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Greetings, again! There will be another Mike Oldfield Night in Second Life, this one coming up tomorrow, Monday, 8 December at 9PM GMT, which is 1PM SLT (Pacific Time). If you've been thinking of trying out SL, this might be a great opportunity. You will already have fast friends and someplace to go. (-: www.secondlife.com to get started. If you get inworld and need help, look for Morrighan Heron or Zanny Wirefly. It would be a good thing to spend some time on Orientation Island and Help Island, first. To find the Subterranea, click on Search (middle of your screen, bottom). Key in Subterranea in the search box. Make sure you have checkmarked the "mature content" box (even libraries are "mature content"--don't ask me why). Click on Subterranea, then there will be another screen, which will have a teleport option. Click on teleport, and away you'll go! Hope to see you there! Sunday, 7 December 2008  8 commentsFinnish multi-instrumentalist and composer Pekka Pohjola has passed away on November 27. Pekka played bass with Mike during the 1979 tour and is credited on Exposed. Mike produced and contributed to Pekka's album Keesojen Lehto - Mathematician's Air Display. Kiittää te, MikaThursday, 27 November 2008 17 commentsWith November 24th fast approaching, curiosity about the new Music of the Spheres 2 CD edition has been growing. Thanks to those nice people at Universal, we can now put an end to the speculation! The set is packaged in a specially designed digipak, with spaces for the two CDs plus the booklet. Behind the two CDs is an enlarged version of the Music of the Spheres cover design. The booklet design is little changed from that the single CD edition, aside from some extra pages of credits for the live recording. We have a picture of the boxed set here. The sound quality of the live CD is a definite improvement over the iTunes edition: full and warm, with much greater presence and detail. Fans of the studio album who haven't heard the live recording yet will definitely find it an interesting listen, those of you who have the iTunes edition already will appreciate the better sound quality of the CD and everyone should be able to appreciate the stylish packaging of this limited edition set! It would of course make the perfect gift for anyone who's a fan of Mike, Lang Lang, Hayley Westenra or Karl Jenkins, but why wait for Santa to bring it when you can order your own copy at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com? Thursday, 23 October 2008 21 commentsA 2 CD limited edition of Music of the Spheres will be released on November 24, containing the studio version and the live version recorded at the Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao. Preorder it at Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk. Update, Oct 19: view a high resolution version of the album artwork, courtesy of Universal, here. We're told it will be released in special packaging, making it perfect as a gift. Additionally, Music Week has reported that Music of the Spheres has been the 2nd biggest selling classical album this year; with Christmas just around the corner and a tasty stocking filler like this on the market, it can only be set to climb higher! Grazie mile, mikeoldfield.it, tubular_trekkie, Universal Music and Chris Simmons.Thursday, 2 October 2008 34 commentsSong For Survival, Mike Oldfield's track for Bruce Parry's Survival International charity project, has been digitally released on iTunes UK and Play.com as part of the Amazon album. You can also preorder it on Amazon.co.uk. The Amazon TV show starts on September 15 on BBC2. Thanks, Molly!Update: now available on international iTunes stores as well. Update Oct 9: out in the shops on Oct 13. Molly also informs us that the Amazon TV show is pretty popular with an audience of 3 million people a week. Monday, 15 September 2008 110 comments Mike is selling more equipment via Chandler Guitars: Digidesign Pro Tools slave driver, Digidesign 888/24 8-track to 24-bit digital converter, Roland Fantom-XR synth module, Trace Elliot GP11 bass head, Yamaha OIV96 digital mixer, Yamaha Tyros 1 workstation keyboard. Monday, 1 September 2008 26 commentsThe Songs For Survival album accompanying BBC2 new TV series Bruce Parry's Amazon will feature an exclusive song by Mike Oldfield. The theme of the series is performed by Apparatjik composed of Guy Berryman (Coldplay), Magne Furuholmen (a-ha) and Jonas Bjerre (Mew). It starts on september 22. Via mikeoldfieldblog.com under Tati The Sentinel's watchUpdate Aug 25: according to the Kensaltown Records' tracklisting, Mike's track is : Mike Oldfield feat. the Anuta tribe - Song For Survival Update Sep 14: Song For Survival is available at iTunes UK and Play.com which provides a sample. Thursday, 21 August 2008 63 comments30 years after his hit Rockollection, French pop star Laurent Voulzy covers a part of Moonlight Shadow in his last album Recollection, among other covers from The Police, Bananarama, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Bee Gees, REM, Michel Polnareff, The Who, The Rolling Stones, Roy Orbison, Supertramp, Talk Talk, etc. Moonlight Shadow appears the in track Jukebox and is sung by a female voice. Order at Amazon.fr, .co.uk, .com, .ca. Merchi, Olier!Saturday, 19 July 2008 14 commentsThe Subterranea Progressive Rock Club of Second Life will feature an evening with Mike Oldfield's music on Friday, 27 June at 12:00PM SLT (Pacific Time; 8PM GMT). You can find the venue using the search feature once you're in SL (search "subterranea") ; or, ask Moog McMahon for a teleport. The last Mike Oldfield Night was very well attended! Friday, 27 June 2008 6 commentsWarner is set to release a new 'sight & sound' CD + DVD set of Mike's Art in Heaven concert from 1999/2000. The CD contains audio-only versions of all the tracks on the DVD, with the exception of the 'Art in Heaven' track, which isn't included. Some sources claim that the tracks on the CD will be in 5.1, though this would seem a strange choice as it would render it unplayable on systems without a Dolby/DTS decoder (i.e. most stereo systems). The release is set for June 30th and you can pre order it from Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, and Amazon.co.uk. Dank je wel, Burning Fish.Wednesday, 18 June 2008 24 commentsBBC broadcast journalist Daniel Garrett has informed us that BBC Radio Wiltshire has posted a 9 minute audio interview of Mike about his early success with Tubular Bells and the pressure from Richard Branson, inspiration, Music of the Spheres, spirituality, working with other people and then alone putting parts together, and lastly about taking a few years of rest and perhaps retiring. Thursday, 15 May 2008 19 commentsWhile we're sure that all of Mike's fans will remember what's special about today, we want to keep in mind how Mike likes to use this site to remember what's going on in his life. So Mike, in case you're wondering what that big cake is for: it's your birthday today! Many happy returns, Mike! Wednesday, 14 May 2008 32 commentsTony Palmer's All You Need Is Love documentary covering the history of popular music has been released as a DVD box set. Episode 17 tells the story of Ommadawn. Buy it at Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com, or Amazon.ca! In its review, The Guardian says that "the series ends with a century of music flashing before our eyes to the soundtrack of Mike Oldfield's Ommadawn". Thanks, Chris Simmons.Thursday, 8 May 2008 4 commentsThe double album of Music of the Spheres, which contains the live recording from Bilbao, is now downloadable through iTunes-USA. Thank you, Chris Hopkins and Bruce Bell, for the update!Thursday, 17 April 2008 10 commentsApril Fool's Special We're thrilled to announce that Universal has confirmed the release of Music of the Cubes on April 16 as an electronic download and a physical USB flash drive designed by Hans Claesson in the shape of a cube, sold for a limited time exclusively on Tubular.net! Mike said that "Music of the Cubes is like the Spheres single to the power 3, it's how Music of the Spheres initially took shape, before Karl [Jenkins] smoothed down the rough edges". We'll randomly sell 100 copies of the USB drive containing an exclusive wallpaper signed and numbered by Hans Claesson, each slightly different. Mike also said he might "do a rock version, something between Cubes and Spheres, before some fool who doesn't understand the deep deep meaning of the spheres ruins it" and would love to make "a round of concerts in a few famous squares in Europe".  Tuesday, 1 April 2008 34 comments Dith Pran, the Cambodian-born journalist for the New York Times who was the subject of Roland Joffe's movie 'The Killing Fields', has died of cancer. The story of his struggle under the Khmer Rouge touched millions through the articles of fellow New York Times journalist Sydney H. Schanberg, and of course through Joffe's film, which featured Mike Oldfield's first and only feature film soundtrack. Sunday, 30 March 2008 2 comments Universal Music Classics & Jazz has posted a video of the first part of the Music of the Spheres premiere in Bilbao on their KlassikAkzente.de site. Wednesday, 19 March 2008 19 commentsA box set of DVDs of Tony Palmer's documentary series on the history of popular music, All You Need Is Love, is now available to buy from allyouneedislovedvd.com. Episode 17 will be of particular interest to fans of Mike Oldfield, as it contains the well known 'making of Ommadawn' feature. Dank je wel, Blue DolphinWednesday, 19 March 2008 5 commentsThe science fiction writer and technological visionary Arthur C. Clarke has died at his home in Sri Lanka, aged 90. The influence of his legendary novels and short stories can be seen in many of Mike Oldfield's works, not least 1994's The Songs of Distant Earth, inspired by Clarke's novel of the same name. His death comes as a sad loss to the worlds of literature, science and technology, but his legacy will live on through his work for many years to come. Tuesday, 18 March 2008 17 commentsAfter a long wait, Music of the Spheres finally hits shops across Europe today. If it's not in a store near you, you can order it on amazon.co.uk or you can try your luck and order from play.com and see if yours will be one of the 200 signed copies! The iTunes version, including the Live at Bilbao recording is also available on all European iTunes stores right now! We wish the best of success to Mike and to our friends at Universal Classics and Jazz. Sunday, 16 March 2008 119 commentsUniversal is set to release a special download package of Music of the Spheres on iTunes on March 18th. The release includes the studio recording, modified artwork, a video interview with Mike Oldfield and Karl Jenkins, the live recording of the premiere concert in Bilbao and a PDF booklet. Wednesday, 12 March 2008 84 commentsWe'd like to say a big thank you to all the fans who were involved with the Music of the Spheres premiere event in Bilbao last night. It was brilliant how everyone - both from this site and from all the other fan groups involved - came together to make the whole thing possible. Thanks of course also have to go to everyone who's made this possible by simply supporting this site and making it one which gets taken seriously! It was really fun to spend time with the 'Tubular Ten' and with new and old friends from all the other sites and we look forward to doing it again in the future! Saturday, 8 March 2008 60 commentseitb24.com has posted a video of the rehearsals for the premiere of Music of the Spheres. Update March 6: eitb has posted an exclusive interview. Tuesday, 4 March 2008 26 commentsThe launch of Music of the Spheres has been a hot topic amongst fans for the past few months and it's about to get even hotter, as we offer our visitors the chance to win one of a handful of tickets to the premiere performance in Bilbao, Spain, on March 7th. Congratulations to our winners, users BTH, clotty, GodGift, manintherain and Susanakin! Wednesday, 27 February 2008 84 commentsOne of Mike's initial demo recordings for Music of the Spheres will be released next week, on March 3rd, as a download-only 'digital single'. The news item on mikeoldfield.com says that the track, called Spheres, "was the initial piece of music Mike recorded when conceiving the idea for this album and it doesn't feature the involvement of Karl Jenkins or any other musicians." It will be available 'from all good digital retailers'. Update March 1 - You can hear a one minute preview of the track at 7digital.com (just click the blue play button).
Update March 2 - UK iTunes users can buy 'Spheres' right now on the iTunes music store!
Update March 4 - You can buy on 7digital, iTunes, msn, napster, tiscali.Tuesday, 26 February 2008 97 commentsWe're thrilled to announce that Mike will be performing music from Music Of The Spheres live as part of a launch event at the Guggenheim museum in Bilbao on March 7th 2008. He will be accompanied by the Euskaudiko Orkestra. It seems that this is essentially a private launch event for the press, but Universal tell us that they're currently looking at ways to offer opportunities for fans to attend the concert - keep watching this space! Update 6/2/08 - the Bilbao Choral Society will also be accompanying Mike in the concert
Update 14/2/08 - a press release from the Euskaudiko Orkestra confirms that Hayley Westenra will also be appearing.
