Mike Oldfield's Hergest Ridge, originally released in 1974, is the composer's second studio album, following the extraordinary success of Tubular Bells. Named after the hill on the England–Wales border near Kington, the album draws on the landscape of the Welsh Marches, combining pastoral melodies, folk influences and progressive rock with Oldfield's distinctive layered instrumentation. Built around two extended instrumental compositions, the music moves between delicate acoustic passages, orchestral textures and more dramatic electric guitar arrangements. This 2025 50th anniversary edition is presented across two vinyl LPs on Mercury Records.
