Paul McCartney produced this debut album of twee but pretty, romantic pop-folk. Besides "Those Were the Days" (which actually originally appeared only on the US version, though it's on the CD reissue now available throughout the world), the highlights are
Donovan's "Lord of the Reedy River" and "The Honeymoon Song," which McCartney himself had sung with
the Beatles way back in 1963 on the BBC. If there's a fault to be found, it's that there's too high a percentage of pre-rock/pop standards à la "There's No Business Like Show Business." As it turns out this was more due to the leanings of McCartney than
Hopkin, who preferred the more simply arranged folk numbers such as the
Donovan covers and the Welsh "Y Blodyn Gwyn." Also on board is a rather nice composition, "The Game," by
Beatles producer
George Martin, who contributed some piano and orchestra conducting to the album. The CD reissue includes
George Gershwin/
Ira Gershwin's "Someone to Watch Over Me" (which was on the original U.K. version of the LP, but was taken off the American counterpart), as well as the "Those Were the Days" B-side "Turn! Turn! Turn!" and versions of "Those Were the Days" that
Hopkin sang in Italian and Spanish. ~ Richie Unterberger