I came across Mike Oldfield in 1981. In the Flying Magazine. At that time I was all about flying, music was just a little part of entertainment for me. I've read the article, all from the point of view of a pilot, Mike describing how he got involved in flying, because he was afraid of flying, but with the newly gained fame he was "forced" to travel by air. He tackled his demons, not just that, he became a pilot, a man, who really like flying, writes songs about flying. At the time I met him, I had no idea he was a musical genius. Pretty siin, after two or three years after "meeting" him I realised he was one of the few.
When Mike Oldfield did the studio version of Tubular Bells, he played almost all of the instruments and at the age of 19. His music combined both classical and rock genres along with something that sounded futuristic. To me it was absolute genius.
No almost, he played them all. He was working as a musician for other albums of others artists in the first virgin studio and as a "payment" he was allowed to record tubular bells in those same studios. It was like he needed to give life to that piece of music, according to witness he was in tears all the way through the process and it was his very first release. The man is a legend. I love him and thanks him for all the happiness he brought to my heart and brain in very dire Times.
The most amazing thing about Mike Oldfield is that he has NEVER had a music lesson in his life. He can play the guitar like that and many many more instruments at the same level and it’s all self taught. He is a true musical genius.
He attended some musical school (got terrible grades when showing his prowess to the teacher, states in his biography). He also writes his ideas into musical scores as I saw recently on YT or album booklets. Vangelis never had a lesson and wasn't able to read notes. I thought the opposite too 😉
Just small but inportant remark: Oldfield did Not compose Tubular Bells as a score for the Excorcist. The movie only used the composition once it had already been released as a standalone album.
Yup, I had the original quadraphonic formatted album and later after the movie came out they put a small Exorcist sticker on later prints to boost sales. Still have the album but not the quadraphonic one.
I heard the film segment first and it was so cool when the next part jumped in as the first of many great twists and turns throughout the rest of the album.
My advice is to listen to as many of Mike Oldfield's albums as possible. All of them are good. My favourites are Crises, Five Miles Out, and Tubular Bells 2.
Mike wrote Punkadiddle in defiance to Virgin becoming known as the 'Punk' label and not promoting his albums to their fullest extent. Playing shirtless was because Virgin signed the Sex Pistols and Sid Vicious regularly played bare-chested.
The father of trance music. No other guitarist can get more from 2 or 3 notes. His style is so unique you can recognise his playing so easily. The only guitarist instrumentalist who gets away with it for me and keeps it interesting. All respect to guitar virtuosos like Vai, Satriani, Malmsteen but they could learn a few things from Mike about creating interesting instrumentals that are more than noodling.
My favorite piece of Mike is First excursion. He is an incredible composer (for example the album 'Incantations' is a masterpiece) but for me the sound of his guitar is his best gift to music.
@@redmed10 Trance to me has always been that, but explicitly in a club/house/dance electronic format. I was big into trance when I was a kid and that's what all the music I found and listened to was called and sounded like. Mike's music certainly is entrancing, and anyone's taste in music and what they call it is their right, but because of my history and the majority classification of it it's just weird to me to hear Mike's music being called "trance". 😄 I'd call his cover of "Romance" trance though from Light & Shade.
Mike had an incredible tone from 1973 to 1985, a crying distortion, obviously using Mesa Boogie amps and Gibson guitars. Along with his finger style playing and vibrato. I also read that in the 70s he used an amp, but used the preamp of an old tape recorder to overload the amp and this gave him a very thick distortion with a long sustain that sounds like his guitar is going to burst under the strain of a turbo driven engine!!! The sound changed after in the mid to late 80s and by TB2 it is a warmer, less aggressive tone. His clean Strat tone on Crises and Discovery is class too. The distorted tone on Ommadawn, Incantation, Platinum, QE2, Five Miles Out, Crises and Discovery is nothing short of awesome, totally original and instantly identifiable. Check out the B-sides, In The Pool, Afghan too for great burning lead tone. The final part of Ommadawn Part 2 is incredible. Funny how Mike and Mark Knopfler are two of the greatest guitarists to come out of Britain and neither use picks. Mike is one of the most underrated guitarists I must add. Similar to Prince, who is more famous for the music rather than the actual guitar playing and technique. Finally I ditched picks in 2010 and discovered a whole new world of playing. Hate the sight of the damn things! Nice analysis there young man and thanks for highlighting Mike Oldfield's amazing guitar style and tone. Regards, A
Mike was a major talent. Haters just don't get it. Artisty is often hard for the masses to understand.There are people who hear music and those who really LISTEN to music. The artisty. Thanks Fil! U being a musician get it. You are a listener. Great analysis! 😎🎼🎶🎵🇨🇦
I completely relate to this comment. I don't want to boast or act superior or anything, but I love every Mike Oldfield album, and I try to get my friends to listen to his music, and when they do, they just don't have the patience to listen to it, and they don't enjoy it, because they don't understand.
@Hector Funny you reply now, because as of the last few months, a few friends of mine, and my cousin, have actually begun listening to Mike because of me lol.
I love Mike's great tease of the audience where just a very few but very recognisable notes of Ommadawn are struck. That's why they are cheering back at him.
Sad days back then...when poor musicians could not even afford a shirt 😂 Seriously nice drum kit though! Mike Oldfield is, without doubt, one gifted human.
Such a phenomenally underrated guitarist and writer. Also a fascinating, enigmatic person. No one else sounds like Mike Oldfield. I bought a Gibson SG Jr after watching a DVD of this performance (and I can’t play it even slightly as well as he can).
Mike is a musical genius, I have all his albums. When I was 12 years old, the first album I bought with my own money was Platinum. I didn't know anything about Mike at the time I bought the album casue I thought it had a cool cover. After that I couldn't help myself, as soon as I had enough money I went back to the store and bought Tubular Bells. I love Mike as a composer and musician, he is absolutely unique.
