Editing Mike Oldfield (section)

==Career==
===1968–1972: Early career===
After leaving school Oldfield accepted an invitation from his sister Sally to form a folk duo [[the Sallyangie]], taking its name from her name and Oldfield's favourite Jansch tune, "Angie".{{sfn|Moraghan|1993|p=12}} They toured England and Paris and signed a deal with [[Transatlantic Records]], for which they recorded one album, ''[[Children of the Sun (The Sallyangie album)|Children of the Sun]]'' (1969). After they split in the following year Oldfield had a [[nervous breakdown]]. He auditioned as bassist for [[Family (band)|Family]] in 1969 following the departure of [[Ric Grech]], but the group did not share [[Roger Chapman]]'s enthusiasm towards Oldfield's performance.<ref name=TS12>{{cite AV media notes|url=https://tubular.net/articles/2012_08c/Two-Sides-Sleeve-Notes|title=Two Sides: The Very Best of Mike Oldfield|year=2012|publisher=Mercury Records|id=5339182}}</ref> Oldfield spent much of the next year living off his father and performing in an electric rock band named Barefoot that included his brother Terry on flute, until the group disbanded in early 1970.{{sfn|Moraghan|1993|p=13}}<ref name=G97>{{cite web |url=http://tubular.net/articles/1997_07 |title=Not Totally Tubular |first=Dave |last=Thompson |work=Goldmine|via=Tubular.net |date=18 July 1997 |access-date=2 April 2008}}</ref>

In February 1970, Oldfield auditioned to become the bassist in the Whole World, a new backing band that former [[Soft Machine]] vocalist [[Kevin Ayers]] was putting together. He landed the position despite the bass being a new instrument for him, but he also played occasional lead guitar and later looked back on this time as providing valuable training on the bass.{{sfn|Moraghan|1993|p=14}}<ref name=SOS13/> Oldfield went on to play on Ayers's albums ''[[Shooting at the Moon (album)|Shooting at the Moon]]'' (1970) and ''[[Whatevershebringswesing]]'' (1971), and played mandolin on ''[[Edgar Broughton Band (album)|Edgar Broughton Band]]'' (1971).<ref name=G97/> All three albums were recorded at [[Abbey Road Studios]], where Oldfield familiarised himself with a variety of instruments, such as orchestral percussion, piano, [[Mellotron]] and [[harpsichord]], and started to write and put down musical ideas of his own.<ref name=SOS13/> While doing so Oldfield took up work as a reserve guitarist in a stage production of ''[[Hair (musical)|Hair]]'' at the [[Shaftesbury Theatre]], where he played and gigged with [[Alex Harvey (musician)|Alex Harvey]]. After ten performances Oldfield grew bored of the job and was fired after he decided to play his part for "Let the Sunshine In" in [[Time signature|7/8 time]].<ref name=SOS13>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.soundonsound.com/people/classic-tracks-mike-oldfield-tubular-bells|title=Classic Tracks: Mike Oldfield Tubular Bells|date=April 2013|first=Richard|last=Buskin|magazine=Sound on Sound|access-date=25 February 2019}}</ref><ref name="bbc.co.uk"/>

===1971–1991: Virgin years===
====''Tubular Bells''====
By mid-1971, Oldfield had assembled a demo tape containing sections of a longform instrumental piece initially titled "Opus One". Attempts to secure a recording deal to record it professionally came to nothing. In September 1971, Oldfield, now a session musician and bassist for the [[Arthur Louis|Arthur Louis Band]], attended recording sessions at [[The Manor Studio]] at [[Shipton-on-Cherwell]], [[Oxfordshire]], owned by businessman [[Richard Branson]] and run by engineers [[Tom Newman (musician)|Tom Newman]] and Simon Heyworth.<ref name="bbc.co.uk"/> Branson already had several business ventures and was about to launch [[Virgin Records]] with Simon Draper. Newman and Heyworth heard some of Oldfield's demos and took them to Branson and Draper, who eventually gave Oldfield one week of recording time at The Manor, after which Oldfield had completed what became "Part One" of his composition, ''[[Tubular Bells]]''. He recorded "Part Two" from February to April 1973.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tubular.net/articles/2001_08 |title=The Making of Tubular Bells |work=[[Q (magazine)|Q]] |date=August 2001 |access-date=12 January 2012}}</ref> Branson agreed to release ''Tubular Bells'' as the first record on the Virgin label and secured Oldfield a six-album deal with an additional four albums as optional.<ref name=TT13>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/fameandfortune/9811942/Mike-Oldfield-Tubular-Bells-made-me-a-million-but-the-tax-bill-came-to-860000.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/fameandfortune/9811942/Mike-Oldfield-Tubular-Bells-made-me-a-million-but-the-tax-bill-came-to-860000.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Mike Oldfield: 'Tubular Bells made me a million but the tax bill came to £860,000'|date=20 January 2013|work=The Telegraph|first=Sarah|last=Ewing|access-date=26 February 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

