HRFanUSA
Group: Members
Posts: 128
Joined: May 2009 |
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Posted: May 08 2009, 12:17 |
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Greetings to all Oldfield fans-
I live in Tennessee, USA, and after reading some of the posts regarding "Hergest Ridge" I felt inspired to add my own. Way back in 1974, (I'm 50 years old now,) I ventured to participate in a charity walk covering several miles of downtown Knoxville. It was a nasty rainy day, and my brand new red "Converse" tennis shoes dyed my socks red! My friends and I wandered into a record store and there it was - "Hergest Ridge" the new Mike Oldfield LP. I didn't have any money so my best friend loaned me the $6 to buy it. When I got home, anxious to hear what the "Tubular Bells" maestro had created next, I was disappointed to hear very noticeable vinyl noise. My first impression of HR was "I don't like this at all!" The music sounded weird and off key to my teenage ears. Back then, $6 was a lot of money so I forced myself to give HR several more listens. About a week later, it was like a light went off in my mind, and I suddenly understood the music. As another fan here commented so beautifully, HR became my refuge, my secret discovery - as if Mike created it just for me. In the following months, HR became my best friend, my comfort, my escape, and so much more... If I was happy, the music reflected this. If I was sad or feeling down, the music was right there with me. I knew I had found the music of my soul, so to speak. I eventually returned the LP hoping to get a better pressing, without the noise, but several attempts failed so I accepted this album was flawed. A couple years later, when a friend played his copy for me and there was no noise, my mouth dropped down to my feet and thankfully, he said, "Harry, I know how much this album means to you - take it!" Over the past 35 years, I keep rediscovering HR, and it feels like my best friend. I loved the remix version in the Boxed set but felt, like many fans, a lot of the subtle beauty, (like the trumpet and snare drums on side one) were forever lost. The "Thunderstorm" section on side two, (one of my favorites parts) does sound better and crisper on the remix, but the collective mood of the album as a whole didn't feel right to me. Still, I get goose bumps and admit I occasionally shed a tear or two when I listen to HR. I consider this album to be an integral part of my love for music. I also respect Mike's honesty on this album - I mean, how can you understand and appreciate light without darkness, or day without night? He masterfully shares these truthes with us, accurately expressing his own struggles at this time in his life. I firmly believe one has to deeply feel to create art with real depth, and I think Mike accomplishes this on HR. It's not all "pretty", but neither is real life. Yet, because of the torment conveyed in some of the musical passages, we can truly appreciate, in contrast, the heavenly bliss in others, like the infamous "Oboe" section. To me, this album represents true genius, as I expect other dedicated fans also feel. I sincerely hope Mercury Records does justice to the rerelease of HR, offering loyal fans both versions in a deluxe package! Call me crazy, but this is one of the most important albums in my life, and like good wine, Hergest Ridges gets better with time... Thank you Mike Oldfield - you have deeply touched a soul across the ocean :o)
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, these albums can stir up profound emotions inside of me. I think these feelings are intensified after visiting Hergest Ridge (the place) for myself, seeing the surroundings in which the music was composed/created 
) , and also Ommadawn Part 1 played, preferably in its entirity ( I will NOT be happy if it isn't,and WILL come back to haunt the guilty party) , and I'd also love folks to dance around to the Rolling Stones' Sympathy For The Devil ( quite possibly The Stones' finest track) 
I had not seen that one before. Is Alan Partridge back? Actually nevermind, I'll google him right after typing this post. 
