Customer Reviews

Those Were the Days

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First, let's clear up the confusion about Mary's discovery. She appeared on British TV singing Turn turn turn. Among the viewers was Twiggy, who let Paul McCartney know that she might be a bit special. Paul eventually signed her to Apple records. However, even if he hadn't signed her, Mary would probably have got a record deal anyway because of the TV exposure.

The CD itself contains all Mary's hits, both British and American, but the one song which stands out is Those were the days, which was #1 in Britain and #2 in America. Mary's first love was folk music and that is the basis of her music, although there are pop influences. These had faded by the end of her short career with Apple. The Earth songs album, represented here by the last three songs, was all folk music.

Think about your children is an interesting song which ought to make parents everywhere do just that. Jefferson is a country-flavored song with some banjo. Knock knock who's there was Mary's entry in the Eurovision song contest - it didn't win but I think it came second.

This is a fascinating collection of music by a singer who's career was all too brief.

"Those Were The Days" when issued was a novelty of sorts, and the "Apple Influence" with Paul McCartney was easily apparent. A number one hit here, this was the season of a different brand of number one, from " Hey Jude" to "McArthur Park" to "Judy in Disguise", the 1968 parade of hits had another different smash, the title song.

My actual favorite was "Goodbye", which is penned by Paul McCartney, and I still play the single to this day. A happy and pleasing song, and very top 40. This was followed by other top 40 attempts, such as "Temma Harbour", "Think About Your Children", "Knock Knock, Who's There" and "Que Sera Sera"

Having a high but pleasing voice, she had a few top forty hits, but a large part of her library were local in nature, and these you must hear. "Fields Of St. Etienne" is classic, and "Sparrow ", also a flip side of "Goodbye" is good.

While expensive in the U.S., this is te only source of this amount of Mary Hopkin material, but it is well worth it.

A true representation of AM radio of 1968.

Mary Hopkin was one of those 1960s UK pop singers influenced by folk music, like the early Marianne Faithfull. She made breezy melodic pop music with flair and had huge hits with Those Were The Days, Temma Harbour and Knock Knock Who's There. There is a special wistful quality in her voice that makes these songs still resonate in my mind after all these years. The album also includes pop standards like Que Sera Sera and the folk classic Streets Of London which she interprets gracefully, plus a song in Italian. If you like melodic pop from the 60s and early 70s, you'll love this album. I also recommend it to fans of Marianne Faithfull's early work and of Francoise Hardy.

A lot of hits collections do not assemble all the artist's chart singles...but this one does. All six of Mary's U.S. chart singles are here: THOSE WERE THE DAYS, GOODBYE, TEMMA HARBOUR, QUE SERA SERA, THINK ABOUT YOUR CHILDREN and KNOCK KNOCK WHO'S THERE. Paul McCartney produced TWTD and GOODBYE as well as three others on the cd. (Paul did NOT discover Hopkin as some think - she was discovered by Twiggy!) It's a bit pricy, as it is an import, but it's a hard-to-find collection you may need (and it's still on the original Apple label). Plus it's a kick to hear GOODBYE again after all these years!

This was Hopkin's 3rd US album, after PostCard and Earth Song/Ocean Song. A fine example of her European and UK language command. There is a misconception about the album, however. This record was not specially recorded, but rather compiled. After "PostCard", Hopkin's output consisted of multiple single 45's that were aimed primarily at the European market. "Earth Song/Ocean Song," her next album, also produced a couple of singles for both US and Euro release. "Those Were the Days", an album originally released (mostly) in the US, was a compilation of these European singles and their B-sides.

One misconception about a song on this album needs to be corrected. Some think that "Goodbye" is a cover of a Beatles song, since it was written by Paul McCartney. However. this is not really true. Hopkin was "discovered " by Paul McCartney, by way of Twiggy. McCartney wrote "Goodbye" specifically for her usage. McCartney's demo has surfaced on Beatle bootlegs and many think of it as a Beatles song. However, the lyrics were clearly intended to be sung by a woman--the bootleg versions have McCartney singing that "my lover ...calls me to HIS side" in the last verse." It was never a Beatles song---only a Hopkin song written by Paul McCartney.

Now, as to the album itself---its quite good. Unfortunately, you can tell that the songs are all intended as singles by the way they sound--the album lacks a certain cohesion that "PostCard" has. A much better and more musically mature album is "Earth Song/Ocean Song" which doesn't sound like just a string of folksy pop hits. This was recently released in the US but went out of print very quickly on CD. It also appears to be out of print in Europe. For "the best" of Hopkin, try for a European second-hand CD vendor and look for "Earth Song/Ocean Song."

In the meantime, if you like PostCard, you will enjoy this album--it is, as I said, quite good.

A collection of some of Mary Hopkin's best songs. She has a lovely voice and all of the tunes are really sweet. If you are a fan of Beatles and want to find out how their best Apple-artist sounded in the late -60's and in the beginning of the 70's you will hear the answer here!

Compilation CD from Apple Records includes, what is likely the complete history of Hopkin singles through 1971, plus the previously unreleased, "When I Am Old One Day", which is a more charitable and conservative outlook of The Beatles' "When I'm 64". Signature song, the vodka in a Euro tavern ballad, "Those Were The Days", is here as is follow-up single, the McCartney/Lennon penned, lily o' the valley song, "Goodbye". The compilation works very well as a single listen of clean-cut folk pop, like Donovan Leach without the psychedelia, and Old English travelling virgin minstrel charm. "Temma Harbour", is a Sergio Mendes/Free Design-like plastic seascape of tanned bodies and white sea caps with popping Caribbean percussion, and "Water, Paper and Clay", is a lightweight, (the far extreme of blood, sweat, and tears), and solemn song prayer featuring a Joan Baez-like drum circle with echoing choir. Perhaps the most compelling track is the overly dramatic, but investing, "Let My Name Be Sorrow", a brooding Juliet mongering that swells like a storm into opera territory. The CD liner notes offer second hand, superficial filler on Hopkin's history.

This is a good blend of Mary Hopkin's best-selling pop and her own favourite music of folksongs. Mary has compiled the album herself and the transition from commercial pop to soothing folk runs smoothly by Mary's note-perfect sweet voice. If you like Mary Hopkin, buy this album. It is hard to pick out any highlights because every song gets a high score by me concerning sound, vocals and production.

Mary Hopkin was the typical sweet little girl with blond hair and beautiful blue eyes who engaged us with her angelical voice and astonishing lyricism. Two themes were more than enough to captivate the taste of the exigent audience of those ages. Those were the days and Goodbye. Go for this album and find one of the sweetest voices of the early seventies.

When I bought this CD it was for a little bit of nostalgia - Those Were The Days. Since playing it once when it blew me away with the tracks and the memories, I have played it so often that if it were vinyl it would be worn out by now. If you liked Mary Hopkins then this is a fantastic selection of her music and well worth a place in your collection.