Sally Oldfield -

Sally Oldfield (born Aug. 3, 1947) is an English-Irish singer and composer, born in Dublin and raised in Reading, Berkshire. In 1968, she formed the folk-psych duo Sallyangie with her younger brother Mike Oldfield, aged 15 at the time of their singular album Children of the Sun, released that year on Transatlantic Records.

Between 1973 and 1975, Sally Oldfield sang backup on her brother’s first three albums for Virgin: Tubular Bells, Hergest Ridge, and Ommadawn. She was also enlisted by Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett to sing the symphonic-ballad “Shadow of the Hierophant,” which appears on his debut solo album Voyage of the Acolyte. In 1977, the Oldfield’s assisted Pekka Pohjola on the Finnish bassist’s third solo album Keesojen Lehto.

In 1978, Sally Oldfield debuted as a solo artist with Water Bearer on Bronze. The album features the singer on an array of sundry instruments with select help from percussionist Frank Ricotti, keyboardist Dave Lawson (Web/Samurai, Greenslade), and drummer Trevor Spencer (Tarney/Spencer Band). That same year, she also sang on her brother’s lavish double-album Incantations.

Between 1979 and 1983, she issued four further studio albums and a live disc on Bronze, followed by a pair of 1987/88 titles on CBS. In 1989, she collaborated with her other brother Terry Oldfield on the electro-ambient New World Company disc Star of Heaven.

Background

Sally Oldfield was born Sally Patricia Oldfield on August 3, 1947, in Dublin, Ireland. She spent her childhood in Reading, Berkshire, where she studied ballet from age four. At eleven, she won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dancing in Holland Park, London, followed by selection for the Royal Ballet School at White Lodge. Oldfield abandoned ballet but completed three A-levels at A grade and studied classical piano to Grade 7. She attended St Joseph’s Convent School in Reading and read English literature and philosophy at Bristol University.

During 1967, Oldfield sang at the Bristol Troubadour Club and appeared at Colston Hall on a folk bill with the Strawberry Hill Boys and Fred Wedlock. She recorded demos with younger brother Mike Oldfield in early 1968 under the supervision of Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger. As Sallyangie, the siblings impressed folk singer John Renbourn, who secured them a deal with Transatlantic. In November 1968, the label issued their singular album, Children of the Sun.

Before her solo debut, Sally sang on Mike’s 1973–75 albums Tubular Bells, Hergest Ridge, and Ommadawn, all top-sellers for the fledgling Virgin label. Steve Hackett featured her on “Shadow of the Hierophant” from the 1975 Charisma album Voyage of the Acolyte. In 1977, Oldfield joined Mike behind Pekka Pohjola on the Wigwam veteran’s third solo album, Keesojen Lehto, later issued in English as The Mathematician’s Air Display. Bronze issued her debut solo album during the late-Seventies Oldfield family peak.

Water Bearer

Sally Oldfield released her debut solo album, Water Bearer, on October 6, 1978, on Bronze.

Water Bearer contains nine Oldfield originals in the standard sequence, though the first UK pressing omitted “Mirrors.” The album presents multitracked voice, acoustic guitar, keyboards, mallets, and light percussion, performed by Oldfield with percussionist Frank Ricotti, synthesist Dave Lawson, bassist Herbie Flowers, drummer Trevor Spencer, harpist Jean Price, cymbal player Tim Wheater, and vocalist Brian Burrows. “Songs of the Quendi” adapts quotations from J.R.R. Tolkien across four linked sections.

“Water Bearer” springs from water ambience into a marimba figure, then shifts into glassy synth and layered singing as it feeds “Songs of the Quendi.” “Songs of the Quendi” drifts through Elvish syllables and Galadriel’s westward return in a ceremonial four-part arc. “Mirrors” sways on bongo patter and soft reply phrases, turning the mirror image into light call-and-answer.

“Weaver” glides through arpeggiated figures. “Child of Allah” tightens its older song form with Grecian turns and oscillating keyboard figures. “Song of the Bow” climbs through arcing synth and guitar figures as the text reaches forbidden places and “the sound of balalaikas.” “Fire and Honey” melts from that passage into a brief electronic wash.

