Beautiful People: The Greatest Hits Of Melanie

Amazon.com
Melanie was the Jewel of the Woodstock Generation. Like her three-decades-down-the-road heir, the woman born Melanie Safka made a quick splash as a radio-friendly singer-songwriter. Something of a male Donovan (what is this, no-surname syndrome?), Melanie took hits (like Jewel, too) for delivering what critics considered hippie-dippy platitudes. (She came to resent her "bliss ninny" image and rebelled against it following her late-'60s, early-'70s heyday.) But, also like Donovan, Melanie's best songs have aged nicely, thanks in large part to her knack for integrating her distinctive rasp into ingratiating hooks and solid folk-rock arrangements. Alternating between melismatic sing-alongs ("Lay Down," here in unedited seven-minute-plus form, her splendid cover of "Ruby Tuesday," "What Have They Done to My Song, Ma?") and precious novelty numbers ("The Nickel Song," "Brand New Key," "Animal Crackers"), Melanie wrote her own little bit of pop history, which is celebrated in this worthy 19-song retrospective. All the hits are here, remastered by art-rock avatar Robert Fripp. --Steven Stolder

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Beautiful People: The Greatest Hits Of Melanie

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Melanie by Fripp? Well all right!
Melanie? A true artist or a sign of her times?
What a collection!!
Melanie the Great
Robert Fripp On This Influential Pied Piper Of A Heartthrob

Beautiful People: The Greatest Hits Of Melanie
Melanie
Manufacturer: Buddha
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Folk | Styles | Music

Christian Rock | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music

General | Pop | Styles | Music

Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music

Folk Rock | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

The Very Best of Melanie
Golden Hits Collection
Melanie The Ultimate Collection
Donovan's Greatest Hits
Beautiful Hits

ASIN: B00000JIL0
Release Date: 1999-07-13

Tracks:

Summer Of Love II
Lay Down (Candles In The Rain)
Ring The Living Bell
What Have They Done To My Song, Ma?
Brand New Key
Love To Lose Again
Lover's Cross
Ruby Tuesday
The Nickel Song
Bobo's Party
The Good Book
Christopher Robin
Animal Crackers
Psychotherapy (Live)
Beautiful People
Together Alone
Leftover Wine
Peace Will Come (According To Plan)
I Will Get Over

Amazon.com

Melanie was the Jewel of the Woodstock Generation. Like her three-decades-down-the-road heir, the woman born Melanie Safka made a quick splash as a radio-friendly singer-songwriter. Something of a male Donovan (what is this, no-surname syndrome?), Melanie took hits (like Jewel, too) for delivering what critics considered hippie-dippy platitudes. (She came to resent her "bliss ninny" image and rebelled against it following her late-'60s, early-'70s heyday.) But, also like Donovan, Melanie's best songs have aged nicely, thanks in large part to her knack for integrating her distinctive rasp into ingratiating hooks and solid folk-rock arrangements. Alternating between melismatic sing-alongs ("Lay Down," here in unedited seven-minute-plus form, her splendid cover of "Ruby Tuesday," "What Have They Done to My Song, Ma?") and precious novelty numbers ("The Nickel Song," "Brand New Key," "Animal Crackers"), Melanie wrote her own little bit of pop history, which is celebrated in this worthy 19-song retrospective. All the hits are here, remastered by art-rock avatar Robert Fripp. --Steven Stolder

Customer Reviews:

Melanie by Fripp? Well all right!.......2006-12-23

Robert Fripp helped give the Roches their unique sound on their first and third releases. To put him in charge of a remastering of Melanie's work was plain brilliance. It's great to hear pristine versions of "Ring the Living Bell," "Brand New Key" ---when and how can "Gather Me" be reissued?--- "Together Alone," the live "Physcotherapy" (still fun), "Ruby Tuesday" (a fave) and "Peace Will Come" (I'm still waiting). "Leftover Wine" and "Bobo's Party" show how Melanie could rock with just her own guitar and voice. There are two problem tracks: The penny-whistles on "The Good Book" are mixed far too high and are abrasive; the mix for the eight-minute "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)" is a mess. I mean a mess. Get yourself the vinyl release on "The Four Sides of Melanie," it rocks.

