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DVDfever.co.uk – Mary Hopkin: Now And Then CD reviewElly Roberts reviews
Mary Hopkin Music
- Released: June 2009
- Rating: 6/10
- Vote and comment on this album:View Comments
Fifty-nine year-old Welsh songbird releases more from her archive her second this year, and the last, apparently.
Before 30 hefty 2-inch tapes ruined Mary Hopkins bedroom ceiling, she and her daughter decided to do something about the potential hazard remove them and make a CD in Space Studios, Cardiff.
Recorded over an 18 year period (between 1970 and 1988), Now And Then is a very good compilation (and chronology) but doesnt reveal the state of her current songwriting capabilities, obviously. True to form, the Welsh warbler could always belt out a good song, like her memorable signature tune Those Were The Days in 1968 (produced by Paul McCartney), on The Beatles Apple label, a number 1 in the UK and 2 in the USA.
Without doing a complete credit search for dates, its hard to identify which song kicks off the 70s and virtually ending the 80s. One thing to Hopkins credit, she always managed to make her music timeless, so you cant put a finger on dates, not that it matters.This knack was due to T.Rex / Bowie producer and one-time husband Tony Visconti, except track 14 here, by Benny Gallagher of Gallagher and Lyle fame. She contributes three self-penned with 11 covers, with Visconti dabbling as instrumentalist-arranger-singer across the album.
After representing the UK in the 1970 Eurovision Song Contest and the release of her second album Earth Song, she dropped out of the pop-scene to look after her family. She wasnt totally out of touch with the business though, because she contributed to various artists albums like Bert Jansch, Tom Paxton, to name but a few, and its during this period that she was involved or inspired by them to lay down covers, like Janschs stunning Crazy For My Sweetheart (best track on the album by the way) with a melancholic cello arrangement by hubby, and guest guitarist Bert himself, (lucky girl), and Paxtons lightweight ballad What A Friend You Are.Originally recorded by Edith Piaf, If You Love Me became a minor hit for the Welsh star in 1976 (#32), which would be her last single success.Her rendition is a powerful and emotive gem, showing she hadnt lost her touch.
Pushing the boat, she stretched herself into the world country-folk by doing a meritorious rendition of Jim Croces classic One Less Set Of Footsteps and Harlan Collinss country twist Wrap Me In Your Arms Again.Of her own songs, Tell Me Now, is a lush pop-ballad where she plays piano and castanet, it became the B-side of If You Love Me, and is by far the best of the three.
The verdict: Very enjoyable, still.
Weblinks:maryhopkin.com /myspace.com/maryhopkinmusic
The full list of tracks included are :
1. Take Me Back
2. Crazy For My Sweetheart
3. Who Will Be?
4. Life Song
5. When He Shines
6. Tell Me Now
7. What A Friend You Are
8. Wrap Me In Your Arms
9. Brown Eyes And Me
10. One Less Set Of Footsteps
11. Shamarack
12. If You Love Me
13. Bitter Harvest
14. Happy BirthdayView the discussion thread.blog comments powered by Disqus= 0) {query += ‘url’ + i + ‘=’ + encodeURIComponent(links[i].href) + ‘&’;}}document.write(”);})();//]]]]>]]>
Elly Roberts passed away in 2011, but he was a man who was so passionate about all types of music and loved meeting his musical heroes, such as Mick Hucknall at a book signing at the Trafford Centre, Manchester in 2007.
A former teacher and also a music journalist, DJ and radio presenter on local community station Calon FM, plus appearances on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 2, Elly started doing reviews for DVDfever.co.uk in 2004 and he did the majority of the CD and concerts reviews on the website.
I know also that he loved getting away for the summer to Spain and I hope that wherever he is now he is enjoying the hot sunshine and, as one of his friends has said on his Facebook page, that he is interviewing his musical heroes.