Melanie Singles compilation 3 CDs | Butterboy Special

Melanie Safka - Melanie's Singles (A Butterboy Compilation) (3 x CDs)

MELANIE

Melanie Anne Safka Schekeryk, affectionately and professionally known as Melanie 

or Melanie Safka, was an American singer-songwriter, a shining star of musical 

talent and creativity. 

Born on February 3, 1947, in Queens, New York passing away on January 23, 2024. R.I.P.
Melanie’s musical journey began early, thanks to her jazz singer mother 

who immersed her in the arts. 

By the tender age of four, Melanie was already charming audiences on radio shows 

with her unique and captivating voice. 

The 1960s saw Melanie’s career take off as she performed in the folk clubs 

of Greenwich Village. 

Her warm and soulful voice quickly distinguished her from other artists, 

and her ability to convey deep emotions through her music resonated with listeners, 

earning her a loyal fan base.

Melanie’s big break came when she signed with Buddah Records, leading to her 

first chart successes in Europe. 

Her popularity skyrocketed, and she became a beloved figure in the music industry. 

Melanie’s performances were known for their authenticity and sincerity, 

endearing her to fans around the world.
One of the most iconic moments in Melanie’s career was her performance 

at the legendary Woodstock festival in 1969. 

As one of only three solo female artists to perform at the event, 

Melanie’s presence was a testament to her incredible talent and the significant impact 

she had on the music scene. Her performance at Woodstock remains a defining moment, 

capturing the spirit of the era.

Throughout her career, Melanie continued to evolve as an artist, exploring various 

musical styles and genres. 

Her ability to adapt and innovate kept her music fresh and relevant, earning her critical acclaim 

and numerous accolades. 

Melanie’s legacy is one of artistic integrity and a deep commitment to her craft. 

Her music continues to inspire and uplift, a testament to her enduring talent 

and the indelible mark she left on the world of music. Melanie’s journey was one of passion, 

creativity, and unwavering dedication to her art, making her a true icon in the music industry.
Melanie is widely known for the 1971-72 global hit "Brand New Key”; 

her 1970 version of the Rolling Stones’ "Ruby Tuesday”; 

her composition "What Have They Done to My Song Ma”; and her 1970 international 

breakthrough hit "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)”, 

which was inspired by her experience of performing at the 1969 Woodstock music festival.

Melanie Safka had an impressive career with 59 singles released. 

She also released a total of 28 studio albums, along with 13 live albums and 14 compilation albums.

This collection features 106 tracks, showcasing most of Melanie’s 

single A-sides and B-sides from 1967- 2024. 

Duplicate tracks, whether A-sides or B-sides, 

have been excluded to ensure a unique listening experience. 

However, if a B-side was new for a previously released A-side, it has been included. 

Also, I haven't included the early songs with "Mommy". (Butterboy)

Enjoy!

Melanie Singles a Butterboy Compilation here . . .

We lost the force of nature that was Melanie Safka earlier this year | Here her classic THIRD album : Candles in The Rain | Plain & Fancy

Melanie - Candles In The Rain (1971, 2015 bonus tracks remaster)

here . . . .

1970s Candles in the Rain was Melanie Safka's third album, but while her first two LPs found her trying to make a coherent whole out of her grab bag of influences and ideas, this was where she seemed to truly hit the mark for the first time. "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)" was that rarity, a hit single that truly presented an eclectic artist in her best light -- the Woodstock rock festival that inspired the tune was just the sort of event that would appeal to Melanie's hippie-styled idealism, and with the power of the Edwin Hawkins Singers backing her, she had a level of musical strength on hand that would prevent her from sounding histrionic. 

While "Lay Down" was easily the most effective track on Candles in the Rain, the rest of the album found Melanie sounding more confident and expressive than ever before -- there's a emotional gravity to "Citiest People" and "Leftover Wine" that's compelling even when she pushes a little to hard for pathos, and "What Have They Done to My Song Ma?" was the first of her many musical broadsides against the music business, and its wit doesn't blunt its wounded passion. And while Melanie is generally thought of as a singer/songwriter, she was always an imaginative interpreter of the songs of others, and her versions of "Ruby Tuesday" and "Carolina on My Mind" exist on an entirely separate plane from the originals. 

Finally, the production and arrangements by Peter Schekeryk create fine backdrops for Melanie, punctuating her performances and complementing her emotional peaks and valleys without getting in the way (and the accompanists deliver uniformly superb work). If Candles in the Rain was the album that broke Melanie to a larger audience, it did so not just because it featured her biggest hit single to date, but because it matched material and interpretation with greater skill than she had in the past, and it ranks with her finest work. 

by Mark Deming

Sadly Melanie Anne Safka Schekeryk, passed away on January 23, 2024, at the age of 76.