''Tubular Bells'' was released on 25 May 1973. Oldfield played more than twenty different instruments in the [[Overdubbing|multi-layered recording]], and its style moved through diverse musical genres. Its 2,760,000 UK sales puts it at No.&nbsp;42 on the list of the best-selling albums in the country.<ref>{{cite web |title=The best-selling albums of all time on the Official UK Chart |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/the-best-selling-albums-of-all-time-on-the-official-uk-chart__15551/ |website=Official Charts |date=11 April 2019 |access-date=8 June 2023 |language=en}}</ref> The title track became a top-10 hit single in the US after the opening was used in the film ''[[The Exorcist]]'' in 1973. It is today considered to be a forerunner of the [[New-age music|new-age music movement]].<ref>{{cite book |first=Patti Jean |last=Birosik |title=The New Age Music Guide |year=1989 |publisher=Collier MacMillan |page=138 |isbn=0-02-041640-7}}</ref>

====''Hergest Ridge'' to ''Incantations''====
In 1974, Oldfield played the guitar on the critically acclaimed album ''[[Rock Bottom (album)|Rock Bottom]]'' by [[Robert Wyatt]].

In late 1974, his follow-up LP, ''[[Hergest Ridge (album)|Hergest Ridge]]'', was No.&nbsp;1 in the UK for three weeks before being dethroned by ''Tubular Bells''. Although ''Hergest Ridge'' was released over a year after ''Tubular Bells'', it reached No.&nbsp;1 first. ''Tubular Bells'' spent 11 weeks (10 of them consecutive) at No.&nbsp;2 before its one week at the top. Like ''Tubular Bells'', ''Hergest Ridge'' is a two-movement instrumental piece, this time evoking scenes from Oldfield's [[Herefordshire]] country retreat. It was followed in 1975 by the pioneering [[world music]] piece ''[[Ommadawn]]'' released after the death of his mother, Maureen.<ref name="bbc.co.uk"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.amadian.net/biography1.htm |title=''Amadian - The Mike Oldfield Biography (II)'' website |access-date=26 January 2015 |archive-date=24 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210124155547/http://www.amadian.net/biography1.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 1975, Oldfield recorded a version of the Christmas piece "[[In Dulci Jubilo (Mike Oldfield)|In Dulci Jubilo]]" which charted at No.&nbsp;4 in the UK.

In 1975, Oldfield received a [[Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition|Grammy award for Best Instrumental Composition]] in "Tubular Bells – Theme from ''The Exorcist''".

In 1976, Oldfield and his sister joined his friend and band member [[Pekka Pohjola]] to play on his album ''[[Mathematician's Air Display]]'', which was released in 1977. The album was recorded and edited at Oldfield's Througham Slad Manor in [[Gloucestershire]] by Oldfield and Paul Lindsay. Oldfield's 1976 rendition of "[[Portsmouth (Mike Oldfield single)|Portsmouth]]" remains his best-performing single on the [[UK Singles Chart]], reaching No.&nbsp;3.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.everyhit.com|title=Mike Oldfield – "Portsmouth"|publisher=EveryHit|access-date=8 July 2010}}</ref>

Oldfield recorded the double album ''[[Incantations (album)|Incantations]]'' between December 1977 and September 1978. This introduced more diverse choral performances from [[Sally Oldfield]], [[Maddy Prior]] and the [[Queen's College, London|Queen's College]] Girls Choir. When it was released on 1 December 1978, the album went to No. 14 in the UK and reached platinum certification for 300,000 copies sold.

