Released to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the studio album, the long-awaited issue of the FULL broadcast of the Orchestral Hergest Ridge is finally available. Richard Branson's initial idea for the orchestral versions of Mike Oldfield's first two albums may have been encouraged by the fact that David Bedford had just recorded his own orchestral album for Virgin Records, Star's End, performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO), with Mike Oldfield himself playing guitar. This recording took place at Barking Town Hall, a venue frequently used for orchestral sessions. By the end of summer 1974, the scores for The Orchestral Tubular Bells were already completed, and plans were set for recording with the RPO once again. In Spring 1976, the newly rebuilt Manor Studio was used for mixing, with Mick Glossop—known for his work on The Orchestral Tubular Bells—serving as technical advisor to guide the broadcast team through the studio's advanced equipment.

In 1979, excerpts from a Scottish recording of The Orchestral Hergest Ridge in Glasgow (not the London RPO version) were used in the soundtrack of The Space Movie, a documentary directed by Tony Palmer for Virgin Films, commissioned by NASA to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing. Beyond that film, the orchestral version had no official release—until now. Around the time of the Tubular Bells 50th anniversary, a Compact Cassette of the Scottish concert resurfaced in remarkably good condition, making this historic broadcast accessible to fans for the first time.

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