Tracks

1. Candles In The Rain - 1:49

2. Lay Down (Candles In The Rain) - 3:49

3. Carolina In My Mind (James Taylor) - 3:49

4. Citiest People - 3:42

5. What Have They Done To My Song Ma? - 4:06

6. Alexander Beetle (Alan Alexander Milne, Melanie Safka) - 3:05

7. Good Guys - 3:11

8. Lovin' Baby Girl - 4:05

9. Ruby Tuesday (Mick Jagger, Keith Richards) - 4:48

10.Leftover Wine - 6:15

11.Almost Like Being In Love (Alan Jay Lerner, Frederick Loewe) - 3:51

12.Dream Seller (Rod Clements) - 3:36

Music and Words by Melanie Safka except where noted

Bonus Songs 11-12

Musicians

*Melanie - Vocals, Guitar

*Alan Parker - Guitars

*Alan Hawkshaw - Keyboards, Organ

*Edwin Hawkins - Piano (Track 2)

*Harold Mcnair - Fiddle, Flute

*Herbie Flowers - Bass

*Barry Morgan - Drums

*Rico Reyes - Congas, Percussion (Track 2)

*John Abbott - Arrangement (Track 2), Conductor (Track 5)

*Lee Holdridge - String Arrangements (Tracks 4,9)

 Lay Down, Lay Down (Candles In The Rain) 

FULL RECORDING Melanie & The Edwin Hawkins Singers ('70)

In tribute to Peter Schekeryk (the Record Man), and of course Melanie herself, creator of this 8-minute record. Peter made the call to Edwin Hawkins, leader of the gospel group. They had just come off their hit "Oh Happy Day." Peter was in high gear talking Edwin Hawkins’s ear off. Then out of nowhere he said, “Here....Melanie wants to talk to you.” I looked at him in horror as I put the phone to my ear. Earlier I had said, “Peter, wouldn't it be great if the Edwin Hawkins Singers sang on Candles In The Rain?" He was off and running. He orchestrated the whole thing. We flew out to Oakland, California where they were rehearsing in a high school gym. They only do nonsecular music, I thought…couldn’t believe he got me into this! When we walked in they were in the middle of a song. They trailed off and all looked at me. A white girl with a guitar and a wildly gesticulating man standing next to her. Peter ran up to Edwin Hawkins who was playing the piano. What I'm certain of is that he wasn't apologizing for barging in on their rehearsal. I thought Peter had prearranged this meeting. Apparently it was a surprise visit! So in this spirit of ("I wish I could crawl under a seat and hide") I sang my heart out on a solo version of “Lay Down.” When I got to the second chorus, the Edwin Hawkins Singers joined in. The rest is, as they say, history.

  / melaniesafka  

MELANIE - IN CONCERT BBC TV 1971 (R.I.P)

 

Sky Vibes at YouTube says :

When I was a young man living in England there was a series of "In Concert" TV programmes broadcast with singer / songwriters of the day including Neil Young, Cat Stevens, Joni Mitchell and of course Melanie Safka. This particular short "concert" was recorded in London on 14/7/1971 and broadcast 8/1/1972. 

I remember being mesmerised by Melanie's performance, and its power has not diminished over the intervening years, although sadly the "peace and love" message, so prominent in Melanie's lyrics, never really got much further than 1971, we all hoped it would after the short lived "halcyon" years of hope from 1967 - 1970.  

Post Altamont and Charlie Manson the wind of changes shifted and here we are . . . . Skyvibes goes on to say

I've remastered this as best I can from the original tape I had - I hope you enjoy it. Peace! 00.00 1. Close To It All 04.05 2. Tuning My Guitar 08.27 3. The Nickel Song 12.12 4. Beautiful People 16.40 5. Look What They Done To My Song Ma 20.26 6. Peace Will Come (According To Plan)

Melanie at URBANASPIRINES  Greatest Hits here

 

MELANIE SAFKA - 3/02/1947 - 23/01/2024

Melanie Anne Safka-Schekeryk (February 3, 1947 – January 23, 2024), professionally known as 

                          "Melanie, or Melanie Safka, was an American singer-songwriter. She is best known for the 1971–72 global hit "Brand New Key", plus her 1970 version of "Ruby Tuesday", which was originally written and recorded by the Rolling Stones, her composition "Look What They've Done to My Song Ma", and her 1970 international breakthrough hit "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)" (inspired by her experience of performing at the 1969 Woodstock music festival).

                           No talent who came out of Woodstock and who continued actively performing more than a quarter century later remained as closely associated with the 1960s and "flower power" than Melanie. Born Melanie Safka in Astoria, Queens, in 1947, she made her first public appearance at age four on a radio show, later studying at the New York Academy of Fine Arts."

