I own an original pressing of "Ommadawn" along with the remixed version from the "Boxed" box set. The "Boxed" version is the one that has traditionally released on CD, but I prefer the original 1975 mix.
Having scored a worldwide hit with "Tubular Bells" in 1973, Mike Oldfield struggled to create a follow up and "Hergest Ridge" was considered a disappointment by some (even if it did get to number one in the charts and sell over 100,000 copies).
With "Ommadawn", Oldfield was trying create a more worthy successor to his magnum opus and prove his artistic credibility wasn't just a flash in the pan. Happily, he succeeded and if "Hergest Ridge" was a washed out watercolour, then "Ommadawn" is painted in rich oils.
For me this album is also interesting as it marks the first use of synthesizers in Mike's music with ARP 2600 and a Solina string ensemble featured - all be it sparingly - throughout both sides of the record.
Most of the action here is on the first side of the record as the fist movement bristles with ideas and Oldfiled throws the aural kitchen sink at us with marimbas, vocals, African drums and his distinctive guitar solos. This is great stuff and, for me, it is even slightly better than the mighty "Tubular Bells". Part two is also brimming with ideas and sounds especially good when Mike kicks into a major scale and dons his guitar. Twelve minutes into side two we can clearly hear the ARP 2600 as, to my ears, it sounds far more majestic than the acoustic instruments that surround it.
As the music progresses I find the "Northumbrian Bagpipes" become a little grating but this is a small gripe. Things finish with the whimsical "Horse Song" (it wasn't christened "On Horseback" until much later) but I find it a little awkward and it doesn't sit well when held up against the brilliance that has gone before. 4/5
