This Day in Music
Michael Fitzgibbon
Mike is in Nassau, Miles is in Rio, Ronnie’s in Hell, and Elvis is in Hawaii, on this day in music.
Tubular Bells
1973: English composer and musician Mike Oldfield releases his debut studio album, the seminal classic, “Tubular Bells.” I like to describe it as a rock concerto for its multi-movement structure and soloists supported by a larger orchestra. If The Who’s “Tommy” is a rock opera, why can’t “Tubular Bells” be a rock concerto?
Selling slowly at first, the piece’s main theme was chosen for use in William Frieden’s 1973 movie, The Exorcist, which brought worldwide attention to the release. Even if you’ve never heard the album, you’ll recognize the main theme. That new-found interest sent the album to No. 1 in the U.K., Canada, Australia, and the US Cash Box chart. It peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200. Globally, it has sold over 15 million copies, earning 9x Platinum certification in the U.K., 3x Platinum in Australia, 2x Platinum in Canada, and Gold in the U.S. and across Europe.
Oldfield plays most of the instruments on the LP himself, including all string instruments except double-bass, all keyboard instruments, all pitched and non-pitched percussion instruments except drumset, plus… ...tubular BELLS! Additional musicians, including Mike’s sister Sally, perform vocals, flutes, drums, and the Master of Ceremonies is English songwriter and poet, Vivian Stanshall. Part II (second movement?) of the concerto includes the traditional sea-faring shanty, “The Sailor’s Hornpipe.”
The iconic cover art of a triangularly-formed silver tube floating above waves crashing into the Sussex shore was designed by photographer Trevor Key, with the bent metal representing the damage Oldfield did to the set of tubular bells he played on the album.
Reviewers praised the record with universal critical acclaim, except for Creem magazine, which graded it a C+ (wut?). Famous British DJ John Peel said “Tubular Bells” was, “…one of the most impressive LPs I've ever had the chance to play on the radio, really a remarkable record,” playing it on his BBC1 radio show, Top Gear. UK magazine Melody Maker published that the record was, “…an enjoyable, evocative album which bodes well for the future of both the country's newest label (Virgin) and of Mike Oldfield.” It is rated 5-Stars at both the Encyclopedia of Popular Music and Q, and compiles a 5-Star rating at AllMusic.
Recorded for Richard Branson’s Virgin Records, which was a fledgling label at the time, the success of “Tubular Bells” was instrumental to the success of the Virgin Group, which today is an international conglomerate, including the airline Virgin Atlantic, and is exploring commercial space travel under the name Virgin Galactic. The group’s founder, Sir Richard Branson, is now a Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. I say he has Mike Oldfield to thank!
Oldfield released two sequels to the album, “Tubular Bells II” in 1992, and “Tubular Bells III” in 1998. A special 50th Anniversary edition of the original album was released, obviously, in 2023.
At the 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony in London, the concerto was the centrepiece of Oldfield’s performance, as requested by show director Danny Boyle. The first live performance of the work was at Queen Elizabeth Hall in 1973 and featured famous musicians Kevin Ayers of Soft Machine and Mick Taylor of The Rolling Stones on guitars.
Lodger
1979: “Lodger,” the 13th studio album by British legend David Bowie, is released. Bowie once again collaborated with long-time producing partner Tony Visconti, and long-time friend, musician-composer Brian Eno, who co-wrote several songs on the LP. It was the final album of his Berlin Trilogy and is one of my favourite Bowie albums.
Moving away from the electronic and ambient styles included in his previous two records, Bowie was more experimental with “Lodger,” making use of techniques such as trading instruments and playing older songs backwards, aspects of Oblique Strategies, a card game designed to induce creativity, published by Eno and Peter Schmidt in 1975.
The techniques clearly worked, impressing critics and listeners alike. The LP is rated A- by The Village Voice, 5-Stars by Record Mirror, and 4-Stars by Sounds. Audiences sent the album to the Top-10 in Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, and the U.K. Worldwide sales are estimated to be over two million.
It’s the first and only studio album to feature guitarist and songwriter extraordinaire Adrian Belew, ex- of Frank Zappa and future member of King Crimson, who played on Bowie’s 1978 world tour and the subsequent live album, “Stage.” Belew would return to live performance with Bowie for the Sound + Vision Tour in 1990, for which he was also the musical director. Interestingly, Robert Fripp of King Crimson would appear on Bowie’s very next album, “Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps),” the second time Fripp joined Bowie in the studio, after 1977’s “Heroes.”
“Lodger” features many of David Bowie’s great tracks, including “Fantastic Voyage,” “African Night Flight,” “D.J.,” “Look Back in Anger,” and “Boys Keep Swinging.” It was certified Gold in Netherlands and U.K.
Holy Diver
1983: Legendary heavy metal singer-songwriter Ronnie James Dio, famous for his tenure with Rainbow and Black Sabbath, releases his debut solo album, “Holy Diver,” with his band, Dio. Taking a page from Iron Maiden, the band introduced a menacing mascot on the album cover named Murray, a demonic monster.
Scoring a 10/10 from the Collector’s Guide to Heavy Metal, a Pitchfork ranking of 9/10, and a rating of 5-Stars by SputnikMusic, the LP was a hit amongst critics. Audiences also embraced the record, sending it to No. 15 in Finland, No. 18 in Sweden, and No. 13 in the U.K., all high achievements for a metal album. In the U.S., though it only peaked at No. 56 on the Billboard 200, it was certified double-Platinum for two million or more units shipped.
The Monday Miles
1974: Concluding a rare three-night stand in Brazil, Miles Davis is at the Theatro Municipal in Rio de Janeiro with his eight-piece band. In addition to Miles on trumpet, the group includes Dave Liebman (ts; ss; fl), Pete Cosey (g), Reggie Lucas (g), Dominique Gaumont (g), Michael Henderson (bg), Al Foster (d), and James Mtume (perc).
Still in his electric fusion era, Davis combined elements of funk, rock, and avant-garde soundscapes into a high-energy performance. It was an emotional night for Miles as news of the death of Duke Ellington had been released the day before. Undergoing health struggles of his own at the time, the legendary trumpeter felt deeply depressed.
The octet played a 40-minute show without pauses between songs. The featured numbers were “Funk,” which would become “Prelude Pt. 1” on the live album “Agharta” from the Osaka, Japan concerts early the next year; “Turnaroundphrase;” and “For Dave,” which was known in its studio version as “Mr. Foster,” and dedicated to Miles’s drummer, Al Foster.
The Daily Elvis
1968: Elvis is in Hawaii on vacation with Priscilla, where they attended the International Karate Championships at the Honolulu International Center as special guests. Elvis had been practicing karate himself for 10 years at that point and was keenly dedicated to its mastery. He was awarded an 8th-degree black belt in 1974 by Master Kang Rhee.
