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Tubular
Bells II is the update and/or sequel to Mike Oldfield's landmark 1973
new age recording Tubular Bells, which will resonate forever as the
haunting theme to The Exorcist. Here, Oldfield repeats his
multi-instrumental performance, playing guitar, banjo, organ,
percussion, mandolin, and the titular tubular bells, although in a nod
to modernism, the latter instruments often appear as samples through
Oldfield's Kurzweil synth rig. It's the piece's captivating main theme
that again takes center stage here. The eight-minute opening track
"Sentinel" plays it off of whining guitars and breathy female vocals.
The latter element is a nice touch. The genre that the original Bells
helped establish has come quite a ways in 20 years, and this fact isn't
lost on Oldfield. Throughout II, he incorporates the multi-cultural
influences that have cross-pollinated with new age, bringing in breathy
ethnic flutes, Asian-inflected string sounds, and the whispered foreign
words of "Sentinel." The famous ceiling of the album, where each
instrument is introduced by a narrator, becomes another summit between
old and new. Alan Rickman handles the introductions (during "Bell") and
runs through a litany of instruments that includes "digital sound
processor," reed and pipe organ, "the Venetian effect," glockenspiel,
"two slightly sampled electric guitars," and vocal chords, which Rickman
introduces as if they're an exotic museum piece. Some of Oldfield's
fancy-handed riffs fail; the bagpipes of "Tattoo" seem too obvious and
"Sunjammer" sounds like an unfortunate outtake from the Who's Tommy. But
overall, Tubular Bells II succeeds mightily. It doesn't beat its
predecessor, but does update its sonics and technology with Oldfield's
flair for studied grandiosity.