Post Card – MARY HOPKIN***

Lord Of The Ready River/Happiness Runs(Pebble & The Man)/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/ Someone To Watch Over Me/Prince En Avignon/The Game/Show Business

Delicate Welsh songstress Mary Hopkin was one of the first signings to the Apple record label, quickly enjoying a huge hit with the chart topping Those Were The Days. However her debut album Post Card was let down by poor song choice. (US:28 UK:3)

"What came out can charitably be described as an eclectic mixture, or more honestly a bit of a mish-mash, as Mary tries on different hats with varying degrees of success. We have everything from jazz to west end musicals, via folk, late 50s crooners and what sounds like a children's TV song."

"A very bizarre opening track to any album in Lord Of The Reedy River, followed by a much better song in Happiness Runs. As one would expect here, this is a very 'folky' album, but also full of other 'weird' songs and covers one may not have expected from Mary Hopkin - particularly songs that were not written for women, and so do not come out well. Among these is a terribly sluggish rendition of Show Business that was most certainly a mistake to record. For many people who had been swept away by her number one smash Those Were The Days and were expecting more material like that - this album would have been disappointing to say the least. It would have been nice to have heard more 'unique' material from Ms. Hopkin. Side two of the original LP is better than the first in my opinion, but on the whole, lets us know quite directly, why Ms. Hopkin disappeared from the music scene so quickly."

"Mary Hopkin had a wonderful voice. Post Card is a relatively appealing package of folk and pop music. Leaving a few badly fitting tracks off, while including Those Were The Days, Goodbye and Sparrow instead, the album would even be very good. Now it is flawed, but still a little fascinating, quite beautiful and definitely inspiring."

"Covers of old classics which Mary does not seem to feel very comfortable with. Love Is The Sweetest Thing, Young Love and There's No Business Like Show Business intermingle with the Harry Nilsson penned The Puppy Song."