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Changeling
Born without social instincts many people take for granted, brought up in an environment that was beyond his ability to deal with and possessed with an extraordinary musical talent, Mike was thrust into the spotlight at the tender age of nineteen. His first album "Tubular Bells" went on to sell fifteen million copies worldwide and catapulted him into a stardom he was ill equipped to cope with. From growing up with an alcoholic mother, to his feelings of alienation and struggles with depression, this book takes Mike from his early years, through his staggering fame, his broken marriages, years as a recluse and to his rebirth experience at a controversial Exegesis seminar. Mike Oldfield has been on a journey few of us could ever imagine, and offers a message of hope to anybody who feels they live on the edge of society.
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First published May 10, 2007
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October 25, 2019Gestern habe ich nun den Rest gelesen. Es war ein tolles Erlebnis in Mike Oldfields Erfahrungen und Erlebnisse einzutauchen. Überrascht hat mich dabei sein Selbstbild, denn er hält sich nicht für einen "Musiker" sondern bezeichnet sich als Jemanden mit der Fähigkeit Emotionen in Musik zu verwandeln und diese scheint den Leuten zu gefallen. Ich würde sagen dazu bedarf es Talent. Meine Emotionen in Musikform will sicher keiner hören.
Meine Lieblingsstellen waren die, in denen er beschreibt, wie er Tubular Bells oder Ommadawn aufgenommen hat, denn gleichzeitig ließ ich das entsprechende Album laufen und hatte sofort das Musikbild vor Ohren, von dem er spricht.
Ich persönlich hatte immer das Gefühl, dass seine Musik nicht einfach nur Instrumente sind, denen ich zuhöre sondern geradezu ein Ort, der mich den Zuhörer einnimmt. Tatsächlich hat auch er seine Wahrnehmung so beschrieben.
Die Länge des Buches halte ich für überaus angemessen, nicht zu lang, nicht zu kurz. Ein bisschen Persönlichkeit, ein bisschen Biografie ein bisschen Entstehungsgeschichte seiner Alben. Ich habe das Gefühl, dass Mike sagen konnte, was er sagen wollte. Nicht mehr und nicht weniger.
Alles in Allem also sehr empfehlenswert für alle Fans und die, die neugierig sind!
Meine Lieblingsstellen waren die, in denen er beschreibt, wie er Tubular Bells oder Ommadawn aufgenommen hat, denn gleichzeitig ließ ich das entsprechende Album laufen und hatte sofort das Musikbild vor Ohren, von dem er spricht.
Ich persönlich hatte immer das Gefühl, dass seine Musik nicht einfach nur Instrumente sind, denen ich zuhöre sondern geradezu ein Ort, der mich den Zuhörer einnimmt. Tatsächlich hat auch er seine Wahrnehmung so beschrieben.
Die Länge des Buches halte ich für überaus angemessen, nicht zu lang, nicht zu kurz. Ein bisschen Persönlichkeit, ein bisschen Biografie ein bisschen Entstehungsgeschichte seiner Alben. Ich habe das Gefühl, dass Mike sagen konnte, was er sagen wollte. Nicht mehr und nicht weniger.
Alles in Allem also sehr empfehlenswert für alle Fans und die, die neugierig sind!
November 1, 2012
If you're looking for a sexy look at the Rock and roll industry then don't get excited about this book. This book is not about that, it's about illness and recovery.
However, if your looking for a book that examines the driving force behind a man who can justifiably be called a musical genius then this is a book you should read.
Oldfield is candid about his childhood and his own struggle with overcoming mental illness. He also discusses the inspiration and production of his most famous musical compositions, not just Tubular Bells but his more pop songs of the 1980s through to post Millennial work.
At times the book feels "bitty", chopping out large periods of time and just discussing the story behind each musical composition. The periods of time between the work are not discussed.
Other areas not discussed are his 3 serious relationships and his battle with alcohol dependence. I think this was a very conscious decision and at some point, we do need to "mind our own business" about celebrity relationships particularly when the partner is a private citizen. However, I do believe that the issue of alcohol dependency is relevant to the main theme of the book which is how this once reclusive man who could barely leave his home, became able to walk out onto a stage in front of thousands of fans.