Update 26/2/08 - The concert will be recorded and released exclusively on iTunes as part of a special package on March 17th.Wednesday, 23 January 2008 100 commentsIt's just been announced on mikeoldfield.com that Mike and Fanny's new baby, Eugene, was born early on the morning of the 20th. Mike says "We're so happy, it's the most wonderful thing to have Eugene in the world. It's been an unusual time recently, as we are staying at our holiday home in Spain, so this is just fantastic. We're going to be busy over the next few weeks and months!" Our congratulations go to Mike and Fanny on this happy occasion! Thanks, Neil InceMonday, 21 January 2008 38 commentsMikeoldfield.com has been updated, with a new Music Of The Spheres look. The release date for the album has been confirmed as March 17th. Keep watching this space for more exciting news! Thanks David and Universal MusicWednesday, 16 January 2008 44 comments Happy New Year 2008! As every year, we'd like to reiterate our thanks to the Tubular.net community for all the wonderful contributions in the forums, news tips, recordings of media events, photos, and just for coming back here regularly to read, view, and listen. 2007 has almost seen the release of Music of the Spheres, with several exclusive tips directly form Universal Music, and lot of updates in the instruments list. The instruments that created Mike Oldfield's trademark sounds are now in the hands of happy fans. We have also started to add scans of tickets in the Tours page. We may try to organize the instruments list a bit better in 2008 and to introduce a better FAQ system which would be more dynamic, allowing us for example to easily share the questions we answer via email from the visitors who prefer to ask us directly rather than using the forums. It could also allow moderated comments. We may also update the look and feel of the site, trying to modernize it by using some color gradients while keeping it compact, clear and usable. Monday, 31 December 2007 15 commentsThe Dutch TV channel Nederland 3 will show an interview with Mike this (Thursday) evening, as part of the show Top 2000 a gogo. The show starts at 19:30 Dutch time (that is, GMT +1), and there will be a repeat at 0:15. You will also be able to watch it online after the broadcast at http://top2007.radio2.nl/thanks, Blue DolphinWednesday, 26 December 2007 42 commentsThe 22nd High Performance Rodeo in Calgary will present on January 16, 17, 18 an adaptation of the first side of Tubular Bells by Calgary composer and concert pianist Marcel Bergmann, performed on 4 Steinway grand pianos by The Bergmann Duo and special guests Jeroen Van Veen and Hong Xu, along with 4 dancers from Alberta Ballet choreographed by Yukichi Hattori. Tuesday, 18 December 2007 6 comments Some of Mike's equipment is being sold on eBay: amps, cases, racks, pedals, effects, mixers, and more... Update Dec 8: Piano Auctions is listing: - Lot #77: Glockenspiel A 3-octave concert glockenspiel; the property of Mike Oldfield. £500 - £700
- Lot #118: Steinway No 137655 (c1910) A 6ft 11in Model B grand piano in a rosewood case together with a stool. This piano is accompanied by a letter of provenance stating it was used by Mike Oldfield on his recordings from 1987 to 2007. £8,000 - 12,000
Update Dec 12: Chandler Guitars is listing: Thursday, 6 December 2007 114 commentsAs some of you have already noticed, amazon.co.uk and play.com are now listing a March 9th release date for Music Of The Spheres. Having spoken with Universal UK, it seems this is not a definite release date, and plans are still being made for the launch of the album next year. It is likely that the release will be in March, but it may be yet later than the revised release date given by those two online stores. Definite details should be made available early next year. Friday, 16 November 2007 42 commentsCan rock learn anything from classical music? Click here to read what Mike, along with Tim Hodgkinson, replies to Philip Clark of Gramophone magazine on the subject. Thanks to Tati and mikeoldfield.it! en españolSaturday, 3 November 2007 16 commentsEMI Japan has reissued Mike Oldfield's albums (2000 remasters) with miniaturized LP sleeve replicas of the original UK vinyl album artworks. Thanks, Kenji Hayata.Monday, 29 October 2007 6 comments The Sunday Times has published an article in which Mike Oldfield is interviewed about the Gloucestershire property he is selling. Thanks, Ratty.en españolSunday, 28 October 2007 13 comments Mike Oldfield has quit Britain where he is selling [link updated] his £3.5 million Gloucestershire mansion and is returning to Spain. This is London has an article where Mike explains he feels he lost his freedom because of the smoking ban and the health-and-safety culture. Sunday, 21 October 2007 98 commentsWe've had confirmation from Universal UK that the release date for Music of the Spheres has been moved back to late January. This is due to Mike being unavailable to promote the album for personal reasons. Thursday, 27 September 2007 129 commentsThe Music of the Spheres electronic press kit video is now available for download from the Universal Classics & Jazz German page. Thanks, oldfield.deUpdate Oct 22: The video is also available on Amazon.co.uk. Tuesday, 25 September 2007 42 commentsA new DVD ' The Best Of Night Of The Proms Volume 2', featuring Mike performing Tubular Bells at one of his Night Of The Proms appearances last year, has just been released. It's available to order from the Night Of The Proms website and costs 24 Euros plus delivery. Thanks, ProjectZTuesday, 18 September 2007 18 commentsA CCM 644 dual sport trail bike formerly owned by Mike Oldfield has come up for sale on eBay. The seller claims "IT HAS HIS NAME ON THE LOGBOOK AND I AM ASSURED HE WAS THE LAST OWNERS AS HE LIVES LOCAL." also adding that the bike "HAS BEEN WELL CARED FOR BY ITS PREVIOUS OWNERS" Thanks, Benedikt MarkotaMonday, 17 September 2007 4 commentsIt's been announced that Music Of The Spheres will be released in Germany on November 9th - three days before the UK release. The album will be released only on CD in Germany, not on USB stick. Universal will be presenting the album at the Yellow Lounge event, associated with the trade fair Popkomm, at the Tape club in Berlin on September 18th. The event starts at 9pm, entry is 5 euros and it appears to be open to the public (though please check this for yourselves before travelling). The album will be played by a DJ; Mike Oldfield will not be appearing. Tape is at 14 Heidestraße in Moabit (just north of Berlin Hauptbahnhof). Update 19/9/07 - Mike made a surprise 5 minute appearance to answer questions. He hinted that he may consider doing more classical albums.
Thanks, Tubular World and Tati the SentinelTuesday, 11 September 2007 36 commentsFrom Universal, here are some short lo-fi streams of Music of the Spheres: Friday, 7 September 2007 197 commentsThe Daily Telegraph has published an article about Kevin Ayers' The Unfairground, his first solo album in 15 years. Jimi Hendrix, Syd Barrett, Robert Wyatt, Brian Eno, Elton John and Mike Oldfield are mentioned in the notes about his career. Thanks, Chris Simmons.Monday, 3 September 2007 8 commentsFrom the Music of the Spheres page at Amazon.co.uk: In this world, everything has a pulse or a vibration. This sound is unique to each living or non living thing and in itself creates a music that no-one can hear. I believe that this has a very powerful resonance with, and a deep effect, on our lives. What would happen if we took this further and apply this to bigger things , more powerful things ; like an entire solar system or galaxy say, what would that sound like?
Musica Universalis is the ancient theory that every celestial body, the sun, the moon and the stars has an inner music. This is a harmonic and mathematical concept derived from the movements of the planets in the solar system. The music created is inaudible to the human ear.
Music of the Spheres is my interpretation of this theory. Every planet and every star; even the whole universe has music within it that no-one can hear, this is what it would sound like if it was set free. This is Music of the Spheres.
Mike Oldfield.
Thanks, Neil Ince.Friday, 24 August 2007 31 comments Christophe Gevrey organise une rencontre de fans francophones de Mike Oldfield aux alentours de Genève le week-end du 17 et 18 novembre, tout prêt des lieux où Discovery a été composé et enregistré. Détails et inscriptions. Tuesday, 21 August 2007 6 commentsMike's 1999 Mercedes-Benz S500 is for sale on eBay for GBP 9,000-11,000. Monday, 13 August 2007 21 commentsClassic FM's interview with Mike, including two short audio clips from Music Of The Spheres, is now available to download as a podcast from Classic FM's website. Thanks, DavidFriday, 10 August 2007 59 commentsMike Oldfield is a featured artist on the Universal Classics and Jazz website. Mike's page contains a biography, along with notes and artwork from Music of the Spheres. Thanks, Chris Simmons.Tuesday, 7 August 2007 36 commentsWe know many of you have been waiting for this! Now here it is, just in from Universal Music, the tracklisting for Music Of The Spheres: Part 11. Harbinger - 04.08 2. Animus - 03.09 3. Silhouette - 03.19 4. Shabda - 04.00 5. The Tempest - 05.48 6. Harbinger (reprise) - 01.30 7. On My Heart - 02.27 Featuring Hayley WestenraPart 28. Aurora - 03.42 9. Prophecy - 02.54 10. On My Heart (reprise) - 01.16 11. Harmonia Mundi - 03.46 12. The Other Side - 01.28 13. Empyrean - 01.37 14. Musica Universalis - 06.24 Total running time: 45.30 The album will be released on CD and also - for the very first time for a classical recording - on USB flash drive. Unfortunately the release date has been pushed back a week; the date for UK release is now November 12th. Monday, 23 July 2007 110 commentsUniversal have just confirmed with us that the UK release date of Mike's upcoming album, Music of the Spheres, will be November 5th. Update 23/7: The release date is now November 12thWe would like to stress that this information is accurate for the UK only; we have no information on when the album will be released in other parts of the world. The album can be pre-ordered from amazon.co.uk and play.com. Wednesday, 18 July 2007 40 commentsWe have heard from Universal that Mike's new album is now complete, and is currently being mastered. The title has been confirmed as Music Of The Spheres. There is no word yet on plans for the release, but watch this space! Thursday, 5 July 2007 84 commentsJoin us in Second Life in the Reader's Garden on Cybrary City II (33, 230, 22) for a book discussion of Changeling, led by Zippedy Zabelin. Time: Sunday, 15 July 2007 12PM SLT (same as Pacific Time). The program will focus on a series of respectful discussion questions. For information on joining Second Life, which offers free basic memberships, visit www.secondlife.com. [Location updated 04-07-07] Saturday, 30 June 2007 7 commentsThe Daily Mail WEEKEND magazine had a full page about Changeling focussing on an old photograph of Mike Oldfield's mother that inspired him to write his memoirs. tubular.eu.org has a scan. Saturday, 2 June 2007 5 commentsBonhams will have an auction on June 20th to sell Mike Oldfield's Fender Telecaster serial no. 180728 which was the only six-string electric guitar used to record 'Tubular Bells'. It's estimated between £25,000 and £35,000 that will go to the charity SANE. Saturday, 26 May 2007 18 comments Motor Cycle News has published a video interview with Mike about his motorbikes and how riding them inspired his new symphony projet, 'Music of the spheres'. Thanks, Sean Warwick.Wednesday, 23 May 2007 36 comments Mike Oldfield was interviewed on BBC One's Breakfast show to talk about Changeling, his mental health problems and Tubular Bells. The opening footage featured a clip from the 1973 live performance of Tubular Bells. Video. Thanks, Chris Simmons.Wednesday, 16 May 2007 12 commentsIn this weeks Music Week, Mike attacks EMI for giving away Tubular Bells as a covermount without having consulted him first. The move has also sparked debate about giving albums away free with newspapers, with particular focus being on Tubular Bells. Retailers have insisted it has affected genuine sales of the classic album. Thanks, Chris Simmons.Update May 22: The Mail on Sunday replies that sales of Tubular Bells have increased 30%, while music industry sources believe that 30% is actually not significant. Tuesday, 8 May 2007 33 commentsThe Mail on Sunday will offer a free Tubular Bells CD on April 22, along with Sir Richard Branson's secrets behind the creation of Tubular Bells. Thanks, Richard Patrick.Update: The article in the Mail on Sunday says: Mike Oldfield is currently working on his debut classical recording, for choir and orchestra, set for release through Universal in October. Using musical and lyrical themes associated with the ancient festival of Hallowe'en, this is powerful and emotional music that is bound to appeal to Mike Oldfield fans, and beyond. Sunday, 15 April 2007 51 commentsResolution magazine has published an exclusive interview with Mike Oldfield. Update: a video is available. Update #2: full transcript. Update #3: digital magazine. "I'm writing a piece of orchestral music. I'm making a demo of the whole thing, keeping all MIDI parts so that the MIDI parts can be transcribed into Sibelius and a proper orchestral score can be worked out. It'll be all orchestral apart from classical guitar and grand piano, I'll be playing those two instruments."
"It's going to be based around the festival of Halloween rather than the Hollywood horror film. The ancient festival goes back to BC. I'm talking to the composer Karl Jenkins about collaborating on it, hoping to record it somewhere special like Abbey Road No.1, and we'll do a live concert. The advantage of that is we'll have an orchestral score, which anyone in the world will be able to pick up and play."
"In my local record shop they've had the original Tubular Bells there since I'd lived there, and they put the new one up, and after a month they took that down and put the old one up... the production, and even the tuning doesn't matter, it's a force and energy, idiosyncrasies that give it it's character." (Via Matthew Cochrane of the Amarok Mike Oldfield Mailing List.)Saturday, 3 March 2007 166 commentsMike Oldfield's Charleston has been included on Röyksopp's mix for the 25th outing of the popular Back to Mine compilation series. Preorder at Amazon.co.uk. Thanks, Jørgen Brauti.Tuesday, 27 February 2007 10 commentsProducer Dave Williams and violin virtuoso Oliver Lewis' Deviations Projet is an interpretation mixing electronic sounds with acoustic violin of Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells and other classic compositions from Fleetwood Mac, John Williams, Tchaïkovsky, Bach, Bizet and Saint-Saëns. Top40-Charts article. Saturday, 24 February 2007 Post a comment!According to this BeyondCron article, Voiceprint is about to release The Space Movie on DVD, featuring Mike Oldfield's music. Friday, 16 February 2007 17 commentsA Fairlight CMI keyboard, signed by 44 artists including Mike Oldfield, is on sale on eBay with a starting bid of... $100,000. Tuesday, 5 December 2006 9 commentsAccording to the 24 November 2006 edition of The Independent, Mike Oldfield's autobiography will be titled Changeling and published by Virgin in May. The complete blurb may be found here. Thanks to Tati for her vigilance! According to Thomas Shlueck, the book will contain 288 pages as well as illustrations. Update: You can preorder Changeling at Amazon.co.uk. Friday, 24 November 2006 59 commentsMike Oldfield has just acquired a new digital mixer linked to his Logic Pro software: an Euphonix System 5-MC. Euphonix has a press release with an interview and a photo of Mike, more at ease with knobs than a mouse. Mike will use it to re-master old projects in 5.1. Monday, 17 July 2006 33 commentsThe Chimpan A CD features the song " The Secret Wish" which contains samples of the Tubular Bells introduction. Mike Oldfield has approved it and is credited as cowriter. Thanks to producer Rob Reed for the tip.Monday, 10 July 2006 21 commentsThe Adelaide Symphony Orchestra will play the Orchestral Tubular Bells from Sep 14th to the 16th at the Adelaide Town Hall in Australia. Tickets are $67, book at BASS. Pianist Marc-André Hamelin and conductor Benjamin Northey will perform Brahms' 2nd concerto, Mozart's "Paris" symphony No. 31, and The Orchestral Tubular Bells Part 1 as arranged by David Bedford. Sunday, 25 June 2006 16 commentsThe Beacon, overlooking Hergest Ridge and home to Mike during his Ommadawn era, is for sale. Details regarding the property, including pictures of the Beacon and surrounding area, may be found here. Thanks to Moonchildhippy for the information.Sunday, 25 June 2006 37 commentsEagle Rock will release the 'Live At Montreux 1981' DVD on May 15. You can order it at Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, and Amazon.co.uk. Tracklisting: - QE2 Medley: Taurus 1 / Sheba / Mirage - Platinum Parts 1-4 - Tubular Bells, Part 2 - Medley: Conflict / Ommadawn - Tubular Bells, Part One - Punkadiddle Running time: 105min Sound format: DTS, Dolby 5.1, PCM Stereo Thanks, Neil Ince. Wednesday, 12 April 2006 94 comments April Fool's Special On MikeOldfield.com Mike says he realized he cannot live without his trusty guitars when he was explaining why he sold them in his autobiography. Mike will contact the buyers to get them back. He also doesn't want to be remembered for "Tubular Bells" and is asking fans for suggestions for a new name, under which the classic album will be re-released. Update: the page has been removed Saturday, 1 April 2006 42 comments The Official Mike Oldfield Information Service has posted a video and a press release promoting The Platinum Collection. EMI has published a web page advertising it. Friday, 17 March 2006 5 commentsMike Oldfield will be on BBC Radio 2 Ken Bruce show in the next couple of weeks picking his favourite tracks. He will also be on BBC Radio Newcastles Julia Hankin show on March 10th. Tuesday, 28 February 2006 69 commentsMike will be Richard Allison's guest during the Steve Wright's Big Show on BBC Radio 2 this Thursday. Update: Mike said he is working on a very long instrumental, probably in 3 parts without any drum loops. A tour might follow. Wednesday, 22 February 2006 111 commentsMoonlight Shadow was played during the opening ceremony of the Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games. Saturday, 11 February 2006 8 commentsFrom mikeoldfield.com: Hello you !
