45 RPMs 106: Mary Hopkin ~ Those Were the Days

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Mary Hopkin ~ Those Were the Days 

45 RPM record 

photo by Styrous® 
    

    

Today is the birthday of Welsh singer, Mary Hopkin, who bust forth internationally with her wonderful song, Those Were the Days. I was in my early twenties when it did; I remember thinking what a marvelous take on what it must be like to be old and review your life. I danced madly to the bouncy, lively beat of it. I still fondly look back at the song and those early days of my life but now that I am there, I have a totally different perspective on it, my life and my aspirations. As they say, "hindsight is 20/20".      

 

Those Were the Days was composed by Boris Fomin in 1924 but credited to Gene Raskin, who put English lyrics to Fomin's Russian romance song Dorogoi dlinnoyu, which originally had lyrics by the poet Konstantin Podrevsky. With Raskin's lyrics, the song is an evaluation of youth and romantic idealism, reminiscing about drinking, singing, and dancing in a tavern, imagining a rosy future which has not been fulfilled. Although it has a joyous feeling, it is wistful and, well, a little melancholy. It conveys the same feeling as the Peggy Lee song, Is That All There Is? I love that song as well. With both I feel, "Then let's keep dancing!"         

 

Hopkin did some backup singing on albums by Tom Paxton, Ralph McTell, David Bowie (Low), Bert Jansch, the Radiators from Space, Thin Lizzy, Carmen, the Sarstedt Brothers, Osibisa, Sparks, Hazel O'Connor and Elaine Paige.      

 

The "B" side of the record is the song Turn, Turn, Turn written by Pete Seeger in 1959.  The lyrics – except for the title, which is repeated throughout the song, and the final two lines – consist of the first eight verses of the third chapter of the biblical Book of Ecclesiastes. The song was originally released in 1962 as To Everything There Is a Season on the folk group the Limeliters' album Folk Matinee, and then some months later on Seeger's own The Bitter and the Sweet album.          

 

 

 

Mary Hopkin ~ Turn, Turn, Turn 

45 RPM record 

photo by Styrous® 

 

Tracklist:

Side 1:

A - Those Were The Days, written by Gene Raskin - 5:05

Side 2:

B - Turn, Turn, Turn, written by Pete Seeger - 2:48

Companies, etc.

    Mastered At – Capitol Studios, New York City
    Pressed By – Capitol Records Pressing Plant, Scranton
    Manufactured By – Apple Records, Inc.
    Published By – TRO
    Published By – Melody Trails, Inc.

 Credits:

 

      Producer – Paul McCartney

 

Notes:

Scranton Label Variant: "Mfg. by Apple Records, Inc." on 'B Side' label at bottom, and missing from 'A side'.
The reverse Scranton label variant here - Mary Hopkin - Those Were The Days

A: T.R.O. Organization
B: Melody Trails Inc. (BMI)

Runouts have a combination of both stamped and etched characters. "[IAM logo]" is stamped.