01. Summer Of Love II    4:35
02. Lay Down (Candles In The Rain)    7:39
03. Ring The Living Bell    5:02
04. What Have They Done To My Song, Ma?    4:03
05. Brand New Key    2:24
06. Love To Lose Again    4:34
07. Lover's Cross    4:24
08. Ruby Tuesday    4:34
09. The Nickel Song    3:44
10. Bobo's Party    3:51
11. The Good Book    2:30
12. Christopher Robin    2:36
13. Animal Crackers    2:14
14. Psychotherapy (Live)    5:12
15. Beautiful People    3:35
16. Together Alone    4:45
17. Leftover Wine    6:14
18. Peace Will Come (According To Plan)    3:19
19. I Will Get Over    3:37

KOSTAS over at Urbanaspirines has written and posted a fine tribute. We will miss her 

Melanie - Obit bio and Greatest Hits here

 

No information on the cause of death was immediately given. But Melanie — full name Melanie Safka — had been in the studio earlier this month working on a new record of cover songs, “Second Hand Smoke,” for the Cleopatra label; it would have been her 32nd album, the label said.

Her three children, Leilah, Jeordie, and Beau Jarred, posted a message on Facebook, writing: “We are heartbroken, but want to thank each and every one of you for the affection you have for our Mother, and to tell you that she loved all of you so much! She was one of the most talented, strong and passionate women of the era and every word she wrote, every note she sang reflected that. Our world is much dimmer, the colors of a dreary, rainy Tennessee pale with her absence today, but we know that she is still here, smiling down on all of us, on all of you, from the stars.” Variety Mag

She was a mother a grandmother and great grandmother they told us

 

Melanie

Melanie . . . . . . . just because

continuing the tradition of artists whose work we bought when they came out, here’s a tribute to Melanie Safka  . . . . . Brand New Key . . . . . . . . . and

 

Still going strong, the immaculate and enigmatic Melanie Safka

Ruby Tuesday

 

 The Nickel Song

 

Beautiful People

Look What They Done To My Song, Ma

Look What They Done (with Miley Cyrus Backyard Sessions)

Lay Down (Full Version)

Various Artists: Women In ROCK Part 1 (of 7!) : URBANASPIRINES

 Nice homespun and indeed homemade, compilation of the women of contemporary music from Kostas over at Urbanaspirines this morning and whilst I have most if not all the tracks it is well worth reading and checking the liner notes and downloading anyway!

Kostas says there may be exceptions and I thought well yeah obviously but . . . . . . .this is very comprehensive and we still have Vol II - VII still to go! Do you reckon anyone’s missing? If so, who? It even included women I didn’t really know (for shame!?) Angie New and Barbara Hudson? Anyone?!

The Queen

Women in Rock Vol I - URBANASPIRINES

TRACKS

01. Joan Baez - Diamonds And Rust

02. Joni Mitchell - Woodstock

03. Jefferson Airplane - White Rabbit

04. Janis Joplin - Cry Baby

05. Pentangle - The Time has Come

06. Melanie - Lay Down

07. Carly Simon - You're So Vain

08. Bread, Love  And Dreams - The Least Said

09. Dusty Springfield - Son Of A Preacher Man

10. Linda Ronstadt - It's So Easy

11. Fleetwood Mac - Go Your Own Way

12. Marianne Faithfull - So Sad

13. Renaissance - Island

14. Nancy Sinatra - These Boots Are Made For Walkin'

15. Ultimate Spinach - (Ballad Of) The Hip Death Godess

16. Affinity - I Am And So Are You

17. Joan jett And The Blackhearts - I Love Rock 'N' Roll

18. Coven - Wicked Woman

19. Sonny And Cher - I Got You Babe

20. Steeleye Span - Lowlands Of Holland

21. The Mamas And The Papas - California Dreamin'

22. Julie Driscoll - Those What We Love

23. The Serpent Power - Forget

24. Fanny - Badge 

25. The Shangri-Las - Remember (Walkin' In The Sand)

Affinity (feat. Linda Hoyle)

Annie

Marianne

to name but a few . . . . . . . 
 

Ooops forgot this one from March 4th . . . . . . great song

On this day in music history: March 4, 1967 - “Ruby Tuesday” by The Rolling Stones hits #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 1 week. Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, it is the fourth chart topping single for the British rock band. Keith Richards comes up with initial idea for the song, writing it in a Los Angeles hotel room in early 1966 while the band are in the city recording tracks for their current album “Aftermath”. The song about a free spirited woman, is based on a groupie Richards and his then girlfriend Linda Keith knew. Jagger writes most of the lyrics including the song's chorus. The Stones record “Ruby Tuesday” at Olympic Studios in London on November 8, 1966 with additional overdubs recorded on December 3, 1966. Guitarist Brian Jones also plays the recorder on the song, giving it its distinctive “baroque” sound. “Ruby” is originally released as the B-side of “Let’s Spend The Night Together” in January of 1967. When American radio stations feel that the former song is “too suggestive” for airplay, DJ’s flip the single over and play “Ruby Tuesday” instead. Entering the Hot 100 at #78 on January 21, 1967, it speeds to the top of the chart six weeks later. “Ruby Tuesday” is added to US LP pressings of The Rolling Stones’ next album “Between The Buttons” when it is released on February 11, 1967. 

 Lots of us heard it first via the wonderful Melanie Safka




Later we enjoyed Marianne Faithfull's version often confused with Sylvie Vartan's cover

. . . .


here with great visuals from Polanski's ' Repulsion' with the incandescent Catherine Deneuve