Tubular Bells II
| Tubular Bells II | ||||
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| Studio album by Mike Oldfield | ||||
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Publication |
August 31, 1992 |
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| Label (s) | Warner Music | |||
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Format (s) |
CD, LP |
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Title (number) |
14th |
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running time |
58 min 42 s |
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| occupation |
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Trevor Horn, Mike Oldfield, Tom Newman |
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Tubular Bells II is a music album by British musician Mike Oldfield from 1992 . After he had fulfilled his contractual obligations with Virgin Records with Heaven's Open , Tubular Bells II was the first album for Warner Bros. Records .
History of origin
Tubular Bells II is a sequel to the hit album Tubular Bells from 1973 . Musical themes of the first album have been changed to completely new pieces of music. The opening sequence immediately reminds of the beginning of Tubular Bells (which was also used in the film The Exorcist ), but it is independent and not a copy. As in 1973, there is a sequence on the album in which individual musical instruments are announced. Actor Alan Rickman speaks this role, which was not noted in the booklet. The voice of Otto Waalkes was heard in a single from The Bell in 1993, which was only released in Germany . Waalkes lists the individual instruments in the German and an English version. Vivian Stanshall , who already took over this role as MC (Master of Ceremonies) on Tubular Bells in 1973, can be heard in another version of The Bell on this single. A fourth version with Billy Connolly as MC was also released in 1993 on another CD single. The passage towards the end of the first album, in which Oldfield experiments with distorted voices (he jokingly calls this moribund chorus , that is doomed choir ), is also found in a new form. Finally, just like its predecessor, the album first becomes very calm and then ends in a fast guitar piece.
Differences to the original
Was Tubular Bells divided into the original version still only two long tracks, Oldfield decided to divide Tubular Bells II in 14 pieces; since the transitions are not audible, everything seems like an album in two parts when you listen to it. The tracks are Sentinel (also in a shortened radio version), Dark Star , Clear Light , Blue Saloon , Sunjammer , Red Dawn , The Bell (with the appearance of Alan Rickman), Weightless , The Great Plain , Sunset Door , Tattoo , Altered State (with the “doomed choir”), Maya Gold and Moonshine .
Live performances
In September 1992 Tubular Bells II had its live premiere in front of Edinburgh Castle , a spectacle with a light show, fireworks and a large orchestra . Oldfield himself played the electric guitar , keyboard , acoustic guitar - and of course the Tubular Bells themselves. This live premiere was broadcast on English television that same evening with a time delay and was then released first as a VHS video cassette and later as a double DVD (including the premiere from Tubular Bells III ). Shortly thereafter, Oldfield performed the same show again in Toronto .
instrumentation
Oldfield plays most of the instruments on the album himself, including eight different guitars , piano and glockenspiel ; his voice can also be heard. Oldfield helped himself on drums (John Robinson) and with the bagpipes . Alan Rickman , who announces the instruments, is only listed as a "strolling player" ("strolling player").
Track list
- Sentinel - 8:07
- Dark Star - 2:16
- Clear Light - 5:48
- Blue Saloon - 2:59
- Sunjammer - 2:32
- Red Dawn - 1:50
- The Bell - 6:59
- Weightless - 5:43
- The Great Plain - 4:48
- Sunset Door - 2:23
- Tattoo - 4:15
- Altered State - 5:12
- Maya Gold - 4:01
- Moonshine - 1:42
Charts
UK # 1, D # 7, A # 4, CH # 19, S # 18