Thomas Dennis Newman (born 7 May 1943) is an
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
record producer
A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure. Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...
and
musician (
rhythm guitar). In 1970 he began working with
Richard Branson and helped to found
The Manor Studio
The Manor Studio (a.k.a. The Manor) was a recording studio in the manor house at the village of Shipton-on-Cherwell in Oxfordshire, England, north of the city of Oxford.
Overview
The Manor and its outbuildings are listed Grade II on the Na ...
in
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
for the nascent
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman (musician), Tom Newman. It ...
. There he produced the recording of
Mike Oldfield
Mike may refer to:
Animals
* Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum
* Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off
* Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and document ...
's ''
Tubular Bells
Tubular bells (also known as chimes) are musical instruments in the percussion family. Their sound resembles that of church bells, carillon, or a bell tower; the original tubular bells were made to duplicate the sound of church bells within a ...
.''
Career
In 1968 Newman played in a band called
July
July is the seventh month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and is the fourth of seven months to have a length of 31 days. It was named by the Roman Senate in honour of Roman general Julius Caesar in 44 B.C., it being the mont ...
whose only album was the eponymous ''July'' on UK
Major Minor and US Epic. Before that he was in a British band called The Tomcats who played around London and later in Spain. In 1966, they recorded at least three EPs on Spanish Philips (436387, 436388 and 436826). Also an amateur painter, one of his paintings can be seen during
the Beatles' rooftop concert
On 30 January 1969, the Beatles performed an impromptu concert from the rooftop of their Apple Corps headquarters at 3 Savile Row, in central London's office and fashion district. Joined by guest keyboardist Billy Preston, the band played a ...
behind the drum set.
In 1970, Newman began working with
Richard Branson and helped build
The Manor Studio
The Manor Studio (a.k.a. The Manor) was a recording studio in the manor house at the village of Shipton-on-Cherwell in Oxfordshire, England, north of the city of Oxford.
Overview
The Manor and its outbuildings are listed Grade II on the Na ...
in
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
. While there he met the 18-year-old
Mike Oldfield
Mike may refer to:
Animals
* Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum
* Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off
* Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and document ...
who lent him a rough demo tape of what would become ''
Tubular Bells
Tubular bells (also known as chimes) are musical instruments in the percussion family. Their sound resembles that of church bells, carillon, or a bell tower; the original tubular bells were made to duplicate the sound of church bells within a ...
.''
In November 1973, Newman participated in a live-in-the-studio performance of ''Tubular Bells'' for the BBC.
It is available on Oldfield's ''
Elements'' DVD.
Newman released some albums as a solo musician and produced several albums for other artists, most notably Mike Oldfield (''Tubular Bells'', ''
Tubular Bells II
''Tubular Bells II'' is the fifteenth studio album by English guitarist and songwriter Mike Oldfield. It was released on 31 August 1992 by Warner Music UK and is the successor to his debut album '' Tubular Bells'' (1973). After his contract with ...
'', ''
Heaven's Open
''Heaven's Open'' is the 14th record album performed by Mike Oldfield, released in 1991. It was his last album on Virgin, and also the only album he released under the name Michael Oldfield, instead of Mike Oldfield. The producer of the album, ...
'').
Reviewing Newman's 1977 ''Fine Old Tom'' LP,
Robert Christgau wrote in ''
Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies'' (1981): "Tom seems to have recorded this far across the sea in 1975, but more than that even my Anglophile sources can't tell me. Analogies:
Dave Edmunds (studiomania and general non-esoteric musical orientation, although Newman isn't interested in overpowering anyone),
Ray Davies
Sir Raymond Douglas Davies ( ; born 21 June 1944) is an English musician. He was the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and main songwriter for the rock band the Kinks, which he led with his younger brother Dave on lead guitar and backing voc ...
(vaguely but persistently, for both eccentricity and vocal approach),
Eno (more precisely, not only for eccentricity and vocal approach but also for style of smarts, although Newman isn't so blatantly avant-garde). Pretty catchy."
Newman also worked with young
NWOBHM
The new wave of British heavy metal (commonly abbreviated as NWOBHM) was a nationwide musical movement that started in England in the mid-1970s and achieved international attention by the early 1980s. Journalist Geoff Barton coined the term ...
bands like
Charlie ’Ungry.
