TUBULAR BELLS II

Is this album commercial? Very, very, commercial, of course. But this is something that I really don´t care when is music of such quality and sensibility...Because in my opinion, this is undoubtly another Oldfield´s MASTERPIECE!

This album is not a real sequel, it´s a remake. "Tubular Bells II" reproduces every passage of "Tubular Bells", but with differents melodies that nevertheless are totally related with the original melodies. We can say that "Tubular Bells II" it´s a variation of "Tubular Bells". It´s just incredible! I think that only a truly brilliant mind can do something like this album. Hearing "Tubular Bells" and "Tubular Bells II" at the same is a fantastic experience, becouse there are some passages that fit completely! But I recommend the hearing of "Tubular Bells" several times before hearing this one, because only this way you will discover the great work and efforth that Mike Oldfield did with the sequel...

In musical terms, "Tubular Bells II" is very more lightly and positive than the first one. It´s obvious that Mike Oldfield and the producer Trevor Horn (The Buggles, Yes...) tried to make a musik able to remove the listener feelings, searching the commercial success...And undoutly they didn´t failed, because some parts of this albums have enough sensibility and emotion to make you cry (and it sold millions of copies...)! I think that some parts are even better that the original (the second part till Altered State, The Bell...)! Nevertheless, another parts are not as good (Maya Gold, Moonshine, Sentinel...) but in general terms I think that "Tubular Bells II" is a better album than "Tubular Bells". Maybe it´s not so original, and after all it´s only a kind of "cover", but when I hear it I feel so good and happy than I can´t escape of playing time after time! It´s hard to forget that it´s only a version, but you can´t deny the great quality of this version...

Conclusion: a must album for all fans of the good music and for people without prejudices! And without a doubt, "Tubular Bells II" is a totally fascinating experience if you listen together with "Tubular Bells", making comparisions and looking for the relations between them, because this is a marvellous lesson of how to make music...