It has surely been a time of big changes and realisations these last few months, not least of which has been the writing of my Autobiography. This is nearing completion with the help of my co writer Jon Collins and hopefully will be published this year if not early next. During the process of bringing this book to life I have realised a great many things about myself and my position in the scheme of things. (Oh for the gift of hindsight !) This will surely influence my future personally and creatively.
I have contractually three and a half more years to work on a new piece of music so this will give it a chance to evolve and mature nicely. Meanwhile look out for some promotion for the Platinum Collection , the book , and who knows what else the fates may send. With all my best wishes :)
MikeJon Collins has a blog. Wednesday, 25 January 2006 81 commentsThe Beacon, located on Bradnor Hill outside of Kington, was home to Mike during his Ommadawn era. In its present incarnation it is a bed & breakfast, run by Robert & Shirley Pritchard. Many of Mike’s fans enjoy staying there while exploring Hergest Ridge, Offa’s Dyke, Bradnor Hill, Kington, the local pubs, etc. Robert and Shirley would like everyone to know that the Beacon is still up and running as a b & b, though they have dispensed with their website. You can find a description of the Beacon, contact information, and a few photos at http://uk.geocities.com/dickyhip@btinternet.com/BradnorBeacon.html. Sunday, 15 January 2006 16 commentsDespite initial problems with getting Christopher von Deylen into the chat room, I think everyone will agree that it was a very enjoyable evening once it got started! Sorry to all of you who had the same trouble as Christopher and couldn't get in - unfortunately, the problem was outside our control. We'd like to thank everyone who came and took part, and of course we want to give an even bigger thanks to Christopher von Deylen for coming to answer everyone's questions! A transcript of the interview and chat follows in the next posts on the forum - click the 'comments' link below to get there from the front page. Saturday, 14 January 2006 19 commentsThe Official Mike Oldfield Information Service has posted some details about the 'Platinum Collection' 3-CD set to be released by Virgin on March 13, 2006. Order it online from Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.ca, Amazon.com, Amazon.fr. Tracklisting: CD1
1. Tubular Bells - Opening Theme 1973
2. Tubular Bells - Excerpt 1973
3. Sailor's Hornpipe 1973
4. Hergest Ridge - Excerpt 1974
5. Ommadawn - Excerpt 1975
6. Ommadawn - Excerpt 1975
7. In Dulci Jubilo 1975
8. Don Alfonso 1975
9. Portsmouth 1976
10. William Tell Overture 1976
11. Cuckoo Song 1977
12. Incantations - Part 4 Excerpt 1978
13. Platinum - Part 4 1979
14. Woodhenge 1979
CD2
1. Moonlight Shadow (Extended Version) 1983
2. Blue Peter 1979
3. Guilty - Long Version 1979
4. Arrival 1980
5. Wonderful Land 1980
6. Sheba 1980
7. Five Miles Out 1982
8. Family Man 1982
9. Mistake 1982
10. Shadow On The Wall (Extended Version) 1983
11. Foreign Affair 1983
12. In High Places 1983
13. Crime Of Passion 1983
14. Tricks Of The Light 1984
15. To France (Extended Version) 1984
16. Etude 1984
17. Evacuation 1984
CD3
1. Sentinel 1992
2. Pictures In The Dark 1985
3. Shine (Extended Version) 1986
4. Islands (12" Mix) 1987
5. Flying Start (12" Version) 1987
6. The Time Has Come (12" Version) 1987
7. Innocent (12" Mix) 1989
8. Earth Moving (Club Version) 1989
9. Amarok (Excerpt) 1990
10. Heaven's Open (12" Version) 1991
11. Hibernaculum 1994
12. Women Of Ireland 1996
13. Far Above The Clouds 1998
14. The Millennium Bell 1999
15. To Be Free 2002Wednesday, 11 January 2006 129 commentsFootage of Mike recording the theme tune for the BBC's Blue Peter programme in 1979 was repeated on the show earlier today. The entire feature about the recording of the theme tune is now available to watch on the BBC Website. Thanks, Ian HubballWednesday, 11 January 2006 37 commentsWe're very pleased to announce that Christopher von Deylen of Schiller will be joining us on Saturday 14th January for an online chat. The session will begin with a short live interview where Christopher will talk about his career, which will be followed by an opportunity to ask him about his recent collaborations with Mike Oldfield, Schiller's current album Tag und Nacht, or any other aspect of his work. The evening starts at 19:00 GMT, in the IRC channel #tubular.net on DALnet - irc.dal.netYou can join using any IRC client. Saturday, 7 January 2006 3 commentsWe'd like to welcome all of our visitors into 2006! 2005 was quite an exciting year as far as Mike Oldfield releases were concerned, with the highlights of course being Light + Shade and the Exposed DVD. We hope that yet more exciting things will appear in 2006! Thanks to all of you who have supported us - we hope you will stay with us to discover what more we have in store! Sunday, 1 January 2006 30 commentsAn Ikegami HL-79E professional video camera, used by Mike for The Wind Chimes, is currently up for sale on eBay. This is a private sale which we have no involvement with, so we can't take any responsibility for the seller's actions - please take the usual caution when buying. It should be noted that the camera is advertised as 3 CCD - it isn't, it's a tube camera (the seller says that he means colour combination device and not charged coupled device...make of that what you will). The auction ends very shortly! Thanks, David PorterFriday, 23 December 2005 Post a comment!In association with oldfield.de and oldfield.info, there will be an online chat with Jason Cluts, co-writer of Slipstream this Saturday at 22:00 GMT (that is 23:00 in the UK, 00:00 in mainland Europe). You can join via the oldfield.info chat interface or by using an IRC client and connecting to server irc.oldfield.info channel #mike_oldfield Wednesday, 19 October 2005 6 commentsAs mentioned in Paul Harris' interview with Philip Newell that was published in issue 25 of Dark Star, the rare Snowblind album by Tom Newman and produced by Philip Newell is now available again. Mike plays plucked Stratocaster and Fairlight (Vocals) on a track called For Old Times accompanied by Snowy White and Tom Newman. The album is available through Sergio Castro from the company Reflexion Arts in Spain. Payment is by paypal only to snowblindsergio@gmail.com. The price for the CD is 16,00€ for EU countries, £11.00 for UK and $19.50 for the rest of the world. Postage and packing within Spain is 1,00€ for the rest of the EU including the UK it is 3,00€, whilst for the rest of the world is 5,00€. Tuesday, 18 October 2005 Post a comment!The new Exposed DVD is available online at Amazon.co.uk for £13.99 and will be released on Oct 24. Update: Oct 31. Purchases via our Amazon links provide support to Tubular.net. Thanks! Update Oct 20 - According to shopEMI, it will be released on Nov 22 in Canada and will cost $21.11CDN. (Thanks, Keith Dawe.) Update Nov 07 - Available at Amazon.ca for $25.89CAN and at Amazon.com for $26.59. Tuesday, 18 October 2005 15 commentsSoundclips from Schiller's new album, Tag und Nacht, including Morgentau which features Mike Oldfield as guest, are available from the site of Universal Music Germany. Sunday, 9 October 2005 10 commentsScheduled for release on October 10th is a new CD of Robert Wyatt live at the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane London. The concert includes Mike Oldfield on guitar, as well as many other guest musicians. This is the first time the recording has been officially released. The CD is being released by Hannibal records - more information can be found at Rykodisc/Hannibal's website. (Thanks to Giuliano Plenevici of mikeoldfield.it) Friday, 7 October 2005 12 commentsYou can order Light + Shade online at Amazon.com ($21.99) and Amazon.ca (CDN $16.99). Two bonus tracks seem to be included in some releases: Près de Toi, and Lakme (Fruity Loops). Update Sep 14 - the album is also available at Amazon.fr (EUR 16.13). Update Sep 18 - the album is also available at Amazon.co.uk (£11.99) and Amazon.de (EUR 22.99). Wednesday, 31 August 2005 189 commentsThe cover image for Light + Shade can now be seen at the website of Universal Spain. According to zm.nu, the first single from the album will be 'Surfing'. Update 29/8/05 - an updated, final version of the cover can now been seen in high resolution at oldfield.de, courtesy of Universal Germany, who also have a smaller version at mikeoldfield.de. Sunday, 21 August 2005 131 commentsOn mikeoldfield.com, Mike reports that he's completed a 5.1 mix of the album, and that four tracks will be available for listeners to mix themselves in the u-myx format. He's also done some ringtones! Saturday, 13 August 2005 58 commentsmikeoldfield.de now has a full tracklisting of the forthcoming Light and Shade album, including descriptions, and an interview (in German, of course). 13/8/05 - The same information is now available in English at mikeoldfield.comWednesday, 10 August 2005 162 comments According to Sendit.com, Exposed will be released on DVD on Sep 26, though spincds.com is now quoting a release date of October 24. It's also being listed at 101cd.com. The company releasing it appears to be Virgin/EMI. (update 17/8/05) Sunday, 31 July 2005 54 commentsAccording to Music Week magazine, Mike's entire back catalogue will be transferred to Mercury Records in 2008 as part of his new deal with them. This is in contradiction to the news we previously had here, saying that only Mike's Virgin back catalogue would be transferred to Mercury. Either way, this is an interesting development, and we'll try and get clarification on the details when possible. Friday, 3 June 2005 29 commentsFrom mikeoldfield.com: I am very pleased to announce that I have recently signed a three album deal with Mercury records, part of Universal Music Group.
The first Album which I am just putting the final touches to is a double Album for release around September 2005. The first Disk is made up of atmospheric "Ambient" or "Chillout" pieces. The second Disk is of more up-tempo tracks some of which are in the darker moodier vein. There are 18 tracks in all and they were created using my new virtual software studio mostly with lead melodies using all the different Guitars and "Grand Piano" The vocals were made using a new generation of software virtual vocalists.
