Mike Oldfield - A Life Dedicated to Music

Book excerpt: How Mike Oldfield came to be who he is, his drive to become a musician and his personal motivations about his distinguished career are covered in detail in his own excellent autobiography, Changeling, published by Virgin books in 2007. A Life Dedicated to Music deliberately takes a different approach, documenting the events of Mike's career through the information gathered in interviews during 27 years of producing Mike Oldfield fan magazines. The views of the musicians, music industry professionals, assistants and fans closest to Mike have been assembled in chronological order for the first time, with the addition of new content from interviews conducted for this book, resulting in the first comprehensive record of Mike's 45-year career to 2013 Mike Oldfield has consistently delivered momentous compositions with virtuoso performances since the ground-breaking Tubular Bells in 1973. Excelling at every challenge from folk, pop, classical, reggae, heavy rock and video production to computer games, his creative genius and insistence on perfection has ensured his place as one of the World's most successful recording artists.