At the end, we are left with a self portrait of a man who has been through a lot to get where he is. A man who is comfortable in his own skin and has come to terms with his life. I found his description of his children very touching and perhaps telling of the level of self awareness that Oldfield has achieved.
However, if your looking for a book that examines the driving force behind a man who can justifiably be called a musical genius then this is a book you should read.
Oldfield is candid about his childhood and his own struggle with overcoming mental illness. He also discusses the inspiration and production of his most famous musical compositions, not just Tubular Bells but his more pop songs of the 1980s through to post Millennial work.
At times the book feels "bitty", chopping out large periods of time and just discussing the story behind each musical composition. The periods of time between the work are not discussed.
Other areas not discussed are his 3 serious relationships and his battle with alcohol dependence. I think this was a very conscious decision and at some point, we do need to "mind our own business" about celebrity relationships particularly when the partner is a private citizen. However, I do believe that the issue of alcohol dependency is relevant to the main theme of the book which is how this once reclusive man who could barely leave his home, became able to walk out onto a stage in front of thousands of fans.
At the end, we are left with a self portrait of a man who has been through a lot to get where he is. A man who is comfortable in his own skin and has come to terms with his life. I found his description of his children very touching and perhaps telling of the level of self awareness that Oldfield has achieved.
March 11, 2025
Can’t believe it took me this long to read his autobiography. Been a fan of his music since I first heard him in 1995 or so. The first musician I really got into. Unlike so many others my age, I didn’t really like all the popular stuff I was hearing at the time. Michael Jackson, M. C. Hammer... I remember buying Shadowfax, but that was more of a close enough kind of relationship. Mike Oldfield’s music was the first I went crazy for. Until I found him, I was more likely to take a tape recorder to my TV and record music from my NES games.
For as long as I’ve been a fan, I didn’t really know much about the man behind the music. I’ve read Mike hired no ghostwriter for this. These are his own words. His style is not vivid, so this is not exactly a captivating account of growing up in the 50s and entering the music scene in the UK during the 60s, but it gets the job done.
It’s a surprisingly ordinary beginning. A baby boomer who was able to drop out of school and enter the music scene because people back then could just do that. He was the kind of kid who never connected with anyone, but he looked much older than he really was, so he was able to be with older kids and grow up fast. He took to music at a very early age, practiced nonstop mostly as a way to hide from his mother’s worsening mental condition. Oldfield kicked around the clubs with a few bands for a number of years before happening to connect with someone who knew a spoiled rich kid who happened to be funding a bunch of musicians at the time as part of Virgin Records, a new record label, and Oldfield just happened to get in when all of that was new and nothing was established yet.
He could have fallen into a world of drugs and clubs and died overdosed and penniless, guitar under his pillow, but the surprise success of his first album, Tubular Bells, likely kept that from happening. How an insecure teenager handled sudden fame after dealing with a sick mother for years, and then his father leaving his mother at a critical time, comprises the bulk of the story. There is no gossip about the rock and roll world of the time. Some famous names are mentioned, but all in passing. No big revelations because there is nothing to reveal. At the time, they were all just people touring in the decade of experimental music.
No big behind the scenes details about recording his albums—nothing fans don’t already know, that is. After the discussion of Incantations, his fourth album, he devotes a page or two to each subsequent album in his discography. Doesn’t even mention his wives by name.
He glosses over the drama between him and his record company. You would think he would have more to say about what prompted him to play “Fuck off RB” in Morse code on Amarok. He was giving a musical middle finger to Sir Richard Branson, and would later write a song about the man only doing whatever would sell and had no love for music (Mr. Shame). Mike’s last words on Heaven’s Open (his final album with Virgin Records) were “Fuck off,” and Mike doesn’t comment on why he did all of that?
Changeling portrays Amarok as Mike just deciding to go back to his roots and be more creative with sounds and instruments, but I’ve been a fan for many years and the accounts I’ve read have all stated Mike was pissed off at Virgin Records for kicking him aside in favor of trendy punk groups and not promoting his music all those years, despite doing everything they asked him to do to make his music more marketable, so he made an album that couldn’t be promoted or have a single cut from it in rebellion. Mike doesn’t portray it that way at all here.