I've always been mesmerised by this man's music. There is simply nobody like him. You can say two things for certain about Mike Oldfield's music. One - he has worked successfully in many musical styles - rock, classical, blues, ambient, folk, gospel, and many others - and yet - Two - he is always identifiable. That's an incredible pairing of attributes. I doubt anybody can claim the same.Secondly, thank you for the analysis. It was extremely interesting. And as somebody else says on this thread - maybe you can take a look at his work on acoustic guitars. He plays a mean Spanish too.
He is so much more than just Tubular Bells or this piece which is a fight back against punk. He has over 25 studio albums and although the first four are the most fondly remembered, he has created a vast range of musical styles and is the most talented multi instrumentalist and music engineer.
He actually makes his guitar sound like bagpipes there for a bit and then moves on to sounding like a violin. I really like Mike's playing. He has a great piece he plays with a German electronic artist Schiller that I love. Also want to check out the song with Max Bacon, who I like when he was with GTR. Great analysis of this!
"Tubular Bells" is a really interesting piece. When I watched the movie, the music was ominous and eery, but when I listened to the album at home, it was quite the opposite...
He applies vibrato by moving his fingers side-to-side, which is a violin technique, extremely uncommon for someone to do on guitar. Really changes the sound.
@@brettlewismusic it's generally not the way it's taught though. I know of a few well known players that use it regularly - but I can count them on one hand.
Mike Oldfield is the best musician of the twentieth century. Incredible genius and multi-instrumentalist. For me the best guitarist ever. Great melodies, sonorous instruments combined with such beautiful Celtic music. Mike Oldfield's music is not primitive rock n roll music to drink beer and sing along to in any bar. His music is very intelligent and considered music creation on a completely different level. Like Franz Schubert, Johann Sebastian Bach or Bethoven. I'm a musician myself and a big fan of Mike Oldfield.
I have been an admirer of Mike Oldfield since I first heard Tubular Bells in 1973. It's strange that although the intro of T.Bs. was used for a movie that scared the life out of us,but the rest of this expansive track is absolutely gorgeous. Omadawn was another beautiful more folk oriented album, but still as amazing and haunting as Tubular Bells. On another note. I would love to see an analysis of anything by Gentle Giant. There is "alot going on" in their music both instrumentally and vocally. The way the individual members switch instruments (violins cellos tin whistles brass instruments etc. from traditional electric rock instruments in the context of the compositions is wonderful. But this might be a bit much for most of your viewers. Anyway, thank you again Fil for your fun insightful analysis. Cheers.
Variety is certainly the spice of this channel. From Marty Robbins directly to Mike Oldfield. The shear volume of education you provide is astounding. And...Leon Redbone.
Great to see this. It's pretty amazing, given MO's fantastic output over the decades, that there are so few "reaction videos" on RUclips. Always loved his style and mood changes, from melancholy to manic.
Exploring the boundaries, even the very limits of musical expression, is always greatly enhanced with the aid of copious amounts of chemical stimuli. These guys were really, really good at soaring to ever higher realms and thankfully taking us along for the ride. Another excellent video Fil, thanks so much for this brilliant look at another awesome entertainer.
From album "Platinum", called "Punkadiddle", Oi ! That album is along with QE II a transitional period which led towards "Five Miles Out" and "Crises". They have both long instrumentals and shorter songs with vocal parts. As for guitar solos, the one on "Incantations Part IV" on live album "Exposed" is also splendid.
@@234cheech I have the album and the only lyrics on the piece is a choir of "Oi ! " in strategic places. It is a parody on then fairly new wave and especially punk. However I don't know the origins of the main melody. :)
Close your eyes and you would think a violin is playing. Mike has quite a unique style. You can tell he has a classical music background. Thanks for sharing Fil. Cheers!!!
Some interesting facts: Tubular Bells wasn't made for The Exorcist, and all variations Mike introduced to the piece in live performances during the late 70's and 80's were to distance the composition from the film. Also, it was composed at a time where Mike was just not well psychologically, and you can hear that in the sound of his albums up to the second half of *"Incantations"* which was made after he went through a form of therapy called Exegesis in 1978, which helped him mend a lot of his emotional wounds, but his music lost a bit of that anxious edge that his earlier stuff has. Punkadiddle is a post Exegesis composition.
My band played the opening of the Exorcist, Bach-Joy, and Peanuts and Pink Panther Theme...we usually hit the pink panther when we’d go to break...love Mike and his SG...I played one in my touring days...I had 4 Les Pauls...to heavy...but I also love my Ibanez Joe Satriani 1999...talented musician man...thank u for the memories...I had the album! I never owned a Chravel but I did want a 1975 guitar just like Dime Bag...except couldn’t afford ...it was beautiful sunburst! And man it played like a dream...I own 6 Taylor acoustics and 2 martins and 2 classical guitars and that still doesn’t add up all my guitars...I gave up my dbl stack marshal and went to Mesa...I wanted to try a 5150, but didn’t have the money...I use a midi rack mount now and a Boss all inclusive Pedal board.
I never knew Mike Oldfield embarrassingly but his Tubular Bell video showed up on the Recommended list yesterday so I clicked on it and I got so fascinated ! Immediately I came to your channel to see if you have done any analysis on him, and of course you have ! Fil, you are like rock music encyclopedia ! If I want to find out more about a musician, I can always turn to you.
I have this show on DVD. INCREDIBLE! Ommadawn is my favorite of the show. My favorite Oldfield offering that I've heard. Hergest Ridge, not performed at this performance, is my second favorite Oldfield offering then Tubular Bells.. I first heard at 11 or 12 years old before being it was used as a soundtrack to The Exorcist. Ommadawn is so beautiful. It should be covered
just a thought that this man did instrumental rock/prog/jazz/classical all mixed together.. this style is one of my fave`s.. analysis is about the best!! love the guitar work..
Most underrated guitarist of all time. TUBULAR BELLS II is my favourite album of all time, and the reason I've played guitar for 20 years. Shame there's no live Amarok guitar pieces, amazing.
