I listened to TB a lot back in the day. Oldfield’s LPs were easy to find used so I got a bunch of his catalog for pretty cheap. I think the entire part one works great as a full piece, the ending with the pseudo-dramatic instrument announcements is one of the best bits, feels like an effective buildup to a dramatic climax for me. I love how much humour and silliness this album incorporates when it’s most famous parts are associated with horror. The caveman section could have been a normal mid-rempo rock song with lyrics, but instead it’s ridiculous caveman goof-off, and then the album tricks you into thinking you might get another grandeose climax for the finale but then it pulls the rug out

The albums he would do next dial back the humour a lot. so if that aspect was something you disliked about TB you might like them more. Theyre also much less clunky in their recording and composition, obviously because he wasnt 17 anymore.
Incantations is my favourite, but it’s also very New Agey and is kinda just really great atmosphere for 70 minutes.
Ommadawn is maybe the one I’d recommend next, really beautiful album, Hergest Ridge is similar too. very Celtic atmosphere. Great bonus tracks on his albums too since he had a decent amount of non-album singles, some of these are better than the albums in part because they’re self-contained compositions.

I also really like Amarok, which is 60 minues of music with some of the most oddball sections ever. He uses a toothbrush as percussion. the mix has so much dynamic range random orchestra stabs and vocal samples (“happy?”) pop up like literal audio jumpscares at times. Does any of it stick with me? not really but I’ve never heard anything quite else like this album, it makes for a very unique listen!