Here I am playing Mike Oldfield's second album "Hergest Ridge". My 1974 pressing was bought from eBay six years ago and is in pretty rough shape. I know someone called Stan used to own this album as he has written his name on the front cover.
I'm guessing Stan wrote on his records because he lent them to friends and was keen that they be returned (I hope his friends weren't making illegal cassette recordings - although home taping wasn't killing music just yet). The concept of keeping ephemera such as records in pristine condition wasn't really around fifty years ago.
I also own the remixed version of this album included in the 1976 box set "Boxed". This record is generally in better condition but a previous owner (not Stan) has written the title on the inner sleeve in ball point pen. Thankfully it is now illegal to write on records.
I can't really discern much difference between the different mixes on
these records (or even the 2010 mix Oldfield made when the album was
re-released on CD) but then this is probably because I don't play them very often.
Like many of Oldfield's early albums, "Hergest Ridge" is split into two parts that shift between different movements and various styles. The music on this record is much less "rock" than its illustrious predecessor and the use of strings, woodwind and vocals point to an ambition to move in a new direction. Alas the ideas presented here aren't strong enough and the ambition isn't really realised. It's no secret that Oldfield struggled for inspiration after creating his magnum opus and this album lacks focus as a result. Everything here just washes over you: it's neither offensive nor exciting - it's just there. I imagine it's the kind of thing people would put on as background music for an early seventies dinner party. 2/5