This musician, while not so well known is one of the top progressive music composers of all time. An amazing performer and greatly respected in music circles for his unique musical abilities. There's no question he is a musical genius and I make it a point to listen to him regularly. The 1973 BBC Tubular Bells Live certainly deserves an analysis video despite it's length. It's very important. He is arguably the most emotive musician in progressive rock music of all time, and that's saying quite bit considering that he emerged at a time that just simply cannot be replicated. Bands like King Crimson, Yes, ELP, and several others, were already producing high quality music. Thus the progressive rock music genre had no scarcity of accomplished song writers and topflight performers. Sadly, these days, we just rarely see this level of musicianship and much less originality. In short; Mike Oldfield is a musical god, and it pains me, I never saw him live. Spot on analysis video of progressive music royalty. Thank you Fil.
I ve seen him here in Germany where he s highly respected and has lots of fans at every age. It was the "Discovery Tour" 1984 with Barry Palmer, Maggy Reilly and Simon Philips at the drums. Never forget it. I was 16. Can t believe it. If would have died the next day I wouldn t have complained.
Nice mention of Maggie Riley, who I always thought should have become a star in her own right. Mike also recorded several songs with his sister Sally Oldfield. My favourite Mike Oldfield song featuring a guest vocalist is Shadow on the Wall, featuring Roger Chapman (lead singer of Family and Streetwalkers). Also on that is a second guitarist credited as 'Ant' (real name Anthony Glynne), who makes for a dramatic contrast with Oldfield's sound.
The huge favor that THE EXORCIST did was to expose more people to Mike's work. The disservice was that people were forever creeped out by the theme because of the movie, some never realizing that the piece was selected by director William Friedkin to match the seconds-long scene in which it appears to set the ambiance, which was a perfect melding. HOWEVER - they never chose to check out the entire album, which is a brilliant composition in its own right, independent of the film. By now, though, it's received worldwide acclaim as his masterwork.
I stumbled upon your channel somehow but I’m glad I did! I don’t know the ins and outs of music and vocals and octaves but I am in love with your channel! I do love good music and also you have the cutest smile 😍
Showmanship is something that was a HUGE step for him, having admitted that he used to suffer from nearly-paralyzing stage fright. The fact that he was able to do a series of concerts between the late Seventies - late Eighties was a pretty remarkable feat. It could also explains why he did so very few performances in the U.S., sad to say.
Sadly, I think the more pertinent reason for him doing few US performances was simply that he wasn't well-known and successful enough in the States to justify touring there to any great degree. To this day, if Americans have heard of him at all, it's likely to be as "the Exorcist guy".
Went to see him at Wembley in the 80s the real mix up with the seating and tickets and with the thousands there I ended up sitting next to my sister and her husband !
Oldfield has incredible technic and musicality! I watched a live video of the band doing “Tubular Bells “ , really mind blowing! Here is a suggestion for analysis ( apropos of nothing,as it were ) :Sonny Landreth . He is one of the most incredible slide players! He has that same technicality in his playing that you see in an Oldfield or Vai , he’s done several albums solo, as well as playing with John Mayall and the blues breakers, John Hiatt, Clapton, Mark Knopfler and tons more. If nothing else, just give him a listen ( I recommend the track “ Congo Square “ ).
I'm just learning how to play guitar, so that was very interesting and I learned some things from you! Thank you! While I was a fan of Oldfield's music in the 70s - early 90s, I lost track of him. Until two months ago the most recent album of his that I owned was Voyager and while listening to it during this very stressful lockdown period about a month ago I found it so comforting and inspiring, I wanted to catch up and also see if he recorded anything recently. To my surprise and delight I found Return to Ommadawn and I LOVE it! It's the most recent album, released in 2017. Have you listened to it yet? He seems to have retired from performing so you won't find any videos of him performing parts of it. It's a shame that he's retired as a performer. I saw him on my birthday in 1982 in NYC and in 1993 in Los Angeles and he's a wonderful performer. I love how he interacted with his audience in this video. Thanks!
Fantastic analysis, Fil. This is only the second of your videos I've watched, but the way you really dig into the performance, giving it proper critical and informative analysis, and clearly enjoy yourself at the same time has won me over (it doesn't hurt that I'm a mad Mike Oldfield fan either). Subbed!
So glad you liked this look into Mike Oldfield. He is such a superb and criminally underrated guitarist and musician. I've been a fan of his for many years, Punkadiddle and the Platinum album along with Tubular Bells were my first introduction. This performance is from one of his best live DVDs and is at a point in his career where he became more rock style. Please do another Mike Oldfield video. l suggest the first half of 'Crises' from the 'Crises At Wembley 83' video which you can find on RUclips. Looking forward to watching you analyse other great guitarists too.
Thanks for reacting to my recommendation Fil, I wanted to choose a track that focused on his guitar playing, and something a lot of people won't have heard of. There are lots of great performances of Mike out there, so I hope people check out more of his work, he is a great acoustic player too. He has great tone on the Strat and PRS too.
I really enjoy listening to extended Instrumental music . Tangerine Dream are my favourite in this category. Shpongle are a close second, with special mention to " Tales of Mystery and Imagination " by The Alan Parsons Project.
Mike is playing a 1962 Gibson SG Junior, probably a $150 guitar off the shelf. Just goes to show you talent can overcome equipment. No telling what he had done to it though...The best performance he did at this Montreux Jazz Festival was Ommadawn but was very long. Great analysis Fil....Mike is one gifted guy. Rick Fenn of 10cc on bass and various instruments.
I used to watch a Dutch game show back in the mid/late 80's that had this piece as its theme music, and I was sure it was by a Dutch artist also (possibly The Nits). It was only last year when I found out with surprise this was actually Mike Oldfield! I'm more familiar with his work from the 'Five Miles Out' album onwards. Thank you for the video, Fil! :-)
Yeah yeah so I'm 4 years late with this comment, what the hey. Was watching listening to this bit of Montreux and up came the analysis. Your initial emphasis on composition is absolutely spot on. And this is where "classical" music should have gone rather than off into the atonal sterilities. The last nearly 50 years I've remained irritated and furious that MO has never had the level of acceptance as a composer. To some (a decreasing) extent that's been true of the top film composers too. On the technique, I've looked with huge interest at his classical playing which you''ve highlighted brilliantly. And thank you for your clear and forceful pointing-out that Mike went through the technical mill to get to the standard of proficiency that allows one to play own compositions accurately, with authority, and with genuine soul/feeling. (People use to say to me "aren't you lucky to be able to play like that (piano)." And I think--18 years of training, 12,000 hrs of practice in the last 5 years of formal training. Gee. Luck.)
