David Bedford-The Odyssey (1976)

Best known for his work with Mike Oldfield, David Bedford was a British musician and composer whose repertoire ranged from classical to rock music. A graduate of the Royal Academy of Music at Lennox Berkeley in London and the University of Venice, his professional career began in the late 1960s with Kevin Ayers on the album "Joy of a Toy". During the 1970s, Bedford actively collaborated with artists such as Mike Oldfield, Robert Wyatt, and Elvis Costello, while also developing a career as a composer of contemporary classical music and teaching music in various British schools. In 1976, he released an album based on one of the masterpieces of classical literature, Homer's epic poems, on which Bedford played all the instruments except the guitars, which were played by Mike Oldfield and Andy Summers. This album is strongly reminiscent of his early work with Mike Oldfield, particularly in its synthesizer arrangements. The shadow of albums like "Hergest Ridge" looms over "The Odyssey", which, while not having transcended rock history, is a worthy symphonic rock album.