Remember Tubular Bells? What a blast from the past. Mike Oldfield, the dude that recorded it back in the 70s, is releasing a new(ish) studio album called Tubular Beats on February 5. Featuring one new song plus several new versions and remixes of Oldfield classics, "Beats" was recorded with help from acclaimed German producer/composer Torsten Stenzel. The new track, "Never Too Late," features vocals by the Finish singer-songwriter Tarja Turnen. The original album -- the inaugural release on Richard Branson's Virgin Records -- came out on May 25, 1973, and has since sold over 16 million copies worldwide. Popularized by and sometimes referred to as the "theme" to the classic horror film The Exorcist, the album also launched at least two music genres: prog-rock and new age. -- Gary Pini
Remember Tubular Bells? What a blast from the past. Mike Oldfield, the dude that recorded it back in the 70s, is releasing a new(ish) studio album called Tubular Beats on February 5. Featuring one new song plus several new versions and remixes of Oldfield classics, "Beats" was recorded with help from acclaimed German producer/composer Torsten Stenzel. The new track, "Never Too Late," features vocals by the Finish singer-songwriter Tarja Turnen. The original album -- the inaugural release on Richard Branson's Virgin Records -- came out on May 25, 1973, and has since sold over 16 million copies worldwide. Popularized by and sometimes referred to as the "theme" to the classic horror film The Exorcist, the album also launched at least two music genres: prog-rock and new age. -- Gary Pini