1974-1975 The relunctant star

Mike Oldfield had dreamed about the succedd that would come if ever Tubular Bells were released. When that success arrived he found the pressure very hard to cope with. Emotionally exhausted by the process of recording Tubular Bells, he retreated to a new home he had found for himself in Herefordshire. It was here that he began to create his next work which was to be named after the nearby Hergest Ridge.

Released in England in September 1974, like Tubular Bells it was an album containing a single composition. Again almost all the instrumental work was by Mike himself. The effect most commented on by reviewers was the section in which 90 multitracked guitars created the effect of what one critic called "an electronic thunderstorm". The other musicians contributing to the album included Sally Oldfield and Clodagh Simmonds (vocals), June Whiting and Lindsay Cooper (oboes) and Ted Hobart (trumpet). For Mike, the composition of music was a constant work in progress. The symphonic form used in Tubular Bells was continued in a series of later works: Hergest Ridge, Ommadawn, Incantations, QE2 and Amarok.

Hergest Ridge went straight to the top of the UK album chart. Virgin Records took out television advertising, although the wording of the commercials had to be changed. The advert sement had originally stated that the album would be available from "Virgin and other immaculate record shops". This was deleted because of possible objections from the Catholic Church.

Although a few thought it inferior to Tubular Bells, the overwhelming majority of the critics loved Hergest Ridge. One called it "the closest rock music has got to the classical symphony". Another wrote of "a series of emotional peaks bursting here and there through the tickling tranquillity".

In December 1974, orchestral arrangements of Tubular Bells and Hergest Ridge were performed at the Royal Albert Hall in London. The concert was planned by David Bedford who conducted the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra with guitar solos by Steve Hillage. Mike himself played guitar on the studio recording of the same works, released in early 1975 as The Orchestral Tubular Bells. Later that year these orchestral arrangements were performed in Glasgow and Newcastle. In Scotland, Steve Hillage played the guitar parts with the Scottish National Orchestra, and the soloist in the northeast was Andy Summers, later of The Police.

The sense of humour evident in the "introduction to the instruments" section of Tubular Bells was well to the fore on Don Alfonso, a single issued in March 1975. With the aid of Chris Cutler (drums), David Bedford (vocals) and Kevin Ayers (wine bottles), Mike told the story of a bullfighter who "worked for Oxo".

In a more serious vein, he released Ommadawn in September 1975 His third great work of symphonic rock, it had taken nine months to record. On Ommadawn, Mike played almost 20 instruments ranging from guitars to grand piano and spinet. The album incorporated music from Africa and Ireland through the London-based percussion group Jabula and the uillean piping of Paddy Moloney, leader of the Chieftains. Other contributing artists included Terry and Sally Oldfield, members of the Hereford City Band and local recorder-player Leslie Penney. Penney was also featured on Mike's Christmas single, a version of the traditional carol In Dulci Jubilo. The record got to No.4 in the UK charts.

Although most reviewers greeted Ommadawn as another triumph, a tone of resentment at Mike's continuing success crept into some critics' comments on the album. Perhaps influenced by the growing fashion for "back to the roots" pub rock, one UK pop paper called Ommadawn "bland and inconsequential, excellent back ground music for dinner parties".

Although he had not yet returned to touring or live performance of his own work, Mike contributed to albums by other musicians with whom he was associated. His guitar-playing could be heard on records released in 1975 by David Bedford, Edgar Broughton and Tom Newman.

The impact of Tubular Bells continued into 1975. In that year the work was named Best Instrumental Composition at the Grammy awards in New York and the newfound popularitv of the instruments themselves caused manufacturers Premier to launch a new range ot rigid-trame chimes. In another dimension, a reader wrote to Mayfair magazine: "the most exciting moment of my sexual life was achieved only recently when we both finaly managed to climax together at the finale of Tubular Bells by Mike Oldfield".