HERGEST RIDGE

Hergest Ridge wasn't advertised to the mainstream by a successful movie, and this is i think the reason of the partial commercial flop, if it can be called in this way, which occurred to this album.

Regardless the commercial point of view, this album is surely an improvement in terms of composing respect to the exceptional debut. Hergest Ridge is continuous. There's not the sensation of a patchwork of shorter parts tied together as in Tubular Bells (confirmed by the 2002 re-release), The melodies are more consistent even if a bit darker.

Darker may seem strange if one thinks that TB was soundtrack for a horror movie, but the whole album was not all on that mood.

Hergest Ridge has all the goods of its predecessor, including the bells, plus some singing of a kind that we'll find later on Incantations and as I have written more consistent melodies.

There are contact points with the German space-rock when the music gets repetitive (but never boring) and respect to German bands it's more solar and suitable also for a "background listening", something that's not very easy with Amon Duul II or Tangerine Dream.

I can't call it "masterpiece", but its 4 stars are brighter than the 4 that I gave to TB.