Mike Oldfield - Irish Bells (2023)

EXTRAORDINARY LIVE BROADCAST RECORDING FROM MIKE OLDFIELD’S 1980 TOUR Born May 1953, musician, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Mike Oldfield remains best known for his debut studio album Tubular Bells (1973), which became an unexpected critical and commercial success and propelled him to worldwide fame. Though primarily a guitarist, Oldfield is known for playing a range of instruments which include keyboards, percussion, and vocals. He has adopted a range of musical styles throughout his career, including prog- rock, world, folk, classical, electronic, ambient, and new age music. Oldfield took up the guitar at age ten and left school in his teens to embark on a music career. From 1967 to 1970, he and his sister Sally Oldfield performed as folk duo The Sallyangie, after which he played with Kevin Ayers. In 1971, Oldfield started work on Tubular Bells which caught the attention of Richard Branson, who agreed to release it on his then-new Virgin Records. Its opening was used in the horror film The Exorcist and the album went on to sell almost million copies in the UK. Oldfield followed it with Hergest Ridge (1974), Ommadawn (1975), and Incantations (1978), all of which feature longform and mostly instrumental pieces. In the late 1970s, Oldfield began to tour and release more commercial and song-based music, beginning with Platinum (1979), his fifth album released in November 1979. It marked the start of his transition from long compositions towards mainstream and pop music. Oldfield performed across Europe between April and December 1980 with the In Concert 1980 tour. On 31st May ’80, Mike performed a stunning concert at Dublin’s RDS Main Hall, featuring cuts from his latest record alongside lengthy renditions from Incantations and Ommadawn. Replete with a 10-piece band, including vocalist Maggie Riley, the show was a mesmerising experience for all who attended, plus those listening in to the corresponding Radio Broadcast, transmitted live across the British Isles. Previously unreleased, this remarkable performance is now featured on this new CD release for the first time.