Mike Oldfield will celebrate the 35th anniversary of his thirteenth studio album, Amarok, with a new remastered reissue.
The album will be released as a double-vinyl, half-speed remaster through UMC on October 31. With Oldfield's approval, the new reissue is split into four 15-minute edits, in order to optimise audio fidelity and features expanded artwork.
The album, which was just one long piece of music, clocking in at just over an hour, came at a time when Oldfield's relationship with Virgin Records was at an all-time low, following what he perceived as their lack of promotion for 1989's Earth Moving.
Although Virgin Records suggested calling the album Tubular Bells II - tubular bells are featured on the record, credited as "long thin metallic hanging tubes", Oldfield resisted, stating at the time, "if anything, it's Ommadawn II." Tubular Bells II would be released in 1992, his first album for new label Warner music.
It also remains one of Oldfield's personal favourite albums. “I let it all come out without any interference," he says." I felt I was getting ideas from somewhere inside me, and six months later I had a whole album.”
Oldfield released one final album for Virgin, who had been instrumental in his success with 1973's Tubular Bells, which was 1990's Heaven's Open, credited to Michael Oldfield, and on whch at the culmination of final track, Music From The Balcony, laughter and Oldfield saying "Fuck off" can be heard.