The way Oldfield tells it, he followed his passions from day one and just up and decided to record an album of songs with no instrumental (Earth Moving) in pursuit of another hit single like Moonlight Shadow, but that’s not the whole story. I’ve read that Mike’s record company pressured him to release an album of nothing but pop songs in an effort to keep up with the times and increase sales. It didn’t sell, and Virgin blamed him even after doing what they asked him to do.
I have a feeling this memoir is not a complete or accurate presentation of his career at all. It’s disappointing in that regard; fans have already read up on what was going on leading up to him departing Virgin Records, and it was a lot bigger and more frustrating than Mike makes it seem here. He could have used this opportunity to set the record straight, but he does not do that. There’s a lot going on between the lines, and these omissions are probably more meaningful than what Mike Oldfield chooses to write down.
Really though, this memoir is not about all of that. This is all about where Mike came from, and how he dealt with anxiety by hiding in music and alcohol. Success didn’t fix his anxiety issues. If anything, financial success made things worse. The source of his anxiety issues never becomes clear, though all the suspects are present: mother going through mental health issues, nonexistent medical understanding of such issues, a young child watching it happen and then facing it himself, perhaps inherited, perhaps not. Perhaps it was genetic predisposition to anxiety problems. Perhaps it was all bottled up anxiety from watching his mother suffer. Perhaps LSD broke something in his mind. Perhaps it was a mixture of all the above. True healing had to come from elsewhere, and before mainstream medicine caught up to mental health, alternative medicine had to fill the gap. It apparently helped Mike, though he does tell that he has struggled with emotional issues ever since.
It’s his story told just as it would be if he sat you down and just started talking about his childhood. It’s not easy going where no one goes (and no one knows). I’m glad I listened, but someone else will have to write a more objective and comprehensive account of his life and career someday. Indeed, others have already written more complete accounts of what was going on during the recordings of his later albums, but only Mike could tell the story of what happened during his first four records. That is his story and his alone.
(When I click synonyms for the word “changeling” I get results like “idiot” and “imbecile.” Well played, Mike. Well played. I had no idea who you were before I read this book, but now I think I understand exactly.)
For as long as I’ve been a fan, I didn’t really know much about the man behind the music. I’ve read Mike hired no ghostwriter for this. These are his own words. His style is not vivid, so this is not exactly a captivating account of growing up in the 50s and entering the music scene in the UK during the 60s, but it gets the job done.
It’s a surprisingly ordinary beginning. A baby boomer who was able to drop out of school and enter the music scene because people back then could just do that. He was the kind of kid who never connected with anyone, but he looked much older than he really was, so he was able to be with older kids and grow up fast. He took to music at a very early age, practiced nonstop mostly as a way to hide from his mother’s worsening mental condition. Oldfield kicked around the clubs with a few bands for a number of years before happening to connect with someone who knew a spoiled rich kid who happened to be funding a bunch of musicians at the time as part of Virgin Records, a new record label, and Oldfield just happened to get in when all of that was new and nothing was established yet.
He could have fallen into a world of drugs and clubs and died overdosed and penniless, guitar under his pillow, but the surprise success of his first album, Tubular Bells, likely kept that from happening. How an insecure teenager handled sudden fame after dealing with a sick mother for years, and then his father leaving his mother at a critical time, comprises the bulk of the story. There is no gossip about the rock and roll world of the time. Some famous names are mentioned, but all in passing. No big revelations because there is nothing to reveal. At the time, they were all just people touring in the decade of experimental music.
No big behind the scenes details about recording his albums—nothing fans don’t already know, that is. After the discussion of Incantations, his fourth album, he devotes a page or two to each subsequent album in his discography. Doesn’t even mention his wives by name.
He glosses over the drama between him and his record company. You would think he would have more to say about what prompted him to play “Fuck off RB” in Morse code on Amarok. He was giving a musical middle finger to Sir Richard Branson, and would later write a song about the man only doing whatever would sell and had no love for music (Mr. Shame). Mike’s last words on Heaven’s Open (his final album with Virgin Records) were “Fuck off,” and Mike doesn’t comment on why he did all of that?