A1. “Water Bearer” (6:25)
A2. “Songs of the Quendi” (12:49)
— a. “Night Theme” (2:52)
— b. “Wampum Song” (4:25)
— c. “Nenya” (3:30)
— d. “Land of the Sun” (2:02)
A3. “Mirrors” (3:17)

B1. “Weaver” (3:39)
B2. “Night of the Hunter’s Moon” (3:28)
B3. “Child of Allah” (3:30)
B4. “Song of the Bow” (3:35)
B5. “Fire and Honey” (2:30)

Sessions occurred in May 1978 at Chipping Norton Recording Studios in Oxfordshire and Roundhouse Studios in London where Sally Oldfield produced the album with engineers Dave Grinsted, Ashley Howe, and Mark Dearnley. Howe and Oldfield mixed the album at Roundhouse in July with assistant mixers John Gallen and Julian Cooper, who also assisted Bronze-era Roundhouse work by Uriah Heep (Fallen Angel).

Water Bearer appeared in a Bronze sleeve with art direction by Martin Poole, typography by Mike Pratley, and photography by Paul Wakefield. The cover shows Oldfield near a Welsh waterfall, a location tied to Wakefield’s landscape photography for the 1982 book Wales: The First Place.

Bronze lifted “Mirrors” as a December 1978 single (b/w “Night of the Hunter’s Moon”), which reached No. 19 on the UK Singles Chart. In 1979, “You Set My Gypsy Blood Free” appeared as a single (b/w “Water Bearer”). Water Bearer reached No. 94 on the Kent Music Report.

Easy

Sally Oldfield released her second solo album, Easy, in 1979 on Bronze.

Easy contains nine Oldfield originals in compact song form. The album uses a larger studio cast around her voice, keyboards, and acoustic guitar, including steel guitarist Pete Willsher, guitarists Kevin Peek, Robert Ahwai, and Nigel Jenkins, bassists Daryl Runswick and Herbie Flowers, drummer Dave Mattacks, string synthesist Hans Zimmer, and French horn players Andrew McGavin and Terence Johns.

“You Set My Gypsy Blood Free” floats on ethereal harmony layers and European-nightfall phrasing. “The Boulevard Song” follows with silvered harmony phrases and a lithe romantic contour. “Easy” drifts over vibraphone shimmer, with each phrase spaced for an unhurried glide. “Hide and Seek” dips into a darker dance pattern, its mystery carried by a steady night-step.

A1. “The Sun in My Eyes” (4:27)
A2. “You Set My Gypsy Blood Free” (3:45)
A3. “Answering You” (4:18)
A4. “The Boulevard Song” (3:37)
A5. “Easy” (3:46)

B1. “Sons of the Free” (3:54)
B2. “Hide and Seek” (4:28)
B3. “First Born of the Earth” (4:38)
B4. “Man of Storm” (5:11)

Sessions occurred in 1979 at Roundhouse Studios and Nova Sound Studios in London, where Sally Oldfield co-produced Easy with Ashley Howe, who mixed the album and engineered the Roundhouse work with assistant David Kemp. Steve Rance engineered the Nova Sound sessions with assistant Tim Wybrow.

Martin Poole photographed the Easy sleeve, which places Oldfield in a white dress on a seaside wall beside a barefoot man in yellow trousers, with inverted black-clad legs behind the wall and a small quoted title at lower right.

Bronze lifted “The Sun in My Eyes” as a 1979 single (b/w “Answering You”). “Easy” appeared on a French single backed with “The Boulevard Song.”

Celebration

Sally Oldfield released her third solo album, Celebration, in 1980 on Bronze.

Celebration contains seven Oldfield originals, recorded with members of Brand X, Gong, and Sky.

