Sally Oldfield Mirrors

This double-disc is a very solid collection of Sally Oldfield's recordings for the CBS subsidiary Bronze (don't laugh, Uriah Heep was on there too). Before her brief resurgence in the '90s, Oldfield's recordings were new age before there was such a term. She brought not only a songwriter's sense of elegance to tape, but also an instrumentalist's sense of silence and dynamic. Brother Mike Oldfield helped out on "Waterbearer," perhaps he best-known offering here, as well as on some of the subsequent tracks on later records. Oldfied was the real precursor to people like Enya and Loreena McKennitt, marrying a classicist's sense of arrangement and dynamic to a mystic's heart and a Celtic woman's abiding folk history, myth, and legend. These two discs are impeccably remastered and offer a wonderful introduction to a talent who, at least on this side of the pond, never got her proper due.

The sister of the Tubular Bells composer Mike Oldfield, Sally Oldfield had contributed to many of her brother's recordings before releasing this solo debut in 1978. With her mellifluous vocals and a similar multi-instrumental ability to her brother, Oldfield spins a series of Tolkien-esque tales that set her firmly in the vanguard of 1970s prog rock.

Top of the Pops from 1978 includes hits from Sham 69, Ian Dury, Elvis Costello, Blondie, The Boomtown Rats, Kate Bush, Dan Hill, Boney M, Bob Marley, 10cc, ELO, Manfred Mann and many others.