Discography
Solo albums
* ''Fine Old Tom'' (1975)
* ''Live at the Argonaut'' (1975) – Never released by Virgin, except test-pressings. Only released under Voiceprint label in 1995
* ''Faerie Symphony'' (1977)
* ''Bayou Moon'' (1986)
* ''Aspects'' (1986)
* ''Ozymandias'' (1988)
* ''Hotel Splendide''
ive(1997)
* ''Snow Blind'' (1997)
* ''Faerie Symphony and Other Stories'' (1999)
* ''Tall Scary Things'' (1999)
* ''The Hound Of Ulster'' (1999)
* ''The Secret Life of Angels'' (2014)
* ''The Calling'' (2015)
* ''A Faerie Symphony II'' (2021)
As producer
:''Not a complete list''
* ''
Tubular Bells
Tubular bells (also known as chimes) are musical instruments in the percussion family. Their sound resembles that of church bells, carillon, or a bell tower; the original tubular bells were made to duplicate the sound of church bells within a ...
'' –
Mike Oldfield
Mike may refer to:
Animals
* Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum
* Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off
* Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and document ...
(1973)
* "
Froggy Went A-Courting" –
Mike Oldfield
Mike may refer to:
Animals
* Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum
* Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off
* Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and document ...
(1974)
* ''
Hatfield and the North
Hatfield and the North were an experimental Canterbury scene rock band that lasted from October 1972 to June 1975, with some reunions thereafter.
Career
In mid 1972 the band grew out of a line-up of ex-members of blues/jazz/rock band Del ...
'' –
Hatfield and the North
Hatfield and the North were an experimental Canterbury scene rock band that lasted from October 1972 to June 1975, with some reunions thereafter.
Career
In mid 1972 the band grew out of a line-up of ex-members of blues/jazz/rock band Del ...
(1973)
* ''
Hergest Ridge
Hergest Ridge is a large elongated hill which traverses the border between England and Wales in the United Kingdom, between the town of Kington in Herefordshire and the village of Gladestry in Powys. Its highest point, which is in England, ...
'' –
Mike Oldfield
Mike may refer to:
Animals
* Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum
* Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off
* Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and document ...
(1974)
* ''
Platinum
Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver".
Pla ...
'' –
Mike Oldfield
Mike may refer to:
Animals
* Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum
* Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off
* Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and document ...
(1979)
* "
All Right Now
"All Right Now" is a song by English rock band Free. It originally appeared on the band's third album '' Fire and Water'' (1970), which Free recorded on the Island Records label, formed by Chris Blackwell. Released as the album's second single ...
" (unreleased single) –
Mike Oldfield
Mike may refer to:
Animals
* Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum
* Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off
* Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and document ...
(1980)
* ''Celebration'' -
Sally Oldfield
Sally Patricia Oldfield (born 3 August 1947) is an Irish singer-songwriter. She is the sister of composers Mike and Terry Oldfield.
Early life
Born in Dublin, Ireland, Oldfield was raised in the Roman Catholic faith of her mother, Maureen. Sp ...
(1980)
* ''101 Live Letters'' (1981)
* ''Doll By Doll'' –
Doll By Doll (1981)
* ''Grand Passion'' –
Doll By Doll (1982) Co-producer with Jackie Leven
* ''
Five Miles Out
''Five Miles Out'' is the seventh studio album by English recording artist Mike Oldfield, released on 19 February 1982 by Virgin Records in the UK. After touring in support of his previous album, '' QE2'' (1980), ended in mid-1981, Oldfield sta ...
'' –
Mike Oldfield
Mike may refer to:
Animals
* Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum
* Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off
* Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and document ...
(1982) Co-producer
* ''Captured'' –
Natasha
Natasha (russian: Наташа) is a name of Slavic origin. The Slavic name is the diminutive form of Natalia.
Notable people
* Natasha, the subject of ''Natasha's Story'', a 1994 nonfiction book
* Natasha Aguilar (1970–2016), Costa Rican sw ...
(1982)
* ''
Islands
An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...
'' –
Mike Oldfield
Mike may refer to:
Animals
* Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum
* Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off
* Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and document ...
(1987)
* ''
Amarok'' –
Mike Oldfield
Mike may refer to:
Animals
* Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum
* Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off
* Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and document ...
(1990)
* ''Heaven's Open'' –
Mike Oldfield
Mike may refer to:
Animals
* Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum
* Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off
* Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and document ...
(1991)
* ''Tubular Bells II'' –
Mike Oldfield
Mike may refer to:
Animals
* Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum
* Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off
* Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and document ...
(1992)
* ''Six Elementary Songs'' –
Clodagh Simonds
Clodagh Simonds ( ; born 16 May 1953) is an Irish musician, songwriter and singer. She was born in Banbridge, County Down, Northern Ireland and raised and educated in Killiney, County Dublin.
Biography
At the age of eleven, she formed her f ...
(1996)
* ''Neon Emptiness EP'' – Cyan2 (1999)
References
External links
Newman Music Tom Newman official site, and also of his son Jim Newman - link dead 12 January 2016
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Newman, Tom
1943 births
Living people
Virgin Records artists
English record producers
People from Perivale
English songwriters
English male singers
British male songwriters