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Music > Folk
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Delerium
(CD)
Donald Shaw, John Saich, Manus Lunny, Marc Duff, Charlie McKerron, …
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R506
Discovery Miles 5 060
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Celebration
(CD)
Foster And Allen
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R50
R40
Discovery Miles 400
Save R10 (20%)
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This double-LP anthology of Melanie's work surprised a lot of
people when it first appeared in 1972 -- the
singer/songwriter/guitarist had enjoyed a short string of hits, but
hardly seemed ready for a compilation of this sort. In point of
fact, she wasn't quite ready for it, but there it was, a result of
her former record label, Buddah, deciding to capitalize on her
commercial breakthrough the year before, with "Brand New Key,"
which had been released by Neighborhood Records. As it turned out,
The Four Sides of Melanie wasn't a bad collection, despite a missed
treasure or two left out from its 30 songs. The elaborately
designed and illustrated package divided its four LP sides into
distinct song groupings, the first devoted to her early, formative
songs for Buddah, while the second focused on her own biggest hit
("Lay Down Candles in the Rain") and her songwriting successes with
"What Have They Done to My Song" (then best-known for the New
Seekers' rendition) and "The Nickel Song." The third side was given
over to her covers of other songwriters' work (which means her
version of the Rolling Stones' "Ruby Tuesday," which did chart
quite high, is represented there) -- this side has the one major
gap in the collection's programming, overlooking her wrenching and
haunting rendition of Phil Ochs' "Chords of Fame" from The Good
Book. And side four was given over to her more fanciful songs,
sometimes aimed at children and at other points expressing the
songwriter's idealism. If all of this sounds a bit pretentious to
readers in the 21st century, one has to bear in mind that in 1972
songwriters and performers of Melanie's sort were -- for very good
reasons -- taken very seriously; the Vietnam War was still going
on, and people were fighting in the streets over it (and a lot
else), and those on the outside looking in (which is how a lot of
people under 30 and, especially, under 20, felt) were looking for
leaders and guides. Melanie might never quite have been that, even
in a musical context -- compared to, say, figures such as Malvina
Reynolds or Joan Baez or Odetta -- but she sure sang and wrote like
she might have been, and filled the role for a time. This
collection may have been put together for crass commercial reasons,
but it is a reminder of that time. The original double-LP was a
popular release among longtime fans at the time, though it did
muddy the waters somewhat for those who'd discovered her with
"Brand New Key," competing with and distracting them from her
newest work. Today it sounds, at its best, as on "Lay Down" or
"Peace Will Come," like a little bit of heaven in song. The 2009
Beat Goes On double-CD reissue offers state of the art remastering
that's a delight to the ear, and re-creates the original artwork
and design in miniature, and offers full annotation by John Tobler.
~ Bruce Eder
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Amerika
(CD)
The Migrant
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R452
Discovery Miles 4 520
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Winter Fires
(CD)
Gren Bartley
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R469
Discovery Miles 4 690
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Terra Firma
(CD)
Wolfstone
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R508
Discovery Miles 5 080
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