To celebrate the 50th anniversary of ‘Those Were The Days’ Mary Hopkin has re-recorded her classic hit single. Her daughter Jessica Lee Morgan reveals to Jason Barnard the story behind this release, Mary Hopkin Music and her solo work.
Why did Mary choose to record a new version of ‘Those Were The Days’?
The song means so much to so many people and her original version has so much to do with it. So I said she couldn’t get away without commemorating the 50th anniversary somehow. And this is the best way.
Where was it recorded and who did she work with?
The recording process was far removed from how it was done in 1968, and was truly a family operation. I recorded piano and guitars at my studio, engineered by my partner Christian. Then I went to Mary and recorded her vocals. Morgan, my brother, in New York, added fretless bass and mixed the track. We do a lot of recording this way. It saves on travel and studio costs!
For good measure, it was mastered in the South Wales countryside by Donal Whelan at Hafod Mastering, who has mastered MHM releases since 2010. We’ve all been to hang out in the past.
How did she approach re-recording such an iconic song? Was the plan to stay close to the original or approach it differently?
The original was beautifully arranged by Richard Hewson, who did several of Mary’s songs in her Apple days, as well as some Beatles songs (‘Yesterday’, for instance). Mary’s very proud of that version. But this time she said, “I wanted to perform it in a quieter, more reflective way,” as if it was played live in a folk club, with a couple of musicians joining in. So we stripped it right back and did away with the key change and the orchestra (and the kids). It’s probably as Paul McCartney would have first heard it played by Gene Raskin (who wrote the lyrics) and his wife Francesca.
Are there any plans for Mary to write / record/release any new material and if so can you share any details?
Mary’s always writing, and has been recording recently. She has lots of finished and almost finished songs and we’re hoping to get them out at some point. But you can’t hurry her or pin her down to a schedule, that was the deal when we started releasing albums.
She wrote melody and chords to a set of my lyrics this year and it’s been well received at my gigs!
What albums and tracks from her catalogue are her favourites?
Mary’s particularly proud of Painting By Numbers, which is a collection of her songs straight from her archives. Again, they’re sparse arrangements and it’s been the best received of our releases because it really shows off her voice. She’s an amazing writer. The title track is particularly good, she said recently it’s her favourite.
However, she also loves ‘You Look Familiar’ which she wrote and performed with her son/my brother Morgan Visconti. He created the music and she wrote melodies and lyrics and vocal arrangements. It’s fantastic. She was able to portray a different musical personality, much more contemporary.
What was it like growing up in such a musical family?
It’s awful, you can’t get away with sloppy singing. Seriously! I’m very proud of my family, the musicians and also the artists and photographers. We all work together. Just last week I was working on ‘Those Were The Days’ with Mary, Morgan and Chris, and then I went and sang for my dad, Tony, who is working with Ralph McTell on his new album. Although my parents split when I was very young, music still connects us all.
Can you tell me about your solo work, why you decided to step out in front and who you collaborate with?
I’ve always been out in front, I’m a proper show-off. I’ve been gigging since I was a teen but only released my first album, I Am Not, in 2010. My second, Around The Block, came out last year. I collaborate with the family, and a few trusted friends. On the second album I invited guest guitarists – Paul Cuddeford from Holy Holy, Jules Hay – an old friend and bandmate from college, my brother Morgan. On drums my friend Simon Adams, and on bass and support for everything, my partner Christian Thomas. He plays live with me.
I’m happiest playing live. Chris and I supported Holy Holy (the Bowie lot I play sax and guitar with – Dad, Woody Woodmansey, Glenn Gregory, Paul Cuddeford, James Stevenson, Berenice Scott) on most of their tours across USA and UK and we got some wonderful receptions. We also supported Robyn Hitchcock this year which was inspirational.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R73nYDpOlXA
Which tracks from your own material are your highlights?
My personal anthem seems to be ‘I Am Not’ which I wrote about my work in health and social care. Sounds odd, but I was frustrated by the way people are labelled in society. So many people have come up to tell me what that song means to them, awkward young Bowie fans, people with disabilities, marginalised people, and a bouncer at a gig in Minneapolis who works in family support. I am so happy when my songs mean so much to people.
I also love ‘When Did It All Begin’ which I wrote with Chris. It’s about how we communicate these days, too many ways and badly! I need to write more with Chris and the family.
How do write songs, what inspires you and does your approach differ to other members of your family?
I sit and agonise about songs for years. I guess we all do. But I tend to write entirely in my head, usually starting with a bee I have in my bonnet about something. Once it’s got a format, I tentatively pick up a guitar and play it to Chris who says it’s great and what the hell was I worried about. I self-censor far too much. I’ve got loads of unfinished songs, or maybe they are finished and I don’t think they’re good enough. Then I turn on the radio and wonder why I agonise so much. The bar these days isn’t that high!
What led you to singing your mum’s material live a few years back?
Mary doesn’t gig any more. Mainly because she doesn’t like it. I’d been joking about going out as her for some time, but in the end I thought I’d go for it. We ended up creating a show called Very Hopkin: An Evening Without Mary Hopkin. I wanted to show everyone how good a writer she is, that she is more than just a couple of songs.
I was delighted to have Brian Willoughby and Cathryn Craig in the band, along with Simon Adams and Chris. Brian started his professional career with Mary and played on the Festival Hall album, as well as a couple of songs on Painting By Numbers, and was also a member of Strawbs for many years. He’s a good friend and a fantastic guitarist, so bolstered up the credits for us. His wife Cathryn has sung for many great people, and her voice is gorgeous. I think we put on a great show and would love to do more. Mary came along to check us out but we didn’t have enough wild horses to get her on stage.
Can you tell me about your new album? Its lyrical themes and sound you aimed for…
Around The Block came out last year, and we aimed to sound like we do live. I wanted it to sound organic and relaxed. We recorded all over the place – in our camper van, at a cider farm, on the A470 to Brecon, at home… I’d call it guerilla recording. Lyrically there are a lot of strong statements. If I have something difficult to say I’ll say it in song!
However, I also decided to re-record my first album to match the way I sing it live now. Morgan and Tony did a great job of mixing but I didn’t really know what I was aiming for at the time. So, in the great family tradition, I have stripped it back and revisited the songs. It’s called Re:Boot and will be out in time for my gig on 3rd October at The Pheasantry. I particularly enjoyed playing my mum’s Martin 6 and 12-string guitars from 1970! Lush.
Why did you set up Mary Hopkin Music, what projects have you worked on as part of it and what’s next other than the new release? Any reissues or unreleased material?
Because Mary is a reluctant performer, a record deal with a “proper” label would have had her touring and doing the media circus again. She’d had enough of that back in the day. So because the internet was looking like a viable market, in 2005 I put out the Festival Hall album, on condition that Mary didn’t have to do a thing. Then we started looking at songs she’d recorded with Tony and never released, thinking we’d get an album out of it. We got three. Then a Christmas EP – two old songs and one brand new.
We re-released her Spirit album on the label along with 1977 re-recordings of ‘Those Were The Days’ and ‘Goodbye’, to reclaim them all from bad deals and defunct labels.
We’ve released a Welsh Christmas carol called ‘Iesu Faban’. Mary, Morgan and I recorded four parts, in Welsh, acapela. Morgan and I were coached phonetically by Mary. We’ve started some more in Welsh and English and hope to get a whole album together, maybe by next year.
‘Those Were The Days Days (2018)’ is available from: spacerecords.greedbag.com/buy/those-were-the-days-60/
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All photos/artworks used with kind permission of Jessica Lee Morgan/Mary Hopkin Music.