The album places “Mandala,” “Woman of the Night,” and the title track in mid-length song form, then gives side two to the extended pieces “Blue Water” and “My Damsel Heart.” Oldfield recorded the album with returning bassist Herbie Flowers and percussionists Pierre Moerlen and Morris Pert on “Mandala,” along with guitarist Nico Ramsden, synthesist Tim Cross, bassist Alan James, and drummer Graham Jarvis.

“Mandala” turns a hypnotic beat into a buoyant circular chant, keyed to the heartbeat image that lets wonder in. “My Damsel Heart” lingers in tender, ominous motion, with Romany rings flashing in the dark beneath the courtly self-image.

A1. “Mandala” (5:16)
A2. “Morning of My Life” (5:37)
A3. “Woman of the Night” (5:05)
A4. “Celebration” (5:03)

B1. “Blue Water” (8:13)
B2. “My Damsel Heart” (6:18)
B3. “Love Is Everywhere” (4:24)

Sessions occurred in June and July 1980 at Regents Park Studios and Utopia Studios in London, where Tom Newman produced Celebration with engineers Alan Jakoby and Andy Jackson. Newman, the Manor Studio co-founder tied to early Mike Oldfield recordings, entered the project between 1979–81 work with Mike Oldfield, the Adverts, and TV Smith.

Trevor Key photographed the Celebration sleeve, which pairs an Oldfield left-profile portrait with a twilight field scene, where blurred dancers circle a glowing disk beneath the script title.

Bronze lifted “Mandala” as a 1980 single (b/w “Woman of the Night”). “Morning of My Life” appeared later in 1980 (b/w “Blue Water”), followed by a German title-track single backed with “Easy.”

Playing in the Flame

Sally Oldfield released her fourth solo album, Playing in the Flame, in 1981 on Bronze.

Playing in the Flame contains nine Oldfield originals. The album frames shorter vocal pieces between the title track and the closing “Song of the Being.” Oldfield works with bassist Gary Twigg, drummer Laurie Jay, guitarist Kevin Peek, and backing vocalist Betsy Cook, with Dave Davani and Jay joining her in the production credits.

“Love of a Lifetime” glides in the earlier Oldfield manner, with string-synth haze settling over the fade. “Song of the Lamp” rises into a hymn-like chorus. “A Song of the Being” lingers on a celestial fade.

A1. “Playing in the Flame” (5:03)
A2. “Love of a Lifetime” (4:08)
A3. “River of My Childhood” (3:57)
A4. “Let It All Go” (2:55)
A5. “Song of the Lamp” (3:16)

B1. “Rare Lightning” (4:45)
B2. “Man Child” (3:57)
B3. “It’s a Long Time” (3:55)
B4. “Song of the Being” (4:41)

Sessions spanned June through October 1981 at Ridge Farm Studios and Roundhouse Studios, where Sally Oldfield co-produced Playing in the Flame with Dave Davani and Laurie Jay. The sessions paired engineers Mark Dearnley and Stephen Lipson with Davani, whose earlier work placed him in Hammond-led British soul-jazz before his production role.

Martin Poole designed and photographed the Playing in the Flame sleeve around a cover illustration by Bob Haberfield. The front image frames a Japanese-styled dragon, a seated kimono figure, a waterfall, curling waves, a low sun, and flame detail inside a bronze border with serif name and title strips.

Bronze lifted “Song of the Lamp” as a 1981 single (b/w “Rare Lightning”). Germany received “Playing in the Flame” as a single backed with “It’s a Long Time.”

In Concert

Sally Oldfield released the live album In Concert in 1982 on Bronze.

In Concert documents her Bronze catalogue in live form, with selections from Water Bearer, Easy, Celebration, and Playing in the Flame. The sequence replaces the long studio forms with ten shorter live titles and divides the set between early suite excerpts, singles, and album pieces.

“Weaver” returns as a pared live piece. “You Set My Gypsy Blood Free” recasts the earlier studio song with the same stripped stage profile. “Mirrors” follows in updated concert form.

