Post Card (album)

Postcard 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.[5] It reached number 3 in the UK and number 28 in the US.[6][7] It also reached number 26 in Canada.[8] 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".[5] 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.[1] 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".[9] 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.[1] Mendelsohn praised McCartney’s production as much as Hopkin’s singing.[10] The album was launched by Hopkin at the Post Office Tower, London, on 13 February 1969. McCartney attended.

Postcard
Studio album by
Mary Hopkin
Released21 February 1969 (UK)
3 March 1969 (US)
RecordedEMI Studios, Trident Studios and Morgan Studios, London
GenreRock, folk
Length42:00
57:21 (2010 Remaster)
LabelApple
ProducerPaul McCartney
Mary Hopkin chronology
Postcard
(1969)		 Earth Song/Ocean Song
(1971)
Singles from Mary Hopkin
  1. "Those Were the Days"
    Released: 1968
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Mojo[2]
Rolling Stone(favourable)[3]
Tom HullB[4]

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,[11] plus four versions in Italian, Spanish, German and French of "Those Were The Days" as a digital download.[12]

Track listing

Original UK version
Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Lord of the Reedy River"Donovan2:37
2."Happiness Runs (Pebble and the Man)"Donovan2:03
3."Love Is the Sweetest Thing"Ray Noble3:43
4."Y Blodyn Gwyn"Richard H. Jones, Ted Hughes3:08
5."The Honeymoon Song"William Sansom, Mikis Theodorakis2:07
6."The Puppy Song"Harry Nilsson2:42
7."Inchworm"Frank Loesser2:33
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Voyage of the Moon"Donovan5:52
2."Lullaby of the Leaves"Bernice Petkere, Joe Young2:33
3."Young Love"Ric Cartey, Carole Joyner2:11
4."Someone to Watch Over Me"George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin2:02
5."Prince en Avignon"Jean-Pierre Bourtayre3:20
6."The Game"George Martin2:40
7."There's No Business Like Show Business"Irving Berlin4:03
Original US version
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."Those Were the Days"Gene Raskin5:06
2010 Remastered Bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
1."Those Were The Days"5:06
16."Turn! Turn! Turn!" ("Those Were the Days" B-Side)2:52
17."Goodbye"2:23
18."Sparrow" ("Goodbye" B-Side)3:12
19."Fields Of St. Etienne" (Previously Unreleased)3:11
20."Quelli Erano Giorni" (Digital Download)5:11
21."Que Tiempo Tan Feliz" (Digital Download)5:10
22."An Jenam Tag" (Digital Download)5:10
23."Le temps des fleurs" (Digital Download)5:09

Personnel
  • Mary Hopkin - lead vocals, background vocals, acoustic guitar (2)
  • Paul McCartney - acoustic guitar (1, 8), bass (2), production
  • Donovan Leitch - acoustic guitar (1, 2, 8)
  • George Martin - piano (14)
  • Derek Griffiths - guitar
  • Jim Rodford - bass
  • Bernie Higginson - drums
  • Mike Cotton - trumpet
  • John Beecham - trombone
  • Nick Newell - saxophone
  • Richard Hewson - arrangement on "Those Were the Days", "Goodbye"
  • Geoff Emerick - production on "Fields of St. Etienne"

Chart positions

Album

Year Chart Position
1969 UK Album Chart 3
1969 Billboard 200 28
1969 "RPM" Album Chart (Canada) 26

References
  1. Unterberger, Richie. "Mary Hopkin Postcard". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-07-26.
  2. Harris, John (November 2010). "Strange Fruit: Various, Original Apple albums, 1969–73". Mojo. p. 116.
  3. Mendelsohn, John (17 May 1969). "Records". Rolling Stone. San Francisco: Straight Arrow Publishers, Inc. (33): 17.
  4. Hull, Tom (December 2010). "Recycled Goods". Static Multimedia. Retrieved 8 July 2020 – via tomhull.com.
  5. Miles, Barry (2009). The Beatles Diary Volume 1: The Beatles Years. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780857120007.
  6. "Mary Hopkin Albums". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2014-07-26.
  7. "Post Card Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-07-26.
  8. "Top 50 Albums". Library & Archives Canada. Archived from the original on 2014-08-08. Retrieved 2014-07-2014. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  9. Hill, S. (2011). "Mary Hopkin and the Deep Throat of Culture". In Stras, L. (ed.). She's So Fine: Reflections on Whiteness, Femininity, Adolescence and Class in 1960s Music. Ashgate. pp. 174–76. ISBN 9781409436652.
  10. "Post Card". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2014-07-26.
  11. Unterberger, Richie. "Post Card [2010 Bonus Tracks]". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-07-26.
  12. "Apple Records".
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