Untitled as yet but maybe called "Quicksilver" Whadayathink
MikeFriday, 13 May 2005 226 commentsWe're very sad to report the passing of Pierre Moerlen, who unexpectedly died in his sleep on the night of May 2nd/3rd. He was 52. Pierre's contribution to Mike's music in the 1970s and 80s was huge, first appearing alongside Mike in the premiere performance of Tubular Bells in 1973, before going on to play percussion (including tympani, drums and vibraphone) on all of Mike's 1970s albums from Ommadawn onwards, and on the 1979 and 1980 tours. The frequency of their collaborations lessened during the 1980s, but Mike still made use of Pierre's tuned percussion skills on Crises and Islands, as well as giving Pierre cameo appearances in his Moonlight Shadow video and a TV performance of To France. Mike also returned the favour, guesting on Pierre Moerlen's Gong's Downwind and Gong Live albums. Pierre was unquestionably a superb musician, who will certainly be greatly missed by many, not least us here at tubular.net News from planetgong.co.uk, thanks to Captain Cavern for passing it onFriday, 6 May 2005 22 commentsApril Fool's Special Later this year, Microsoft will release a new version of its MSN messaging software. This new edition will be labelled MSN Platinum and use graphic elements from the Platinum album cover. Here is the new MSN logo (the final version could be slightly different). Bill Gates himself presented the project to a few journalists and analysts and said: "I'm a big fan, and I just love how Mike has learnt from the software industry, releasing an update to his product - Tubular Bells - every few years. Tubular Bells 2003 - a musical bug fix..." (Credits: Hans & Richard) Friday, 1 April 2005 22 comments Due to popular request, there are currently signed copies of Tres Lunas (including a registration key for the game) and The Songs Of Distant Earth up for auction on mikeoldfield.com. Tuesday, 22 March 2005 5 commentsThere has been much talk over the past few months of a DVD titled "Mike Oldfield - Live In Montreux 1981" which has appeared for pre-order on nlstore.nl. We had been waiting for confirmation of this news from PIAS, the record company who are supposedly releasing this title, but unfortunately they have declined to reply to our queries. Their website contains no details about the release. There have been cases in the past where such things have turned out to be not what they at first appeared, so keep watching this space for further news. It does appear, however, that PIAS are responsible for a whole series of Live In Montreux DVDs from various artists (thanks to Rob van Knegsel for the tipoff), which makes it look more likely that the release is for real. The release is scheduled for May 16th. Update: It has emerged that the DVD will be released worldwide by Eagle Rock. PIAS appear to have put back their release date to December 31st 2005, while Eagle Rock are now saying they have no firm release date, but have indicated some time in 2006. Thursday, 3 March 2005 43 commentsAs every year, thank you all for participating in tubular.net, for your submissions of tabs or MIDI files, your posts in the forums, your news tips, your clicks on the Google ads, etc. Thanks! In 2005, tubular.net will move to a new dedicated server and new hosting company which will allow us to have more bandwidth and host fans' music and stuff like that. We also plan to have a rumors section, probably somewhere in the right column, which will be reorganized and simplified. Best wishes to Mike & Fanny, and all the tubular.net community in 2005! Sunday, 2 January 2005 10 commentsmikeoldfield.org has posted a review of the newly released Elements DVD. You can order if from Amazon.co.uk (PAL, all regions), Amazon.ca (NTSC, all regions), and Amazon.fr (PAL, region 2). Update: We have created a forum to talk about the DVD. Sunday, 28 November 2004 47 commentsAn auctions area has been added to mikeoldfield.com, with categories for selling all manner of items. The only request is that items should be "related to Mike and Music". Tuesday, 21 September 2004 12 commentsAccording to listings with two online retailers, it appears that EMI (owners of Virgin) are set to release a DVD edition of the Elements video. First mentioned in Record Collector magazine recently, details have now appeared on sendit.com and Amazon.co.uk. Sendit.com gives the tracklisting as follows: Tubular Bells (Part 1)', 'Don Alfonso', 'In Dolci Jubilo', 'Portsmouth', 'William Tell Overture', 'Guilty', 'Blue Peter', 'Wonderful Land', 'Five Miles Out', 'Moonlight Shadow', 'Shadow On The Wall', 'Crime Of Passion', 'Tricks Of The Light', 'To France', 'Etude', 'Pictures In The Dark', 'Shine', 'Innocent', 'Earth Moving' and 'Heavens Open'. Amazon, meanwhile, give the somewhat odd sounding listing of special features as being 'The Space Movie', 'The Wind Chimes' and 'Innocent (animated version)'. The inclusion of Don Alfonso in sendit.com's track listing is also intriguing, to say the least. The date given is October 11th, though we've heard that this date may no longer be accurate. More news will naturally follow when we get it. [Updated Oct 9] New release date: November 29th [Updated Oct 22] Tracklisting and release date confirmed by Virgin Music GermanyWednesday, 1 September 2004 67 commentsAfter being up in an in-progress state for a few days, musicvr.com has finally launched. It forms a base for Mike's new Music VR community, which has been named 'The Music VR Club'. The site currently offers a forum for the club's members, with the opportunity to meet other users and gain technical support. The administrators want to make clear though, that it is for discussing Music VR only, not Mike's music. Membership is free to anyone with a Music VR registration key. Wednesday, 1 September 2004 7 comments150 limited edition Maestro posters (A1 format: 594mm x 841mm) individually signed by Mike "will be available next week" on mikeoldfield.com for £35. (Thanks, Uwe Lohse) Monday, 26 July 2004 49 commentsA Washburn Mirage Deluxe guitar owned by Mike Oldfield is currently for sale. The guitar is in purple-red finish, and was used by Mike on the Discovery tour. It has been described to me as a 'semi acoustic', but I believe it's a solid bodied electroacoustic. The guitar is coming directly from Mike, so authenticity is guaranteed - it will also come accompanied by a signed note of authenticity. The asking price is £500, UK buyers are preferred. Updated Jul 9 Guitar sold to Hubert Razack. Photos and samples.Monday, 5 July 2004 14 commentsWe've just been told that Mike will be the guest of Mick Brown on 'From The Bottom To The Top' on Capital Gold radio at 11am on Sunday. The show will feature a rundown of the UK charts of 2nd July 1983, when Moonlight Shadow was at number 4. Capital Gold can be heard online (click on the 'listen now' link at the top right of the page - Windows Media Player is required), or if you're in the UK, via AM radio (depending on your location), digital radio, cable and satellite - see their frequencies page for more information. Thanks to Roy Salsbury for the tipoff!Saturday, 3 July 2004 11 commentsTim Unwin has launched oldfield.info, a site hosting "various community-oriented projects based around the work of Mike Oldfield". Already available are a forum, a chat room, the official MusicVR bulletin board, and the screenshot gallery and competition. Each month, Fanny Oldfield will select one winning screenshot. Sunday, 27 June 2004 4 commentsmikeoldfield.com has put online scans of articles and interviews about Maestro and Mike's future album in Internet Magazine (June) and The Times (Jun 24). Thursday, 24 June 2004 20 commentsThere's been a rumour going round for a while that Mike will be appearing in Spain together with Luar na Lubre as part of Xacobeo 2004. I've been awaiting more definite confirmation before posting anything here about it, and it's come - Fanny Oldfield tells me that she's heard nothing about the concert, and so, unfortunately, it would seem to be nothing more than a hopeful rumour. Xacobeo's organisers are however still contradicting this news, saying that he will appear, on August 7th, together with Luar Na Lubre in Nigrán (Pontevedra). Update 16/6/04 - Luar Na Lubre's management also tell me that they have heard nothing about Mike's involvement, and believe that Xacobeo's organisers have made a mistake.
Update 2/8/04 - Mike's name has been removed from the listing on the Xacobeo web page.Wednesday, 9 June 2004 24 commentsFrom Mike's message board at mikeoldfield.com: Join me on Tuesday 6th April at about 2.15 pm as Avatars on BBC London Radio.
I will have my Laptop with me and will post my ip on the bulletin board as soon as I hook up.
Let's talk to LONDON!BBC London can be heard on 94.9MHz (FM) in the London area. It's also possible to listen over the internet, via their web page (click 'launch media player' and then 'BBC London 94.9fm - listen online now'. You will need RealPlayer to be able to listen). Please note that the UK is currently 1 hour ahead of GMT, so Mike will be on at 13:15 GMT, meaning 15:15 CEST (most of mainland Europe). Saturday, 3 April 2004 21 commentsOur 2004 April Fool's day spoof item:I was very interested to receive a CD with an electronic press kit from Casio yesterday, including the following press release: 31st March 2004: Casio Electronics Co. Ltd today launches the C-TB 2004 Guitar Synthesiser, an exciting collaboration between Casio and world renowned instrumental musician Mike Oldfield, which incorporates advanced sound technology and a newly designed note tracking system in a stylish and portable design.
The C-TB 2004 includes Casio's advanced HL (Highly-compressed Large-waveform) sound generation chip to provide sounds which are stunningly realistic, with breathtaking realism. Fans of Oldfield's work will rejoice in the inclusion of sounds designed by Oldfield himself, including recreations of the plaintive saxophone featured on his 2002 album Tres Lunas, and the powerful bass from 'Introduction' on Tubular Bells 2003. The C-TB 2004 also includes Casio's new Auto Composer technology, which allows even novices to sound like accomplished musicians and produce polished sounding tracks at the push of a button. Pads on the front panel allow the triggering of any of the C-TB 2004's 100 percussion and sound effects samples, adding spice to any performance. Meanwhile, a built-in ported loudspeaker system means that the C-TB 2004 is able to share its sounds with the outside world without the need for any additional equipment. Simply insert 6 D-Size batteries and the C-TB 2004 is ready to rock anywhere, any time!
Using piezoelectric triggers and strings made from an advanced unbreakable polymer, together with a powerful onboard computer, the C-TB 2004 is capable of tracking of a level far in advance of systems which have gone before it. It also introduces the innovation of a fretless fingerboard, allowing exciting pitch-bend possibilities, along with VF Virtual Fret technology for emulating the behaviour of a fretted guitar.
"It's a fantastic instrument," says Oldfield "Being able to play it anywhere is great, and some of the sounds are brilliant. I've been using guitar synthesisers since the 80s, but this one is really how I always thought they should be. The Auto Composer a real bonus and has already provided me with some fantastic ideas. I'm very much looking forward to using it on my next album".Also included was an image of the guitar and an audio demo by Mike. They promise that details will follow shortly on their website. This looks to be a very exciting development not just for fans of Mike, but music technology enthusiasts in general. Wednesday, 31 March 2004 32 comments Noble PR has published a press release about Maestro, along with a biography, gameplay information, and screenshots. Maestro will be launched on Apr 12. Tuesday, 2 March 2004 8 commentsMany fans have noticed an article in the Maltese Times about a bid to bring Mike there to perform at the celebration of Malta's entry into the European Union on April 30th. We feel it should be made clear that the bid involving Mike was not accepted, and that as plans stand, Mike will not be appearing in Malta. Instead, 15 minutes from Roger Waters's new rock opera will be played, together with a light show. Also with the winning team is Gert Hof, who worked as lighting designer for the Art In Heaven show in Berlin. Tuesday, 24 February 2004 6 commentsmikeoldfield.com has now been updated with a new design, including a section on Maestro, the new Tube World game (with a downloadable demo). Also new is a forum for discussion and technical support. Mike is now planning his next album, of "simple atmospheres and melodies". 15 February - The Maestro page has been updated to include promotional information on the game. The price will be £14.95 to download, or £18.00 including postage and packing via mail.26 May - Mike mentions on his forum that he is working on the new album using many new tools and techniques, and that he thinks "you will be surprised and [...] delighted with the finished work"Friday, 30 January 2004 49 commentsThe Tubular Bells 2003 DVD-Audio has been released in Spain. (Thanks, Lord Of The Bells) You can get it at Amazon.co.uk (£11.99). The Tubular Bells DVD box is also available (£26.24). It will be released in Japan on Feb 18 and in North America on Feb 24 by Rhino. HighFidelityReview has published another news story about it. Thursday, 15 January 2004 27 commentsWell, 2003 is over... Thank you everyone for your support and encouragement. In 2003, the forums have grown to something pretty amazing and some creativity has emerged from them. Thanks for your participation. 2004 should bring some improvements to the site, even with our tight budget. Best wishes to Fanny and Mike, and best wishes to the tubular.net community, peace and health for you and yours. Wednesday, 31 December 2003 18 commentsOn www.mikeoldfield.com, Mike says that The Tube World is being tested and should be released in early 2004. Mike is looking for a new title for the game. You can use this forum to post your suggestions. 5/12/03 Some new pictures have been added.Wednesday, 3 December 2003 17 commentsWarner has informed HighFidelityReview.com that the DVD-Audio version of Tubular Bells 2003 has been delayed, perhaps until early 2004. Monday, 1 December 2003 6 commentsmikeoldfield.com has reproduced the interview given by Mike to Hi-Fi News in November. Saturday, 22 November 2003 7 commentsStuart M. Robinson has published an extensive review of the Tubular Bells 2003 DVD-A on HighFidelityReview.com. No, HighFidelityReview.com is not the new official Mike Oldfield news service... ;-)Monday, 13 October 2003 20 commentsHighFidelityReview.com reports that the Tubular Bells 2003 DVD-A will be released on Nov 03 in UK and will include excerpts from the original Tubular Bells demos. Update: seems to be delayed until Dec 1 (2003) The DVD audio/video box set including Tubular Bells 2003 DVD-A, Tubular Bells II (Edinburgh Castle) DVD, Tubular Bells III (Horseguard’s Parade) DVD, and The Millennium Bell (Berlin) DVD will be released on Nov 17 and will cost £35. Update: Nov 24. Update: Jan 2004. Tuesday, 7 October 2003 29 comments There is a two page interview with Mike in the current issue of Guitarist magazine (November 2003, issue 242). He talks about re-recording Tubular Bells, his reasons for not touring, and there is a small half-page feature on some of the guitars in Mike's collection. Tuesday, 23 September 2003 37 commentsThe Tubular Bells 2003 DVD-A artwork is available at mikeoldfield.com], where Mike also says that his next project is a 5.1 mix of Ommadawn to be released in the first half of 2004. Contrary to Warner, Mike says that the DVD will include the original Tubular Bells demos. The Tube World should be finished for Christmas. Wednesday, 27 August 2003 67 commentsBorders is selling in the US copies of Tubular Bells 2003 with "Featured in the upcoming EXORCIST: The Beginning" stickers. There is no copy protection, and no import stickers. (Thanks Christopher Hopkins) Sunday, 17 August 2003 15 commentsAccording to blackstar.co.uk, Warner will release a Tubular Bells II / Tubular Bells III / The Millennium Bell / Tubular Bells 2003 audio DVD box set on Oct 13 in UK. [Updt Aug 26] A press release confirms the release of a DVD-A for Oct 13 in UK. No mention of a DVD box set. [Updt] Nov 03. Nov 10 for the box set. [Updt] Dec 01. Nov 24 for the box set. [Updt] Jan 2004 for the box set. Dont' worry, we'll keep you updated... ;-) Saturday, 16 August 2003 23 commentsMike's old NEVE 8108 32 channels console is for sale for 38,000 euros. Friday, 8 August 2003 38 commentsMike did a short interview with The Guardian on Jul 31. He dismisses complaints from fans over copy protection as being because they want to pirate the album and can't. The fans disagree... Monday, 4 August 2003 50 commentsAccording to High Fidelity Review, the DVD-Audio version of ' Tubular Bells 2003' will be released on Aug 25 [update: in october] [update: on Nov 03] [update: on Dec 01]. It will encompass 3 audio tracks: 3/2.1 surround, DTS 3/2.1 surround, and Dolby Digital 2/0.0 stereo. The extras will include video extracts from 'Tubular Bells II' and 'Tubular Bells III' DVD-Video releases in Dolby Digital 3/2.1 and linear PCM stereo, along with a photo gallery, discography and "5.1 Production Notes" written by audio engineer Ben Darlow. Sunday, 29 June 2003 5 commentsA demo of The Tube World, Mike's new 3D game, is available for download. Tuesday, 10 June 2003 60 commentsDuring webchats and Q&A on BBC Radio 2 ( transcript) and Los40 ( English translation by Maria), Mike said that he may do a 5.1 mix for Ommadawn and confirmed there will be no Tubular Bells 2003 concert. Thursday, 22 May 2003 16 commentsHappy Birthday, Mike!Wednesday, 14 May 2003 89 comments According to Warner Spain, Mike will be in Spain on May 22, 23 and 24 to launch Tubular Bells 2003. Updated May 12: there will be a press conference on May 22 at 12:00 at Palacee de los Duqes de Pastrana (Palacio de la Once). Journalists will be able to listen to the 5.1 mix of Tubular Bells 2003 from 11:00. Spanish ad (326K JPEG) annoucing the release for May 27. (Thanks, Santi Ruiz) Saturday, 3 May 2003 47 commentsThe Press section of www.mikeoldfield-tubularbells.com has been updated with a video for the dance version of the 'Introduction' single. (Thanks, Antonio Muñoz) Friday, 25 April 2003 73 commentsFrom e-xcentric.com: Mike Oldfield and Warners Records Spain have turned to e-xentric thinking to handle all creative elements of the Tubular Bells 30-year anniversary release. Planned for May release, e-xentric has been briefed to work on the CD cover, website, TV commercial and DVD.