Changeling portrays Amarok as Mike just deciding to go back to his roots and be more creative with sounds and instruments, but I’ve been a fan for many years and the accounts I’ve read have all stated Mike was pissed off at Virgin Records for kicking him aside in favor of trendy punk groups and not promoting his music all those years, despite doing everything they asked him to do to make his music more marketable, so he made an album that couldn’t be promoted or have a single cut from it in rebellion. Mike doesn’t portray it that way at all here.
The way Oldfield tells it, he followed his passions from day one and just up and decided to record an album of songs with no instrumental (Earth Moving) in pursuit of another hit single like Moonlight Shadow, but that’s not the whole story. I’ve read that Mike’s record company pressured him to release an album of nothing but pop songs in an effort to keep up with the times and increase sales. It didn’t sell, and Virgin blamed him even after doing what they asked him to do.
I have a feeling this memoir is not a complete or accurate presentation of his career at all. It’s disappointing in that regard; fans have already read up on what was going on leading up to him departing Virgin Records, and it was a lot bigger and more frustrating than Mike makes it seem here. He could have used this opportunity to set the record straight, but he does not do that. There’s a lot going on between the lines, and these omissions are probably more meaningful than what Mike Oldfield chooses to write down.
Really though, this memoir is not about all of that. This is all about where Mike came from, and how he dealt with anxiety by hiding in music and alcohol. Success didn’t fix his anxiety issues. If anything, financial success made things worse. The source of his anxiety issues never becomes clear, though all the suspects are present: mother going through mental health issues, nonexistent medical understanding of such issues, a young child watching it happen and then facing it himself, perhaps inherited, perhaps not. Perhaps it was genetic predisposition to anxiety problems. Perhaps it was all bottled up anxiety from watching his mother suffer. Perhaps LSD broke something in his mind. Perhaps it was a mixture of all the above. True healing had to come from elsewhere, and before mainstream medicine caught up to mental health, alternative medicine had to fill the gap. It apparently helped Mike, though he does tell that he has struggled with emotional issues ever since.
It’s his story told just as it would be if he sat you down and just started talking about his childhood. It’s not easy going where no one goes (and no one knows). I’m glad I listened, but someone else will have to write a more objective and comprehensive account of his life and career someday. Indeed, others have already written more complete accounts of what was going on during the recordings of his later albums, but only Mike could tell the story of what happened during his first four records. That is his story and his alone.
(When I click synonyms for the word “changeling” I get results like “idiot” and “imbecile.” Well played, Mike. Well played. I had no idea who you were before I read this book, but now I think I understand exactly.)
October 13, 2012
Mike Oldfield is one of the most amazing and yet seriously under appreciated musician, of the last 40 years!! Michael has influenced the world over. He is ever changing and challenging himself and the listener to this evolution of music. I would call Michael's music the ADHD of notes. His music will forever influence others and will be remembered for thousands of years!! I hope this books psychological side helped others to understand themselves a bit better.
November 25, 2009
Mock me if you want, but Mike Oldfield is one of the most important rock composers to come out of the 60s + 70s. To argue that, I'd have to write a book (not just about Mike but about progressive rock and what it was trying to do). Would that Oldfield were a better writer and storyteller than he is a composer and musician.
January 5, 2021
The most extraordinary book! By any means, I haven't expected such level of honesty and introspection.
January 7, 2022
Mike Oldfield was a musical veteran by the age of 16, when he was in a band with Kevin Ayers, and made one of the world's biggest-ever-selling albums when he was still a teenager. However, according to this memoir, he was a withdrawn and anxious boy who couldn't relate to other people (though he seems to have had no trouble attracting a string of unnamed girls) and found solace in alcohol and his obsession with making music.
There's lots of interesting detail in this book, but somehow Oldfield can't quite make his feelings come alive on the page. Key figures such as his mother and Richard Branson remain distant and vague.
The bits about the recording of Tubular Bells are particularly interesting, though, if you're a fan of that album.
There's lots of interesting detail in this book, but somehow Oldfield can't quite make his feelings come alive on the page. Key figures such as his mother and Richard Branson remain distant and vague.