In 1979, Oldfield supported ''Incantations'' with a European tour that spanned 21 dates between March and May 1979. The tour was documented with the live album and concert film, ''[[Exposed (Mike Oldfield album)|Exposed]]''. Initially marketed as a limited pressing of 100,000 copies, the strength of sales for the album were strong enough for Virgin to abandon the idea shortly after, transferring it to regular production.<ref name=G97/> During the tour Oldfield released the disco-influenced non-album single "[[Guilty (Mike Oldfield instrumental)|Guilty]]", for which he went to New York City to find the best session musicians and write a song with them in mind. He wrote a chord chart for the song and presented it to the group, who completed it in the studio.<ref name=TS12/> Released in April 1979, the song went to No. 22 in the UK and Oldfield performed the song on the national television show ''[[Top of the Pops]]''.

Oldfield's music was used for the score of ''[[The Space Movie]]'' (1980), a [[Virgin Films]] production that celebrated the tenth anniversary of the [[Apollo 11]] mission.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mikeoldfieldspacemoviedvd.com/|title=''The Space Movie'' website|access-date=25 June 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100517093522/http://mikeoldfieldspacemoviedvd.com/|archive-date=17 May 2010}}</ref> In 1979, he recorded a version of [[Blue Peter (instrumental)|the signature tune]] for the BBC children's television programme ''[[Blue Peter]]'', which was used by the show for 10 years.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/newtalent/under_16/showcase_bp.shtml |title=Blue Peter's theme tune |publisher=BBC New Talent |date=April 2007 |access-date=20 June 2010}}</ref>

====''Platinum'' to ''Heaven's Open''====
Oldfield's fifth album, ''[[Platinum (Mike Oldfield album)|Platinum]]'', was released in November 1979 and marked the start of his transition from long compositions towards mainstream and pop music. Oldfield performed across Europe between April and December 1980 with the [[In Concert 1980]] tour.

In 1980, Oldfield released ''[[QE2 (album)|QE2]]'', named after the [[Queen Elizabeth 2|ocean liner]], which features a variety of guest musicians including [[Phil Collins]] on drums. This was followed by the European Adventure Tour 1981, during which Oldfield accepted an invitation to perform at a free concert celebrating the [[Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer|wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana]] in [[Guildhall]]. He wrote a new track, "Royal Wedding Anthem", for the occasion.<ref name=G97/>

His next album, ''[[Five Miles Out]]'', followed in March 1982, with the 24-minute track "Taurus II" occupying the whole of side one. The Five Miles Out World Tour 1982 saw Oldfield perform from April to December of that year. ''[[Crises (Mike Oldfield album)|Crises]]'' saw Oldfield continue the pattern of one long composition with shorter songs. The first single from the album, "[[Moonlight Shadow]]", with [[Maggie Reilly]] on vocals, became Oldfield's most successful single, reaching No. 4 in the UK<ref name=G97/> and No. 1 in nine other countries. The subsequent Crises Tour in 1983 concluded with a concert at [[Wembley Arena]] to commemorate the tenth anniversary of ''Tubular Bells''. The next album, ''[[Discovery (Mike Oldfield album)|Discovery]]'', continues with this trend, being the first single "[[To France]]" and subsequent Discovery Tour 1984.

Oldfield later turned to film and video, writing [[The Killing Fields (album)|the score]] for [[Roland Joffé]]'s acclaimed film ''[[The Killing Fields (movie)|The Killing Fields]]'' and producing substantial video footage for his album ''[[Islands (Mike Oldfield album)|Islands]]''. ''Islands'' continued what Oldfield had been doing on the past couple of albums, with an instrumental piece on one side and rock/pop singles on the other. Of these, "[[Islands (Mike Oldfield song)|Islands]]", sung by [[Bonnie Tyler]] and "[[Magic Touch (Mike Oldfield song)|Magic Touch]]", with vocals by [[Max Bacon]] (in the US version) and [[Glasgow]] vocalist Jim Price (Southside Jimmy) in the rest of the world,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.southsidejimmy.co.uk/site/pages/biog.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080705163422/http://www.southsidejimmy.co.uk/site/pages/biog.htm |url-status=usurped |archive-date=5 July 2008 |title=Southside Jimmy Biography |publisher=Southside Jimmy |access-date=2 November 2008}}</ref> were the major hits. In the US "Magic Touch" reached the top 10 on the [[Billboard charts|Billboard album rock charts]] in 1988. During the 1980s, Oldfield's then-partner, Norwegian singer [[Anita Hegerland]], contributed vocals to many songs including "[[Pictures in the Dark]]".

