Tubular Bells III

Artist: Mike Oldfield
Label: Wea International
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Format: Import
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 2

UPC: 632427302827
EAN: 0632427302827
ASIN: B00000DATR

Release Date: 1999-03-19

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Tracks:

The Source Of Secrets
The Watchful Eye
Jewel In The Crown
Outcast
Serpent Dream
The Inner Child
Man In The Rain
The Top Of The Morning
Moonwatch
Secrets
Far Above The Clouds

Similar Items:

Tubular Bells II
Tubular Bells 2003
Tubular Bells
The Songs of Distant Earth
Guitars

Customer Reviews:

This one is the one furthest away from sounding like a re-packaging of the original Tubular Bells.......2006-08-06

Now, I know everybody who likes Mike Oldfield is criticizing him for re-recording and re-packaging Tubular Bells over and over, and over again these past 30 plus years. But, if it wasn't for the 1992 release of Tubular Bells II, I would have probably just let myself forget all about him. I really didn't follow Mike Oldfield's music much after Crises (1983) and The Killing Fields (1984). I didn't care for how Mike Oldfield was doing less long played projects and started to perform pop sounding ditties with other singers. Sometimes, you wouldn't know if you were listening to Mike Oldfield or ABBA, or just simply someone else. Simple pop songs like "Family Man", "To France", "Moonlight Shadow", etc. And when I saw "Discovery" (1984) and seen that it had more short pop songs with vocals, I just sort of gave up on Mike Oldfield, altogether. So I think, TB II was a smart move for Mike Oldfield to re-introduce himself to the music world. "Tubular Bells" (1973) was considered a Progressive Rock achievement back then, and so TB II of 1992 had to compete with the modern day New Age music market. I don't think TB III was a great disappointment, and I certainly I won't give it a miss either. To see it performed live now (on his very hard to find PAL region only DVD release of TB II and TB III live) actually makes me appreciate this album so much more.

And why shouldn't Mike Oldfield try and keep Tubular Bells alive? When we go to see any singer or band in concert, we are usually not too concerned about hearing some of their new material. We want to see and hear the hits, or the pieces of music that are his claim to fame, of course. Especially from bands who's past is much more glorified than where they are today.

However, Mike Olfield's recording of "Tubular Bells 2003" was just ridiculous! On this album, he is trying to re-record, as closely as possible, to the original 1973 release. This might have been more enjoyable if he and his other performers filmed this tight performance live before an audience. A DVD of this performance would have been much more justified than this pointless CD only release.

So, if he tries to re-record this album just once more, he really should seek some therapy. I think by now, he's beat this horse enough. Please Mike, give it a rest!

Uneven But 2 great Tracks.......2006-02-23

I found the production of this album a bit uneven, but there are two great tracks I had to have, the best one being "Man In The Rain"

Full bloom.......2005-08-28

I'm not a big fan of Mike Oldfield. Granted, the man is a genius, but his stuff just doesn't resonate with me.
This, however, is an exception. Everything he has done well on the other albums, together, just even better. From the first tones this album is mesmerizing, each track an essential part of the journey. There's something of every musical style. Trance, rock, ambient, folk... everybody could like this.
Also, the last track is one of the most climactic I have ever heard. Truly majestetic.

Interesting, fun.. not quite as tired as it may seem........2004-12-24

In the beginning there was Tubular Bells, and it was good. And the public heard that it was good (or were effectively creeped out by the part of it used in The Exorcist). And yea, some years later Mike Oldfield did think to revamp it, using better technology and molding the work into a new form. And the public did have mixed feelings; some were thrilled, some felt it was so much fluff. And yea verily, Mike did return yet again with Tubular Bells III, but did not make the album another reworking this time. And this listener, at least, was quite pleased.

In classic Oldfield form, this is a mostly instrumental suite flowing from one section to the next and presenting various tasty sounds/textures throughout. Through shifting atmospheres, middle-eastern trance ("Serpent Dream") and yes, an occasional stretch veering into new-age territory ("The Top of the Morning"), there's still a consistent flow & mood to the whole thing. Some of it's pretty spacey (a-la Songs of Distant Earth) but I don't think the cheese level gets excessive.

Mike probably realized that reworking the first two Bells again would unquestionably be overkill.. hell, this album invited the risk of overkill just by existing. So he sticks to the timeless piano theme - spiced up with some subtle electronic textures this time - and reuses only a couple basic motifs throughout. "Inner Child" is very loosely based on the familiar haunting vocal section. "Outcast" flirts with the same bouncy fuzz-thrash idea that the other albums had, but remains far from a retread. And of course the tubular bells themselves must appear somewhere.

That's where the family resemblance ends. The layer-building section with the voice announcing the instruments is nowhere to be heard. Ditto the growling Piltdown Man sequence, which may be a relief for anyone who thought its treatment in TB2 was too ridiculous. And the closing hoedown is gone; instead we get the most effective finale of the three, a propulsive eargasmic crescendo thundering across the vast sky. (Listen between the lines and you'll hear him integrating the bass line from the grand finale of TB1's first half. Sneaky.) The thing that doesn't quite fit is "Man in the Rain," a catchy pop tune that's inevitably out of place in the middle of the instrumental work. But as someone below said, on its own it's a decent track and the flow of the album isn't harmed if it's skipped.

Obviously the original Bells is the one to begin with. If you'd like something more light and lush, try TB2; if you don't mind some electronic touches, come right here.

Not bad, not bad at all.......2004-09-17

It's not the dreary new age rehash I was expecting. Sure, it's a bit easy listening in places, but mostly it's a synth-heavy reworking with a touch of techno styling.

On balance, I like it a little more than Tubular Bells II, if only because it skips the Piltdown Man entirely rather than making it a joke, and because it's more subtle in its reworking of themes from the original Tubular Bells.

I'd like it even more without the obligatory attempt at a hit single ("Man In The Rain") breaking up the flow, though.

Music CD:

Music CD

Music CD

Music CD

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