Imagine what it would be like to be a musician in Mike's band . It may well be very intimidating seeing as how Mike himself is a vastly talented multi-instrumentalist !
It's amazing to note that the Gibson SG is the same guitar used to such great effect by Angus Young of AC/DC too. I tried using finger picks once, but they didn't agree with me because there was no feedback. At least with longer nails, however unsightly they may be to the casual observer, there is a connection that can be used to great effect.
You do know he didn't write that music FOR The Exorcist, it was written a few years earlier, and used in the movie because it fit the emotion the director wanted for the audience to feel. I hear Tubular Bells and there is nothing "creepy" about it. It's a magnificent work... history making like Beethoven's fifth symphony, in it's ability to drag the listener through the darkest caverns of their souls and shoot them back to a brilliant world full of goodness and hope. You need to listen to more than just one piece. IMO, Punkadiddle isn't even the best of his work, but I am so glad you heard it and appreciate Mike's talent. I should have waited... Speaking of other artists singing his work, the most recognizable would Mooonlight Shadow that you mention, but there was also Family Man, sung by Hall and Oats. I don't know how high it got on the charts, but damn if I didn't hear it everwhere for a couple of years back in the 80's.
It was 1999. I was 10 years old. A friend and I used to sneak into my mom and dad's collection of old 8 track movies they had hidden away, and we would watch them when we were left alone. One day we watched The Exorcist. Scared us both to death. Haven't been able to hear Tubular Bells without rapidly increasing my pulse rate ever since. So Fil, why not go way off the beaten path and do an analysis on the cover of AC/DC's Thunderstruck by 2 Cellos?? I laughed so hard I...well, let's just say it was very, very funny! The faces on the people (stuffed shirts) in the audience in the end.....priceless! ❤❤❤
Brilliant analysis! Mike Oldfield is an absolute genius. Just in case anyone wanted to hear a resolved version of Punkadiddle there is video of Mike's called 'Blue Danube, Vienne July 20th 1981! Check this out too Fil!
I'm so glad I was familiar with the Tubular Bells album before I saw The Exorcist, because I may never have bought the album. Because, I love that album.
Great video. I had to subcribe for this brilliant analysis of one of my favorite artists, who deserves to be known for far more than Tubular Bells, Moonlight Shadow and Islands. I mean Amarok, Songs of distant earth, Music of the Spheres, Ommadawn, Family man, and Discovery is pure genius!
Mike is one of the most original and overlooked of guitarists.
Indeed so at least in the U.S
I wouldn't necessarily say he is overlooked, very popular where I live
Truly, a classical composer.
Just guitarists? Musicians.
I came across Mike Oldfield in 1981. In the Flying Magazine. At that time I was all about flying, music was just a little part of entertainment for me. I've read the article, all from the point of view of a pilot, Mike describing how he got involved in flying, because he was afraid of flying, but with the newly gained fame he was "forced" to travel by air. He tackled his demons, not just that, he became a pilot, a man, who really like flying, writes songs about flying.
At the time I met him, I had no idea he was a musical genius. Pretty siin, after two or three years after "meeting" him I realised he was one of the few.
When Mike Oldfield did the studio version of Tubular Bells, he played almost all of the instruments and at the age of 19. His music combined both classical and rock genres along with something that sounded futuristic. To me it was absolute genius.
No almost, he played them all. He was working as a musician for other albums of others artists in the first virgin studio and as a "payment" he was allowed to record tubular bells in those same studios. It was like he needed to give life to that piece of music, according to witness he was in tears all the way through the process and it was his very first release. The man is a legend. I love him and thanks him for all the happiness he brought to my heart and brain in very dire Times.
The most amazing thing about Mike Oldfield is that he has NEVER had a music lesson in his life. He can play the guitar like that and many many more instruments at the same level and it’s all self taught. He is a true musical genius.
Das ist absolut so
Indeed so he can play pretty much all instruments !
It helped that he lived his music. He literally devoted his early life to his music.
He attended some musical school (got terrible grades when showing his prowess to the teacher, states in his biography). He also writes his ideas into musical scores as I saw recently on YT or album booklets. Vangelis never had a lesson and wasn't able to read notes. I thought the opposite too 😉
Just small but inportant remark: Oldfield did Not compose Tubular Bells as a score for the Excorcist. The movie only used the composition once it had already been released as a standalone album.
There's a dorm scene with Tubular bells playing in the background too.
Yep you are correct.. The opening part of TB was perfect for the film..
Yup, I had the original quadraphonic formatted album and later after the movie came out they put a small Exorcist sticker on later prints to boost sales. Still have the album but not the quadraphonic one.
I heard the film segment first and it was so cool when the next part jumped in as the first of many great twists and turns throughout the rest of the album.
correct!
Other people: I love Tubular Bells!
Me: ...but have you heard Crises?
I NEVER HEARD A GUITAR SOUND LIKE THAT BEFORE COOL😍😍😍
My thoughts exactly. And it's beautiful.
He ran through a bunch of gain and EQ stages back then. It’s a much more complex tone than he’s used in more recent years.
Oh mike caresses his instruments. Makes them all sing in ways you didn’t know possible
My advice is to listen to as many of Mike Oldfield's albums as possible. All of them are good. My favourites are Crises, Five Miles Out, and Tubular Bells 2.
My very favorite musician of all time, Mike Oldfield!
Aye mine TO>
He's a genius, nothing more to say
Mike wrote Punkadiddle in defiance to Virgin becoming known as the 'Punk' label and not promoting his albums to their fullest extent. Playing shirtless was because Virgin signed the Sex Pistols and Sid Vicious regularly played bare-chested.
