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kestrel9 ago

PG trivia: Sir Richard Branson (who invited Clement Freud for the inaugural flight of his Virgin Atlantic Airline, who befriended Gerry McCann, and who recently invited Obama for the famous island getaway post POTUS vacation), invested in Mike Oldfield when no one else would: Oldfield helped to secure the success of Richard Branson’s Virgin empire with his 1973 instrumental hit Tubular Bells (above). It was the Virgin label’s first album release. http://www.mikeoldfield.org/index.php/info/biography/music-darkness/1973-taking-world-storm/

"The only record company to show any interest was Mercury records from America who would only record if vocals were added. At this point Mike gave up all hope and was relegated to working as reserve guitars on the West End musical "Hair", and played a couple of gigs with Alex Harvey.

Fortunately, though, Mike's luck was about to change. On a visit to a newly built 16 track studio in The Manor, Oxfordshire with is latest band, he played the demo to the resident studio engineer Tom Newman. He was so impressed by what he heard that he brough it to the attention of the then up and coming head of Virgin Mail Order, a certain Richard Branson. At this point Virgin themselves were in dire fanancial straits but Branson decided to take the risk of becoming Mike's manager and provide the initial sum of money so that recording could begin.

On 25th May, 1973, Virgin Records launched their label by releasing Tubular Bells (V2001) on an unsuspecting world and were greeted by unprecendented acclaim. At this point Virgin decided to organise a live performance of Bells at London's Queen Elizabeth Hall to promote the LP."

Quite fitting when you think about it.

kestrel9 ago

Sadly, in 2015 Mike Oldfield's Harrow educated son Dougal, dropped dead of natural causes at age 33. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3090317/Tragedy-Mike-Oldfield-son-dies-suddenly-age-33.html

SoldierofLight ago

Interesting number, 33. A sacrifice in exchange for his success, like so many others?

kestrel9 ago

That's what I was wondering.