Mark Wirtz - (PRESALE 7/10/26) The 70s Albums: Balloon/ Hothouse Smiles (CD) | Mint (M) Mint (M)

    The 70s Albums: Balloon/ Hothouse Smiles
    (Limited Edition, Gatefold LP Jacket)
    Artist: Mark Wirtz Format: CD Release Date: 7/10/2026 

    Label: Think Like a Key Rec
    Vendor: Amplified Media Services, LLC
    Distributor: AMPED
    Number of Discs: 2
    UPC: 601570655845
    Genre: Rock
    Release Date: 7/10/2026
    Product ID: TKLK1242.2
    Weight: .48 lb

CD

Description

First-ever reissue of both 1973 Capitol albums by Mark Wirtz - the producer, arranger, and Ivor Novello winner behind A Teenage Opera - restored to their original US LP configurations and paired together for the first time. Balloon (February 1973), recorded at Apple Studios with engineer Geoff Emerick, introduced Wirtz as a singer, with lush orchestration and theatrical pop craft. Hothouse Smiles (August 1973), written after his move to Silver Lake, California, turns the same lavish production toward sharp, satirical vignettes of American life - hailed at the time as an attempt at an American Sgt. Pepper. Session players include Chris Spedding, Clem Cattini, Ray Cooper, Albert Lee, Jim Gordon, Larry Knechtel, Jim Horn, and Max Bennett. Bonus track: the non-LP B-side "Nothing To Do." Newly remastered by Prof. Stoned. Mini-LP gatefold packaging with printed inserts. Limited pressing.

    Tracks
    Credits

    1 The Song I Sing
    2 Trambouline
    3 Long Way from Home
    4 Balloon
    5 Mellow Man
    6 Satan Took a Tram-Ride
    7 Ev'rybody Needs Someone Somebody
    8 Spring
    9 Am I Me
    10 What Now, Poor Word?
    11 The Way You Play at Living
    12 Hasn't It Been a Heavy Day (Pie in the Sky Lullaby)
    13 Silverlake Ripple
    14 Honest Man
    15 Swan (Ballerina)
    16 Kings & Queens & Fairytales
    17 Somewhere Else
    18 America Sundae
    19 Ecstacy Don't Come Free
    20 Nothing to Do

• Media Condition: Mint (M)
• Sleeve Condition: Mint (M)
• Genre: ROCK
• Format Type: CD
• Released: 07/10/2026