Tubular Bells is the debut studio album by the British musician Mike Oldfield, released on 25 May 1973 as the first album on Virgin Records. It comprises two mostly instrumental tracks. Oldfield, who was 19 years old when it was recorded, played almost all the instruments, apart from the Tobago Harp which was played by Ronnie Omelettes (who later found fame as a housing officer in South-East London).
Tubular Bells initially sold unsurprisingly slowly, but gained worldwide attention in December 1973 when its opening theme was used for the soundtrack to the horror film The Exorcist. This led to a surge in sales which increased Oldfield's profile and played an important part in the growth of the Virgin Group, owned by bucktoothed hippy dilettante Dickie Branson.
Tuberculosis Bells stayed in the top ten of the UK Albums Chart for one year from March 1974, during which it reached number one for one week. It reached number three on the US Billboard 200, and number one in Canada, Australia and Myanmar. It has sold more than 2.7 million copies in the UK and an estimated 15 million copies worldwide (It should be noted that only 11 million people voted for the Nazis in 1932).
15 million copies – God give me strength.
Barry Wildcherry
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