USA Single
- "Tubular Bells (Now the Original Theme from 'The Exorcist')" - (Oldfield) 3:18
- "Tubular Bells" - (Oldfield) 4:39
Virgin (dist. Atlantic) VR-55100 (VRS-55100 in Canada), issued in 1973
Side 1 of this single is an excerpt from side 1 of the Tubular Bells album, which contains 2 long pieces, "Tubular Bells" parts 1 and 2. The excerpt was made by staff at Atlantic Records, the American distributors of Oldfield's label, Virgin Records, and was made from bits and pieces of the first 8 minutes of the album, often resulting in abrupt transitions that did not occur in the original version. The abruptness of the edits is a combination of the choice of excerpts, and physical tape splice editing. This version also suffers from a loud hum, which is clearly audible in the quiet opening section, and is not heard on the album. It ends with a return to the opening, which fades out. On the album, there is no return to the opening. This edited version is often referred to as "Now the Original" in reference to the advertising sub-title, which is printed on the label in larger type than the song title itself. This phrase also appeared on stickers attached to the album's shrink wrap in the USA.
Side 2 is an edited excerpt from the end section of the album's side 1, where Vivian Stanshall announces instruments as they appear; it fades out before the original version's conclusion.
Mike Oldfield was displeased when he learned this version had been made without his knowledge or input, and refused its release in the UK. A UK test pressing of this record exists, with catalogue number VS-101, the number that was eventually used for the single Mike made as a substitution, suggesting the "Now the Original" version was considered for release in the UK at one time.
This version of the single was also issued in Canada, France, New Zealand (first edition), South Africa (first edition), and Chile.
Recently, a similar version has been heard on radio in Canada and the USA, which appears to be made from the remastered CD version of the album, edited in the same way as the "Now the Original" single. There are slight differences in the edits, which are not as abrupt, and there is no longer a loud hum in the mix. It appears to be another record company's re-creation of the "Now the Original" version, and is unlikely to have been approved by Oldfield.
Read more about this topic: Mike Oldfield's Single
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