Earth Song, Ocean Song [Import]

Earth Song, Ocean Song [Import]

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
2003 remastered reissue of the sophomore album, originally issued in 1971, for the Welsh folk-rock singer best-known for her 1968 smash 'Those Were The Days'. 10 tracks. EMI.

Tracks:

International
There's Got To Be More
Silver Birch
How Come The Sun
Earth Song
Martha
Streets Of London
The Wind
Water, Paper & Clay
Ocean Song

Album Description

2003 remastered reissue of the sophomore album, originally issued in 1971, for the Welsh folk-rock singer best-known for her 1968 smash 'Those Were The Days'. 10 tracks. EMI.

Album Details

Hopkin's Second Album for the Beatles' Apple Records Label Appeared in 1971 and Eschewed Any "Showbiz" Pretensions from her Debut and Concentrated on her Strong Suit, Singing Sweet Folk Music. Recent Ex-pat Producer Tony Visconti Helmed the Project, Even Though He was Best Known for his Groundbreaking Productions of the Emerging Glam Rock Scene. Hopkin Covered Material Here by Gallagher and Lyle, Ralph Mctell and a Beautiful Version of Cat Steven's "The Wind".

Customer Reviews:

I CAN'T count the ways I love this one..........2005-03-19

It's hard to know where to begin a review of one's all time favorite album. Maybe that's the best way to begin, actually. I probably own around 2,000 albums, featuring most genres and fairly evenly spread from the 1940s to today in terms of when they were recorded. And "Earth Song/Ocean Song" is #1 among them all.

That should tell you something, but maybe not enough to decide on buying it for yourself. So let me tell you a bit more about why I love it so much. First of all, Mary Hopkin had (and no doubt still has) a terrific voice, and she put it to great use here. That sugar-sweet sadness you hear on "Those Were The Days" is more restrained and mature here, with a breathier quality when it suits the song. She also sounds much closer up and never drowned out by the music. And speaking of the music, it's mellow but lush throughout, intense but never too hard. Themes range from breakups to homelessness to plain old self-awareness, but all the songs seem woven together flawlessly into a cycle that somehow makes perfect sense.

The album's centerpieces are its two title songs, written by Liz Thorsen. Maybe they're both about finding inner peace (that's the interpretation I've always stuck with), maybe they're about drug-addiction, or maybe they really are only about climbing a crystal mountain and finding a ride to the end of the ocean. However you choose to hear them, they're both wonderfully evocative and relaxing to hear, and as fresh on the 500th listen as on the first. Other standouts include "Silver Birch and Weeping Willow," about finding comfort in your own company when you can't count on others (or is it really just about watching a sunset? You decide!); "There's Got to Be More," about ending a stagnant relationship; "Streets of London," a not-at-all-preachy look at homelessness; and "Water, Paper and Clay," a classic folk-singalong whose meaning is anyone's guess. That said, there isn't a single wasted note on the album, and you could call them all standouts.

I could go on for pages, but suffice to say: if you like folk music, folk-rock, singer-songwriters, or any genre that sticks to real instruments and meaningful lyrics, you can't miss with this CD. Buy a copy for a friend, too.

Not One Weak Track.......2004-01-27

This 1973 folk gem deserves to be put on the same pedestal as the greatest albums of the late 60's and early 70's. There is NO filler, and that rarity alone puts it in very select company. Could you name ten albums, even the iconic ones, that you can say that about? There are four that I know of... The Beatles' SGT. PEPPER, Procol Harum's HOME, David Ackles' AMERICAN GOTHIC, and this one. The musicianship is exemplary throughout, and Ms. Hopkin is in in fine form vocally. That it doesn't have a wider audience is a tragedy, but considering what passes as the music industry these days, I guess it's not a complete surprise. But everyone raised on (or ruined by) MTV who wants to broaden their horizons should give this CD a try. I can't guarantee you'll love it...poor taste in music seems to be hard-wired into much of the MTV generation. But you SHOULD love it. I would give this CD ten stars if I could.