Thanks for the context. ✨🤗✨
The father of trance music. No other guitarist can get more from 2 or 3 notes. His style is so unique you can recognise his playing so easily. The only guitarist instrumentalist who gets away with it for me and keeps it interesting. All respect to guitar virtuosos like Vai, Satriani, Malmsteen but they could learn a few things from Mike about creating interesting instrumentals that are more than noodling.
Yeah, he is a great composer who also happens to be a genius guitar player :)
My favorite piece of Mike is First excursion.
He is an incredible composer (for example the album 'Incantations' is a masterpiece) but for me the sound of his guitar is his best gift to music.
What's your definition of trance? I think it differs from my definition.
@@BrandonBlume
Recurring patterns which are hypnotic like.
@@redmed10 Trance to me has always been that, but explicitly in a club/house/dance electronic format. I was big into trance when I was a kid and that's what all the music I found and listened to was called and sounded like. Mike's music certainly is entrancing, and anyone's taste in music and what they call it is their right, but because of my history and the majority classification of it it's just weird to me to hear Mike's music being called "trance". 😄 I'd call his cover of "Romance" trance though from Light & Shade.
Mike had an incredible tone from 1973 to 1985, a crying distortion, obviously using Mesa Boogie amps and Gibson guitars. Along with his finger style playing and vibrato. I also read that in the 70s he used an amp, but used the preamp of an old tape recorder to overload the amp and this gave him a very thick distortion with a long sustain that sounds like his guitar is going to burst under the strain of a turbo driven engine!!! The sound changed after in the mid to late 80s and by TB2 it is a warmer, less aggressive tone. His clean Strat tone on Crises and Discovery is class too. The distorted tone on Ommadawn, Incantation, Platinum, QE2, Five Miles Out, Crises and Discovery is nothing short of awesome, totally original and instantly identifiable. Check out the B-sides, In The Pool, Afghan too for great burning lead tone. The final part of Ommadawn Part 2 is incredible. Funny how Mike and Mark Knopfler are two of the greatest guitarists to come out of Britain and neither use picks. Mike is one of the most underrated guitarists I must add. Similar to Prince, who is more famous for the music rather than the actual guitar playing and technique. Finally I ditched picks in 2010 and discovered a whole new world of playing. Hate the sight of the damn things! Nice analysis there young man and thanks for highlighting Mike Oldfield's amazing guitar style and tone. Regards, A
Roll that beautiful overdrive.. ✨
Mike was a major talent. Haters just don't get it. Artisty is often hard for the masses to understand.There are people who hear music and those who really LISTEN to music. The artisty. Thanks Fil! U being a musician get it. You are a listener. Great analysis! 😎🎼🎶🎵🇨🇦
I completely relate to this comment. I don't want to boast or act superior or anything, but I love every Mike Oldfield album, and I try to get my friends to listen to his music, and when they do, they just don't have the patience to listen to it, and they don't enjoy it, because they don't understand.
@Hector Funny you reply now, because as of the last few months, a few friends of mine, and my cousin, have actually begun listening to Mike because of me lol.
I love Mike's great tease of the audience where just a very few but very recognisable notes of Ommadawn are struck. That's why they are cheering back at him.
Sad days back then...when poor musicians could not even afford a shirt 😂 Seriously nice drum kit though! Mike Oldfield is, without doubt, one gifted human.
Neal Schier - 😂 Good one! Or when there’s a Battle Of The Band’s final showdown where one band is “shirts” and the other is “skins”...
At least they didn't come out with socks on their cocks like the Red Hot Chili Peppers...it was in France. Aren't they pretty liberal?
Interesting fact: Mike and the band always took their shirts off when playing Punkadiddle.
What makes Mike so unique: He´s a first class composer who also happens to be a great guitarist.
Still gets goosebumps over his playing here in 2022.
Also a brilliant and informative analyse.
Cheers from Denmark 🇩🇰
His latest album - Return to Ommadawn is his best in years. Really very good.
“On horseback? … get out… I’d rather be here”..
✨✊✨
The guitar playing unbelievable
I want to congratulate you 100,000 you deserve it Fil Thank you 😊
Thanks!
Such a phenomenally underrated guitarist and writer. Also a fascinating, enigmatic person. No one else sounds like Mike Oldfield. I bought a Gibson SG Jr after watching a DVD of this performance (and I can’t play it even slightly as well as he can).
Mike is a musical genius, I have all his albums. When I was 12 years old, the first album I bought with my own money was Platinum. I didn't know anything about Mike at the time I bought the album casue I thought it had a cool cover. After that I couldn't help myself, as soon as I had enough money I went back to the store and bought Tubular Bells. I love Mike as a composer and musician, he is absolutely unique.
I've always been mesmerised by this man's music. There is simply nobody like him. You can say two things for certain about Mike Oldfield's music. One - he has worked successfully in many musical styles - rock, classical, blues, ambient, folk, gospel, and many others - and yet - Two - he is always identifiable. That's an incredible pairing of attributes. I doubt anybody can claim the same.Secondly, thank you for the analysis. It was extremely interesting. And as somebody else says on this thread - maybe you can take a look at his work on acoustic guitars. He plays a mean Spanish too.
The fast triplets section in Ommadawn, and Incantations Part 3 solos are amazing.
Love this guy..TUBULAR BELLS IS MY RINGTONE!!
Mine too
It's also mine as well.
Mine the very end of side two: 'The Sailor´s Hornpipe'! :-) (but so now i have problems really wanting to take on the call :-/)
He is so much more than just Tubular Bells or this piece which is a fight back against punk. He has over 25 studio albums and although the first four are the most fondly remembered, he has created a vast range of musical styles and is the most talented multi instrumentalist and music engineer.
It's funny watching Mike onstage watching all the musicians playing the instruments he played on his albums
Great analysis of Mike Oldfield's playing. I've been a fan of his for so many years and I'm constantly amazed at his incredible talent.
He actually makes his guitar sound like bagpipes there for a bit and then moves on to sounding like a violin. I really like Mike's playing. He has a great piece he plays with a German electronic artist Schiller that I love.
Also want to check out the song with Max Bacon, who I like when he was with GTR. Great analysis of this!
