Hollywood Dream

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
This article is about the album Hollywood Dream. For the roller coaster, see Hollywood Dream: The Ride.
Hollywood Dream
Studio album by Thunderclap Newman
Released October 1970[1]
Genre Rock, art rock, psychedelic pop, progressive rock[2]
Length 47:51 / 68:33
Language English
Label Track Records (UK)
Atlantic Records (US)
MCA Records (US)
Polydor Records (CD version)
Producer Pete Townshend
Singles from Hollywood Dream [1]
  1. "Something in the Air/Wilhelmina [UK] / Something in the Air/I See It All [US]"
    Released: May 1969 [UK] / 1969 [US]
  2. "Accidents/I See It All"
    Released: May 1970
  3. "The Reason/Stormy Petrel"
    Released: August 1970
  4. "Wild Country/Hollywood Dream"
    Released: November 1970
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic 4.5/5 stars[3]
Robert Christgau (B-)[4]
Music-News 4/5 stars[5]
Consumable Online (favourable)[6]

Hollywood Dream was a 1970 album by Thunderclap Newman, their first and only album release.


The album was produced by The Who's guitarist and songwriter Pete Townshend, who was also responsible for the band's initial formation.[7] Townshend helped the group to obtain a recording contract with Track Records, a company formed by Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp, who were managers of The Who. Townshend also played bass on the album, credited under the pseudonym "Bijou Drains", although the later CD releases do not credit him.[7][8] Track Records licensed the recordings to Atlantic Records for initial release in the U.S.

The group's first single "Something in the Air", was a UK number 1 hit and is the song for which Thunderclap Newman are best known.[2][9] The single also reached #25 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the U.S. The album was recorded after the initial U.K. success of the first single.

The album as originally released in 1970 opened with "Hollywood", with the title track, an instrumental by young guitarist Jimmy McCulloch, appearing toward the end of Side 2. The album then culminated in a reprise of "Hollywood" (featuring a miscellany of instruments including soprano saxophones, glockenspiel, sleigh bells, a Japanese battle cymbal and a Chinese temple block) and finally "Something in the Air".

In 1973 the album was reissued in the U.S. with different cover art by MCA Records. The CD release in 1991 moved "Something in the Air" to become the opening track. It also added the single versions of "Something In The Air" (the single version's mix differed from the album version), "Accidents" and "The Reason", and the three non-album B-sides as bonus tracks.


Track listing[edit]

All songs written by Speedy Keen unless otherwise stated.

  1. "Hollywood #1" - 3:20
  2. "The Reason" - 4:05
  4. "Look Around" - 2:59
  5. "Accidents" - 9:40
  6. "Wild Country" - 4:14
  7. "When I Think" - 3:06
  8. "The Old Cornmill" - 3:58
  9. "I Don't Know" - 3:44
  11. "Hollywood #2" - 2:54
  12. "Something in the Air" – 3:54
1991 CD reissue and bonus tracks

For this release, "Something in the Air" became the opening track and the album was augmented by the A and B sides of the singles released by Thunderclap Newman.

  1. "Something in the Air" (Single Version) - 3:54
  2. "Wilhemina" (Andy Newman) - 2:56
  3. "Accidents" (Single Version) - 3:46
  4. "I See It All" (Jack McCulloch, Jimmy McCulloch) - 2:46
  5. "The Reason" (Single Version) - 3:47
  6. "Stormy Petrel" (Newman) - 2:57



The band
Additional musicians
  • Pete Townshend - producer
  • Graham Hughes - cover art
  • Chris Morphet - album spread photographs
  • Chris Stamp - special thanks
  • Bill Levenson - CD reissue production
  • Dennis Drake - CD reissue mastering at PolyGram Studios


  1. ^ a b Andy, Neill; Matt, Kent (2007). Anyway Anyhow Anywhere: the Complete Chronicle of The Who 1958-1978 (1st paperback ed.). London, W6: Virgin Books. pp. 447–448. ISBN 978-0-7535-1217-3. 
  2. ^ a b "Hollywood Dream - Overview". Allmusic. Retrieved 2009-10-20. 
  3. ^ Allmusic review
  4. ^ Robert Christgau review
  5. ^ Music-News review
  6. ^ Consumable Online review
  7. ^ a b c Sleeve notes on 1996 CD reissue of Speedy Keen solo album Y'Know Wot I Mean? (Island / Edsel EDCD 462)
  8. ^ a b Sleeve notes on 1991 CD reissue of Hollywood Dream (PolyGram / Polydor 833 794-2)
  9. ^ "REVIEW: Thunderclap Newman, Hollywood Dream". Consumable Online. Retrieved 2009-10-20.