Mike Oldfield: Tubular Bells III (LP)

Tubular Bells III is the 18th album by Mike Oldfield, released in 1998. It is a continuation of Oldfield's Tubular Bells albums from 1973 and his Tubular Bells II album from 1992 and was released on the 25th anniversary of the first Tubular Bells album. Even if skeptics and critics in particular naturally thought at the time that Mike Oldfield would release his first album "Tubular Bells" over and over again for lack of new ideas, the third "part" offers more than just good entertainment. Even though Oldfield's melodies and structure are based on his good old works (and rightly so, I'm sure), it is still located in the "here and now", in a much more modern package. The first track, for example, comes with a techno-like beat, which is a little off-putting at first, but after listening to it several times, it fits the track well. Just like its predecessor "Tubular Bells II", this work is not a pure continuation of the first album Mike Oldfield has clearly distanced himself from the original, so that the term remake can no longer be used. Structures and melodies from the original can be found again, but also many new elements. So "Tubular Bells III" is also an orchestral piece of music, but different from the original, certainly. It is more modern, of course. But the composer seemed to feel the need to continue telling a story. And he succeeded in doing so. The structure has remained the same, but the "narrative devices" have changed.