Mark Wirtz - Balloon/Hothouse Smiles [2CD set]

Cat. no: TLAK1242
Format: CD 2CD set
Barcode: 601570655845
Release Date: 10 Jul 2026
Genre: Pop

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 confgurations and paired together for the frst 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: The Song I Sing / Trambouline / Long Way From Home / Balloon / Mellow Man / Satan Took A Tram-Ride / Ev'rybody Needs Someone Somebody / Spring / Am I Me / What Now, Poor World? / The Way You Play At Living / Hasn't It Been A Heavy Day (Pie In The Sky Lullaby) / Silverlake Ripple / Honest Man / Swan (Ballerina) / Kings & Queens & Fairytales / Somewhere Else / America Sundae / Ecstacy Don't Come Free / Nothing To Do