Mike Oldfield - Live Then & Now (2025)

MAJESTIC BROADCAST RECORDING FROM MIKE OLDFIELD S LIVE THEN & NOW TOUR In 1992, Mike Oldfield, having fulfilled his contract at Virgin Records, with whom he had been for the previous 20 years, joined Warner Music. His first release with his new label was Tubular Bells II - the sequel to his Virgin debut - in what appeared to be a final insult to his former label. In 1998, Oldfield produced the third Tubular Bells album, on which he embraced the dance music scene at his then new home on the island of Ibiza. This album was inspired by themes from Tubular Bells, but differed by lacking a clear two-part layout. In 99 Mike released two albums, the first, Guitars, used the titular instrument as the source for all the sounds on the album, including percussion. The second, The Millennium Bell, consisted of pastiches of a number of styles of music that represented various historical periods over the past thousand years. Upon the release of the first of these records, Oldfield and his entourage performed the Live Then And Now Tour , which promoted Tubular Bells III and Guitars. It was Oldfield s second tour of the 1990s, and his last full tour to date. Taking in numerous dates across Europe, on 25th July 1999, he played at Poland s Spodek Hall, in the city of Katowice, where Oldfield and band put on an extraordinary show, which was also broadcast across local FM Radio. Previously unreleased, this dynamic concert is now available in its entirety on this superb 2CD set.