OLDFIELD MIKE Vinyl Records and CDs

... II (1992), Tubular Bells III (1998) and Tubular Bells 2003. Oldfield followed the original with Hergest Ridge, which also took top position on the U.K. bestseller lists. By 1980, he'd submerged his leanings toward progressive, proto-New Age sounds in favor of a more pop-oriented approach; Hall and Oates would even take his witty song "Family Man" into the U.S. singles charts. At the same time, Oldfield continued to display his instrumental composing talents on soundtracks to such films as The Killing Fields. Though doubtless considered more a purveyor of lifestyle music than a progressive artist at this point in his career, Oldfield has remained prolific and is looked upon as something of a forerunner of a wide variety of artists. Certainly his eclectic jaunts into various world musics led the way to the acceptance of someone like Enya. And Tubular Bells itself has long outlasted its reputation as "the music from The Exorcist."