Customer Reviews

Hergest Ridge

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

When I first bought my original copy of this album it was the vinyl lp version back in '78. I played it to death it got me thru my GCE's at secondary school. With the advent of the cd era I bought my second copy on that format however, the recording had been shortened due to problems with the source tapes. So one of my favourite albums had been bastardised in the name of technological advancement. In time though I grew to like it and lived in hopes of Mike actually revisiting the original recordings and producing the original in its entirety.
Well dear reader that moment is at hand... this is original recording hitherto only available on vinyl however; there are some caveats and warnings that go with this recording. First off the mix is so well cleaned up that everything that was lost in original low technology version is brought to life and forefront of the recording. The trumpet and oboe solos are quite astonishing especially the missing links that were lost in first cd transposition and rerecording of the album.Now some downsides the guitars have been pushed back in some parts of the recording from where they were in the original. Also the bass solos are a bit overpowering and at the end of part one there is now a new guitar overdub which takes a little getting used to and detracts from the mellowness of original mix.
This can be explained by the fact that Mike was "assisted" (I use this term advisedly...!) by two other people during the remixing and rerecording of this version and it shows in parts quite starkly. However, I'm very pleased with this new recording and would recommend it to anyone who is a die hard Oldfield fan.

Mike Oldfield has been called pretentious, egotistical, and similar uncomplimentary synonyms. I find his efforts unique, transformational, and highly creative. His work, at its best, is a 20-21st century successor to the classical tradition, especially his long-form works.

Hergest Ridge is a terrific example of his extraordinary compositional range, melding together elements of tone-poetry with rock, jazz, and orchestral influences. This is not as iconoclastic as Tubular Bells, and is more similar to Ommadawn in that it demands close attention to appreciate its much more subtle aspects.

This particular work might be labled as "New Age" by some, but don't confuse Hergest Ridge with the background tunes at your local spa. Don't light candles and meditate to this music. Listen closely and appreciate real artistry at work - it's well worth the effort.

This release contains three versions of Hergest Ridge. Disc One contains the new 2010 remix, Disc Two contains the original mix and the demo version, Disc Three contains the 5.1 Surround Mix of the 2010 remix. There are two additional bonus tracks (a single and an unreleased track). What is not to like? There is something here for everyone, the purist, the revisionist and the audiophile. I bought this set (and the Ommadawn release) to get the 5.1 Surround Mix and it is astonishing. Oldfield certainly knows how to get the best out of an expanded sound field. You could spend alot more and get alot less. This (and Ommadawn) are both worth a second look!!

I've always loved this piece of music even though it's a little "uneven". It has a few short sections that are tad on the abrasive side and I feel maybe a little more time and less pressure at the time to get something on the market would have resulted in a better LP. But it certainly has sections that are really nice. The original pressing was not good either back in the 70's and I remember returning it the store to get a refund and getting another one only to discover it was the same. The vinyl was noisy and scratchy sounding, not to mention it was very thin. I eventually replaced it with Cd and that also left more to desire. Parts were too soft and parts were too loud. Finally this is all corrected and I definately recommend this CD. I love it. I sure wish that it'd have been released like this the first time.

I was about 6 when Tubular Bells landed on my parents' stereo. It was unlike anything and it instantly became a favourite. Soon Hergest Ridge and Ommadown joinned and these three records became an important part of my childhood and I've continued to enjoy them through the years.
Of these I've always had a weak spot for Hergest Ridge, although, if push comes to shove, I vote Ommadown as my favourite. Maybe because Ommadown is like Tubular Bells' beautiful sister and Hergest Ridge is Tubular Bells' ugly sister. But don't get me wrong, there's nothing ugly about Hergest Ridge. Most of it is stunningly beautiful.

From its eery first notes the first part is close to perfect. It revolves around the beautiful and mysterious main theme and never really drifts very far from it, maintaining the peaceful yet unsettling mood. While Tubular Bells seems like a collage of several pieces, Hergest Ridge is a far more cohesive work and most of the sections have the main theme blueprint on. Part two is equally gorgeous though those 6 minutes of loud overdriven guitars don't really fit the mood of the rest of the record. Still, I like those 6 minutes.

This Deluxe Edition finally features the long awaited original mix. Well, the Boxed version was to this day the only one that I had heard and it's difficult to move away from it. Those who said that the original version was better probably suffer from the same problem that I do: it was their first version. So I'm still very much attached to the Boxed version. That said, there are some differences here and there, but overall they don't affect the quality of the record. For me, this version is worth having for its historical value. The same could be said of the Demo Recordings that close disc 2.

Why don't I give 5 stars to this edition? Because instead of getting the Boxed version on disc 1, we are presented with yet another mix, this time the 2010 Mixes. This means that I'll have to keep my old remastered version of Hergest Ridge. As for the new mix, well... there are a few things that sounded odd to my ears, specially a couple of synths that I feel they don't belong here. But in the end it's just another mix. We'll probably have another one by 2020.

One last note for the packaging. Really nice packaging and very nice booklet with interesting words to read. I'm not in favour of altering the original cover art, even when the original was bad (and Hergest Ridge suffered from bad cover design), but in this case they did a good job and since this is a Deluxe Edition, I'm OK with it.

Having read the liner notes where Mike Olfield talk s about how arduous the recording process was for this follow up to Tubular Bells, I am struck at the point where he says his heart wasn't in to making this album. I am of the opinion that if his heart was into making this album, my head may have exploded when I first listened to Hergest Ridge as it is magnificent! This piece is not a retread of Tubular Bells, but rather the testament of Mike's retreat from the limelight TBells thrust his way. Whereas TBells was a lot of rock and roll and a small amount of Celtic influences, this piece is a lot of Celtic influences and a small amount of rock and roll. Both are amazingly represented however.

A very relaxing piece of music with all of Mike Oldfield's genius. It is still rock, simply more mellow. Having enjoyed Oldfield's music for quite a few years, I am surprised that this album had not been played by me yet.

The album is probably not one of Mike Oldfield's most popular, but it is still worth listening to.

I have all of Mike's albums and I was really disappointed in this one. Not his finest, and very poor in composition.Will be gathering dust in the collection