Bill Smith, e-xentric director and one of the UK's most experienced music designers is naturally excited about the opportunity "we've worked with Warners Records Spain and Mike Oldfield for many years, but this is a big one. We're relishing the opportunity to create a fresh (but recognisable) look to Tubular Bells in 2003."(Thanks, Oldfield.de) Sunday, 13 April 2003 8 commentsmikeoldfield.com has been updated with a new design, the cover of 'Tubular Bells 2003' and a section about The Tube World. Friday, 11 April 2003 48 commentswww.mikeoldfield-tubularbells.com is the official WEA Tubular Bells 2003 web site. Tubular Bells 2003 (48:33): Part One 1. Introduction 05:51 2. Fast Guitars 01:04 3. Basses 00:46 4. Latin 02:18 5. A Minor Tune 01:21 6. Blues 02:40 7. Thrash 00:44 8. Jazz 00:48 9. Ghost Bells 00:30 10. Russian 00:44 11. Finale 08:36 Part Two 12. Harmonics 05:21 13. Peace 03:22 14. Bagpipe Guitars 03:07 15. Caveman 04:33 16. Ambient Guitars 05:09 17. Hornpipe 01:39 The site includes a sample of 'Introduction', and there is an hidden sample of a dance version. 'The Complete Tubular Bells' will include 'Tubular Bells 2003', 'Tubular Bells II', 'Tubular Bells III', and a Tubular Bells Bonus DVD: 1. Introduction (5.1 Mix) 05:51 2. Fast Guitars (5.1 Mix) 01:04 3. Basses (5.1 Mix) 00:46 4. Introduction 2003 "The Video" (in stereo and 5.1) 03:41 (Thanks, Mige Iranzo) Friday, 11 April 2003 133 comments From mikeoldfield.org: [i]The Tubular Bells 30th Anniversary issue of Dark Star with exclusive Philip Newell interview and comprehensive bootlegs article is about to be printed. Also featuring a special report on the Beocord tape machine which Mike used for the Tubular Bells demo and rare photos, news and comment, this issue is one that no Mike Oldfield fan should be without. The Philip Newell interview is one of the key Oldfield related interviews of the last decade: On Ommadawn, Philip recalls "...I remember waking up one morning and hearing this phenomenal guitar playing. I was half asleep, thinking what is this? This sounds fantastic. I got up and dressed and there was Mike playing with a music stand in front of him and a copy of Mayfair magazine open looking at the girls. I thought well if that's what it takes... anyhow when we were mixing the stereo version when we came to the end of side one we had the whole mixing desk covered in girlie magazines..." There's still time to subscribe or order a single issue by visiting http://www.mikeoldfield.org/Thursday, 10 April 2003 6 commentsThe leaked article and world tour news was an April fool's joke. Our apologies to anyone upset by the subject matter.Tuesday, 1 April 2003 Post a comment! According to mikeoldfield.com, the re-recording of Tubular Bells will be released on May 26 with a free DVD. The Tube World, a new 3D environment, will be available for download. THE RE RECORDING
The stereo and the 5.1 mixes of Tubular Bells are finished and we are looking for a venue for the launch and 5.1 premier event. Meanwhile I have been working on The Tube World.
THE TUBE WORLD
The Tube World will be quite different to Tres Lunas in that the landscapes are much bigger and the focus is more on the feel of the visuals and the music. Less focus is on the gameplay although some of the levels will need a fair degree of skill to get through. Much more like a flight simulator! Because of the complexity of the graphics we recommend GeForce 2 or better graphics cards.
The album will be called Tubular Bells, It will have new artwork(the same but clearer and calmer than the wonderful original) The CD version will include a free DVD featuring excerpts of the 5.1 mix, a video of the single, and all the information, pics, etc. The 5.1 will be available as a separate Super Audio DVD. The release will be on MAY 26th 2003 [was 16th], with The Tube World also available around this time. The Tube World will be downloadable from this website, and also mail order.
Off for a mini holiday now!! Mike. (Thanks, Tubular Bells Brasil Blog) Friday, 14 March 2003 39 commentsAccording to mikeoldfield.com, the new album will be called 'Tubular Bells The Re recording' and be released at the end of May. 30 years ago as a young musician of 19, I was given one week of studio time at The Manor House near Oxford. In this week I recorded the entire first half of the Album that was later to become Tubular Bells.
This Album went on to become the most successfull rock instumental Album of all time. To my ears however I was always aware of its imperfections. Notes out of tune, out of time, rushed playing, mistakes in performance, electonic noise etc etc... I always meant to re record it but for one reason or another I never got round to it... Until Now.
The re recording has been a great pleasure and it is so nice to hear my first piece of music realized to its full potential. The 5.1 mix is especially magical. I hope you will enjoy listening to the 30th anniversary re-recording of Tubular Bells as much as I have enjoyed making it.
Best wishes
Mike Oldfield(Thanks, Tubular World) Monday, 10 February 2003 95 commentsFrom mikeoldfield.com: Tubular Bells is finished and delivered to Warner Music who are very happy with it, they described the sound as amazing.
We are updating the studio to 5.1 format and I will start the 5.1 mix this week
MikeTuesday, 4 February 2003 37 commentsHomes & Property (Evening Standard, Wednesday 22 January 2002): Musician Mike Oldfield has sold his Wind in the Willows-style cottage by the Thames for £1 million, through Hamptons. The four-bedroom property near Marlow discreetly houses an indoor swimming pool and games room. "Mike wasn't spending much time there as he owns another house in the same area," the agent explains. Oldfield, who composed the mega-selling Seventies album Tubular Bells, bought the property 18 months ago as a Muse. "I was working on a chill-out album and the river was perfect inspiration," he says. (Thanks, Pendleburn) Wednesday, 22 January 2003 9 commentsThe Australian band The Magnificent 7 performed the MC section of Tubular Bells on the local radio ABC in Sydney. They played in a country style with instruments such as pedal steel, baritone guitar, violin and accordion, plus.. "tubular cow bells". The Magnificent 7 have been voted the best Australian country and western band for 2 years. After the broadcast, the DJ asked "I wonder what Mike Oakenfel would think of that?" (Thanks, Jay Atkinson) Monday, 6 January 2003 28 commentsA telepathy game is now online at mikeoldfield.com. (Thanks, Tubular World) On Jan 9, the answer was revealed: 32% chose the star, but Mike chose the diamond and is disappointed. Friday, 6 December 2002 33 commentsmikeoldfield.com has been updated with Stories About Music [replaced by Puzzle on Nov 28] and Grafitti children's sections, and this message from Mike: The Rerecording of Tubular Bells is nearly finished and I am having a great time, as it really is a wonderful piece of music. The new technologies help a lot although I am mainly keeping to the original instrumentation (hand played guitars and keyboards)
I am deliberately not hurrying as I only have one chance to do it as perfectly as possible. I am not working too hard and divide my time between music and my new hobby of Radio Controlled Electric Model Helicopters.
I am saving the caveman vocal until last because I know that I won't be able to speak for two weeks after that ! I have also started work on the Tubular World MVR.
Best wishes from Mike O.(Thanks, Mige Iranzo) Monday, 25 November 2002 29 comments Music VR has been updated to version 1.1f, and The Smart World, the children's community, has been added to mikeoldfield.com. On Nov 23, Music VR has been updated to version 1.1g (thanks, Tim Unwin). Sunday, 10 November 2002 23 commentsEchoes radio stations will be featuring Mike Oldfield (2 new photos on the page): Thursday 10/17, Saturday 10/19, Sunday 10/20
MIKE OLDFIELD'S VIRTUAL MUSIC
Mike Oldfield is an icon of modern instrumental music, best known for his debut album, Tubular Bells. Over the last few years, Oldfield has been developing a music based computer game called MUSIC VR and he's scored a soundtrack to go along with it, TRES LUNAS, (Warner Bros. UK). We visit the legendary musician in his estate outside of London where he talks about his game and plays it for us. We also get a sneak glimpse of his new recording of "Tubular Bells", set for release in the 30th anniversary year of 2003.Read the comments for details and MP3. Monday, 14 October 2002 25 comments Mike has sent this message to The Official Mike Oldfield Information service:
Hi There
Just to let you know that we have recorded John Cleese in Santa Barbara, USA.
The session was very funny and the finished edited soundfiles were sent via FTP transfer to England. We were in telephone contact during the session and the finished track sounds wonderful.
I have finished Part 1 of T Bells in rough for the moment and have started work on Part 2.
The full session including all the chit chat will be available to listen to as streaming audio sometime around the release.
Wednesday, 11 September 2002 39 commentsDuring a BBC Radio 2 interview, Mike said he already has an agreement with the person who will be the Master of Ceremonies for the re-recording of Tubular Bells and that it's not Tony Benn, Rowan Atkinson, Cilla Black, or Richard Madeley. On Aug 22, it has been confirmed during a TV interview that John Cleese will be the next MC. (Source: Amarok Mailing List) Thursday, 15 August 2002 40 commentsSallyangie's Children Of The Sun, originally released in 1968, has been re-released by Castle Music (CMRCD545) as a 2CD set with singles, previously unreleased tracks and BBC sessions. It's available for £9 at Amazon.co.uk. Tuesday, 13 August 2002 14 commentsMusic VR 1.1b is available at www.mikeoldfield.com. According to the version history, this release fixes "a problem when running MusicVR with external ZIP drives and smart card readers. The program would ask you to insert disks before running." On Aug 17, version 1.1c has been released to fix "the screen corruption some people had if they flew very close to the ground and looked downwards". Friday, 9 August 2002 Post a comment!The new single 'Thou Art In Heaven' will be released on Aug 26 in Spain (WEA-Warner Music Germany 0927 483732). Tracklist: - Thou Art In Heaven (Radio Edit)
- Thou Art In Heaven (Pumpin' Dolls Vs. Mighty Mike Club Mix - Radio Edit) 4'39''
- Thou Art In Heaven (Soultronik-Stethoscope - Radio Edit)
- Thou Art In Heaven (Pumpin' Dolls Vs. Mighty Mike Club Mix) 9'50''
- Thou Art In Heaven (Soultronik-Stethoscope Mix)
- To Be Free (Spanish Version - Radio Edit)
- To Be Free (French Version - Radio Edit)
- To Be Free (German Version - Radio Edit)Wednesday, 31 July 2002 29 commentsMike Oldfield was on [http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/shows/walker/]Johnnie Walker show[/URL] on Radio 2 on Jul 31. He interacted with online people in the chatroom for about 15 minutes, and then on the programme. Mike said he has found the original Tubular Bells demo tape, that it sounds great, and that it will be released on CD next year or available for download on the web. Screenshots of the chat at Oldfield.de. Real Audio. Tuesday, 30 July 2002 27 commentsMusic VR 1.1 is available at www.mikeoldfield.com. On Jul 21, version 1.1a has been released (changes are not listed). Thursday, 18 July 2002 5 commentsThe hard rock Finnish band Nightwish uses the 'Tubular Bells' opening theme in the song 'Feel For You' from their last album 'Century Child'. The album is very popular in Germany and Austria. MP3. (Thanks, Christophe Gevrey) Thursday, 4 July 2002 25 commentsHomini sells a Polish translation of Sean Moraghan's 'Mike Oldfield - A Man and His Music' book in Poland (ISBN 83-87933-26-0) (Thanks, Adam Skowronski) Thursday, 4 July 2002 1 comment The news section of www.mikeoldfield.com has been updated with this message from Mike: Tres Lunas is out and doing very well in Europe. I am really pleased, and will be on-line as an Avatar at 18.00 GMT for a couple of weeks... Look at the bulletin board. Have been getting all the old valve equipment out of storage for the re-recording of Tubular Bells, and am looking forward to this a lot. Especially as I don't need to write the music for a change. Off for a Guinness and a Chinese.
