Now What?

In 1974, Mike Oldfield defied the critics and hit the top of the UK charts with Hergest Ridge, the ambitious follow-up to his unexpectedly successful debut Tubular Bells. To coincide with the release of the 50th-anniversary edition, the musician, his siblings and collaborators recount the story of an album created by an overwhelmed 21-year-old taking refuge near the Welsh borders.

- Chris Wheatley

How do you follow up one of the most innovative debut albums of all time? That was the position a young Mike Oldfield found himself in back in 1973. The debut in question, the now-iconic Tubular Bells, had been released that May via Richard Branson’s fledgling Virgin Records to widespread critical acclaim — and no small amount of commercial success.

But this was a young man unused to fame and attention. Oldfield had channelled oceans of hard work and angst into his music, and he desperately needed a rest. Seeking escape, he took a drive in his reconditioned Bentley across the Severn Bridge. Ending up in the small market town of Kington, Herefordshire, Oldfield spotted an isolated house for sale on Bradnor Hill, with magnificent views across the Brecon Beacons. Without even viewing the property, he bought it.

“He’d seen this house from afar,” recalls Mike’s sister, singer Sally Oldfield, “driving down to Hereford, trying to escape all the press. It turned out to be a very rickety affair with no heating.”

Mike’s new home was named The Beacon, and it was to play a crucial role in the development of his next album, Hergest Ridge.

“You have to remember,” explains Sally, “that Tubular Bells was composed, really, over a period of years. In Mike’s own words, he said, ‘I was holding on to my sanity.’ Music was his great escape from the mental anguish of having to take care of our mother during most of his adolescence.”

Maureen Oldfield, the siblings’ mother, suffered greatly from mental health problems and, for a time, the burden of care had fallen largely on Mike. Composer Terry Oldfield, Mike’s older brother, recalls the circumstances.

“This was before the recording of