reasonably well thought of, but listening to the 2009 mixes does reveal a fair bit of background detail and definition that always previoiusly sounded a bit muddy to my (cloth) ears.
I understood that
I knew you meant the remix not the rerecord. It's just that frequently remasters don't add a whole lot beyond a bit of volume, and I'm as seduced by them as anyone. Anyway, it's academic, I ordered it and Amazon say it's en route. So it had better be good!
Please
Don't hate me if you disagree :)
Well?
Worth it or not?
Patience grasshopper
I have been giving it a regular listen then will relisten to the original CD I have - and maybe the vinyl too.....then I'll answer definitiviely. But I agree it is nice and clear. And in some places he's mixed the balance of instruments slightly differently which opens them up more. The bloody sniff is gone though. Bastard!
UPDATE
being mildly obsessive, and because I can, I opened the 73 version and the 2009 versions in Wavelab and compared them through studio monitors. The 09 is considerably louder, but what's more interesting is the dynamics as a whole are different - quiet bits are louder, loud bits are quieter, and sections are mixed differently and different instruments EQ'd differently too, and also are panned differently. Blah blah. What it all adds up to for me is I really like the clarity of the 09, and particularly the remixing exposes more instruments and layers which I hadn't hear before. The little acoustic guitar solo about 9 minutes in I prefer in the 73 mix. Including the sniff.
But I'm glad I have it and overall I think it sounds better than the 73. So thanks for the advice!
I'm just happy
not to have made a complete tit of myself.
(breathes sigh of relief)
Tish and poo
Tubular Bells is one of those rare records that sound as magnificent now as it did when I was 17.
Garageband or the ilk could never recreate the woozy imperfections of the original: and Mike Oldfield has proven this himself with his state of the art re-recording with modern technology which sounds dead and lifeless.
Part of the charm of the original are the seat-of-the-pants intricacies and overdubs which are thrillingly human sounding. You can feel the tension of Mike and his cohorts crouching over the 24 track mixing desk doing all the little fades and edits manually and knowing that they would have to start all over again with even the slightest mistake.
And I have long held a theory that the fact that all the guitars are ever-so-slightly out of tune just adds to the dreamy otherworldliness of the whole thing.
Avast ye knave and awa back to your Steve Hillage records!
Ah but actually recorded on 16 tracks
And if memory serves, some of the transitions were done by editing the 2" multitrack master itself mainly because no-one knew they weren't supposed to do it like that.
Good excuse to repost the Brooklyn Organ Synth Orchestra version as well!
That is wonderful
and the gearslut in me loves the fact that they identify each instrument.
Tubular Bells VIII
As performed by Joseph Mythosian. It's only 5 minutes long, starts off sensible and then goes beyond parody. Barmy. Stick with it.
http://www.mythosian.com/music/TubularBellsVIII.mp3
Amarok immortalised in metal
I love Moonlight Shadow
and To France. Have them both on 7 inch, the only pieces of MO I own and I'm happy for it to stay that way.