Barcode and Other Identifiers         

    Rights Society: BMI
    Pressing Plant ID (Stamped in runouts): "IAM" in triangle logo
    Matrix / Runout (Label side A): X46416
    Matrix / Runout (Label side B): X46417
    Matrix / Runout (Runout side A, variant 1): 45-X46416-P1 #2 45-70293-P1 [IAM logo]
    Matrix / Runout (Runout side B, variant 1): 45-X46417-P1 45-46417-P1 [IAM logo]
    Matrix / Runout (Runout side A, variant 2): 4̶5̶-̶7̶0̶2̶9̶3̶-̶P̶1 45-X46416-P1 #3 [IAM logo]
    Matrix / Runout (Runout side B, variant 2): 45-X46417-P1#3 45-46417-P1 [IAM logo]
    Matrix / Runout (Runout side A, variant 3): 4̶5̶-̶7̶0̶2̶9̶3̶-̶P̶1 45-X46416-P1 #2 [IAM logo]
    Matrix / Runout (Runout side B, variant 3): 45-X46417-P1 [IAM logo] 45-46417-P1
    Matrix / Runout (Runout side A, variant 4): 45-̶7̶0̶2̶9̶3̶-̶P̶1 45-X 46416-P1 #4 [IAM logo]
    Matrix / Runout (Runout side B, variant 4): 45-4617-T2
    Matrix / Runout (Runout side A, variant 5): 45-̶7̶0̶2̶9̶3̶-̶P̶1 45-X 46416-P1 [IAM logo]
    Matrix / Runout (Runout side B, variant 5): 45-X46417-P1 45-46417-P1 [IAM logo]
    Matrix / Runout (Runout side A, variant 6): 45-̶7̶0̶2̶9̶3̶-̶P̶1 45-X 46416-P1 #8 [IAM logo]
    Matrix / Runout (Runout side B, variant 6): 45-X46417-P1 #7 45-46417-P1 [IAM logo]
    Matrix / Runout (Runout side A, variant 7): 45-̶7̶0̶2̶9̶3̶-̶P̶1 45-X 46416-P1 #8 [IAM logo]
    Matrix / Runout (Runout side B, variant 7): 45-̶7̶0̶2̶9̶4-̶P̶1 46417 45-X-46417-P1
    Matrix / Runout (Runout side A, variant 8): 45-46416-T2 [IAM logo]
    Matrix / Runout (Runout side B, variant 8): 45-46417-T2 [IAM logo]
    Matrix / Runout (Runout side A, variant 9): 45-̶7̶0̶2̶9̶3̶-̶P̶1 45-X 46416-P1 #3 [IAM logo]
    Matrix / Runout (Runout side B, variant 9): 45-X46417-P1 #6 45-46417-P1 [IAM logo]
    Matrix / Runout (Runout side A, variant 10): 45-7̶0̶2̶9̶3̶-̶P̶1̶ 45-X46416-P1#2 [IAM logo]
    Matrix / Runout (Runout side B, variant 10): 45-X46417-P1#5 4̶5̶-̶7̶0̶2̶9̶4̶-P1 [IAM logo]
    Matrix / Runout (Runout side A, variant 11): 45-7̶0̶2̶9̶3̶-̶P̶1̶ 45-X46416-P1 [IAM logo]
    Matrix / Runout (Runout side B, variant 11): 45-X46417-P1#5 4̶5̶-̶7̶0̶2̶9̶4̶ -P1 [IAM logo]

Mary Hopkin – Those Were The Days
Label: Apple Records – 1801
Format: Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, Single, Scranton Pressing
Country: US
Released: Aug 26, 1968
Genre: Rock, Pop, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Chanson, Pop Rock, Folk         

        

        

        

        

Viewfinder links:       

        
David Bowie    

Boris Fomin       

the Limeliters         

Hazel O'Connor         

Osibisa          

Elaine Paige       

Tom Paxton  

Pete Seeger         

Sparks       

Thin Lizzy       

         
     
Net links:       

         

         

         

        
     
YouTube links:       
        

Mary Hopkin ~ Those Were the Days         

Sergey Lazarev ~ Dorogoi dlinnoyu (The long road)       
        
         

         

What the hell! Let's keep dancing!

        

Styrous® ~ Sunday, April 3, 2026 

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Joel Brodsky articles/mentions

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mentions:     

Ars Nova          

Casablanca Records ~ Disco Daze  

Betty Davis ~ They Say I'm Different  

The Doors ~ Light My Fire     

Tom Paxton ~ Morning Again     

     

     

     

      

     

Joel Brodsky     

date & photographer unknown      

      

     

      

     

      

     

      

     

      

     

      

     

 

 

 

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Photographers

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Tom Paxton articles/mentions

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Morning Again     

      

mentions:            

Country/Folk on the Viewfinder     

     
     

     

      

     

     

     
     

     

      

Tom Paxton ~ Ramblin' Boy 

vinyl LP album cover detail

photo by Dave Gahr 

detail photo of album cover by Styrous®

     

      

     

      

     

      

     

      

     

 

 

 

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Music People

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David Gahr ~ music world photographer

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David Gahr - 1964

photo by John Byrne Cooke 

       

      

     

      

       

      

David Gahr (born September 18, 1922) was an American photographer. He was one of the pre-eminent photographers of American folk, blues, jazz and rock musicians of the 1960s.   

      

His photographic output includes more than five decades of musicians like Phil Spector, Bob Dylan, Miles Davis, Bruce Springsteen, Van Morrison, Janis Joplin, Sonny Terry, John Lennon and Pete Seeger, among others. His book, The Face of Folk Music (Citadel Press, 1968) with writer Robert Shelton captured the exploding American Folk music scene, with hundreds of images including Dylan, Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, Judy Collins, Tom Paxton, Phil Ochs, Odetta, Buddy Guy and Junior Wells, Mary Travers and Johnny Cash, among others.       

The iconic photo by Gahr of Miles Davis playing his trumpet in his undershirt was used on the Davis 1971 reissue album, A Tribute To Jack Johnson, the soundtrack for the Bill Cayton documentary, on the life of boxer Jack Johnson. The photo was also used by the United States Postal Service for one of their music "Forever" stamps (link below).    

