Born in Palmers Green, North London, Oldfield and his siblings were raised in the Roman Catholic faith of their mother, Maureen. Oldfield spent his childhood partly in Dublin and partly in Reading, Berkshire. He later attended a Benedictine monastery school and also spent a few futile terms at the Oratory School in Woodcote, Oxfordshire. His earliest musical experiences were in the myriad of folk clubs that sprung-up in the UK during the late 1960s and early 1970s, listening to the songs of Leonard Cohen, Bert Jansch, John Renbourn, and Bob Dylan.
Oldfield left school at 16 to travel the world and worked as a roadie for various bands including The Byrds. During an extended stay on the Greek island of Hydra, he took up his first musical instrument, the flute. "I think it was learning to play in this way, with no formal guidance, that allowed me to develop the ability to compose music. I spent many happy days improvising tunes and discovering scales and arpeggios for myself, and soon started to teach myself to write these things down". Terry's only formal music training was in Agra, India where he spent some time learning to play the tabla.
In the early 1970s, Terry and his brother Mike formed a band called 'Barefoot' playing rock and roll at colleges and clubs throughout the UK. Mike later went on to record the highly successful Tubular Bells and later Terry played the flute in the live performance at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London.
Terry also appears on Mike's albums; Hergest Ridge (woodwind -uncredited), Ommadawn (pan-pipes) and extensively on Incantations (flute).
Terry, his brother Mike and his sister Sally all completed the Exegesis Programme Large Group Awareness Training course. Terry recorded a piece of flute music which was used to accompany the last section of the course.
Oldfield's career began in earnest when he was asked by the BBC to compose music for a series called Great Railway Journeys of the World. Since then Oldfield has composed music for over 50 film and TV productions, receiving two Emmy nominations for Land of the Tiger and Twilight of the Dreamtime and a BAFTA nomination for the BBC series Kingdom of the Ice Bear. He also worked on Meerkats United, which in a National Television Poll was voted 'Best Wildlife Film Ever'.
Oldfield had a relationship with New World Music, one of the world's leading 'World' music labels, for over 10 years and has a back catalog of over 15 recordings. In 2001, Oldfield signed a multi-record contract with New Earth Records in Santa Fe, New Mexico. His work contains a wide range of ideas and influences and has sold over one million units worldwide.
Currently Oldfield has been looking at new directions to take his music. "Recently I have found the advent of Global music very inspiring. Especially the Amnesty International Concerts". In 2001, Oldfield moved to Australia.
Spiral
Terry Oldfield Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Before The Fame
Zero And Blind Terry
The skulls met the pythons
Down at the first street station
Alliance has been made in alleyways
All across the nation
These boys live off the milk of a silver jet
The pythons are down from old englishtown
And they 're looking to do some living
Well the leader of the pythons
Is a kid they just call zero
Now terry's pop says these kids
Are some kind of monsters
But terry says "no, pop
They're just plain heroes"
Zero and terry had found a love
That burned like wild fire
Now terry's dad understood
That this zero was no good
A tramp, a thief and a liar
Well from out of the darkness
That breaks the dawn
Zero rode like twilight
He said "tonight's the night
Blind terry come on
Terry come on
Tonight is the night
Pack your bags baby"
And together they ran like reindeers
Through the streets
Well like tomorrow the earth
Is gonna catch on fire
Now terry's dad hired some troopers
To kill zero and bring terry back home
They caught up in the night, like firelightthem starlight troopers...
Zero marches through terry's field
They met the pythons down on route nine
But they refused to yield
Now the pythons fought with blazed guns
And the troopers with swords of light
And zero and terry they ran away
And the gang fought all through the night
Now some folks say
Zero and terry got away
Other said they were caught and brought back
Ah, still young pilgrims to this day
Go to that spot way down by the railroad tracks
Where the troopers met the pythons
Old timers cry on a hot august night
If you look hard enough, if you try
You'll see zero and terry and all the pythons
Just hiking them streets up in the sky.
The lyrics of Terry Oldfield's "Spiral" tells a story of two lovers, Zero and Blind Terry, who met through a gang alliance and decided to run away from their hometown, leaving behind Terry's disapproving father and the troopers he hired to bring them back. The first verse sets the scene of the meeting between the two gangs, one called The Skulls and the other The Pythons, at the first street station. The gangs are notorious for their wild ways of living and their attraction to young women and silver jets. Zero is the leader of The Pythons, and even though Terry's dad thinks they are monsters, Terry considers them heroes. Zero and Terry's love is strong, but Terry's father doesn't approve of Zero calling him a tramp and a thief. However, Zero and Terry are determined to escape their hometown and go on a new adventure together.