I did once read an interview with him where he said he aimed to make his guitar sound like bagpipes so well spotted!
"Tubular Bells" is a really interesting piece. When I watched the movie, the music was ominous and eery, but when I listened to the album at home, it was quite the opposite...
Freeda Peeple my Auntie used to play it as holiday music!
I showed my young daughter the first minute of the BBC performance. She said "It sounds scary".
@RDE Lutherie lol I only just now noticed I had said "the movie" instead of naming it. Oops.
I hit the thumbs up button so hard I broke my phone screen
He plays the guitar kind of like a violin.
bagpipes too
Spot on. Doesn't " sound" like a guitar.
He applies vibrato by moving his fingers side-to-side, which is a violin technique, extremely uncommon for someone to do on guitar. Really changes the sound.
@@lapelcelery42 - sorry Thomas, it's not uncommon.
@@brettlewismusic it's generally not the way it's taught though. I know of a few well known players that use it regularly - but I can count them on one hand.
Mike Oldfield is the best musician of the twentieth century. Incredible genius and multi-instrumentalist. For me the best guitarist ever. Great melodies, sonorous instruments combined with such beautiful Celtic music. Mike Oldfield's music is not primitive rock n roll music to drink beer and sing along to in any bar. His music is very intelligent and considered music creation on a completely different level. Like Franz Schubert, Johann Sebastian Bach or Bethoven. I'm a musician myself and a big fan of Mike Oldfield.
Mike Oldfield is a master of melodies.
Mike is the best guitarist and composer in the world way underrated
I have been an admirer of Mike Oldfield since I first heard Tubular Bells in 1973. It's strange that although the intro of T.Bs. was used for a movie that scared the life out of us,but the rest of this expansive track is absolutely gorgeous. Omadawn was another beautiful more folk oriented album, but still as amazing and haunting as Tubular Bells. On another note. I would love to see an analysis of anything by Gentle Giant. There is "alot going on" in their music both instrumentally and vocally. The way the individual members switch instruments (violins cellos tin whistles brass instruments etc. from traditional electric rock instruments in the context of the compositions is wonderful. But this might be a bit much for most of your viewers. Anyway, thank you again Fil for your fun insightful analysis. Cheers.
Variety is certainly the spice of this channel. From Marty Robbins directly to Mike Oldfield. The shear volume of education you provide is astounding. And...Leon Redbone.
Great to see this. It's pretty amazing, given MO's fantastic output over the decades, that there are so few "reaction videos" on RUclips. Always loved his style and mood changes, from melancholy to manic.
Exploring the boundaries, even the very limits of musical expression, is always greatly enhanced with the aid of copious amounts of chemical stimuli. These guys were really, really good at soaring to ever higher realms and thankfully taking us along for the ride. Another excellent video Fil, thanks so much for this brilliant look at another awesome entertainer.
Mike certainly has my respect as a musician and composer and deserved of Fil's analysis - don't know about this piece though.
Rock!
:-)
From album "Platinum", called "Punkadiddle", Oi ! That album is along with QE II a transitional period which led towards "Five Miles Out" and "Crises". They have both long instrumentals and shorter songs with vocal parts.
As for guitar solos, the one on "Incantations Part IV" on live album "Exposed" is also splendid.
its a nursery ryhme
@@234cheech I have the album and the only lyrics on the piece is a choir of "Oi ! " in strategic places. It is a parody on then fairly new wave and especially punk. However I don't know the origins of the main melody. :)
@@onsesejoo2605 Thanks for the insight.
Close your eyes and you would think a violin is playing. Mike has quite a unique style. You can tell he has a classical music background. Thanks for sharing Fil. Cheers!!!
He doesn't have a classical background at all. When talking about his fingerpicking style, he has always said it came directly out of folk picking.
@@dunebasher1971 interesting 🤔
Some interesting facts: Tubular Bells wasn't made for The Exorcist, and all variations Mike introduced to the piece in live performances during the late 70's and 80's were to distance the composition from the film. Also, it was composed at a time where Mike was just not well psychologically, and you can hear that in the sound of his albums up to the second half of *"Incantations"* which was made after he went through a form of therapy called Exegesis in 1978, which helped him mend a lot of his emotional wounds, but his music lost a bit of that anxious edge that his earlier stuff has. Punkadiddle is a post Exegesis composition.
My band played the opening of the Exorcist, Bach-Joy, and Peanuts and Pink Panther Theme...we usually hit the pink panther when we’d go to break...love Mike and his SG...I played one in my touring days...I had 4 Les Pauls...to heavy...but I also love my Ibanez Joe Satriani 1999...talented musician man...thank u for the memories...I had the album! I never owned a Chravel but I did want a 1975 guitar just like Dime Bag...except couldn’t afford ...it was beautiful sunburst! And man it played like a dream...I own 6 Taylor acoustics and 2 martins and 2 classical guitars and that still doesn’t add up all my guitars...I gave up my dbl stack marshal and went to Mesa...I wanted to try a 5150, but didn’t have the money...I use a midi rack mount now and a Boss all inclusive Pedal board.
Interesting composition made way more interesting by your analysis, Fil. Thank you!
I never knew Mike Oldfield embarrassingly but his Tubular Bell video showed up on the Recommended list yesterday so I clicked on it and I got so fascinated ! Immediately I came to your channel to see if you have done any analysis on him, and of course you have ! Fil, you are like rock music encyclopedia ! If I want to find out more about a musician, I can always turn to you.
This analysis video is actually what got me more interested in Mike Oldfield. Great analysis and great music !
I have this show on DVD. INCREDIBLE! Ommadawn is my favorite of the show. My favorite Oldfield offering that I've heard. Hergest Ridge, not performed at this performance, is my second favorite Oldfield offering then Tubular Bells.. I first heard at 11 or 12 years old before being it was used as a soundtrack to The Exorcist. Ommadawn is so beautiful. It should be covered
just a thought that this man did instrumental rock/prog/jazz/classical all mixed together.. this style is one of my fave`s.. analysis is about the best!! love the guitar work..
