Hergest Ridge: 50th Anniversary of the Masterpiece

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   At the end of summer this year, 50 years passed since the release of this dreamy, emotional, calm album with its flowing and floating melodies and themes. The huge success of Tubular Bells (number 1 in the English LP charts) came as a complete surprise to everyone involved, and the introverted, shy Jesus-looking progressive musician Oldfield in particular was unable to cope with this development at all. So he retreated to the solitude of rural Herefordshire to work in peace and quiet on his second album, Hergest Ridge. What came of it? Pure, unadulterated Mike Oldfield for connoisseurs. While Tubular Bells sounded like a collection of various smaller instrumental pieces, Hergest Ridge presents itself as a single composition. Oldfield's apparatus is simply splendid here. The melodic guitar playing (an Oldfield trademark) appears clear and always appropriate. The choirs and organ sounds exude a kind of pastoral calm, gentleness, and balance. 

I purchased my copy upon its release. I had tears in my eyes when I heard the record for the first time; it was progressive music ingeniously written that was so moving to me back then. Even today, 50 years later, when I close my eyes, I think of lush green meadows, morning dew, light mist, and the ruins of old houses and castles. For me, this is the finest Oldfield album of all time. Some critics derided the album at the time. They were anticipating it as a sort of sequel to Tubular Bells. Hergest Ridge, however, dethroned Tubular Bells from the top spot in the album charts down to number two. Wasn't that fantastic? 

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Starshiper Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: September 08 2024 Location: Englantic Status: Offline Points: 331	Post Options Post Reply Quote Starshiper Report Post Thanks(1) Quote Reply Topic: Hergest Ridge: 50th Anniversary of the Masterpiece Posted: 23 hours 9 minutes ago at 17:38
	At the end of summer this year, 50 years passed since the release of this dreamy, emotional, calm album with its flowing and floating melodies and themes. The huge success of Tubular Bells (number 1 in the English LP charts) came as a complete surprise to everyone involved, and the introverted, shy Jesus-looking progressive musician Oldfield in particular was unable to cope with this development at all. So he retreated to the solitude of rural Herefordshire to work in peace and quiet on his second album, Hergest Ridge. What came of it? Pure, unadulterated Mike Oldfield for connoisseurs. While Tubular Bells sounded like a collection of various smaller instrumental pieces, Hergest Ridge presents itself as a single composition. Oldfield's apparatus is simply splendid here. The melodic guitar playing (an Oldfield trademark) appears clear and always appropriate. The choirs and organ sounds exude a kind of pastoral calm, gentleness, and balance. I purchased my copy upon its release. I had tears in my eyes when I heard the record for the first time; it was progressive music ingeniously written that was so moving to me back then. Even today, 50 years later, when I close my eyes, I think of lush green meadows, morning dew, light mist, and the ruins of old houses and castles. For me, this is the finest Oldfield album of all time. Some critics derided the album at the time. They were anticipating it as a sort of sequel to Tubular Bells. Hergest Ridge, however, dethroned Tubular Bells from the top spot in the album charts down to number two. Wasn't that fantastic?

Jared Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: May 06 2005 Location: Hereford, UK Status: Offline Points: 19124	Post Options Post Reply Quote Jared Report Post Thanks(2) Quote Reply Posted: 20 hours 18 minutes ago at 20:29
	I love the album too, as you can see from my Avatar? I also lived at the foot of HR for 5 years... in Kington, so I know it well.
	Music has always been a matter of energy to me. On some nights I believe that a car with the needle on empty can run 50 more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio. Hunter S Thompson

Octopus II Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: May 21 2023 Location: UK Status: Offline Points: 10154	Post Options Post Reply Quote Octopus II Report Post Thanks(1) Quote Reply Posted: 15 hours 17 minutes ago at 01:30
	Fantastic album. His first four albums are all great.

David_D Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: October 26 2010 Location: Copenhagen Status: Offline Points: 15039	Post Options Post Reply Quote David_D Report Post Thanks(1) Quote Reply Posted: 8 hours 37 minutes ago at 08:10
	I remember very well the first time I listened to Hergest Ridge, as it was a day which turned to become one of the very good memories from my late teenage years. I was visiting a friend of mine together with some other friends, and he had bought this album, so one of the first things I did, when we came there, was listening to it. Meanwhile this friend of mine made some pancakes of a rather special kind which we ate, even they tasted somehow peculiarly. And then we went outside and had a big snowballs fight, as it was a winter day, and just couldn't stop laughing and having a lot of fun - as stoned as we were. That was surely great, and Hergest Ridge?, I became not so little fond of it, even probably not quite as much as of Tubular Bells and Ommadawn. That is maybe the case today as well, but still, definitely one of my three Oldfield fond-ofs / loved ones. Edited by David_D - 6 hours 28 minutes ago at 10:19
	quality over quantity, and all kind of PopcoRn almost beyond

verslibre Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: July 01 2004 Location: CA Status: Offline Points: 16964	Post Options Post Reply Quote verslibre Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 7 hours 2 minutes ago at 09:45
	I do like HR more than TB, but you can't go wrong with any of Oldfield's early albums.
	eBay

Steve Wyzard Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: March 30 2017 Location: California Status: Offline Points: 2517	Post Options Post Reply Quote Steve Wyzard Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 4 hours 33 minutes ago at 12:14
	I would take Hergest Ridge over ALL of Oldfield's albums from the 1970s. Which is not to Sl*g off the others, but to emphasize just how phenomenal Hergest Ridge really is!

Cosmiclawnmower Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: August 09 2010 Location: West Country,UK Status: Offline Points: 3601	Post Options Post Reply Quote Cosmiclawnmower Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 3 hours 12 minutes ago at 13:35
	My reaction on first hearing was very similar; it is a very beautiful and emotionally charged piece of music and has a very important place in my heart. It still moves me today and has been played almost daily of late as it was introduced to me by my older brother who recently died. It is imbued with something quintessentially English but not in any kind of 'patriotic' way; more that it reflects the very earth, sky, plants, rocks and the weather that inspired it. Ommadawn continued that very elemental and intuitional theme; perhaps reflecting the things which brought the composer solace from the things that haunted him.