Melanie? A true artist or a sign of her times?.......2006-05-31

This CD captures, some, but not all of Melanie's greatest moments. As a songwriter she is superb. As a guitar player she is unmannered & simple. As a vocalist she was quite original and quite good, especially her phrasing. The earlier cuts showcase the quirky quality of Melanie's voice. The middle period cuts prove that Melanie was indeed a great vocalist. This album inspired me to purchase 2 other Melanie CDs, "Moments From My Life" & " Crazy Love". The latter showcases Melanie new and far improved songwriting abilities. She is one of the best. However, the former is a disaster. Her voice? What happened? I can't even listen to it. All singers, with age, have lost some of their vocal instrument. But, Melanie has lost most, if not all of it. On certain cuts it sounds as if she is dying. Awful! Do not buy the latter Melanie albums if singing is your thing. But, her greatest hits package is very good & it highlights an artist at her prime.

What a collection!!.......2006-03-01

I just read through some of the other reviews on this CD. I've heard most of these tracks already, so I wouldn't be in for much of a surprise.
But in response to the reviewers who complained briefly about the absence of "Bitter Bad," all I have to say is, this is only one CD, and you can't put everything all on one CD. At least, I'm assuming this is true, this CD does have the long version of "Lay Down (Candles In The Rain)," which by the way, I have not heard the long version but have wanted to.
If you haven't heard much of Melanie's work, other than, say, "Brand New Key," which is usually only played around the holidays (around the anniversary of when it first hit #1), this CD is bound to change your impression of Melanie, for the better. Amazon.com's reviewer compares her with Jewel...funny, so would I, had that not already been done. Both use only their first name, and both are equally as talented, and underrated.
I do recommend this CD, but only give it 3 stars, as I'd like to hear for myself whether or not they really did put the long version of "Lay Down" on here.
Enjoy!

Melanie the Great.......2005-09-13

Although I haven't heard this particular CD, I've heard all these songs before, though I couldn't say if they are all originals. I AM a Melanie fan. She has been a part of my life. I love her. All these early songs are of course of a different style than her mid 70s to mid 80s work, which had progressed to sheer brilliance. There's precious little to compare it with. I've never heard her work likened to witchy, as a reviewer said, which is plain stupidity. It WAS unique however, and I didn't always like it.

It took a little while to grow on me, but then I was hooked. Of course it is now passe, and also she has moved on. It was magic for it's time however, with it's folksy flowery appeal. Took me 30 years to work out the meaning of her lyrics, but now I don't care.

One must criticise the music companies once again for the constant stream of compilations. The normal studio albums contain so many rehashes of earlier work anyway. Her 90s and 2000s work is generally pretty ordinary compared to earlier. The music executives should be incarcerated for giving us now only a few compilations on CD rather than put out her brilliant albums, which maybe they plan to do after many more comps, but I was expecting them when CDs were first invented. I was willing to pay again even though I already own all the LPs. Here it is now 20-30 years after her best work, and still nothing. I may only live another 20 years. (barring disease or terrorism)

BTW Melanie's version of Lover's Cross is superior to Jim Croce's, though I love his work. Generally when she performed other people's songs, she improved on them.

This compilation is a small sampling of her earlier work from her youth, when she wrote and sung about 300 wonderful songs. So to say, where's Bitter Bad? Be real, this is only one CD.

For those knockers who are old enough to know better, you can continue wallowing in your ignorance and poor taste. "Oh yes, the Brand New Key girl". Gimme a break. These are the types who'd criticise the Beatles as "One Hit Wonders". For those of the younger generation, I know you have more sense, and I could do no better favour for you than to recommend you seek out Melanie's mid 70s to mid 80s material, and everything in-between. You WON'T be disappointed.

Robert Fripp On This Influential Pied Piper Of A Heartthrob.......2005-08-18

Not only was Melanie a highly attractive hippie flower child whose looks perhaps doomed her influence with the hippie revolution crowd (can an attractive woman be a rock star in the eyes of feminists without selling out as a sex symbol?) but she crafted highly individualistic interior based songs with context and sincerity.
This collection proves a great point of her place in music history offering great production and value..
She was a talent whose influences ranged not only to the current crop of singer songwriters but extended to gospel as the charting Lay Down by the Edward Hawkin Singers and even to the rockers Mott The Hoople who also covered her Lay Down on their 3rd CD Wildlife and also must have been admired at by the unique Robert Fripp Of King Crimson who was at the helm on this stellar collection.
The song collection is wonderful,sounds great,good liner notes and book and puts it all together nicely.

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