In the second verse, Zero urges Terry to leave with him, telling her that tonight's the night to go. They imagine a future where the world will catch on fire tomorrow, and they need to leave before it's too late. Terry's dad hires troopers to bring her back home, but Zero and Terry meet The Pythons on route nine and refuse to yield. A fierce fight ensues between the two gangs and the troopers, with Zero and Terry managing to escape in the end. The song concludes with a haunting image of old-timers gathering on a hot August night, crying for the lost lovers and the gang members who once roamed the streets.
Line by Line Meaning
The skulls met the pythons
There was a meeting between the skulls and the pythons.
Down at the first street station
The meeting took place at the first street station.
Alliance has been made in alleyways
The skulls and the pythons made an alliance in alleyways.
All across the nation
This alliance was formed in various places around the country.
These boys live off the milk of a silver jet
The skulls and the pythons live a wild lifestyle fueled by adventure and excitement.
And the love of sweet young women
They also enjoy the company of women.
The pythons are down from old englishtown
The pythons come from a place called 'Old Englishtown.'
And they 're looking to do some living
They are seeking new experiences and adventures.
Well the leader of the pythons
The leader of the pythons is about to be introduced.
Is a kid they just call zero
His name is Zero.
Now terry's pop says these kids
Terry's father has a negative opinion of these boys.
Are some kind of monsters
He thinks they are dangerous and harmful.
But terry says "no, pop
Terry disagrees with his father's view.
They're just plain heroes"
He sees them as heroic.
Zero and terry had found a love
Zero and Terry were in love with each other.
That burned like wild fire
Their love was passionate and intense.
Now terry's dad understood
Terry's father finally grasped the situation.
That this zero was no good
He realized that Zero was not a good influence on Terry.
A tramp, a thief and a liar
In his eyes, Zero was a dishonest and immoral person.
Well from out of the darkness
Something is about to happen.
That breaks the dawn
The event took place at dawn.
Zero rode like twilight
Zero appeared like a mystical figure.
He said "tonight's the night
Zero is calling Terry to join him.
Blind terry come on
He specifically asks Terry to come with him.
Terry come on
He repeats his invitation to Terry.
Tonight is the night
He emphasizes the importance of this night.
Pack your bags baby"
Zero is urging Terry to pack and leave with him.
And together they ran like reindeers
Terry and Zero escaped together at full speed.
Through the streets
Their escape took them through the streets.
Well like tomorrow the earth
This new journey feels like a new beginning.
Is gonna catch on fire
The passion and intensity of this new life is about to ignite.
Now terry's dad hired some troopers
Terry's father hired some people to bring Terry back home.
To kill zero and bring terry back home
The troopers were given the task of killing Zero and returning Terry home.
They caught up in the night, like firelight
The troopers caught up with the pythons in the dark.
Them starlight troopers...
The troopers were like shining stars in the night.
Zero marches through terry's field
Zero entered Terry's property.
They met the pythons down on route nine
The troopers encountered the pythons on Route 9.
But they refused to yield
The pythons didn't back down.
Now the pythons fought with blazed guns
The pythons were ready to fight with their guns.
And the troopers with swords of light
The troopers used their powerful weapons to fight back.
And zero and terry they ran away
Terry and Zero fled the scene.
And the gang fought all through the night
The pythons and the troopers engaged in a fierce battle that lasted until dawn.
Now some folks say
There are different versions of what happened after the fight.
Zero and terry got away
Some people believe that Terry and Zero successfully escaped.
Other said they were caught and brought back
Others think that Terry and Zero were captured and returned home.
Ah, still young pilgrims to this day
There are still young people who visit the site of the fight.
Go to that spot way down by the railroad tracks
The place where the battle took place is located by the railroad tracks.
Where the troopers met the pythons
This is where the confrontation between the troopers and the pythons took place.
Old timers cry on a hot august night
People who witnessed the event a long time ago still get emotional on hot summer nights.
If you look hard enough, if you try
If you pay enough attention and effort to the place, you may see something important.
You'll see zero and terry and all the pythons
You may see Zero, Terry, and all the pythons that were involved in the fight.
Just hiking them streets up in the sky.
In a way, they are still around and their spirit lives on.
Contributed by Luke K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Néstor
on Guardian Angel
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