A1. “Weaver” (3:38)
A2. “Nenya” (3:38)
A3. “Morning of My Life” (5:30)
A4. “You Set My Gypsy Blood Free” (3:40)
A5. “River of My Childhood” (3:56)

B1. “Woman of the Night” (5:30)
B2. “Song of the Healer” (3:52)
B3. “Mirrors” (3:17)
B4. “Mandala” (3:40)
B5. “The Sun in My Eyes” (3:58)

Production for In Concert paired Dave Davani and Laurie Jay with engineers John Gallen and Mark Dearnley. The live recording documents Oldfield with guitarist Kevin Healy, bassist John G. Perry, drummer Ian Mosley, keyboardist Danny Schogger, wind player David Roach, and vocalist–percussionist Sarah Franklyn.

Simon Porter photographed the In Concert cover, which shows Oldfield seated at a stage piano in a dark performance space, with a microphone at right and yellow/red title lettering above the image.

In August 1982, Bronze issued “Broken Mona Lisa” as a single (b/w “Morning of My Life”), with the B-side taken from In Concert.

Strange Day in Berlin

Sally Oldfield released her fifth studio album, Strange Day in Berlin, in 1983 on Bronze.

Strange Day in Berlin contains seven Oldfield originals. The album places Hans Zimmer in a co-producer and synthesizer role, with Fairlight programming by Steve Rance and an arranged piano part by Nicky Glennie-Smith on the title track. The cast includes bassist Paul Westwood, drummer Graham Jarvis, saxophonist Mel Collins, percussionists Pierre Moerlen and Frank Ricotti, guitarist Alan Murphy, and backing vocalist Russell Stone.

“A Million Light Years Away from Home” hovers in space-lit electronics, with alienation drawn through the far-home image. “Path With a Heart” surges through a visceral electronic arrangement. “Strange Day in Berlin” works an atonal persona through an extended city-night form. “Meet Me in Verona” shapes the same persona into a sharper pop piece. “She Talks Like a Lady” follows the atonal stance in tighter form. “Never Knew Love Could Get So Strong” places electric-piano and synth figures under deliberate singing phrases.

A1. “A Million Light Years Away From Home” (4:29)
A2. “Path With a Heart” (5:40)
A3. “Strange Day in Berlin” (6:54)

B1. “Meet Me in Verona” (4:46)
B2. “There’s a Miracle Going On” (6:11)
B3. “She Talks Like a Lady” (4:11)
B4. “Never Knew Love Could Get So Strong” (4:12)

Sessions took place in July and August 1983 at Snake Ranch and White House Studios, with mixing at Utopia Studios. Sally Oldfield co-produced Strange Day in Berlin with Hans Zimmer and engineer Austin Ince. Zimmer added synthesizer, while Tony Visconti remixed “Path With a Heart.” Nicky Glennie-Smith arranged the title piece.

Polly designed the Strange Day in Berlin sleeve with photography by Jamie Morgan. The cover seats Oldfield at a table under black, pink, and blue lighting; a pink cocktail and flower fill the foreground. A pink script nameplate balances a lower-right serif title block.

Bronze lifted “Path With a Heart” as a 1983 single (b/w “Never Knew Love Could Get So Strong”). The UK twelve-inch added “For All Time,” while the German issue paired the A-side with “Strange Day in Berlin.” In 1984, “Meet Me in Verona” appeared on a French single backed with “Path With a Heart.”

Femme

Sally Oldfield released her sixth studio album, Femme, in 1987 on CBS.

Femme contains nine titles from Oldfield’s German CBS period. The album joins her lead voice to the production team of Candy de Rouge and Gunther Mende, with Paul Batchelor credited for lyric translation. The sequence includes the single sides “Silver Dagger,” “Giving All My Love,” and “Andromeda Rising.”

“Silver Dagger” glides through a folk-shaped narrative as the daughter resists the path her mother chooses. “Andromeda Rising” rises in a haunting, story-based form with a silvery finish.

