In May, 1973, an album was released which not only redefined the way people listened to music, it also redefined their expectations of the people who released music in the first place. Tubular Bells hit the headlines not only because it became one of the largest selling albums of all time, but because it had been turned down as utterly uncommercial, utterly unlistenable, by pretty much every record company in the world.
Over the next twelve months, and indeed for forty years since then, Tubular Bells has gone on to break almost every rock record there is, while its creator, Mike Oldfield, has established himself as one of the most visionary, and vital talents of the rock era.
Mike Oldfield - The Ultimate Listening Guide travels from his earliest days, even before the mighty Bells, through to the album with which he (almost) closed the 20th century, Voyager.
Exclusive interviews with Oldfield himself tell the story behind the creation of some of the most significant music of the age; and the story comes up to date with his thoughts on the 21st century remasters which have seen so many of his past classics thoroughly reborn for old fans and new listeners alike.
The Ultimate Listening Guide is a series of short (approx 40 page) guides to the lives, times and most crucial recordings by a wide range of artists.
Many are based around exclusive interviews featuring the artist’s own recollections and reactions to his or her unfolding career, and are packed with both personal information and key collector’s data.
For the past thirty years, author Dave Thompson has been a contributor to a variety of collectors publications, including Goldmine, DISCoveries, Record Collector, Spiral Scratch, Live Music Review, Big O and British Punk Collector. He is also editor of the long-running Goldmine record price guides.
Titles in this series include:
Eric Clapton
The Clash
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Peter Frampton
Peter Green and Fleetwood Mac
George Harrison
Robyn Hitchcock
Kraftwerk
John Lennon
Bob Marley & the Wailers
John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers
Paul McCartney & Wings
Joe Meek
the Mothers of Invention
Mike Oldfield
Elvis Presley
Queen
The Rutles
Status Quo
Thin Lizzy
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