Cheers Mike Tuesday, 18 June 2002 38 commentsAccording to La Verdad, Mike Oldfield will perform during the "Gala del Día de la Región de Murcia", along with the Spanish singers Rosa, Manu Tenorio and Chenoa and the band 'Estopa'. It will take place at 'El Salvador', in Caravaca de la Cruz, Murcia, and it will be presented by Ramón García and Anne Igartiburu. Not confirmed at all.(Thanks, Javier Llorente) Tuesday, 4 June 2002 27 commentsOn May 28, Mike was on Spanish radio Cadena 100, in the 100x100 program with Javi Nieves and his team. Mike said that he will start re-recording Tubular Bells in one month and during 6 months with possibly John Cleese as MC, that he will do a tour next year with interactive games, and that he has 4 more songs to be recorded after the Tubular Bells project. tr3slunas.com has a transcript and sound bits. This FTP server has an MP3 of the interview (thanks, Santi Ruiz). June 9 will be "Mike Oldfield's Day" on Spanish radio M80 which has already broadcasted themes from 'Tres Lunas' in their 'Musica Privada' program (Thanks, mR. SaTuRn) Monday, 27 May 2002 27 commentsThe Spanish newspaper 'El Periódico De Cataluña' contains a 4-pages article w/photos about Mike Oldfield entitled "I was a teenager at 45 years old". Scans of page 1, page 2, page 3, page 4. Mike may tour Spain and Eastern Europe next year to play Tubular Bells, with at least 12 musicians. (Thanks, Santi Ruiz) Monday, 27 May 2002 7 commentswww.mikeoldfield-treslunas.com is the official 'Tres Lunas' web site, in English and Spanish, with a biography, a commented tracklisting, and extracts of all tracks. On May 20, the English section has been completed and some photos added to the biogaphy written by Carlos Finaly. On May 21, the video has been added. Friday, 17 May 2002 91 comments Happy Birthday, Mike!Wednesday, 15 May 2002 47 comments According to the Official Mike Oldfield Information Service, 'Tr3s Lunas' will be released on July 1 in UK and on June 3 in the rest of Europe. It might be released in US. 'To Be Free' will be released in Europe on May 27, but not in UK. If it's successful, French, German, and Spanish versions (already recorded) will be released. Monday, 13 May 2002 13 commentsIn the news section of www.mikeoldfield.com, Mike says that Music VR is now in production at the factory, and that he will be online in the "game" at a prearranged time. (Thanks, Matthew Cochrane) The discography has been completed and the demo has been updated on May 11 and contains credits: Software Pogramming: Colin Dooley Graphic Artist: Neek Catcheside (Thanks, Oldfield.de) Wednesday, 8 May 2002 24 commentsThe page of the Second Mike Oldfield Fan Meeting in Madrid had been updated with a 4min video containing the best moments of the event. From there you'll also be able to preorder your copy of the double CD 'Oldfield 2002' which will be released in June and will include a documentary video with the highlights of the meeting (including extracts from the forums, the jam session and the concert), a photo gallery and a selection of live themes from the Amadian concert in audio format. Friday, 26 April 2002 12 commentswww.mikeoldfield.com has been updated and contains the cover of 'Tres Lunas' and a new demo. According to the Official Mike Oldfield Information Service, the catalog number is 'WE833 LC4281 Warner Music Spain' and the tracklisting is: 01 Misty 02 No Mans Land 03 Return To The Origin 04 Landfall 05 Viper 06 Turtle Island 07 To Be Free 08 Fire Fly 09 Tr3s Lunas 10 Daydream 11 Thou Art In Heaven 12 Sirius 13 No Mans Land Reprise According to the Music VR Store, the price for the game seems to be £11.75. On Apr 24, the site has been updated with a new description of Music VR and new pictures. Thursday, 18 April 2002 95 comments According to a Los 40 article, 'Tres Lunas' will be launched in ' la Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències' in Valencia, Spain, on June 3. It will include a CD with the music and a second CD with the game. Mike signed a 3 albums contract with Warner Spain. (Thanks, StRiXx) Plus: Levante article (w/photo) (thanks, José Manuel), Las Provincias article (w/photo) (thanks, Nacho Marin), another Los 40 article (w/cover) (thanks, José Manuel) According to the Official Mike Oldfield Information Service, "the centre will host the press conference on May 29th and afterwards attention will shift to the IMAX Theatre (allegedly Europes largest planetarium) where Mike will give the first public demonstration of Music VR. A chill-out party will take place in the evening with the theme of relaxation, through water, light and ambient music." (updated Apr 26) Thursday, 11 April 2002 46 commentsIn the news section of mikeoldfield.com, Mike writes: Just finishing off the album. There are 13 tracks one of wich will be a single called "To Be Free". The single will be released in English, Spanish, French and German. Working now on the new Demo wich we will post soon. All the final pieces coming together at last! Found a great new way to play guitar sounding like a saxophone or flute. Having a final listen to the album this afternoon then off for Thai dindins. (Thanks, Michiel Cleijne) Thursday, 21 March 2002 42 commentswww.mikeoldfield.com has been updated with a new Flash interface (click on the hands) and new blurbs. On March 15, the design has been updated again, and a map of the first episode of Music VR is available. Monday, 4 March 2002 54 comments Virgin Denmark has released a 2CD compilation called 'The Danish Collection'. (Thanks, Oldfield.dk) Cover scans at ProMO. Amazon.fr sells a 2CD 'Collection'. It's also available in Spain. (Thanks, Tubular World). Scan of the non-Danish cover ( back, inlay with mistakes). (Thanks, nick & Blue Dolphin)
CD1
Moonlight Shadow 03:36
To France 04:43
Five Miles Out 04:15
Shadow on the Wall 05:18
Foreign Affair 03:55
Sentinel 03:56
Family Man 03:46
Heaven's Open 04:26
Pictures In The Dark 04:20
Innocent 03:30
Islands 04:18
Incantations (part four excerpt) 04:38 | |
CD2
Tubular Bells (opening theme) 04:17
Etude 03:06
Ommadawn (excerpt) 03:39
In Dulci Jubilo 02:51
Good News 01:45
Pran's Theme 1 & 2 02:31
Pran's Departure 02:07
Hergest Ridge (Part One) 21:28
Portsmouth 02:00
|
Tuesday, 26 February 2002 25 commentsAccording to The Official Mike Oldfield Information Service, the Finnish CD pressing of Pekka Pohjola 'Keesojen Lehto' (otherwise known as the 'Mathematicians Air Display' or 'The Consequences of Indecisions' and first released in 1976) featuring Mike on guitar is being remastered and re-released in March. You can pre-order it from their site for $29.50. Friday, 22 February 2002 7 commentsThe independent music label Pandora Music is organizing the Second Mike Oldfield Fan Meeting in Madrid which will take place the 23rd of February. The event will include video sessions, stalls with fanzines (the Orabidoo fanzine staff will come) and rarities (some music shops from Madrid will be represented), discussion forums, a jam session (where everyone is invited to participate), bar service, a rarities raffle (with T-Shirts, CDs...) and several other suprises... The main act of the event will be the Mike Oldfield tribute concert which will be performed by the group Amadian, a well known folk/rock fusion group from Madrid, who will play versions of all of the artist's discography. It will be the first time that a music group does a concert based in versions of a whole 25+ year discography. This is the projected setlist for the concert (the order might change): Tubular Bells Part 1, Tubular Bells Part 2, The Sailor's Hornpipe, Excerpt from Hergest Ridge Part 1, Ommadawn Part 2, Portsmouth, In Dulci Jubilo, Hymn to Diana (Incantations Part 2), Excerpt from Incantations Part 4, North Star (Platinum Part 4), Arrival, Planxty Fanny Power, Taurus I+II (excerpt), Orabidoo, Crises (excerpt), The Lake (excerpt) , The Wind Chimes Part 1, Innocent, Excerpt from Amarok + Serpent Dream, Music from the Balcony, Maya Gold, In the Beginning + Let There be Light + Crystal Clear, O Son do Ar (The Song of the Sun), Women of Ireland, Dark Island, Mike's Reel, The Top Of The Morning, From the Ashes, The Doges Palacehttp://www.pandoramusic.net/oldfield2002/There you will be able to listen to some MP3s from the band, see the details about the activities, the place of the event, booking information, as well as a list of near hotel accomodations for people who might need it. Tuesday, 5 February 2002 15 commentswww.mike-oldfield.com has been updated with this message: " A new site is under construction at mikeoldfield.com and in the near future all hits to MusicVR.com and mike-oldfield.com will be redirected there. Thanks for your patience and input, we are nearly there and look forward for the release in May. Good wishes from Mike and MVR." (Thanks, Thomas Höögh) Monday, 4 February 2002 7 commentsMike sent exclusive news to the official Mike Oldfield information service : "I've just signed a new 3 album deal with Warner Music. There will be two chillout albums to coincide with the releases of Music VR, and the re-recording of original Tubular Bells to be released in 2003. The first album will be called 'Tres Lunas', and the first episode of Music VR also called 'Tres Lunas' will be included on the CD. There will be a free demo, but to play the full version of MVR you will have to register online and pay an extra sum by credit card. MVR will also be downloadable separately from the CD release. The release date for both first album and MVR episode is set for May 27 2002."There are also two 'Tres Lunas' 3D graphics on their website. Friday, 1 February 2002 70 commentsAccording to PLAN 1 (info available in the news section), Mike chose the high-tech PLAN 1 studios in Munich to do some work in December for his new album and his MVR project. (Thanks, Oldfield.de) Sunday, 6 January 2002 33 commentsThe official Mike Oldfield website, www.mikeoldfield.org, has been updated with a new nice and warm design presenting very interesting and detailed content. Tuesday, 18 December 2001 13 commentsThe new book Ginger Geezer - The Life of Vivian Stanshall contains some mention of Mike with Vivian's involvement in Tubular Bells I, plus this story: Mike wanted Vivian to do the same reading of intruments for Tubular Bells II. He did agree to it, but on the day of recording, he did'nt turn up, so Tom Newman went to his house and Vivian was there blind drunk and when Tom asked if he was going to do it, he went to get dressed,and fell asleep. He later told Tom that he did not attend the recording on purpose because he was still annoyed at missing out on royalties from Tubular Bells I. (Thanks, James Questari) Saturday, 15 December 2001 5 commentsStudio 99 ( health warning: Céline Dion, Ricky Martin, Robbie Williams, plus Boyzone are mentionned on the page) has a tribute called 'Tubular Bells Part I & II A Tribute to Mike Oldfield'. The CD is available at least in Romania, Hungary and Spain. (Thanks, Sephirot) Tuesday, 4 December 2001 5 comments An extract of Tubular Bells is included in the French compilation Ushuaia. (Merci, Enzo) Wednesday, 21 November 2001 2 commentsMusic VR sites were temporarily down for technical reasons. On Nov 20, the sites were back online, not updated. (Thanks, Thomas Höögh) Sunday, 4 November 2001 20 commentsAccording to Dark Star, the original Elements 4 CD box is being replaced by a "more standard repackaged box with the same booklet and CD's, new code CDBOXY2". It should be released on Nov 26 by Virgin. You can preorder it at Dark Star for £50 or at Amazon.co.uk for £36. Friday, 19 October 2001 16 commentsThere was a 2 pages article about Mike in the Daily Mirror on Oct 6. According to this article, it seems MVR will be released in 2002. Scan. Saturday, 13 October 2001 20 commentsWEA will release on Oct 16 a Voyager / The Songs Of Distant Earth 2 CD set. (Thanks, Tubular World) Saturday, 6 October 2001 9 commentsTotal Guitar magazine (Oct 2001) features Mike with discussion of his playing style, his methods, examples with guitar tab and audio demos: "Didlybom" from Amarok arranged for one guitar (567K MP3), a bit from The Top Of The Morning and from the Knebworth video (553K MP3), and Moonlight Shadow arranged for fingerpicking. Transcript. Raw interview at Dark Star. (Thanks, Matthew Cochrane) The Dec. Spanish version of Total Guitar features 2 tabs and audio demos. (Thanks, Kike) [updated Dec 03]Sunday, 30 September 2001 11 comments BBC Radio 2 will mention "the first ever broadcast of Mike Oldfield’s ‘Tubular Bells’" on Sep 26 during 'The Whistle Test Years', a show marking the 30th anniversary of the BBC Television programme 'The Old Grey Whistle Test'. (Thanks, Ian Hubball) Tuesday, 25 September 2001 2 commentsJosé Miguel Serrano will co-host a radio special about Mike Oldfield in Colombia, on 'Superstación 88.9', on Oct 14 & Oct 28, during the show 'El Expreso del rock'. Info about the project and its mailing list can be found at www.tubularbellsbogota.8m.com. MP3s of the show and transcriptions will be available there too. Monday, 24 September 2001 3 commentsThe Music VR website has been updated with 3 new music clips and new pictures. (Thanks, Thomas Höögh) There was a new update on July 17. (Thanks, Mario Santos) Wednesday, 4 July 2001 5 commentsThe 'Millennium Bell (Live In Berlin)' DVD should be released in the UK on Jul 9 ( order it at Amazon.co.uk), and according to Art In Heaven, Warner Vision wants to release it in U.S. and Canada in August. According to Warner Music Japan, it will be released in Japan (region 2, NTSC) on Jul 25. (Thanks, Matthew Grace) [updated Jul 07]Tuesday, 26 June 2001 18 commentsDark Star (new issue 21 available) got some exclusive info about MVR: the creation and the design are now completed and the game should be available in Sept. 2001. As Mike said in the exclusive Raft interview, the first part will be free. According to Dark Star, parts 2 and 3 should cost less than a CD (payment by credit card). Also, a special prize will be offered to the first person who will send to Mike a screenshot of a hidden diamond ring. Wednesday, 20 June 2001 18 comments The Music VR website has been updated with a 7min33 video presentation of the project and new pictures. On Jun 19, the 'Demo' section has been renamed 'Part1 Free', and some sounds have been added to the site. Monday, 18 June 2001 12 commentsIn an interview at The Raft, Mike says that the first part of Music VR should be ready in 2 months and will be free, a double package containing an album and the game will be released, and that a concert involving the audience may be organized. Wednesday, 6 June 2001 10 commentsThe Music VR website has been updated with a Flash promo for the forthcoming webcast and a new Flash presentation of the project. Monday, 4 June 2001 8 commentsMike answered questions at an exclusive non-live webchat on Friday 08 June at The Raft. The website features photos of the studio where 'The Best Of Tubular Bells' was mastered, and 2 TV ads. There is also a page about Music VR and a 37 minutes video of the webcast. [updated June 08]Wednesday, 30 May 2001 38 commentsAn unreleased track called 'Ready mix' and 'Mount Teide' are included on 'One More Time', Carl Palmer (of Emerson Lake & Palmer) 2 CDs best-of album which will be released on May 21. It's available at Amazon.co.uk. (Source: Chris Morrison via alt.music.mike-oldfield) Sunday, 13 May 2001 2 commentsThe Music VR website has been updated on May 03, on May 21, and on May 26 with a Flash movie containing new background music. (Thanks, Johan Williamsson) Thursday, 3 May 2001 7 commentsDuring an interview with Ian Callaghan, producer of the series 'Seven More Days That Rocked The World' on BBC Radio 2, Mike said he may plan to re-record 'Tubular Bells' in 2003, for the 30th Anniversary, using modern technology , replacing the organ parts with a full orchestra as he originally wanted, and fixing the out of tune/time sections. On 26 Apr 22:00, the BBC 2 series 'Seven More Days That Rocked The World' will be about the release of 'Tubular Bells' and will include an interview with Mike. The show is "a rollercoaster ride through some of rock'n’roll's greatest and most shocking moments" written and presented by Stuart Maconie, and produced by Ian Callaghan. Transcript of the show. Thursday, 19 April 2001 26 commentsThe 'Millennium Bell (Live In Berlin)' DVD was released by Warner on May 21 and can be ordered at Amazon.de and pre-ordered at Amazon.co.uk (which announces a release date of June 25). A VHS version will also be available. (Thanks, Matthew Grace) The DVD is Region 2/3/4/5/6 (no North America), in Dolby Digital and Linear PCM, and contains a 5min interview of Mike in his house and a making-of with subtitles in English, German, Spanish, French, Italian and Polish. (Thanks, marhi) Classical Songs: 1. Tubular Bells 2. Portsmouth 3. Moonlight Shadow 4. Secrets 5. Shadows on the Wall The Millennium Bell: 1. Sunlight 2. The Doges Places 3. Mastermind 4. Broad 5. Liberation 6. Amber Light 7. The Millennium Bell Art In Heaven A photo of the cover and a description in German and French is available at wea.ch (Thanks, Vinz) Scan of a French promo. (Thanks, nick.nath.barbier@wanadoo.fr). Screnshots of the DVD menu (Source: Thomas Kinastowski via Amarok) [updated May 31]Tuesday, 10 April 2001 29 comments'The Best of Tubular Bells', compiled and edited by Simon Heyworth, has been released on 4 June 2001. Virgin press release. You can order it at Amazon.co.uk. Photo of the cover. (Thanks, Nacho Marin) [updated June 04]Tubular Bells - Part 1 (Original Edit) Tubular Bells - Part 1 (Orchestral Edit) Tubular Bells - Part 1 (Original Edit) Tubular Bells - Part 1 (Exposed Edit) Tubular Bells - Part 1 (Original Edit) Tubular Bells - Part 2 'The Caveman Song' (Original Edit) Tubular Bells - Part 2 (Exposed Edit) Sentinel (Tubular Bells II) The Bell (Tubular Bells II) Far Above The Clouds (Tubular Bells III) The Millennium Bell (The Millennium Bell) Tubular Bells - Part 2 'Sailors Hornpipe' (Original Edit) Thursday, 22 March 2001 37 comments With the forthcoming Virgin 'Tubular Bells' compilation, and the expiration of Mike's contract with Warner, there are rumors that Mike might sign again with Virgin (which is owned by EMI which is owned by AOL Time Warner). Wednesday, 21 March 2001 4 commentsThe Sonic VR website has been updated with a 687K demo for Windows of the project. Friday, 9 March 2001 23 commentsAccording to Dark Star, Virgin will release a Best of 'Tubular Bells' compilation in June. Monday, 5 March 2001 5 comments'Tubular Vibes' is a Mike Oldfield tribute with the following track listing: 1. Tubular Bells (Part 4) - Bondee System 2. Taurus - Rey 3. Guilty - Kenton Files 4. Jewel In The Crown - Sahid 5. The Funkie Tubular Bells - Joseph/Ma Licious 6. Moonlight Shadow - Kenton Files (unplugged version) 7. High Place - Copenhagen 8. Get To France - Giorgio & Rey 9. Moonlight Shadow - Ecstatica (dance version) 10. The Blue Incantations - Rey Project/Ma Licious 11. Five Miles Out - Giorgio & Rey 12. The Red Incantations - Joseph/Ma Licious 13. The Tubular Countdown - Rey/Ma Licious. It's available at Amazon.com. Thursday, 22 February 2001 6 comments Warner has released a DVD sampler (not for sale) ( scan) containing tracks from Mike Oldfield ('Far Above The Clouds'), The Corrs, Eric Clapton, Madonna, Cher, Metallica, and Tchaikowsky. (Thanks, nick) Monday, 19 February 2001 1 commentThe Sonic VR website contains 3 new pictures and a new beautiful MP3 sample called Piano248. (Thanks, Tubular World.) Friday, 16 February 2001 3 commentsThe Sonic VR website has been redesigned and updated, and contains much more information about the project. An aditionnal minor update has been made on Feb 9. (Thanks, Tubular World SE) Friday, 2 February 2001 8 commentsAccording to El Ideal Gallego Digital, Mike Oldfield might give a concert in A Coruña (Galicia, Spain) in August, during the "Noites Celtas" event. (Source: Octavio Molano via Amarok) Thursday, 1 February 2001 2 commentsThe Art In Heaven (Berlin 2000) DVD should be released by Warner in a few months, once Mike has approved the cut made by Art In Heaven. It will include the whole concert, a making of, an interview, and features such as different camera views. (Thanks, Oldfield.de) Wednesday, 17 January 2001 5 comments'Tubular Bells' will be the first Super Audio Compact Disc ( SACD) released by Virgin. The DVD will be released on Feb 5 and contain 3 layers: an ordinary stereo mix, an SACD stereo mix, and a multichannel mix containing additional music to the stereo mixes. Article and Simon Heyworth's interview at Widescreen Review and article at Virgin/Eden. (Thanks, Hifiguru) Friday, 5 January 2001 5 comments The Sonic VR website has been updated and contains new pictures, 9 Real Video movies with music, and 2 VRML files. Epsiode 1 will be released during the first quarter of 2001 and will run on Windows computers with OpenGL graphic card. Thursday, 21 December 2000 7 commentsThe Art In Heaven show with Mike Oldfield in Sardinia in Italy on 31 Dec 2000 is cancelled. Another Art In Heaven show is planned with Mike Oldfield during the summer or the autumn in China in 2001. (Thanks, Oldfield.de) Tuesday, 28 November 2000 7 commentsArt In Heaven - The Millennium Event - The World's greatest Lightshow is a 136 pages (20 about Mike) 24x34cm book (ISBN 3-9807371-0-1) containing photos and text about the making of the Berlin 200 event. Complete information about this book is available at Oldfield.de. It costs 50 DM and can be ordered by emailing artinheavenap@perleberg.de or at Into Wonderland (49,90 DM + 15,10 DM). (Thanks, Oldfield.de) Monday, 6 November 2000 Post a comment! On 20 Oct 2000, in Czestochwa, Poland, Duo Sonare (Jens Wagner and Thomas Offermann - 2 German guitarists) performed Tubular Bells. The concert took place the 3rd day of the 'Meeting of Guitarists' festival. The orchestra of Czestochwa, conducted by Bogdan Oledzki, accompanied Duo Sonare. Information about their excellent CD (there is no orchestra, just guitars) is available on this forum. (Thanks, Wojciech) Saturday, 28 October 2000 Post a comment!Annie Haslam, the lead vocalist of the British band 'Renaissance', has a cover version of 'Moonlight Shadow'. More info and MP3 at Mike Oldfield: Russian Page. Monday, 23 October 2000 2 commentsThe movie 'The Exorcist' was re-released w/ new sound and visual material. The newer version, called 'The Exorcist: the version you've never seen', not ony uses the opening theme of 'Tubular Bells' but also latter excerpts of Part 1 and some of Part 2. The website >mentions 'Tubular Bells': Elsewhere, Friedkin used a few phrases from the opening of Mike Oldfield’s "Tubular Bells" which he perceived as an innocent nursery-rhyme-style theme for Regan. It has since become recognised as the "Theme from THE EXORCIST".(Thanks, Bill Henning) Wednesday, 27 September 2000 Post a comment!The Russian Magazine BEELINE NEWS (it's about mobile network in Russia) had a review of 'Guitars'. (Thanks, Freshhh) Friday, 8 September 2000 Post a comment!The Russian newspaper MK had a small preview of the Millennium show in Berlin, along with a few words about 'Guitars'. (Thanks, Freshhh) Wednesday, 6 September 2000 Post a comment!At the Olympics in Australia, the Russian artistic gymnastic team will use almost all tracks of 'Tubular Bells III' as music for their routines. They already performed in front of 10,000 people, using 'Far Above The Clouds' during the grand finale of their exhibition! (Thanks, Chris Cotton) Monday, 4 September 2000 Post a comment!The Russian Omsk Drama Theatre uses Mike Oldfield's music in the show 'Man, animal and the Goodness' by Louigi Pirandello. From the first-night show which was on Aug 8, 1994 the performance still remains successful. (More info at Mike Oldfield: Russian Page) Sunday, 3 September 2000 Post a comment!The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Radio Two played 'Tubular Bells' as part of the comedy show 'The Muckraker' on Sep 01. The skit was 'The Quebecorsist' and it explained how the Alliance Party leader converted two separatiststo his new reform party. (Thanks, The Windsors) Sunday, 3 September 2000 Post a comment!The Russian TV program XXL Music had a short interview with Mike about 'Tubular Bells III'. There was also a 3 minutes excerpt from 'The Source Of Secrets' at Horse Guards Parade. (Thanks, Freshhh) Saturday, 2 September 2000 Post a comment!The SF2 Swiss TV channel broadcasted the 'Tubular Bells III' concert on Sat, 2 Sept, at 23:10. (Source: Pascal Sueess via Amarok) Saturday, 2 September 2000 Post a comment!There are already rumours about the band for the forthcoming European tour. List deleted - this story was wholy untrue - apologies to the musicians, especially those left from the list.Friday, 25 August 2000 3 commentsThe band Wavediver has a trance track called 'Tubular Bells' based upon the famous keyboard riff. It's available on the German CD "Dreamdance 17". (Thanks, Axel and Christopher) Wednesday, 23 August 2000 Post a comment!There are rumors of a concert in Spain and a European tour early next year, after the release of the two first episodes of Sonic VR. (Source: Dark Star) Saturday, 19 August 2000 Post a comment!Barry Palmer, who used to sing Mike Oldfield's songs, has a new single called 'Dear John' (a Lennon tribute). It's a free download for a limited time at MP3.com. Tuesday, 15 August 2000 Post a comment!'The Millennium Bell' was played in front of 23 000 people in Hull, Québec, Canada! There was a firework competiton going on at the Hull Casino and 4 countries were competing: Spain, Portugal, Italy and South Africa. On Jul 29, it was the opening night and the finale of the Spain offering was accompanied by 'The Millennium Bell'... (Source: Maurice Lafleur via Amarok) Tuesday, 1 August 2000 Post a comment!Lukasz Wierzbicki has a 2 hours radio programme called Treasure Island on the Polish local radio FAN 100.2 FM in Poznan. During the last broadcast on Jul 27, the whole 'Amarok' was played, as the magic final of their "expeditions to the centre of the Treasure Island in search of the most beautiful and exciting music of the world". Sunday, 30 July 2000 Post a comment! Sonic VR contains 2 new music samples: 'Daliphant' (1:14), and 'First Steps' (0:58), a short video of Mike working in his studio, and a VRML cactus. Friday, 28 July 2000 Post a comment! The UK Digitial TV channel BBC Knowledge broadcasted on Jul 19 a program about 50 years of Richard Branson. Mike Oldfield and 'Tubular Bells' were mentioned, along with a clip of a live performance of 'Tubular Bells'. The composer talked about the problems he was having trying to get a record label to market it. (Thanks, James Stark) Wednesday, 19 July 2000 Post a comment!The domain oldfieldinteractive.com contains the Sonic VR website, also available at mike-oldfield.com and mikeoldfieldsr.com. (Thanks, Thomas Hoogh) Wednesday, 19 July 2000 Post a comment!Amar (singer on 'Tubular Bells III')'s first album 'Outside' will be released on 4th July in France. The first single 'Sometimes It Snows In April' is already available. (Thanks, Vinz) Wednesday, 21 June 2000 Post a comment!Virgin has released remastered HDCD versions of albums from 'Tubular Bells' to 'QE2' (excepted 'Boxed') on May 29. Albums 'Five Miles Out' to 'Heaven's Open' (excepted 'The Complete') were re-released on July 3. Simon Heyworth (co-producer of 'Tubular Bells' - he also did the remaster in 98) remastered the albums, and Dave Laing (author of the Elements box booklet) wrote inaccurate sleeve notes for each CD. There are new photos and slightly improved artwork. Catalog numbers and more details are available at Dark Star. (Source: Dark Star) In some countries, including France, the albums are not be considered as new CDs and will not be sent to the shops unless vendors order them from Virgin. (Thanks, nick) Monday, 29 May 2000 2 comments
The availability of Sonic Virtual Reality on CD-ROM and DVD is not confirmed (the project will be distributed via Internet), No Mac version is planned. Voice your opinion! [updated June 16]
Amar, who sang in 'Tubular Bells III', also sings on French artist Khaled's latest single: 'El harba wine'. [June 9]
The UK TV show 'Through The Keyhole' featured Mike Oldfield on May 30. The program portrayed his house, garden, swimming pool, studio (with the 'Let There Be Light' video running), lounge, bedroom, meditation room and his extensive Star Trek video collection. In the interview, Mike talked about the 'Sonic Reality' project and Exegesis. He claimed that sales figures of 'Tubular Bells' have been exaggerated and that 9 million copies were sold. [May 30]
'The Doge's Palace' was played during the Real Madrid soccer team party on May 25, after they won the UEFA Champion's League. The tune was played while the players were appearing on the field.[May 26]
Anita Hegerland sang 'Moonlight Shadow' during the 'Da Capo' program on the Norwegian TV channel NRK1 on May 23. [updated May 23]
La Fnac, and other big French stores, currently sell: 'Tubular Bells - Edition festival de Cannes 2000'. This is a Virgin promo. There is just a cardboard box around the usual CD. [updated May 18]
One of the main radio stations in Adelaide, South Australia, recently conducted a poll of the 1000 greatest rock tracks of all time. Tubular Bells' came in at number 100 and is played more and more on Australian radio stations. [May 18]
The 'Radiodifusora Nacional de Colombia', a Colombian radio station, mentionned Mike's birthday in their 'Carruselambra' show, and explained how 'Tubular Bells' helped to launch the Virgin empire. [May 16]
The Polish RMF radio station mentioned Mike's Birthday on Monday, May 15, 7:26am, in a 30s message and played 'Portsmouth'. [May 15]
According the the Finnish newspaper 'Aamulehti' (May 10), students of a local music oriented high school in Tampere, Finland, plus some other young musicians will perform 'Tubular Bells II' live. The band consists of nearly 20 musicians, and instruments include tubular bells and a bagpipe. The whole team hopes to have several perfomances but, for now, only one has been confirmed on 1st of June. [May 14]
On April 29 in Nörtingen (Germany), Mike Oldfield's old friend Tom Newman (producer of Tubular Bells, Platinum, Amarok, etc.) performed a special concert with some very special guests. The concert had the motto of 'A Tribute to Mike Oldfield'. The band played:
- Incantations part 4
- Summit Day
- To France
- Poison Arrows
- Saved by a Bell
- Crime of Passion
- Discovery
- Shadow on the Wall
- Don Alfonso
- Sailor's Hornpipe
Tom also performed excerpts of 'Faerie Symphony and Other Stories' (available at Tempus Fugit) and other tracks of his own albums. The band was
- Tom Newman: vocals, guitars
- Barry Palmer: vocals ( Triumvirat, Oldfield band)
- Mickey Simmonds: keyboards (Fish, Oldfield band)
- & band (some good locals)
From March issue of Classic Rock magazine: "Caravan, Gong and Focus will be the main attractions at the Canterbury Music Festival, which takes place on July 31. Tickets will go on sale shortly." [...] says Pye Hastings. "We want Jethro Tull or Procol Harum headlining, with us in the middle; then Kevin Ayers thinks he might get Mike Oldfield, his former guitarist, to come back for a one-off"
The 'Poptop' show on the Dutsh TV channel 'Nederland 1' featured on Wed, Apr 26 (5:53pm) Mike Oldfield and Roger Chapman.