The bits about the recording of Tubular Bells are particularly interesting, though, if you're a fan of that album.
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August 25, 2024the first song I ever remember hearing was a mike oldfield song. His music has been with my my whole life. So naturally I was thrilled to learn he had written this book!
I was so interesting to see the process of how all my favourite albums were done and oldfield’s thoughts about all of it.
The narration has some pacing issues but other than that, a must read for all fans of his music
I was so interesting to see the process of how all my favourite albums were done and oldfield’s thoughts about all of it.
The narration has some pacing issues but other than that, a must read for all fans of his music
May 1, 2024
Autobiographies always make me wonder whether the listed author actually wrote the book or whether a ghostwriter was employed. "Changeling" gave me the impression that Mike Oldfield probably really wrote this himself. It did not feel like the writing of a professional author. This does not mean that I found it badly written, but it does not follow several conventions that I would expect of a professional. For example, if you want to know more about Mike Oldfield's love life and marriages, do not bother to read the book. The first thing that you read about a girl friend is that he broke up with her, without any previous mention. This pattern more or less repeats a couple of times. It was very likely done to protect the privacy of the women involved, but it could probably have been done in a more elegant way. Almost all relationships to other people in his life are reduced to a few factual notes, and this includes for example his brother and sister. There are a couple of people that feature more prominently in the book, for example Richard Branson. However, some more difficult aspects of this relationship are not mentioned at all (e.g. the morse code message hidden on "Amarok"). On the positive side, the way Mike Oldfield developed his music is described in great detail and provided me with a couple of interesting insights. I always wondered how something as complex as "Tubular Bells" could be recorded without the technical means that we have available today, but were not even on the horizon in 1973. Now, I am even more in awe of the ingenuity required. The book also gives a lot of room to Oldfield's mental health problems and his ways of coping with them. I can only admire the courage of exposing this publicly and, probably like the author, I hope that this will help people in similar situation. Finally, there was an episode with a lion that really made me laugh, what more can you hope for.
July 30, 2018
Als fan van zijn muzikale werk (wat overigens lang niet allemaal goed is) stond dit boek al lang op mijn lijst om te lezen. Aangezien het een autobiografie is, was ik een beetje bang dat het niet heel goed geschreven zou zijn, maar ik las het in twee dagen uit, zo interessant en fijn geschreven vond ik het.
Het grootste gedeelte van zijn boek gaat over zijn moeilijke jeugd en de complexe persoonlijkheid die daardoor ontstond, waarbij muziek zijn uitvlucht werd en zichzelf al op zeer jonge leeftijd tot een uitzonderlijke muzikant ontwikkelde.
Hoe uiteindelijk zijn beroemde ‘Tubular Bells’ ontstond wordt uitvoerig verteld tot in de kleinste details en leuke maar ook trieste en ontroerende anekdotes.
Ook de 3 albums daarna - waarbij Ommadawn in mijn ogen nog steeds een ongeëvenaard album is - worden ruim besproken in het boek. Daarna gaat het boek vrij snel door de rest van zijn carrière heen en voelt het boek soms een beetje afgeraffeld, maar desalniettemin heb ik genoten om zoveel over deze bijzondere en voorheen zeer gesloten muzikant te lezen.
Het grootste gedeelte van zijn boek gaat over zijn moeilijke jeugd en de complexe persoonlijkheid die daardoor ontstond, waarbij muziek zijn uitvlucht werd en zichzelf al op zeer jonge leeftijd tot een uitzonderlijke muzikant ontwikkelde.
Hoe uiteindelijk zijn beroemde ‘Tubular Bells’ ontstond wordt uitvoerig verteld tot in de kleinste details en leuke maar ook trieste en ontroerende anekdotes.
Ook de 3 albums daarna - waarbij Ommadawn in mijn ogen nog steeds een ongeëvenaard album is - worden ruim besproken in het boek. Daarna gaat het boek vrij snel door de rest van zijn carrière heen en voelt het boek soms een beetje afgeraffeld, maar desalniettemin heb ik genoten om zoveel over deze bijzondere en voorheen zeer gesloten muzikant te lezen.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 24, 2020
A fascinating account of a unique composer and musician, whose younger mental state was driven directly into his amazing music.