A1. “Silver Dagger” (3:49)
A2. “This Is My Song” (3:56)
A3. “Marlene” (3:20)
A4. “Strangers in the Dawn” (4:25)
A5. “I’m Leaving” (4:43)

B1. “Andromeda Rising” (3:52)
B2. “Sometimes I’m a Woman” (4:04)
B3. “Two Different Drummers” (3:49)
B4. “Giving All My Love” (4:46)

For Femme, Oldfield worked with German production partners Candy de Rouge and Gunther Mende, whose mid-Eighties credits included Jennifer Rush, Bonnie Bianco, and “The Power of Love.” Paul Batchelor translated the lyrics for the project, while Esser/Strauss supplied the sleeve photography.

The Esser/Strauss front image crops an Oldfield face portrait against a blue-black ground, with closed eyes and black leather-gloved hands at either side. Small gold artist/title text runs along the upper edge.

CBS lifted “Silver Dagger” as a 1987 single (b/w “Sometimes I’m a Woman”). “Giving All My Love” followed in 1987 (b/w “Two Different Drummers”), and “Andromeda Rising” appeared in 1988 backed with “Strangers in the Dawn.”

Instincts

Sally Oldfield released her seventh studio album, Instincts, in November 1988 on CBS.

Instincts contains ten titles from the Mende/de Rouge production period. Justin Hayward duets with Oldfield on “Let It Begin,” which became the second single after “I Say Something.” The album also includes “House of Silence,” “Oleanders,” “Ravenna,” and the title track. “In the Heat of the Night” sways through a sensual modern dance surface.

A1. “I Say Something” (4:00)
A2. “A Love Like This” (4:01)
A3. “House of Silence” (4:01)
A4. “Ice on Fire” (3:49)
A5. “Oleanders” (4:25)

B1. “Let It Begin” (4:06)
B2. “In the Heat of the Night” (4:01)
B3. “Ravenna” (3:48)
B4. “The Earth Is Calling” (3:26)
B5. “Instincts” (4:18)

Oldfield continued the German CBS run on Instincts with producers and arrangers Alexander C. Derouge and Gunther Mende. Peter Weihe and Pit Loew supplied additional arrangements, while Mende mixed the album with Michael Bestmann.

Petra Louis designed the cover from Esser & Strauss photography and Mago Design styling. The sepia-toned front portrait shows Oldfield in a black beret with a bare shoulder line and pulled shawl. Gold artist/title lettering spans the top above a small blue lips mark.

CBS lifted “I Say Something” as a 1988 single (b/w “In the Heat of the Night”). “Let It Begin” followed in 1989 (b/w “Oleanders”), with Justin Hayward credited on the A-side.

Natasha

Sally Natasha Oldfield released her ninth album, Natasha, in 1990 on CBS.

Natasha contains ten Oldfield originals and marks her only album under the Sally Natasha Oldfield credit. Mike Oldfield plays guitar on “Break Through the Rock.” The album features arrangements and programming by Guy Sigsworth, with Robyn Smith credited on arrangements and string arrangement.

A1. “Break Through the Rock” (4:18)
A2. “Natasha” (4:50)
A3. “Keep the Fire Burning” (4:35)
A4. “Clear Light” (2:10)
A5. “My Drumbeat Heart” (5:55)

B1. “Song of the Mountain” (4:03)
B2. “You Break Like a Wave” (5:02)
B3. “Maya” (4:30)
B4. “In the Presence of the Spring” (4:32)
B5. “Guiding Star” (4:20)

Natasha carried the Sally Natasha Oldfield credit and paired Oldfield with producer–engineer Colin Thurston, who programmed drums for the project. Thurston entered the album after early-Eighties production and engineering work with Duran Duran, the Human League, Talk Talk, and Kajagoogoo. Mike Oldfield supplied guitar on “Break Through the Rock.”

Petra Louis designed the original Natasha sleeve, which sets a blue-toned, veiled Oldfield portrait inside a mottled rust/brown field, with the artist credit across the upper left and the title along the right edge.

CBS lifted “Natasha” as a 1990 single (b/w “Maya”). “Guiding Star” followed as a 1990 single (b/w “Keep the Fire Burning”). In 1991, “Break Through the Rock” reappeared as a single backed with “You Break Like a Wave.”

Discography: