Post Card (UK version - Stereo)

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Track list

Side 1

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Side 2

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About

Post Card is as much Paul McCartney’s as it is Mary Hopkin’s, which is to say that it is one of those albums on which the producer is as big a star as the performer… An absolute must for Paul McCartney people. Mary Hopkin fans will also like it.

By John Mendelsohn, RollingStone, May 17th, 1969

From Wikipedia:

Post Card is the debut album by Mary Hopkin. It was produced by Paul McCartney and released by Apple Records in February 1969 in the UK and in March 1969 in the US. It reached number 3 in the UK and number 28 in the US. It also reached number 26 in Canada. The original US version differed from the UK version by including the hit single “Those Were the Days” instead of a cover of “Someone to Watch Over Me”. The album included three songs written by the folk singer Donovan, one of which, “Lord of the Reedy River”, was deemed to be one of the album highlights by AllMusic critic Richie Unterberger. Rolling Stone critic John Mendelsohn regarded Hopkin’s voice as being well-suited to the Donovan songs, although he considered the songs themselves to be “ponderous and over-long”. Unterberger felt that the only problem with the album was that it contained too many pre-rock standards, in accordance with McCartney’s tastes, which were not as well suited to Hopkin as more simple folk songs. Mendelsohn praised McCartney’s production as much as Hopkin’s singing. The album was launched by Hopkin at the Post Office Tower, London, on 13 February 1969. McCartney attended.

The 2010 CD reissue includes both “Those Were the Days” and “Someone to Watch Over Me”, as well as four bonus tracks including “Turn! Turn! Turn!”, which was the B-side of “Those Were the Days”, and Hopkin’s second single “Goodbye“, written by McCartney and credited to Lennon-McCartney, plus four versions in Italian, Spanish, German and French of “Those Were The Days” as a digital download. […]

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For New Musical Express, Mary Hopkin gave her comments on each track of the album:

LORD OF THE REEDY RIVER. Oh, this is a beautiful song. When I was recording it, I felt as if I was in a dream floating along. It gives you that kind of feeling. Paul and Don sat there on guitar and I sang it as softly as I could.

HAPPINESS RUNS. This is just a happy song I like doing. It was the first one Donovan brought me.

LOVE IS THE SWEETEST THING. This one is my favourite of all on the whole album. It’s so nostalgic, and the orchestra and the treatment seem to take you back so much.

Y BLODYN GWYN. This is the song they always sing at the eisteddfods! It’s got a lovely sad feeling, hasn’t it? A lot of people feel emotional and almost want to cry when they hear it, just for the feel of it. Translated from the Welsh, the words are all about a snowdrop which comes out of the ground too soon, and the singer is saying: “Get back. It’s too early yet.”

THE HONEYMOON SONG. This was just nice to do because it’s so catchy. It’s a Greek composition by Mikis Theodroakis, and we tried fo make it bright and sunny.

THE PUPPY SONG was written for me by Nilsson, and again it’s nice to do because it’s got a brighter flavour. I met Nilsson after and he was very charming. But I don’t really know him.

INCH WORM. This is the oldie. I suppose it’s one of those songs you either love or you hate.

VOYAGE OF THE MOON. I had hardly heard this one before I sang it in the studio. The way we did it was that there were just the three of us, Paul and Don playing guitar — it’s a Donovan song — and I sang it straight from Don’s book the one in which he writes them down. It was such a lovely song that maybe if I learnt it, it wouldn’t have meant so much. This way, I just sang it straight out and it seemed to come so naturally. It’s a beautiful song full of lovely pictures and images. Maybe they don’t come across, to other people, but I could feel them while I was singing.

We recorded this one at EMI. It was a Friday night, and Don just came into the studio. We’d recorded sin “Happiness Runs” earlier in the week and we thought how about asking him if he’s got anymore. He said how about these, and got out his big book! It’s a terrific feeling singing Donovan songs, because they’ve got so much in them.

LULLABY OF THE LEAVES. This is another song I hadn’t really tried before I enjoyed doing it, but now, of course, I have to sit back and worry. It was Paul’s idea to do it. Do you think it succeeds? I wasn’t really too keen at first, because I can’t think of myself as this type of singer.

The thing is I don’t think my voice is old enough for this kind of song, or I’m old enough. Maybe it doesn’t come off because of that. But I know I can feel a song like this.

It’s terrible knowing what you want to do, and not being able to do it. I want people to like what I sing, but most af all I want to satisfy myself. I want to try so many things, but I get scared in case I cant and I make a fool of myself.

YOUNG LOVE. This is the old Tab Hunter hit. We used the Mike Cotton band for this, and we tried for a nice up-tempo sort of sound. We sort of just sat there in the studio and worked ideas out — they were mainly Paul’s, as usual.

The voices on the refrain belong to the Londen Welsh Choir. I like rocking-type songs like this, but sometimes I don’t think it comes off, because I can never think of myself as being pop. Probably a pop winger would have a lot more punch in it. Anyway, I wouldn’t want to sing screamy songs myself. I think it was the first number we did.

SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME. I’m scared about this one. I loved doing it. Don’t laugh! People might laugh because they think “Oh, what on earth is she trying to do, and it doesn’t come off.” But I wanted to do it and I enjoyed doing it because it’s a sophisticated and different kind of song. And again — I’m not that kind of singer. But I always try. The backing Is Mike Cotton again — trumpet and guitar and so on.