It’s true that this autobiography is centred very much around his first quartet of seventies albums, but as you read the book you realise that’s because Mike sees this as his ‘former life’. I don’t mind that - it’s his most creative period, and the process for creating the end of Ommadawn side one brought a lump to my throat and maybe a moist eye or two.
It would be cruel to say that as a writer, Mike makes a brilliant musician - I welcome this honest and open insight into the birth (and rebirth) of one of our most treasured talents.
It’s true that this autobiography is centred very much around his first quartet of seventies albums, but as you read the book you realise that’s because Mike sees this as his ‘former life’. I don’t mind that - it’s his most creative period, and the process for creating the end of Ommadawn side one brought a lump to my throat and maybe a moist eye or two.
It would be cruel to say that as a writer, Mike makes a brilliant musician - I welcome this honest and open insight into the birth (and rebirth) of one of our most treasured talents.
December 18, 2023
We all dream of creating something unique, of doing something that no-one else can do. But at what cost? Mike Oldfield created something truly unique with Tubular Bells but only after a tortuous journey through mental illness, alcohol, drugs and strained family relationships.
The explanation of how he managed to create a musical masterpiece and helped launch Virgin Records is a little hard to follow but inspiring nonetheless. Definitely worth a read, and follow it with back to back alums: Tubular Bell. Ommadawn, Incantations, Five Miles Out… and I promise you that your weekend will disappear quickly!
The explanation of how he managed to create a musical masterpiece and helped launch Virgin Records is a little hard to follow but inspiring nonetheless. Definitely worth a read, and follow it with back to back alums: Tubular Bell. Ommadawn, Incantations, Five Miles Out… and I promise you that your weekend will disappear quickly!
July 24, 2020
A nice insight into the life of one of my favourite musicians ever.
Oldfield is quite honest on his life, family and mental struggles, giving you a picture of a real person, far from the rock star cliché.
The downside is that he maybe focused too much on his early works up to the mid eighties, while I would have enjoyed a deeper detail on his nineties output, which I consider his second golden era from 'TB II' to 'Voyager', including that sometimes overlooked gem called 'The Songs Of Distant Earth'.
Oldfield is quite honest on his life, family and mental struggles, giving you a picture of a real person, far from the rock star cliché.
The downside is that he maybe focused too much on his early works up to the mid eighties, while I would have enjoyed a deeper detail on his nineties output, which I consider his second golden era from 'TB II' to 'Voyager', including that sometimes overlooked gem called 'The Songs Of Distant Earth'.
April 1, 2022
I loved it. Written in such a personal, direct and informal way you really feel you are listening to him sit on a sofa in front of an open fire.
Very deep in first part of life and decade of profession. It drives you through the life, the hurdles and the psychology that led to the man he is now.
Lot of interesting details in the making of the albums and the musical environment (and business) fo the 70s'.
One of my favorite musicians. Now I know a bit more.
Very deep in first part of life and decade of profession. It drives you through the life, the hurdles and the psychology that led to the man he is now.
Lot of interesting details in the making of the albums and the musical environment (and business) fo the 70s'.
One of my favorite musicians. Now I know a bit more.
July 10, 2020
I am very interested in his music and his mindset as he wrote and recorded his first four albums. As another reviewer said, perhaps Mr Oldfield is not the best writer ever, but he does talk about the actual creative process. Being as open as he can be. Given my expectations, this book satisfied.
January 15, 2024
I love Mike Oldfields music, glad that he can make a living of it. I was curious to learn about his life.
As a book author, he would likely starve, his pen-men ship makes for some very boring and choppy reading at times. While the book is about his life, his stories often do not come to life.
As a book author, he would likely starve, his pen-men ship makes for some very boring and choppy reading at times. While the book is about his life, his stories often do not come to life.
April 27, 2019
Very well done, intense.
Surprised to learn that the famous opening in Tubular Bells was composed when he was only 15 and that he was also only 19 when finished album.
Surprised to learn that the famous opening in Tubular Bells was composed when he was only 15 and that he was also only 19 when finished album.