What can I say? Mike is an artist, pure and simple. Great breakdown Fil!!
Most underrated guitarist of all time. TUBULAR BELLS II is my favourite album of all time, and the reason I've played guitar for 20 years. Shame there's no live Amarok guitar pieces, amazing.
Escuche la version original varias veces y es hipnótica. Saludos desde Chile !!
Congratulations on 100,000 subs!!
Thanks!
I love when he gets recognition beyond just Tubular Bells.
BTW that concert is great.
This musician, while not so well known is one of the top progressive music composers of all time. An amazing performer and greatly respected in music circles for his unique musical abilities. There's no question he is a musical genius and I make it a point to listen to him regularly. The 1973 BBC Tubular Bells Live certainly deserves an analysis video despite it's length. It's very important. He is arguably the most emotive musician in progressive rock music of all time, and that's saying quite bit considering that he emerged at a time that just simply cannot be replicated. Bands like King Crimson, Yes, ELP, and several others, were already producing high quality music. Thus the progressive rock music genre had no scarcity of accomplished song writers and topflight performers. Sadly, these days, we just rarely see this level of musicianship and much less originality. In short; Mike Oldfield is a musical god, and it pains me, I never saw him live. Spot on analysis video of progressive music royalty. Thank you Fil.
I ve seen him here in Germany where he s highly respected and has lots of fans at every age. It was the "Discovery Tour" 1984 with Barry Palmer, Maggy Reilly and Simon Philips at the drums.
Never forget it. I was 16. Can t believe it.
If would have died the next day I wouldn t have complained.
To my mind, Ommadawn is Mike's greatest composition - and example of his huge musical talents.
Great summary of one of my favourite artists... Thanks for this.. Loved it..
100k subscribers ! Concratulations Fil. Always looking forward to these analyses video's.
Thanks!
Really glad you reviewed this track, just an amazing rendition
Looking at him with no shirt and his Gibson, he's like the anti-Angus Young with his performance. 😖 Fil...you keep us auditioning. 👍
Nice mention of Maggie Riley, who I always thought should have become a star in her own right. Mike also recorded several songs with his sister Sally Oldfield. My favourite Mike Oldfield song featuring a guest vocalist is Shadow on the Wall, featuring Roger Chapman (lead singer of Family and Streetwalkers). Also on that is a second guitarist credited as 'Ant' (real name Anthony Glynne), who makes for a dramatic contrast with Oldfield's sound.
The huge favor that THE EXORCIST did was to expose more people to Mike's work. The disservice was that people were forever creeped out by the theme because of the movie, some never realizing that the piece was selected by director William Friedkin to match the seconds-long scene in which it appears to set the ambiance, which was a perfect melding. HOWEVER - they never chose to check out the entire album, which is a brilliant composition in its own right, independent of the film. By now, though, it's received worldwide acclaim as his masterwork.
The problem with guitar is the better you get is the more you realize your deficiencies. Interesting player and what a great tone.
Tubular bells 2 live edinburgh castle is a must its amazing 30 odd musicians🏴✌
You are such an intelligent analyst. So worth listening to you.
Thank you very much for this video!
Another nice choice. ROCK!✌❤
I stumbled upon your channel somehow but I’m glad I did! I don’t know the ins and outs of music and vocals and octaves but I am in love with your channel! I do love good music and also you have the cutest smile 😍
Showmanship is something that was a HUGE step for him, having admitted that he used to suffer from nearly-paralyzing stage fright. The fact that he was able to do a series of concerts between the late Seventies - late Eighties was a pretty remarkable feat. It could also explains why he did so very few performances in the U.S., sad to say.
Sadly, I think the more pertinent reason for him doing few US performances was simply that he wasn't well-known and successful enough in the States to justify touring there to any great degree. To this day, if Americans have heard of him at all, it's likely to be as "the Exorcist guy".
Once he got over his stage fright, he was actually a cool, charismatic figure on stage (as can be seen here).
Went to see him at Wembley in the 80s the real mix up with the seating and tickets and with the thousands there I ended up sitting next to my sister and her husband !
Oldfield has incredible technic and musicality! I watched a live video of the band doing “Tubular Bells “ , really mind blowing! Here is a suggestion for analysis ( apropos of nothing,as it were ) :Sonny Landreth . He is one of the most incredible slide players! He has that same technicality in his playing that you see in an Oldfield or Vai , he’s done several albums solo, as well as playing with John Mayall and the blues breakers, John Hiatt, Clapton, Mark Knopfler and tons more. If nothing else, just give him a listen ( I recommend the track “ Congo Square “ ).
I second that!!
Genius, with or without a shirt! Thanks Fil
I'm just learning how to play guitar, so that was very interesting and I learned some things from you! Thank you! While I was a fan of Oldfield's music in the 70s - early 90s, I lost track of him. Until two months ago the most recent album of his that I owned was Voyager and while listening to it during this very stressful lockdown period about a month ago I found it so comforting and inspiring, I wanted to catch up and also see if he recorded anything recently. To my surprise and delight I found Return to Ommadawn and I LOVE it! It's the most recent album, released in 2017. Have you listened to it yet? He seems to have retired from performing so you won't find any videos of him performing parts of it. It's a shame that he's retired as a performer. I saw him on my birthday in 1982 in NYC and in 1993 in Los Angeles and he's a wonderful performer. I love how he interacted with his audience in this video. Thanks!
Extraordinario!!!. Saludos desde Chile.
Amazing... thanks so much for your videos
The moment on his album Platinum when Punkadiddle fades out ad the the first notes of the electric piano from I got Rythm sets in is just wonderful.
Fantastic analysis, Fil. This is only the second of your videos I've watched, but the way you really dig into the performance, giving it proper critical and informative analysis, and clearly enjoy yourself at the same time has won me over (it doesn't hurt that I'm a mad Mike Oldfield fan either). Subbed!
