HERGEST RIDGE

'Hergest Ridge' is a lovely album which is quite subtle compared to the distinctive "Tubular Bells". If you lay back and carefully listen, you can appreciate it a lot more than you may otherwise do. I seem to discover more magic each time.

The album has plenty of delicate, classically inspired passages, which are melodic and peaceful.There are wonderful holy vocals, varied instrumentation, including string parts, folky flute and even some sleighbells! Listen for the accomplished soft guitar playing on here too. I love the style very much. I find that Oldfield's proficiency is often very overlooked.

For five minutes towards the end of part 2, the blasting progressive keyboards and squealing electric guitar unfortunately break the mood of the album. But the utterly sweet section of folky guitar follows with a string section tugging at your heart and emotions. Be patient with how this excellent work links many musical ideas together. It proves that the young Mike Oldfield was hugely talented at both arranging and producing. Four solid stars.