Tubular Bells - Part two - what is being said / sung?

[TonyRPH]

I've had this album for 35 years now, and the "lyrics" on 'Part Two' (side 2 on the vinyl!) have always intrigued me.

At times it sounds like "stow on the wold" and at other times it sounds like they have been reversed and slowed down.

I had a quick fiddle with the track in Audacity, and reversed / changed speed etc. but still couldn't make anything out apart from perhaps something like "what the hell".

Searching Google came up with nothing relevant.

Any ideas anyone?

[Seeker UK]

http://tubular.net/lyrics/TubularBellsII.shtml

[Silver Smudger]

Wrong album - Part 2 (side 2) on the original Tubular Bells.

[singlecoil]

I'm not familiar with the original, but do have the 2003 version, which I understand is supposed to be the same material, and have been working on the assumption that it's a different language.

[anonymous-user]

Is that the stuff that sounds Klingon?

[nadger]

I always presumed it was made up language. It's sounds like he's saying something like -
Stuckofrash dow wonawow
Stuckofrash Dow wonaw.
Etc.

[scorp]

nadger said:

I always presumed it was made up language. It's sounds like he's saying something like -
Stuckofrash dow wonawow
Stuckofrash Dow wonaw.
Etc.

I always thought that, is it supposed to a caveman or something ?

[stevejh]

Strange coincidence. I just listened to Tubular Bells again a couple of days ago after coming across the live performance that Mike Oldfield did when it was first released, on Youtube. I've always assumed it was some sort of made-up caveman language, a sort of 'Stig of The Dump' language (a popular book in 1973 I seem to remember).

[qube_TA]

Wikipedia said:

Next is one of the more unusual parts of the album, the "Caveman" section, referred to in the album's original liner notes as "Piltdown Man."
Timpani rolls and drum kit commence this part, highlighted by unintelligible "lyrical" utterances, grunts, growls, howls, and screams by Oldfield. (This was alleged to be a rumour, however. Simon Heyworth, audio engineer, recalled that Branson was getting impatient pressurising Oldfield to deliver the cut, and flustered they drove down to London and dumped a copy of entire uncut album, and he recalled that Branson wanted vocals on one of the albums, whereas Oldfield had no intentions of doing so. Oldfield said himself in an interview that he angrily stormed out of Branson's office yelling "You want lyrics!? I'll give you lyrics!".
He then drank half a bottle of Jameson's whiskey and demanded the engineer to take him to the studio where, intoxicated, he "screamed his brains out for 10 minutes". This was later used in the album in rebellion against Branson's desire to include at least one part with lyrics to release as a single.) Oldfield's yelling is countered by various phrases on piano, guitars, and the "Moribund chorus," with this piece abruptly ending on one long loud shouting scream exactly 16:29 in.

[TonyRPH]

Ah, so a load of drunken screaming, probably slowed down (or even reversed in places at a guess).

Interesting...

[BluePurpleRed]

I know its been 3 years but I was just listening to this and was hoping that the PH collective could do better than the answer we have.

Or is it just "its prog rock / drugs / shrug / go figure"

[Alex]

I'm a lifelong Mike Oldfield fan, and as far as I know, the "Piltdown Man" section on Tubular Bells Part 2 is just nonsense.

P.S. A couple of weeks ago Oldfield released his 25th studio album "Return To Ommadawn". It is superb.

[Alex]

Someone on the Tubular.net forum came up with this:

SOKOGO AHH
TAH NOOOAH

FLOW AHH
TAH GWANAW

FLOGO AHH
TAH ANNOOAH

FLOW AHH
TAH GWANAW

HM?
HMMM...

FLOW
FLOW
FLOW
FLOW
FLOW

SUMMA
SUMMA

SHACK
SHACK
SHACK

AOUUWWWWWWWWW!!!
GWANAW!
AOOUUUU, AO AOOOOWWWWWWW!!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATOW!

HA!

AAAAAH!

FLOW AHH
TAH ANNOOOAH

FLOW AHH
TAH GWANAW

FLOW AHH
TAH NOOOAAAOH

FLOW AHH
TAH GWANAW

HM?
HMMM...

HM?
HMMM...

SUMMA
SUMMA
SUMMA
SUMMA
SUMMA

SHACK
SHACK
SHACK
SHACK
SHACK

AOOUUUU, AOOOOO, AOOOUUUUUUU!
SUMMA
SHACK
SUMMA
SHACK

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!

[Google [bot]]

All I know is Button Moon.

[TonyRPH]

Out of curiosity I just loaded the track into Audacity.

I then tried speeding it up and no...

Reversing it, no...

Speeding up the reversed track 20x and I heard something like "I wonder what the hell this is".

Then I got bored and posted here..

It's interesting to note that even played backwards, parts of it are still quite melodic!

[denizej]

Has anyone tried yet listening to it standing upside down with ear pieces reversed? I do this all the time when my kids are watching Frozen again

[nonsequitur]

Richard Branson demanded a track with vocals so it could be released as a single. Mike Oldfield grabbed bottle of whisky and said ' I'll give you vocals', and then left the studio and consumed half of the Scotch.

On his return - well refreshed - he spent ten minutes screaming into the microphone. Th engineer recorded at higher speed and when played back at normal speed it produced the lower gruff ' Piltdown Man' voice we hear on the album.

Mike Oldfield damaged his throat during that particular session.

[Darklamp]

People are confusing Tubular Bells pt 2, the B side from the 1973 album, with Tubular Bells 2. The curious thing for me is how Tubular Bells is credited by many to be the first New Age music recording. Also, it solidified art rock as an independent genre. As far as the male vocals on the B side of Tubular Bells, I don't know what is being said, but this album is the start of a sub-genre of music called progressive rock, or prog rock. Tubular Bells informs just about every sub-genre of popular music that came after. Mike Oldfield is MY guitar hero.

[Pupp]

HTRB

I always understood it to be ‘caveman’

Love the album

[suthol]

Darklamp said:

People are confusing Tubular Bells pt 2, the B side from the 1973 album, with Tubular Bells 2. The curious thing for me is how Tubular Bells is credited by many to be the first New Age music recording. Also, it solidified art rock as an independent genre. As far as the male vocals on the B side of Tubular Bells, I don't know what is being said, but this album is the start of a sub-genre of music called progressive rock, or prog rock. Tubular Bells informs just about every sub-genre of popular music that came after. Mike Oldfield is MY guitar hero.

Definitely not the start of Prog, Crimson, Yes, Gentle Giant etc were already strutting their stuff by the tie Tubular Bells came out