Mike Oldfield is the multi-instrumental prodigy behind one of the most famous records ever made — a catalogue of long, layered instrumental suites and a handful of beloved pop songs. Here is our fellow fan’s ranking of his finest tracks.

The short version

If you only hear a few, make them “Tubular Bells”, “Ommadawn”, “Moonlight Shadow” and “Sentinel” — the masterpiece, his most emotional epic, his biggest hit and the thrilling reimagining of his signature theme. The full ranking is below.

One man, a hundred instruments

In 1973, a shy nineteen-year-old named Mike Oldfield played more than twenty instruments on a forty-nine-minute instrumental suite called Tubular Bells — the very first release on the fledgling Virgin Records, and a record that went on to sell millions and define a whole approach to layered, genre-blending music. Across the decades that followed, Oldfield alternated between sprawling instrumental epics (Hergest Ridge, Ommadawn, Amarok) and more song-based, often chart-topping pop. His best work, instrumental or otherwise, sounds like no one else. These fifteen tracks are our pick of the very best.

How we ranked them

This is one fan’s order, weighing composition, atmosphere, melody and lasting impact across his whole career — long-form pieces and pop songs alike. The facts are accurate; the order is a starting point for the debate.

The essential six

At the top sits “Tubular Bells” (1973), the side-long masterpiece that made his name and still sounds extraordinary. Beside it stands “Ommadawn” (1975), for many his finest, most emotional long-form composition. With them: “Moonlight Shadow” (1983), his biggest hit single and an evergreen pop classic; “Hergest Ridge” (1974), a gorgeous pastoral suite; “Incantations” (1978), a sprawling, hypnotic four-part epic; and “Sentinel” (1992), the thrilling reimagining of his signature theme.

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Reliably great

The next tier is essential too. “Five Miles Out” (1982) is a driving, dramatic single; “Shadow on the Wall” (1983) is one of his hardest-rocking songs; “Amarok” (1990) is a wildly inventive hour-long piece; “Family Man” (1982) is the song Hall & Oates turned into a hit; and “Platinum” (1979) shows his sleeker, more rhythmic side.

Deeper cuts

For the dedicated, these reward repeat listens. “Man in the Rain” (1998) is a lovely song from his third Tubular Bells; “The Songs of Distant Earth” (1994) is a serene, ambient suite inspired by Arthur C. Clarke; “Islands” (1987) is a soaring 1980s collaboration; and “Return to Ommadawn” (2017) is a late, heartfelt return to his long-form roots.

Every track at a glance

All fifteen tracks, in chronological order — each linked to the album it comes from, so you can hear it in context.

Where to start

Begin with “Tubular Bells” — there is nothing else quite like it. From there, “Ommadawn” deepens the instrumental magic, while “Moonlight Shadow” shows the gift for melody that made him a pop star too.

The artist

Mike Oldfield is a multi-instrumentalist of rare gifts — a guitarist first, but equally at home on bass, keyboards and a small orchestra’s worth of other instruments, most of which he plays himself, layering them painstakingly in the studio. Famously private and largely self-taught, he made his masterpiece at nineteen and has followed his own restless muse ever since, from instrumental epics to pop singles to ambient soundscapes. Now largely retired from music, he remains one of progressive rock’s true one-of-a-kind figures.

Why he still matters

Few artists have ever sounded so completely themselves. Tubular Bells alone reshaped what an instrumental record could be, influencing new age, ambient and electronic music for decades, and earning a place at the heart of progressive rock. He shares a love of instrumental beauty with Camel and guitarist Steve Hackett, and a feel for vast, atmospheric soundscapes with Tangerine Dream and Pink Floyd — yet, like all the best, he sounds like no one but himself.

Go deeper

Keep exploring: rank his records with our guide to the best Mike Oldfield albums, find an entry point with where to start with Mike Oldfield, or dig into the underrated Mike Oldfield albums. You can also place him in the bigger picture with the best progressive rock songs of all time.

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