He did not limit himself to music and musicians; he shot assignments for Time and Life magazines. He photographed Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, Claes Oldenburg, Salvador Dalí, Willem de Kooning and Georgia O’Keeffe. He took book-jacket photos of John Cheever and Arthur Miller.   

      

Gahr died in Brooklyn, New York on May 25, 2008; he was 85 years old. His daughter, Carla Gahr, also a photographer, managed the David Gahr archives.     

     

     
 

Viewfinder links:      

        

Joan Baez   
Johnny Cash       
Judy Collins    
Salvador Dalí       
Miles Davis        
Janis Joplin      
John Lennon       
Pete Seeger        
The United States postal music stamps ~ the "Forevers" Pt 3       
      

Net links:      

        

David Gahr photography studio and archives        

Morrison Hotel Gallery ~ David Gahr       

NY Times ~ David Gahr, Photographer of Musicians, Dies at 85   

     

      

       

        

Styrous® ~ Thursday, December 20, 2018        

       

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Photographers

Music Notes
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101 Reel-To-Reel Tapes 21: Tom Paxton ~ Morning Again

          

          Tom Paxton ~ Morning Again

    detail of cover photo by Joel Brodsky

            detail photo by Styrous®

In addition to my vinyl collection I'm selling, I have hundreds of reel-to-reel, pre-recorded tapes. This is another entry about one of them (see links below). Tom Paxton's Morning Again is up for sale on Amazon right now (link below). I have the vinyl LP version as well. Interested? Contact me.

Tom Paxton ~ Morning Again

cover photo by Joel Brodsky

photo of cover by Styrous®

As with a lot of folk music, there is humor. A song on the album; Clarissa Jones, is one of these. It has great lyrics (about a rat amongst, other things) with a fast bouncy beat. It has a nice rock feel to it.

So Much For Winning is a slow, dreamy but very sad song that is made beautiful by a lovely flute and cello accompanyment. It's about who really wins.

Now That I've Taken My Life is a dramatic waltz piece with an occasional orchestral backing. A bit sombre but interesting, a very strange song.

Jennifer's Rabbit is a delightful kid's song. I don't think I've ever heard a more happy tune supposedly meant to be sung to put a child to sleep.

Near the bottom of this post there are links to the songs mentioned on YouTube so you can hear them for yourself, if you'd like. 

One of the musicians on Morning Again is David Grisman, a great jazz mondolin player. In 1975 he started his own band, the David Grisman Quintet (DGQ), which released its first album in 1977. Grisman founded Acoustic Disc, an independent record label, in 1990. The label, based in San Rafael, California, specializes in folk, bluegrass, and New Acoustic music.

There are some pretty humorous liner notes on the back of the album. Somehow, they seem to still apply today. My favorite is the, " . . corrupted to death in the cloakrooms."

Tom Paxton ~ Morning Again

back cover detail

detail photo by Styrous®

Tom Paxton ~ Morning Again

back cover

photo by Styrous®

Tom Paxton ~ Morning Again

reel-to-reel tape

photo by Styrous®

Tom Paxton ~ Morning Again

reel-to-reel tape label detail

detail photo by Styrous®

 Tracklist:

Side 1:

1. Jennifers Rabbit - 1:25    
2. Mr. Blue - 2:20    
3. Victoria Dines Alone - 2:55    
4. The Hooker - 3:15    
5. So Much For Winning - 6:40

Side 2:
   
1. Talking Vietnam Pot Luck Blues - 2:45    
2. Clarissa Jones - 3:30    
3. Morning Again - 3:37    
4. A Thousand Years - 3:30    
5. Now That I've Taken My Life - 3:30

Personnel:

Maurice Baker - Drums
Seymour Barab - Cello
Herbert Brown - String Bass
Paul Dillon - Drums
Hank Freeman - Flute
David Grisman - Mandocello
Paul Harris - Keyboards
John Nagy - Electric Bass
Tom Paxton - Vocals, Guitar
Jonathan Raskin - Electric Bass
Robert Sylvester - Cello
Jim Tyler - Banjo

Producer: Peter K Siegel


Music links: 

Clarissa Jones on YouTube
So Much For Winning on YouTube
Now That I've Taken My Life on YouTube 
Jennifer's Rabbit  on YouTube
 

Tom Paxton ~ Morning Again on Amazon

reel-to-reel listings on eBay 

more reel-to-reel tapes on the Styrous® Viewfinder:
                                             reel-to-reel tape archive

Styrous® ~ Tuesday, November 12, 2013

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