La següent col·laboració de Mike és de nou amb Bedford, amb el treball Instructions for angels, també remesclat a Througham. La secció amb Mike va ser enregistrada a la catedral de Worcester. Seguint la flauta, Bedford toca l’orgue de la catedral, i Mike entra simultàniament. Aquesta col·laboració de Mike és diferent de les anteriors fetes amb Bedford. La guitarra de Mike puja sense parar, cau i torna a pujar, amb una forma de tocar segura i desafiant, emocionant. El seu solo es comprén d’una frase base, que es repeteix 9 vegades, afegint elements com vibratos de dit, o sostenint la nota indefinidament, o fent variacins sobre el tema. L’àlbum surt després del de Pohjola, finals de setembre, inicis d’octubre.

Instructions for Angels: Mike enregistrat en viu a la catedral de Westminster amb l’estudi mòbil dels Rolling Stones. Amb Mike a la guitarra, Bedford a l’orgue de la catedral, i amb l’acústica de l’edifici treu l’alé. L’LP va ser finalment mesclat a l’estudi de Mike en Quad (!)

Instructions for Angels

(David Bedford on keys and various instruments, Mike Ratledge on synth, Mike Oldfield on guitar, with various other performers, including the Leicestershire Schools Symphony Orchestra) (Virgin CDV2090) (1977; CD reissue 1997)

This recording has an interesting history (obtained from Bedford's notes in the recording sleeve). Bedford had been commissioned in 1976 to compose a piece of music to celebrate the renovation of 15th-century carved wooden angels in the nave of St.Nicholas Chapel, King's Lynn. The piece (noted on the recording as The Valley-Sleeper, The Children, The Snakes and The Giant, but it is actually Alleluia Timpanis - go HERE for David's interesting explanation behind the apparent confusion between these two works) incorporated a melody entitled "Alleluya Psallat" by an anonymous medieval composer of the Worcester School. For this album, Bedford composed variations of the four melodic sections of this medieval piece, which is followed on the album by the complete composed orchestral work. Also, Bedford included the poetry of Patchen, which Bedford noted contains numerous references to "angels" and "supernatural beings" - each of the aforementioned variations is therefore inspired by a certain Patchen poem about "angels". The variation entitled Instructions for Angels was recorded live by Mike Oldfield on guitar (splendidly done) and Bedford on the organ in Worcester Cathedral - this piece is similar to "First Excursion", written and performed by Bedford and Oldfield for the "Collaborations" LP.
This is the last of the 70s prog-rock-like Bedford recordings, and the inclusion of the orchestral work as a finale signalled Bedford's subsequent focus on classical/orchestral composition (not that it wasn't his focus all along really...). Oldfield fans will want this for the superb title track. While I recommend that new listeners hear "Odyssey" and "Mariner" first, I can say that if you like those two recordings, you will probably like "Instructions" also.

(Web oficial Bedford)

L’enregistrament va haver-se de fer a correcuita, pq en pocs dies havien de desmuntar l’orgue de la catedral per restaurar-lo, i el procés duraria anys. Per això van agafar l’estudi mòbil dels Rollings, les 2 Manor Mobiles estaven ocupades. Van enregistrar-ho a les fosques, no havia llum, van posar espelmes. La remescla es fa a l’estudi quadrafònic de Mike a Througham Slad. L’àlbum va sortir en format Matrix H Quad de la BBC, compatible amb el sistema Ambisonics. És l’únic disc que Virgin treu en aquest format. [Entrevista de Paul Harris a Phil Newell, Dark Star 25]