December 9, 2020
Not as interesting as his music, but definitely worth the read.
July 4, 2023
Brilliant account of a fascinating musician, very interesting, loved reading his book!!!
July 20, 2024
Very interesting account of the music creation process and the personal difficulties of a unique artist
January 5, 2009
I'm a life long fan of Mike Oldfield, so I was surprised to learn that he has a autobiography out. Maybe I just do not follow things well enough.
Bought this book Borders in Glasgow and I pretty much read it one sitting.
This book also made me think about my own relationship with my dad. Especially why he is so good doing everything with his hands and why I'm so crap in stuff like that. Maybe my problems are similar that mr. Oldfield had with his father. Also, I could relate a lot of stuff mr. Oldfield went though with his life. Not that I can play anything else than my ass.
Nice revealing bits, interesting to know he already was live artist before he took his Tubular Bells on road.
This book was very well put together, although I pretty much agree with mr. Oldfield with his views of life and re-birth and such.
But still, very interesting book to read.
Timo
Bought this book Borders in Glasgow and I pretty much read it one sitting.
This book also made me think about my own relationship with my dad. Especially why he is so good doing everything with his hands and why I'm so crap in stuff like that. Maybe my problems are similar that mr. Oldfield had with his father. Also, I could relate a lot of stuff mr. Oldfield went though with his life. Not that I can play anything else than my ass.
Nice revealing bits, interesting to know he already was live artist before he took his Tubular Bells on road.
This book was very well put together, although I pretty much agree with mr. Oldfield with his views of life and re-birth and such.
But still, very interesting book to read.
Timo
June 27, 2013
The story of Mike's childhood through to the present, wherein he discusses his broken home life, personal demons and the innovative music he created amidst the turmoil. I'd recommend this book for every serious fan of his work, as it sheds a lot of light on his motivations and experiences. As a fan of his music, first and foremost, I enjoyed his stories of the recording of individual pieces throughout his career. Tubular Bells gets a great deal of attention in this regard, but some of the later albums get only a few paragraphs, which is my only real quibble. The story he wanted to tell was a personal one and I get that not every album connects directly to that, so I respect his position. If he ever decides to write a book focusing more on the recording process, it would make a great companion to this book!
All in all, an excellent autobiography and a refreshingly direct, honest one.
All in all, an excellent autobiography and a refreshingly direct, honest one.
January 14, 2024
Insightful on Oldfield's development as a person, especially with regard to spirituality and psychology.
Musically, he goes into some detail on his early years leading to the creation of 'Tubular Bells, and his dealings with Virgin and Richard Branson. Many of his later albums are somewhat skated over though.
I was left with a feeling there's a much more interesting story to be told.
Musically, he goes into some detail on his early years leading to the creation of 'Tubular Bells, and his dealings with Virgin and Richard Branson. Many of his later albums are somewhat skated over though.
I was left with a feeling there's a much more interesting story to be told.
May 22, 2011
Being as I am a massive Oldfield fan I looked forward to this with great expectation. Sadly it's rather underwhelming, being as it is focused heavily on Tubular Bells, the early '70s and Mike's unfortunate battles with both Richard Branson & mental illness. All very interesting, but where's the rest?
September 27, 2012
Mike Oldfield has only seen commercial reward for his amazing musical talent. He has not received the critical acclaim that his influence and originality justify. Unfortunately, this book will do little to provide insight and burnish his reputation. I would love to see a professional writer take on the task of describing Oldfield's unique niche in pop music.
January 18, 2012
Jag gillar Mike Oldfield. Därför var det spännande att läsa den här boken. Som person verkar han ha haft många psykiska bekymmer som ung men förbättrades genom en pånyttfödelseupplevelse; inte en metod för alla direkt, men det det gjorde honom gott åtminstone.
December 23, 2009
I think this was the best biography I have read. I am a big fan of MO and ot was fascinatining to know better his story.
Very recommended if you like his music!
Very recommended if you like his music!
June 23, 2011
Ill conceived, poorly planned, and badly executed – kind of like most of his latter-day albums.
June 17, 2014
I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/12541003
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/12541003
August 31, 2014
Interesting book as far as it went but very little about life after Tubular bells.
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