Solo Career
Late in 1974 Williams was signed to EMI by Alan Galbraith. A single was released at the end of 1974, "Celebration"/"Let Love Come Between Us", but it was another song from the recording sessions that really stood out. Alan Galbraith had taken a "Vanda and Young" song, originally destined for Craig Scott, and given it a new arrangement. The song "Yesterday Was Just The Beginning Of My Life" backed with "Jimmy Loves Marianne" was released in May 1975 and within 6 weeks was number one on the National Charts, staying there for 3 weeks and eventually falling out of the charts 6 months later.
Williams' debut self-titled album came out in June and peaked at number 2, remaining on the album charts for 30 weeks. It quickly went gold and went on to be New Zealand's best selling pop/rock album of the seventies. Whilst the album contained many excellent songs, surprisingly no further singles came from it. The next single was "Sweet Wine"/"Who Do You Think You Are" and released in November 1975. It reached number 7 on the charts. Early in 1976, Lew Pryme took Williams on a visit to Australia. The trip was not very successful and on their return to New Zealand, Pryme and Williams parted company. A second album "Sweet Trials" was released along with his third single, "If It Rains"/"Morning Sun Upon A Mountain" taken from the album. Also including his second single, the album was not as successful, only reaching number 14 on the album charts, while the third single fared worse, entering the charts at 25 and only staying in the charts for one week.
With Williams' popularity on the decline, which critics put down to the lack of good material featured on second album, the subsequent national tour only attracted medium sized crowds. In late 1976 the single "Taking It All In Stride"/"Why Can't We Be Lovers" was released. It peaked at number 14 and gave some much-needed airplay. A second boost to his career came about with the release of his third album "Taking It All In Stride" in June 1977. It contained the single "It Doesn't Matter Anymore"/"True Love (Is Never Easy)". A superb cover of the old Buddy Holly classic, the song went to number one, giving Mark his second chart topper. Although certified Gold, the album didn’t chart any higher than his second, it stayed around much longer and was well received by the record buying public. It also contained a fine duet with Sharon O'Neill called "If There's Still A Little Love" and this was released as a single with "Love Is Forever" as a B side.
Read more about this topic: Mind Over Matter (Mark Williams Album)
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