The Exorcist • Tubular Bells • Mike Oldfield ( For the dance and music community )

At the end of 1973, a strange chorus was heard coming from the Atlantic Records studios in New York. It had been released in the United Kingdom a few months before, and it crossed the pond with all the restlessness of its chords. The head of the record label introduces it to director William Friedkin, who is searching for the perfect score for his next film.

The theme is played on a piano, an organ and a xylophone, and has a seemingly innocent sound but paradoxically also quite haunting. He quickly realizes that it will be the ideal accompaniment to some of the scenes in his new movie about a young woman possessed by a demon.

The song playing in that office was Tubular Bells. An album by British musician Mike Oldfield that was released on May 25, 1973 is an illustration of a rock symphony with excellent structure. It is a 49-minute work that is divided into two sides of vinyl and has a complex approach to harmony, very much in line with the progressive rock scene of the beginning of the decade.

Tubular Bells, on the other hand, also played a pivotal role in the new age movement by using unusual instruments like timpani, xylophones, and tubular bells.

Tubular Bells was the biggest record release of 1973 after Trevor Key, an artist, was hired to create the now iconic cover art. The progressive era came to a close with the release of Pink Floyd's The Dark Side Of The Moon in March. The media gave Oldfield Symphony inspired five stars and enthusiastic support. Atop the album charts for five consecutive years, Tubular Bells cracked the top 10. When William Friedkin chose the eerie opening scene for The Exorcist, which earned its composer a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition in 1975, global sales increased further.