PRINCE EN AVIGNON. Oh. This is in French. My French is [terrible]. I’m not going to say anything about this one at all. Well… I loved the song before I did it. It’s the track I least like, but not because of the song, simply because I don’t like me on it. I shouldn’t say that, should I? I’ll put other people off, and I think maybe they should listen and decide for themselves. My mother loves that one. I don’t know why. I just know how my voice should sound. It’s my fault – nobody’s else’s fault.

THE GAME. I nearly cried when I did this song, because I got so annoyed with myself. It’s a beautiful, beautiful song, and it deserves to be sung well or not at all. I tried it so many times, and I was so upset about it. I knew I could do it – but I didn’t do it, and I now think I’ll never do it the way I would like to. I was probably all-keyed up and too involved in it, so it didn’t come out naturally.

THERE’S NO BUSINESS LIKE SHOW BUSINESS. This was another one I was scared to do, because for me it was so different. I like it because it’s a sad song, basically. And yet it’s full of hope and cheer.

Mary Hopkin – From New Musical Express, February 22, 1969

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Instant fame has certainly not corroded the sweetly demure little Miss Muffett image of Miss Mary Hopkin. Pressed for details about her New Year plans, she replies with the diffident hesitation of a girl who has not yet assimilated the brash, extrovert attitude of so many of her contemporaries. Yet even the placid Mary was fired with something akin to enthusiasm when she spoke about the Donovan songs on her first LP. And also about guitar playing.

“The three songs by Donovan are among the favourites on the LP,” said Mary, who had just arrived back in her London flat after a visit to the hairdresser.

“I like Donovan’s songs very much. One is ‘Happiness Runs.’ It’s just about happiness — a lighthearted song with orchestral accompaniment. But I also play guitar all the way through. ‘Voyage Of The Moon’ is a typical lovely Donovan song. This features two guitars behind the vocal. They’re played by Paul McCartney and Donovan. I don’t play here. I just sing. Donovan does a bit of singing from time to time. If you listen hard you can hear him. And Paul also plays a little bit on other tracks. The third Donovan song is called ‘Lord Of The Reedy River’, again accompanied by Donovan and Paul. This is a very soft and dreamy thing“.

“I also do a Welsh song which is sung a lot at eisteddfods. I wouldn’t say it’s a traditional Welsh song, but I heard it a lot when I was at school. On this, I ‘duet’ with myself and there are two harps in the accompaniment. The song is called ‘Y Blodyn Gwyn.’ Which means ‘The White Flower’ — or snowdrop. Then there are two oldish songs. Tab Hunter’s ‘Young Love’ and Mikis Theodorakis’ ‘The Honeymoon Song.’ These are accompanied by the Mike Cotton group and are given the sort of pop sound of about ten years ago“.

Also included are two standards — Gershwin’s “Someone To Watch Over Me” and a ballad from the early Thirties called “Lullaby Of The Leaves.”

Mary did not seem aware of the ancestry of these “evergreens,” but she said she had heard at least one of them previously. “The treatment of these songs has been kept simple,” she says. “I prefer a simple treatment if it’s a nice tune and sounds pretty.”

A change of mood is provided by Nilsson’s “The Puppy Song.” “But again this is an older type of pop treatment where the mood is concerned,” says Mary. “I prefer the melodic stuff,” she adds.

She is equally candid about the possibility of cabaret appearances. “I haven’t done cabaret yet,” she says. “I don’t think I’m the cabaret type.” Not that Mary’s afraid of facing a cabaret audience. When the question was put to her, she didn’t seem in the least intimidated at the prospect.

“It’s really a matter of getting the right sort of act together,” she said. “I can’t really be sure which direction I’m going in at the moment. I just want to try as many different types of things as possible — then I’ll decide. But I don’t think I’d like to sing the more way out type of modern pop.”

Mary is also not tempted at this early stage by the thought of film work — an occupational hazard for young, attractive people who sweep to fame on the pop scene.

“I’ll stick to singing,” she said simply.

She’ll also stick to her guitar playing “The guitar is a beautiful instrument,” she says. “I’m not very good on it, but I want to improve. I practise and play when I feel like it. George Harrison bought me a beautiful Spanish guitar, but I’m not good enough to play it yet. The neck is much wider than on the one I use. But when I get better I shall play it. I like listening to Joan Baez, Segovia, Julian Bream and Manitas de Plata. I haven’t heen to any concerts by Segovia, but if someone asked me to go, I would“.

“I love Django Reinhardt’s playing, but I wouldn’t go out and buy this type of record. I’m not mad about jazz guitar playing. I prefer the classical finger style. I do like Bert Jansch, who’s with the Pentangle. I used to listen to him before he joined the Pentangle — when he was a solo singer.”

Mary is not concerned about the release of a follow-up single to “Those Were The Days.” – “I’ve just been concentrating on the LP,” she said. And where most pop stars could rattle off the current sales total of their singles, Mary is refreshingly vague about the world sales of her overnight hit. Told the French version had sold tremendously well in France, Mary merely added: “I also did it in German, Spanish and Italian. I don’t speak any of these languages, but I learned enough about them to know what I was singing about. I wanted to know what the English meant, because you don’t really keep to the same story.”

And when is Mary’s album being released? “In January I think,” she said.

Meanwhile, like everyone else at this time, she’s been preparing for Christmas “I’ve been out shopping,” she said. “But I haven’t bought anything. I shall be going home for Christmas to spend it with the family.” To a homeloving girl like Mary, an event like that even takes precedence over thoughts of what the New Year will bring.

From Melody Maker – December 28, 1968

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Last updated on October 25, 2023