The Making of Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells book is to be re-released on 26th March, but this time in paperback format.
We've taken a first look at the new edition, which is larger than the original hardback. The book is illustrated with atmospheric landscape photographs by Fran May to represent the mythological forces of nature and emotional content perceived in the music.
Other than a new prologue which mainly adds an introduction to Fran May, the text remains unchanged. Many of the original photos have however been replaced with excellent but unrelated landscape photos, so only 16 of the original 27 Oldfield and Manor related photos are present. As the dimensions of the attractive paperback are larger, the photos are bigger and sometimes clearer.
Possibly the most notable exclusion in the new edition is the Manor promotional gatefold, which was beautifully reproduced in the hardback.
The new edition does look stunning, but unfortunately misses some of the original content without adding anything of specific interest to fans of Mike Oldfield or Tubular Bells.