Published on Apr 14, 2001
Any time a sequel of a classic is done, no matter what the media
format, it’s a risky move. Sometimes, as in the case of the
Star Wars movies, it works fantastically. Sometimes, your
luck runs out, as in the case of
Batman And Robin – should’ve left well enough alone in that
case.
And then, there’s the case of Mike Oldfield. In 1973, Oldfield
became a legend for his musical masterpiece
Tubular Bells. I’ve read some stories which credit this
album for launching the whole new-age genre; I dispute that.
However, there is no denying that Oldfield pushed the envelope to
the limit with that album, and I still listen to it.
In 1992, Oldfield dared to return to his roots and recorded
Tubular Bells II. The first time I heard it back then, I
cried – what had he
done to his classic piece of music? I could not bring myself
to listen to it again – until this year. And while I might have
been a little (mind you, just a little) too harsh on my first
judgment, Oldfield’s tragic flaw on this disc is that he does try
to copy his original work movement for movement. Five words: bad
idea…
very bad idea.
Of course, I admit I made the mistake of listening to the
original
Tubular Bells before diving into
Tubular Bells II. Some might argue it’s not fair to compare
the two works, but the fact is you can’t
not compare them. Oldfield brings over stylistic elements
from each movement of the first album to this disc, and only
slightly augments them.
You don’t believe me? Listen to the synthesizer opening on
“Sentinel,” and tell me that wasn’t designed to sound like the
haunting opening to “Tubular Bells Part One,” the most famous piece
of music from that record. Tell me the introduction of all the
instruments, not to mention the musical pattern of the track “The
Bell,” wasn’t a carbon copy of the Viv Stanshall-led introduction
that closed the first movement of
Tubular Bells. For Christ’s sake, Oldfield even brings back
the Piltdown Man (that is, the roars and grunts) on “Altered
States” – and I was seriously hoping he would not have screwed with
one of my happiest musical memories as a child.
How blatant is the mirror image? Oldfield even closes
Tubular Bells II with “Moonshine,” a country hoedown that
mimics the square-dance-on-speed mistake that closes the original
Tubular Bells. Independent piece of music, my arse.
If Oldfield had tried to create an entirely new piece of music
worthy of the “Tubular Bells” moniker, I would have had less of a
problem. After all, I realize that music must change (a little
lesson I learned from Roger Daltrey), and it’s quite possible that,
had Oldfield originally written “Tubular Bells” in the ’90s, this
is what it would sound like. But the fact is that Oldfield had a
reputation to live up to that was 19 years old, and
Tubular Bells II fails to do so. It’s nearly impossible to
approach this as a unique composition, unless you’ve never heard
the original
Tubular Bells in your lifetime. Granted, there are some
people out there for whom this would qualify – but with the
re-release of
The Exorcist recently, I’d guess that number isn’t the
largest.
Instrumentally, I wasn’t terribly thrilled with the dependence
on synthesizers, but I will concede that they were indeed in use on
Tubular Bells (albeit in a more primitive form) and they
probably do serve their purpose well here. I also probably would
have left out the banjo, as well as some of the cutesy vocals on
“Altered States”, but that’s just me talking.
Tubular Bells is the kind of piece that can withstand almost
any attack against it, but
Tubular Bells II dares to weaken even the foundation of the
original piece. Oldfield makes a fatal mistake by trying to reprise
his classic work, and is a triumphant failure. Side note: Oldfield
released
Tubular Bells III in 1998, a disc which, to the best of my
knowledge, has never been released in the States. After finally
getting through
Tubular Bells II, I’m almost afraid to hear what the third
installment sounds like. Here’s hoping Oldfield learned his lesson
with the second effort.