Mary Hopkin "Post Card"

Booklet	Booklet (pages 2-3)	Booklet (pages 4-5)

Booklet (pages 67)	Back cover

Produced by Paul McCartney

"The Game" song composer by George Martin

Notes from booklet:

It happened in 1968 against all the odds. Folk music, which had hit its peak popularity in the early sixties and went electric a few years later courtesy of Bob Dylan and The Byrds, was all but gone from the scene. Its top artists went in different directions, and it was definitely out of favour with the public. Along comes Mary Hopkin with her sweet voice of innocence and a remake of an obscure folk song called " Those Were The Days", and in a few short months it is an enormous international hit.

Mary Hopkin was born in Pontardawe, Glamorgan, Wales on May 3, 1950. At the age of 15, she mastered the guitar and began playing small clubs in South Wales and appeared on Welsh television. With a few years experience under her belt, she tried out for stardom on the ITV's popular amateur programme "Opportunity Knocks". She eventually became a multi-time winner, taking top honours over 200 other contestants.

British model Twiggy spotted her on the show and mentioned her to Paul McCartney over the telephone one day. Paul and his fellow Beatles had just formed their own record company, Apple Records, and were now looking for new talent. Mary Hopkin was the right singer in the right place at the right time. Paul got in touch with Mary and fell in love with her voice immediately.

While at the Blue Angel Club in London a few years earlier, Paul had heard the American duo Gene and Francesca perform a tune called "Those Were The Days". Paul remembered the song fondly and felt it would be perfect for his new protege. Originally an East European traditional folk song, Gene (Raskin), of the duo, had adapted the song for The Limeliters, a top American folk act that featured Glenn Yarbrough. They recorded it during the folk boom of the early sixties. Mary's treatment would be quite different.

Paul recorded the song with Mary and, as a creative marketing ploy, had her do additional versions sung in Italian, Spanish, French and German. Paul was determined to make the record an international hit. He succeeded.

ABOUT THIS ALBUM

Paul McCartney's perceptions of what Mary Hopkin should record didn't always sit well with Mary, but she was young and new to the business and went along with it. Her favourite tracks were written by Donovan, who had released his version of "Pebble And The Man (Happiness Runs)" on his "In Concert" LP, but wrote "Lord Of The Reedy River" and "Voyage Of The Moon" especially for her. Paul and Donovan provided the back-up guitars on these recordings. Paul McCartney also contacted Harry Nilsson, a red hot singer/writer and he quickly delivered, brand new, "The Puppy Song". It was received so warmly that the label almost issued it as a single.

It was the show tunes and pop standards that Mary wasn't enamoured with. "Love Is The Sweetest Thing" was originally a hit for its writer, Ray Noble, in 1933. "Lullaby Of The Leaves" was a hit a year earlier when recorded by George Olsen. " Someone To Watch Over Me" dates back even further to 1927. There were several hit versions of the tune, including one by George Gershwin himself, who wrote it for the Broadway production "Oh, Kay". " There's No Business Like Show Business", from "Annie Get Your Gun", has been recorded many times, but is mostly associated with Ethel Merman. The last of this genre of songs is "Inch Worm", originally sung by Danny Kaye in the 1956 motion picture, "Hans Christian Andersen".

The rest of the LP is a mixed bag. "Young Love" is a remake of the 1956 Sonny James chart-topper that was also No I by Tab Hunter that same year. Beatles producer George Martin is represented on the album by a song he gave Mary called "The Game". "The Honeymoon Song" has always been a favourite of Paul's. He recorded it with The Beatles for the BBC in a similar arrangement. It was originally a hit in England for Manuel And His Music Of The Mountains back in 1959. The remaining two songs were sung in foreign languages, "Prince En Avignon" in French (and a single release in France) and "Y Blodyn Gwyn" ("The White Flower") sung in her native Welsh.