According to the German newspaper 'Mannheimer Morgen', the famous German concert promoter Matthias Hoffmann is planing a special summer project in German cities: 12 portable arenas (for up to 6000 people). The cultural events in these arenas should include concerts of Joe Cocker, Nigel Kennedy,... There are discussions about a contract with the so called "sound master" Mike Oldfield.
Sonic Reality is Mike Oldfield's new virtual reality project. According to a press release available at Dark Star, it "will have large worlds to fly around whilst listening to original music", will be non-violent and non-linear. It will work on PCs. Worlds will be downloadable via Internet for a nominal fee. Series one will contain the first 10 episodes. the first one should be ready in September.
Mike now manages himself. Caroline Monk is his PA.
The Polish Radio Trójka has a 'tops of all times' poll. Vote for Tubular Bells! (check it and click on GLOSUJ at the bottom - if you have a modem you can vote again each time you connect...)
Bill Smith Studio, the agency who did the artwork for Mike's CDs from 'Tubular Bells II' to 'Tubular Bells III', is selling a year K2 limited edition poster for £6.49 (all profits go to charity) which includes some artwork created for Mike Oldfield.
The #1 single in Belgium - 'Candyman' by 'Da Boy Tommy' - is entirely based on the 'Tubular Bells' famous keyboard opening theme.
The city hall of Leganes (Madrid) in Spain plans to name a street 'Mike Oldfield' next year. There is already a (noisy? ;-) street named AC/DC.
The Italian band Prezioso used the melody of the verses of 'Family Man' in their song 'Tell Me Why'. You can listen to it on German radio stations.
Spanish local newspapers and TV stations announce a concert at Araba Arena (now known as Buesa Arena, in Vitoria, Spain) on Sep 17 with two other rock bands to promote the Araba.
There are also rumors of a new album released at the end of 2000.
The French rapper Lady Laistee used a sample from 'The Lake' in her last single 'Et si..?' (from her album 'Black Mama'). RA sample
'Wonderful Land' and 'Hibernaculum' were used as background music in ads for Spanish political parties.
Art In Heaven has released the Berlin video. It lasts 65 minutes and include the following tracks:
Best of:
1. Tubular Bells
2. Portsmouth
3. Moonlight Shadow
4. The Source Of Secrets
5. Shadow on the Wall
The Millennium Bell:
1. Sunlight Shining Trough Cloud
2. The Doge's Palace
3. Mastermind
4. Broad Sunlit Uplands
5. Liberation
6. Amber Light
7. The Millennium Bell
Special:
Art in Heaven (a.k.a. Berlin 2000)
It is available as PAL and NTSC for $30. A DVD is also considered but the the content, price and delivery date remain opened questions. Art In Heaven is also planning to release the video "A view behind the stage", in which Mike explains how the idea for the Art in Heaven concert came about, and where you can see unique pictures in Mike's studio.
You can order via the Art In Heaven Online shop. They don't take credit cards, but you can mail them the order form and transfer the payment from your bank to:
Deutsche Kreditbank AG
SWIFT-BIC: BYLADEM 1001
Bank Account: 1525260
Bank Code: 12030000
Alternatively, you can buy it from Into Wonderland (45 DEM for PAL, 54 DEM for NTSC), and from Dark Star (£14 or $28) (no credit card either).
"In 1999, Warner Music Group artists received 73 nominations for Grammy Awards and they accounted for 38 of the year's 200 best-selling albums in the US. Worldwide, 26 Warner Music Group albums sold more than a million units in 1999." Mike Oldfield is among the company's top recording artists, according to Business Wire.
Dark Star has a cool photo of Mike in front of his Mac and his keyboards in his studio.
Mike might organize a small European tour around September 2000.
The Spanish radio station Cadena 100 has an 'Amber Light' promo single released by WEA and containing 3 tracks: Sunlight Shining Through Cloud, Mastermind, Amber Light (edit) (Source: Dark Star).
The Spanish radio station Cadena 100 says that Mike's new work is planned to be released at the end of this year.
The Concertina Record (MP3s available), Lea Nicholson’s 1980 album which features Mike Oldfield on the track Kopya has been re-released and is now available for the first time on CD. You can order the CD for £10 incl. shipping & handling at Jamring.com.
During his time with Virgin in 1976, Lea spent some time with Mike Oldfield at his studio in Througham, Gloucestershire. Kopya was one of the results of these sessions. Mike plays guitar, sleigh bells, and bodhran. Lea, as always, plays concertina.
Jean-Michel Jarre said in the Spanish newspaper Gaceta Universitaria: "He is part of my generation and we started more or less at the same time. He follows his path, he doesn't care about trends. He is more involved in Celtic, folk and acoustic music. A kind of mix with electronic music."
EMI (which owns Virgin Music) and Time Warner merged their music businesses, with combined revenues of $8 billion a year, to become the world's second-largest in the field. For now, the catalogs are not merged.
Until Tubular Bells II, Mike's records were released by Virgin, they are now released by Warner.
The French magazine Keyboards (December - Mike is on the cover) has a 2 pages interview where Mike talks about music and computers. Translation.
Listeners of the Polish radio FAN 100,2 FM voted for their albums of the year 1999:
1. Camel - Rajaz
2. Moody Blues - Strange Times
3. Mike Oldfield - The Millennium Bell
4. Mike Oldfield - Guitars
5. Yes - The Ladder
The French magazine Best rates 'The Millennium Bell' 7/10 and lists in in the best records of 1999.
Mike was on CNN WorldBeat on Dec 26. The pictures inspired Hans Claesson with a manipulation.
Mike said on Spanish radio Cadena 100 on 24 Nov that he's working on a new album far from the Tubular Bells concept.
Mike was on the Steve Wright show on 22 Dec on BBC Radio 2 in UK. You can read the transcript of the interview.
Mike was on the UK show 'London Tonight' on 15 Dec, where he played an acoustic version of 'In Dulci Jubilo' and 'Silent Night'.
WEA published an A4 advertisment in El País (Spain's larger newspaper) featuring 'The Millennium Bell'.
Mike said on the Spanish TV channel TV3 ('La cosa nostra') that he'll be back to Barcelona in July for the forthcoming European tour.
'The Millennium Bell' is advertised in several Spanish newspapers. Scan of the ad.
Mike has found a new love with a 22-year old Belgian student named Fanny Vandekerckhove. They met for the first time in Ibiza 4 years ago.
Here is a picture of the French promotional blurb for 'The Millennium Bell'
According to the French magazine 'Home Ciné DVD' (issue 18, Nov 1999), the 'Tubular Bells II' and 'Tubular Bells III' DVD is one of the best DVD sales (all categories) in Netherlands.
The UK show 'Later with Jools Holland' featuring Mike Oldfield has been re-broadcasted on BBC-2 on Sep 18.
Mike was on the show on Oct 30. He answered an interview and played the 'Tubular Bells' theme on the bells, 'Serpent Dream', 'Secrets', plus 'Far Above The Clouds' (it seems that the music has been remixed on the Sep 18 show).
"Noel Gallagher, founding member of the group 'Oasis' has "enough" from Great Britain and bought a new villa on the sunny island Ibiza. The price of what was the house of Mike Oldfield was 5,6 Million Marks (about 1.8 Million Pounds). The musician will live there for at least 6 months a year."
A new DVD containing the 'Tubular Bells II' and 'Tubular Bells III' concerts has been released (scans of cover ) for 59.000 Lit.
'Sentinel' is called 'Sentimental' on the DVD! Check out the scans.
The Polish radio Trójka broadcasted an ad for the concert in Poland (MP3 - 300K). 'Tubular Bells' is used as background music.
During the press conference after the concert in Barcelona (17,500 people), Mike said that the Millennium concert will be recorded and released on CD.
During the 'Far Above The Clouds' encore at the Hamburg concert (June 25), three female dancers came onto stage and performed a very improvised dance. Adrian Thomas commented when he was asked who they were: "I don't know, and I don't wanna know!". Pictures.
Mike appeared on VH-1 UK 'Talking Music' on 25 June 1999 during about 7 minutes. There were some musical excerpts. Mike confirmed that the drums on 'Guitars' are played on guitar through a MIDI convertor box.
The single 'Secrets/Far Above The Clouds' was released on 12th April. You can read the press release. And here is the tracklisting:
CD1
1. Timewriter's Radio Mix
2. Jam & Spoon Mix
3. Album Version
CD2
1. Jam & Spoon "Deep Inside The Club" Mix
2. Timewriter's "Big Bag Of Secrets" Mix
3. Jam & Spoon "Far Below The Bass" Mix
12"
Side A. Jam & Spoon Mix
Side B. Timewriter's "Big Bag Of Secrets" Mix
You can buy 'Far Above The Clouds' at CD NOW or at Amazon.com.
Mike Oldfield was on German TV on Dec 10, 1999. He received the 'Die Goldene Europa' award on Nov 22 in Saarbrücken (he already got it in 1987 with 'Islands').
There was a launch party at the Waterside Inn on 6 August for the release of 'Tubular Bells III'. It was attended by everyone connected with the production of the album, managers, press, etc.
A special edition of 'Tubular Bells III' was pressed for the event. It comes in a cardboard sleeve with Waterside Inn 6-8-98 printed on the sleeve beneath the bell logo.
|
Reference to Mike in 
Sentinel during the men's diving at the Olympics.
Moonlight Shadow cover by 
Tubular Bells was discussed on 'Today', a morning news program [Jan 06]
Embers / 'Uno Mattina' on
RAI UNO TV channel, about Médecins Sans Frontières [feb 14]
Sentinel / Travel program 'Sigurds Verden' on Norwegian TV channel TVNorge [Sep 28]
Article and Tres Lunas review in Q magazine [Aug]
Sentinel and Moonshine / German documentary about John Irving, on Norwegian TV channel NRK1 [Aug 12]
Evacuation / during 'Studio Aperto' on Italia1 TV channel, about a murder, and genetic modifications [Jul 22, 18:40]
Special "Mike Oldfield" / about Tres Lunas, MVR on Portuguese music channel 'Sol música'. Interview and 3 clips: Pacha Mama, Man In the Rain, and Only Time Will Tell [Jul 21]
Tubular Bells opening theme / during 'Un gars, une fille', sitcom on France 2 TV channel [Jul 05]
Dutch station Radio 2 organized a poll for their 
Moonlight Shadow came 279th in a poll of 'The 600 Best Songs of All Time', voted by listeners of the Perth radio station MIX 
Extracts from Tubular Bells II / astrology program on 'Tempo' TV channel at 21:00 [Jan 02]
Fragments from The Lake / kids show 'REA' on SVT1 [Nov 07]
Few notes of From The Ashes / 'Vildmark' on SCDT1, about a recreation area in the county of Dalarna on the border to Norway [Oct 20]
50min of The Millennium Bell concert on Czech TV [Jun 24]
Michael Oldfield was mentionned in the Richard Branson's biography on A&E. An imitation of the TB opening theme and a photo of Mike and Richard were used. [May 30]
The Colombian 'Carouselambra' show mentionned Mike, his birthday, Tubular Bells and Tubular Bells II [May 15]
Lot of MO's music / 
Extracts from Guitars / 2nd channel HTV in Croatia, about sailing [Feb 07]
Extract of Magellan / ad for Université Laval at RDS during the Super Bowl [Jan 28]
Secrets and Voyager / jam-e-jam, on Iranian space channel [Jan 11]
Excerpt of Tubular Bells / La Columna on TV3, about The Exorcist [Oct 20]
Let There Be Light video / Internet Cafe (shown as an example of computer graphics) [Sep 29]
Beginning of The Bell / Yugoslavian TV during a commercial encouraging people to go voting [Sep 02]
Extract of Wild Goose Flaps Its Wing / documentary about Kosovo on TVP1 [Jun 09]
Tatoo / children's show to accompany a short film of an English sheepdog playing on a lawn on DR-TV [Jun 06]
