Artist · EveryDisc catalogue

Mike Oldfield

Michael Gordon Oldfield (born May 15, 1953, Reading, Berkshire) is a British multi-instrumentalist and composer. He is best known for his debut album, Tubular Bells, the main theme of which was used in the horror film "The Exorcist" and received a Grammy as the best instrumental composition (1974). A pioneering approach to the sound recording process and the unique sound of his slightly overdriven guitars, along with frequent use of vibrato and a significant amount of splices and overdubs of various instruments, made Oldfield's style recognizable and unique. Tubular Bells was the first record released on the Virgin Records label, which ultimately became the catalyst for building Richard Branson's business empire. Mike Oldfield is known not only for his instrumental works, but also for writing a number of popular songs, among which are "Moonlight Shadow" and "To France," with vocals by Maggie Reilly. Among the Russian-speaking audience, the most well-known excerpt is from his composition "The Wind Chimes" (album Islands), which was used in the closing credits of the TV program "Klub Puteshestvennikov".