The American release of the LP deleted "Someone To Watch Over Me", and put in its stead the hit single, "Those Were The Days". Both songs have been included in this package, along with her versions of "Those Were The Days" sung in Italian and Spanish. Rounding out the album is the flip side of that hit, "Turn! Turn! Turn!" Peter Seeger's adaptation of words from the book of Ecclesiastes (and a hit for The Byrds). It came to Mary easily, and she recorded it in only two takes.

MARY HOPKIN APPLE DISCOGRAPHY

Singles

EP

"Wall's Ice Cream" (UK: CT 1): Storm In A Teacup (by The Iveys); Something's Wrong (by James Taylor)/Little Yellow Pills (by Jackie Lomax); Pebble And The Man (Happiness Runs) (by Mary Hopkin) - UK: 18-7-69

"Post Card" (UK Version) (UK: APCOR 5/SAPCOR 5): Lord Of The Reedy River; Pebble And The Man (Happiness Runs); Love Is The Sweetest Thing; Y Blodyn Gwyn; The Honeymoon Song; The Puppy Song; Inch Worm;/ The Voyage Of The Moon; Lullaby Of The Leaves; Young Love; Someone To Watch Over Me; Prince En Avignon; The Game; There's No Business Like Show Business-UK: 21-2-69

"Post Card" (US Version) (US: ST-3351): Lord Of The Reedy River; Pebble And The Man (Happiness Runs); Love Is The Sweetest Thing; Y Blodyn Gwyn; The Honeymoon Song; The Puppy Song; Inch Worm;/Voyage Of The Moon; Lullaby Of The Leaves; Young Love; Those Were The Days; Prince En Avignon; The Game; There's No Business Like Showbusiness - US: 3-3-69 "Where's Jack?" (Motion Picture Score) (UK: Paramount SPFL-254; US: Paramount PAS-5005): Where's Jack (by Mary Hopkin); List Moments (by Mary Hopkin); The Ballad Of Jack Sheppard (by Danny Doyle); plus incidental music tracks by Elmer Bernstein - UK: 8-69; US: 8-69 "Earth Song/Ocean Song" (UK: SAPCOR 21; US: SMAS-3381): International; There's Got To Be More; Silver Birch And Weeping Willow; How Come The Sun; Earth Song;/Martha; Streets Of London; The Wind; Water, Paper And Clay; Ocean Song - UK: 1-10-71; US: 3-11-71

"Kidnapped" (Original Sound Track) (US: American International Records A-1O42/UK: Polydor 2383 102): For All My Days (by Mary Hopkin); plus incidental music by Roy Budd - US: 3-72; UK: 6-72

"The Best Of Mary Hopkin" (West Germany: 1C 062 93536): Knock, Knock Who's There?; Let My Name Be Sorrow; Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be); Fields Of St. Etienne; Inter­national; Think About Your Children/Those Were The Days; Turn! Turn! Turn!; Goodbye; Sparrow; Temma Harbour; The Game - West Germany: 1972

"Those Were The Days" (US: SW-3395; UK: SAPCOR 23): Those Were The Days; Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be); Fields Of St Etienne; Kew Gardens; Temma Harbour; Think About Your Childrenj/Knock, Knock Who's There?; Heritage; Sparrow; Lontano Dagli Occhi; Goodbye - US: 25-9-72; UK: 24-11-72

This CD for the first time has been published on 11th November, 1991 with an inscription on disc Made in UK. Later, after 3 years (January 5, 2004) the new circulation of this disc has been re-printed. On second issue above inscription Made in EU has been imposed. Other differences between two editions are not present.

 

 

First and second issue (fragments)

 

Этот компакт-диск впервые был издан 11 ноября 1991 года с надписью на диске Made in UK. Спустя 3 с лишним года (5 января 2004 года) был отпечатан новый тираж этого диска. На втором издании поверху уже была наложена надпись Made in EU. Других различий между этими двумя изданиями нет.