Released in July 1989, ''[[Earth Moving]]'' features seven vocalists across the album's nine tracks.<ref name=G97/> It is Oldfield's first to consist solely of rock and pop songs, several of which were released as singles: "[[Innocent (Mike Oldfield song)|Innocent]]" and "[[(One Glance Is) Holy|Holy]]" in Europe and "Hostage" in the US.

For his next instrumental album, Virgin insisted that Oldfield use the title ''Tubular Bells 2''.<ref>{{Cite web|date=20 May 2013|title=How we made: Richard Branson and Mike Oldfield on Tubular Bells|url=http://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/may/20/how-we-made-tubular-bells|access-date=12 October 2021|website=The Guardian|language=en}}</ref> Oldfield's rebellious response was ''[[Amarok (Mike Oldfield album)|Amarok]]'', an hour-long work featuring rapidly changing themes, unpredictable bursts of noise and a hidden [[Morse code]] insult, stating "Fuck off RB", allegedly directed at [[Richard Branson|Branson]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/mar/20/mike-oldfield-interview-tubular-bells-drugs |title=Mike Oldfield: 'We wouldn't have had Tubular Bells without drugs' |newspaper=The Guardian |date=20 March 2014 |access-date=2 January 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://tubular.net/faq/ |title=FAQ |publisher=Tubular.net |access-date=26 October 2013}}</ref> Oldfield did everything in his power to make it impossible to make extracts and Virgin returned the favour by barely promoting the album.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mikeoldfield.org/amarok |title=Amarok |date=18 April 2013 |publisher=Dark Star Magazine |access-date=23 May 2020}}</ref>

in February 1991, Oldfield released his final album for Virgin, ''[[Heaven's Open]]'', under the name "Michael Oldfield". It marks the first time he handles all lead vocals. In 2013, Oldfield invited Branson to the opening of St. Andrew's International School of The Bahamas, where two of Oldfield's children were pupils. This was the occasion of the debut of ''Tubular Bells for Schools'', a piano solo adaptation of Oldfield's work.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tribune242.com/news/2013/oct/21/famous-faces-for-bahamas-debut-of-tubular-bells/ |title=Famous faces for Bahamas debut of Tubular Bells for Schools |publisher=Tribune 242 |date=21 October 2013 |access-date=20 January 2016}}</ref>

===1992–2003: Warner years===
By early 1992, Oldfield had secured Clive Banks as his new manager and had several record label owners listen to his demo of ''[[Tubular Bells II]]'' at his house. Oldfield signed with [[Rob Dickins]] of [[Warner Music Group|WEA Warner]] and recorded the album with [[Trevor Horn]] as producer.<ref name=TS12/> Released in August 1992, the album went to No. 1 in the UK. Its live premiere followed on 4 September at [[Edinburgh Castle]] which was released on home video as ''[[Tubular Bells II Live]]''. Oldfield supported the album with his Tubular Bells II 20th Anniversary Tour in 1992 and 1993, his first concert tour since 1984. By April 1993, the album had sold over three million copies worldwide.<ref name="TI93">{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/arts-sound-as-a-bell-twenty-years-ago-tubular-bells-rang-out-for-the-first-time-now-after-years-of-1453352.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220514/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/arts-sound-as-a-bell-twenty-years-ago-tubular-bells-rang-out-for-the-first-time-now-after-years-of-1453352.html |archive-date=14 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Sound as a bell|first=Charles|last=Nevin|date=4 April 1993|work=The Independent|access-date=18 September 2019}}</ref>

Oldfield continued to embrace new musical styles, with ''[[The Songs of Distant Earth (album)|The Songs of Distant Earth]]'' (based on [[Arthur C. Clarke]]'s [[Songs of Distant Earth|novel of the same name]]) exhibiting a softer new-age sound. In 1994, he also had an [[asteroid]], [[5656 Oldfield]], named after him.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.minorplanetcenter.org/iau/special/rocknroll/0005656.html |title=Oldfield 5656 |publisher=[[Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics]] |access-date=2 April 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://tubular.net/articles/1998_09 |title=Mike Oldfield Interview |publisher=[[BBC Radio 2]] |date=9 September 1998 |access-date=2 April 2008}}</ref>

In 1995, Oldfield continued to embrace new musical styles by producing the [[Celtic music|Celtic]]-themed album ''[[Voyager (Mike Oldfield album)|Voyager]]''. In 1992, Oldfield met [[Luar na Lubre]], a Galician Celtic-folk band (from [[A Coruña]], Spain), with the singer [[Rosa Cedrón]]. The band's popularity grew after Oldfield covered their song "O son do ar" ("The sound of the air") on his ''Voyager'' album.

In 1998, Oldfield produced [[Tubular Bells III|the third ''Tubular Bells'' album]] (also premiered at a [[Tubular Bells III Live|concert]], this time in [[Horse Guards Parade]], London), drawing on 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 in lacking a clear two-part structure.

During 1999, Oldfield released two albums. The first, ''[[Guitars (Mike Oldfield album)|Guitars]]'', used guitars as the source for all the sounds on the album, including percussion. The second, ''[[The Millennium Bell]]'', consisted of [[pastiche]]s of a number of styles of music that represented various historical periods over the past millennium. The work was [[The Art in Heaven Concert|performed live]] in Berlin for the city's millennium celebrations in 1999–2000.

He added to his repertoire the [[MusicVR]] project, combining his music with a [[virtual reality]]-based computer game. His first work on this project is ''[[Tres Lunas]]'' launched in 2002, a virtual game where the player can interact with a world full of new music. This project appeared as a double CD, one with the music and the other with the [[Tres Lunas (video game)|game]].

In 2002 and 2003, Oldfield re-recorded ''Tubular Bells'' using modern equipment to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the original. He had wanted to do it years before but his contract with Virgin kept him from doing so.<ref name=SOS02>{{cite web|url=https://tubular.net/articles/2002_11/Mike-Oldfield-Sound-on-Sound|title=Mike Oldfield - Sound on Sound|date=November 2002|first=Mark|last=Wherry|work=Sound on Sound|access-date=22 September 2019}}</ref> This new version featured [[John Cleese]] as the Master of Ceremonies, as [[Viv Stanshall]], who spoke on the original, died in the interim. ''[[Tubular Bells 2003]]'' was released in May 2003.

===2004–present: Mercury years===
On 12 April 2004, Oldfield launched his next [[virtual reality]] project, ''[[Maestro (video game)|Maestro]]'', which contains music from the ''Tubular Bells 2003'' album and some new [[chillout]] melodies.<ref>{{cite web |title=Mike Oldfield's MusicVR game Maestro reviewed - tubular bells |url=https://www.sean.co.uk/a/musicjournalism/mike_oldfield_maestro.shtm |website=www.sean.co.uk |access-date=16 April 2023}}</ref> The games have since been made available free of charge on Tubular.net.<ref name="tubulararchives"/>

In 2005, Oldfield signed a deal with [[Mercury Records|Mercury Records UK]], who secured the rights to his catalogue when the rights had reverted to himself.<ref>{{cite web |title=MIKE OLDFIELD SIGNS WITH MERCURY RECORDS |url=http://www.artarabia.com/artman/publish/MIKE_OLDFIELD_SIGNS_WITH_MERCURY_RECORDS.shtml |website=Art Arabia |publisher=Mercury Records |url-status=dead |access-date=16 April 2023 |archive-date=11 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101211121234/http://www.artarabia.com/artman/publish/MIKE_OLDFIELD_SIGNS_WITH_MERCURY_RECORDS.shtml }}</ref> Mercury acquired the rights to Oldfield's back catalogue, in July 2007. Oldfield released his first album on the Mercury label, ''[[Light + Shade]]'', in September 2005. It is a double album of music of contrasting mood: relaxed (Light) and upbeat and moody (Shade). In 2006 and 2007, Oldfield headlined the [[Night of the Proms]] tour, consisting of 21 concerts across Europe.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.notp.com/?country=de&menuitem=2 | title=Nokia Night of the Proms 2006 |publisher=[[Night of the Proms]] |access-date=1 June 2006}}</ref> Also in 2007, Oldfield released his autobiography, ''[[Changeling (Mike Oldfield autobiography)|Changeling]]''.<ref name=resolution>{{cite web |url=http://tubular.net/articles/2007_03 |title=Craft: Mike Oldfield |work=Resolution Magazine |date=March 2007 |access-date=2 April 2008}}</ref>

In March 2008, Oldfield released his first classical album, ''[[Music of the Spheres (Mike Oldfield album)|Music of the Spheres]]''; [[Karl Jenkins]] assisted with the orchestration.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.classicsandjazz.co.uk/tssite/homepage.do?ruleset=artist&id=51402037 |title=Mike Oldfield artist details |publisher=[[Universal Classics and Jazz]] |access-date=2 April 2008 |archive-date=5 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305073523/http://www.classicsandjazz.co.uk/tssite/homepage.do?id=51402037&ruleset=artist |url-status=dead }}</ref> In the first week of release the album topped the [[UK Classical chart]] and reached No. 9 on the main UK Album Chart. A single "[[Spheres (song)|Spheres]]", featuring a demo version of pieces from the album, was released digitally.<ref>{{cite web |title=Spheres single release |url=http://www.mikeoldfield.com/ |website=Mike Oldfield |access-date=26 February 2008 |date=25 February 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-date=28 February 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080228154320/http://www.mikeoldfield.com/ }}</ref> The album was nominated for a [[Classic Brit Awards|Classical Brit]] Award, the [[National Savings and Investments|NS&I]] Best Album of 2009.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Brierley |first1=Danny |title=Russian refugee wins Classical Brit |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/hp/front/russian-refugee-wins-classical-brit-6796134.html |access-date=16 April 2023 |work=Evening Standard |date=12 April 2012 |language=en}}</ref>

In 2008, when Oldfield's original 35-year deal with Virgin Records ended, the rights to ''Tubular Bells'' and his other Virgin releases were returned to him,<ref name=TO08>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081201180030/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article3431337.ece|url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article3431337.ece|title=Mike Oldfield regains control of Tubular Bells|first=Alan|last=Jackson|date=1 March 2008|work=Times Online|access-date=5 April 2008|archive-date=1 December 2008}}</ref> and were then transferred to Mercury Records.<ref name="tubulararchives">{{Cite web |url=http://tubular.net/archives/ |title=News Archives |publisher=Tubular.net |date=3 June 2005 |access-date=26 May 2008}}</ref> Mercury announced that his Virgin albums would be reissued with bonus content from 2009.<ref name="offtb09">{{cite web |url=http://www.mikeoldfield.org/news/150409.htm |title=Universal press release – ''Tubular Bells'' |date=15 April 2009 |publisher=Mike Oldfield Information Service |access-date=20 April 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090830133946/http://www.mikeoldfield.org/news/150409.htm |archive-date=30 August 2009  }}</ref> In 2009, Mercury released the compilation album ''[[The Mike Oldfield Collection 1974–1983]]'', that went to No. 11 in the UK chart.

In 2008, Oldfield contributed a new track, "Song for Survival", to the charity album ''[[Songs for Survival]]'' in support of [[Survival International]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.teletext.co.uk/planetsound/news/3374790848323d90a6c099afcc851183/Coldplay+and+A-ha+team+up.aspx |title=Coldplay and A-ha team up |publisher=[[Teletext]] |access-date=22 August 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080826070007/http://www.teletext.co.uk/planetsound/news/3374790848323d90a6c099afcc851183/Coldplay+and+A-ha+team+up.aspx |archive-date=26 August 2008  }}</ref> Oldfield's daughter Molly played a large part in the project.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kensaltownrecords.com/tracklisting.html |title=Survival Project – Album Track listing |publisher=Kensaltown Records |access-date=25 August 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120216095338/http://www.kensaltownrecords.com/tracklisting.html |archive-date=16 February 2012 }}</ref> In 2010, lyricist [[Don Black (lyricist)|Don Black]] said that he had been working with Oldfield.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.californiachronicle.com/articles/yb/151031234 |title=Masterclass: Black's Magic |publisher=California Chronicle (Music Week) |quote=I've just written with Mike Oldfield and he sent me Tubular Bells and I thought, "What goes with that?" |year=2010 |access-date=30 October 2010}}</ref> In 2012, Oldfield was featured on ''Journey into Space'', an album by his brother Terry, and on the track "Islanders" by German producer [[Torsten Stenzel]]'s [[York (group)|York]] project. In 2013, Oldfield and York released a remix album entitled ''[[Tubular Beats]]''.

Oldfield performed live at the [[2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony]] in London. His set included renditions of ''Tubular Bells'', "[[Far Above the Clouds]]" and "[[In Dulci Jubilo / On Horseback|In Dulci Jubilo]]" during a segment about the [[National Health Service]].<ref name="bbc.co.uk"/> This track appears on the officially released soundtrack album ''[[Isles of Wonder (album)|Isles of Wonder]]''. Later in 2012, the compilation album ''[[Two Sides|Two Sides: The Very Best of Mike Oldfield]]'' was released and reached No. 6 in the UK.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mikeoldfield.org/news/100427.htm |title=Universal press release – Hergest Ridge and Ommadawn |publisher=The Official Mike Oldfield Information Service / Universal Music |access-date=15 May 2010 |archive-date=4 May 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100504062313/http://www.mikeoldfield.org/news/100427.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mikeoldfieldofficial.com/news.php?item=6 |title=The next wave of Mike Oldfield Deluxe Editions is coming... |publisher=Mike Oldfield Official |date=15 February 2011 |access-date=14 March 2011}}</ref>

In October 2013, the [[BBC]] broadcast ''Tubular Bells: The Mike Oldfield Story'', a documentary on Oldfield's life and career.<ref name="bbcstory">{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03cw8g0|title=Tubular Bells: The Mike Oldfield Story|publisher=[[BBC]]|access-date=11 October 2013}}</ref> Oldfield's rock-themed album of songs, titled ''[[Man on the Rocks]]'', was released on 3 March 2014 by [[Virgin EMI]]. The album was produced by [[Steve Lipson]]. The album marked a return of Oldfield to a Virgin branded label, through the merger of Mercury Records UK and Virgin Records after Universal Music's purchase of EMI. The track "Nuclear" was used for the E3 trailer of ''[[Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain]]''.

In 2015, Oldfield told [[Steve Wright (DJ)|Steve Wright]] on his BBC radio show that a sequel album to ''Tubular Bells'' was in early development, which he aimed to record on analogue equipment.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02r7qr4 |title=Mike Oldfield gives Steve Wright a (tubular) bell from the Bahamas |publisher=BBC Radio 2 |date=12 May 2015 |access-date=21 May 2015}}</ref> Later in 2015, Oldfield revealed that he had started on a sequel to ''Ommadawn''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/GordenMikefield/status/654968898727505920 |title=Twitter Post |publisher=Mike Oldfield via [[Twitter]] |date=16 October 2015 |access-date=20 January 2016}}</ref> The album, named ''[[Return to Ommadawn]]'', was finished in 2016 and released in January 2017.<ref name="bbc.co.uk"/> It went to No. 4 in the UK.<ref name="RTOChart">{{cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/charts/albums-chart/date=2017-01-27|title=Official Albums Chart Top 100, 27 January 2017 – 02 February 2017|website=[[Official Charts Company|Official Charts]]|access-date=29 January 2017}}</ref> Oldfield again hinted at a fourth ''Tubular Bells'' album when he posted photos of his new equipment, including a new [[Telecaster]] guitar.<ref name="Facebook290117">{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/groups/MikeOldfieldPublic/permalink/356001801444327/|title=Mike Oldfield's official Facebook fan page|website=[[Facebook]]|date=29 January 2017|access-date=29 January 2017}}</ref>

A 50th anniversary edition of ''Tubular Bells'' was released on 26 May 2023.<ref name="TB50">{{cite web |title=Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells (50th Anniversary Edition): CD |url=https://hmv.com/store/music/cd/tubular-bells-50th-anniversary-edition |website=HMV |access-date=31 March 2023 |language=en}}</ref> It features a new master of the original album along with an additional previously unreleased 8-minute track, the "Introduction to ''Tubular Bells 4''".<ref name="TB50"/> "Introduction to ''Tubular Bells 4''" was recorded by Oldfield as a demo in 2017. His record label indicated that he had decided not to go forward with the ''Tubular Bells 4'' project and that this "may well be the last piece ever to be recorded by Oldfield".<ref name="uDiscover"/>