MIKE OLDFIELD – HERGEST RIDGE (50th ANNIVERSARY) (Universal/ Island) (2025)

Mike Oldfield’s sophomore album was, like his unlikely groundbreaking chart-topping, universally acclaimed album “Tubular Bells”, in two movements over two sides of vinyl as the talented multi-instrumentalist created hypnotic motifs with overdubbed guitar to create a work worthy of rubbing shoulders with the great classicists of the past – the context being very different in 1973 of course! “Hergest Ridge” is a more tranquil phantasmagorical affair but no less worthy with flute, oboe, trumpets, multitracked vocals (including his sister Sally) with the addition of Farfisa and Lowrey organs, now considered retro and intensely nostalgic. “Hergest Ridge” is named after a hill, or ridge of one to be more precise, in the Herefordshire village of Kington.

This anniversary edition has two discs or LPs and it will be interesting to compare Oldfield’s original sound mixes with the Dolby Atmos ones. The album only spent three weeks at #1 being prematurely supplanted by its predecessor. Personally, my preference has always been for “Ommadawn” in terms of Oldfield’s greatest achievement and I remember also buying “Crises” (1983) with its side long piece and hit single ‘Moonlight Shadow’ with an appearance by Family singer Roger Chapman on ‘Shadow on the Wall’.