So glad you liked this look into Mike Oldfield. He is such a superb and criminally underrated guitarist and musician. I've been a fan of his for many years, Punkadiddle and the Platinum album along with Tubular Bells were my first introduction. This performance is from one of his best live DVDs and is at a point in his career where he became more rock style. Please do another Mike Oldfield video. l suggest the first half of 'Crises' from the 'Crises At Wembley 83' video which you can find on RUclips. Looking forward to watching you analyse other great guitarists too.
I'm quite impressed with your research on Mike Oldfield. Thank you so much for your insights.
Thanks for reacting to my recommendation Fil, I wanted to choose a track that focused on his guitar playing, and something a lot of people won't have heard of. There are lots of great performances of Mike out there, so I hope people check out more of his work, he is a great acoustic player too. He has great tone on the Strat and PRS too.
I really enjoy listening to extended Instrumental music . Tangerine Dream are my favourite in this category. Shpongle are a close second, with special mention to " Tales of Mystery and Imagination " by The Alan Parsons Project.
Love this tune and fil your summary is equally as impressive. Lets remember mike Oldfield is a technical genius
i love mike oldfield
Never heard of Mike Oldfield, crazy unique sound, reminds me of the post rock group Two Steps from Hell, thank you Fil, Jeff in LA USA
Go check out Tubular Bells
@@1satisfiedmind Right, now I remember when that came out, thank you, Jeff in LA USA
Check out Ommadawn, Incantations, Hergest Ridge and Crises.
Wow, what a nice performance. Lovely! Ty for featuring Fil.
Mike is playing a 1962 Gibson SG Junior, probably a $150 guitar off the shelf. Just goes to show you talent can overcome equipment. No telling what he had done to it though...The best performance he did at this Montreux Jazz Festival was Ommadawn but was very long. Great analysis Fil....Mike is one gifted guy. Rick Fenn of 10cc on bass and various instruments.
I used to watch a Dutch game show back in the mid/late 80's that had this piece as its theme music, and I was sure it was by a Dutch artist also (possibly The Nits). It was only last year when I found out with surprise this was actually Mike Oldfield! I'm more familiar with his work from the 'Five Miles Out' album onwards. Thank you for the video, Fil! :-)
Yeah yeah so I'm 4 years late with this comment, what the hey. Was watching listening to this bit of Montreux and up came the analysis. Your initial emphasis on composition is absolutely spot on. And this is where "classical" music should have gone rather than off into the atonal sterilities. The last nearly 50 years I've remained irritated and furious that MO has never had the level of acceptance as a composer. To some (a decreasing) extent that's been true of the top film composers too. On the technique, I've looked with huge interest at his classical playing which you''ve highlighted brilliantly. And thank you for your clear and forceful pointing-out that Mike went through the technical mill to get to the standard of proficiency that allows one to play own compositions accurately, with authority, and with genuine soul/feeling. (People use to say to me "aren't you lucky to be able to play like that (piano)." And I think--18 years of training, 12,000 hrs of practice in the last 5 years of formal training. Gee. Luck.)
He did the quintessential Blue Peter theme too
I really enjoy Mike’s style of music! Articulate and unique! A gifted guitarist and composer! Great Fil! Cheers Mario! 😀👌🤘
Imagine what it would be like to be a musician in Mike's band . It may well be very intimidating seeing as how Mike himself is a vastly talented multi-instrumentalist !
Phil Spalding said, Mike pushed him as musician like no one before, technically and personally ......
Tubular Bells, just a stunning piece of music 💖💖. This one was quite interesting as well 🤘
Trip down memory lane, was there at Wembley Arena
WE ARE TALKING ABOUT GOD .MIKE OLDFIELD FOREVER AND EVER
It's amazing to note that the Gibson SG is the same guitar used to such great effect by Angus Young of AC/DC too. I tried using finger picks once, but they didn't agree with me because there was no feedback. At least with longer nails, however unsightly they may be to the casual observer, there is a connection that can be used to great effect.
Fil you are absolutely spot on!
No, I really mean it!
Best regards!
fantastic Revue ! , still catching up on all your vids Fil
You do know he didn't write that music FOR The Exorcist, it was written a few years earlier, and used in the movie because it fit the emotion the director wanted for the audience to feel. I hear Tubular Bells and there is nothing "creepy" about it. It's a magnificent work... history making like Beethoven's fifth symphony, in it's ability to drag the listener through the darkest caverns of their souls and shoot them back to a brilliant world full of goodness and hope. You need to listen to more than just one piece. IMO, Punkadiddle isn't even the best of his work, but I am so glad you heard it and appreciate Mike's talent. I should have waited... Speaking of other artists singing his work, the most recognizable would Mooonlight Shadow that you mention, but there was also Family Man, sung by Hall and Oats. I don't know how high it got on the charts, but damn if I didn't hear it everwhere for a couple of years back in the 80's.
What a very cool piece to check out! I'm very familiar with Tubular Bells, but I never heard this one. Thank you!!
It was 1999. I was 10 years old. A friend and I used to sneak into my mom and dad's collection of old 8 track movies they had hidden away, and we would watch them when we were left alone. One day we watched The Exorcist. Scared us both to death. Haven't been able to hear Tubular Bells without rapidly increasing my pulse rate ever since. So Fil, why not go way off the beaten path and do an analysis on the cover of AC/DC's Thunderstruck by 2 Cellos?? I laughed so hard I...well, let's just say it was very, very funny! The faces on the people (stuffed shirts) in the audience in the end.....priceless! ❤❤❤
Thank you!
Brilliant analysis! Mike Oldfield is an absolute genius. Just in case anyone wanted to hear a resolved version of Punkadiddle there is video of Mike's called 'Blue Danube, Vienne July 20th 1981! Check this out too Fil!
A REAL GENIOUS !!!! ..... tears of joy .....
I'm so glad I was familiar with the Tubular Bells album before I saw The Exorcist, because I may never have bought the album. Because, I love that album.
Great video. I had to subcribe for this brilliant analysis of one of my favorite artists, who deserves to be known for far more than Tubular Bells, Moonlight Shadow and Islands. I mean Amarok, Songs of distant earth, Music of the Spheres, Ommadawn, Family man, and Discovery is pure genius!
Thanks!