Mike Oldfield

Opus One Record Store Day 2023 Edition

Opus One, the original demo recorded by Mike Oldfield that was later to become the global phenomenon, Tubular Bells. Oldfield created tape loops and worked with such advanced studio items as a screwdriver and a piece of card to get the multi-tracking he desired. This was the tape that was rejected by many record companies, and ultimately approved by Simon Draper and Richard Branson at Virgin Records. Re-recorded at The Manor Studio, with additional sections added, Tubular Bells was released on May 25th1973, launching both Mike Oldfield’s career and Virgin Records. The rest, as they say . . . Unreleased until 2009, Opus One was made available on the 35th Anniversary box set of Tubular Bells. Now to begin the commemorations for Tubular Bells’ 50thAnniversary, Opus One appears on vinyl for the first and only time ever in a limited pressing, cut at Abbey Road by Miles Showell, with a brand-new cover designed by Phil Smee and overseen by Mike Oldfield, which hints towards what was to come…