Mike Oldfield was told Tubular Bells would flop with no vocals – Music News

Mike Oldfield was told his vision for ‘Tubular Bells’ was “crazy”.

The 70-year-old musician’s debut album was a huge success when it was released in 1973 but he had no idea it was going to be so popular because so many record companies had snubbed the chance to work with him as they were convinced he needed vocals on his tracks in order to do well.

He reflected to Prog magazine: “I had no idea at all how the album would be received.

“My demo had been turned down by so many record companies during the previous year or so.

“They all thought I was crazy trying to sell instrumental music – they kept saying it needed vocals.”

But Mike had a “strong premonition” that spurred him to keep going.

He added: “However, something inside me told me to keep going and I have a vivd memory of the time I was living in Tottenham working on the demos.

“It was springtime and I remember going for a walk in a nearby park to try and relax.

“Suddenly this clear picture came into my head that the album I was working on was destined to be very successful.

“I had no evidence at all for my conviction, but it was such a strong premonition, giving me the confidence to keep going against all the odds.

“The fact it did indeed turn out to be successful helped me to have more faith in myself and my own intuition; throughout my life I’ve tried to be true to my own musical vision and to never compromise in order to please others.”

But the ‘Moonlight Shadow’ hitmaker had no idea just how much the record would change his life.

He said: “It was such a seismic shift in my life.

“I went from being a down-and-out, virtually broke, 19-year-old musician to a worldwide celebrity almost overnight.”

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