THE ORCHESTRAL TUBULAR BELLS

I realise this review is kind of half-assed, but I don't really know what to say about this album. Released in 1975, just two years after the original, 'The Orchestral Tubular Bells' sees Mike Oldfield, alongside the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, play through his magnum opus 'Tubular Bells', in what's unfortunately a rather unnecessary live recording.

While 'Tubular Bells' has never been my favourite album (I gave it a three-star rating), it's no doubt regarded as Mike Oldfield's most popular work and has become one of 'those albums' that everybody owns. So why release a live orchestral version just two years later?

I can understand touring the album with a band, but performing it with a full-blown orchestra just seems a bit overbearing, not to mention, kind of boring. The music is fine, but honestly, when it all comes down to it, just stick to the original version. It's got a charm about it that this one lacks.