Track list

1.
Help You Forget
Smoke Signals
You'll Never Go Away
Out of Left Field
Close to Making Sense
Ground Floor Flat
Value
Home Before You Know It
Flag
All Weather Girls
Kicking in My Stall
Wasted on Me
Lowish Time

2.
Keep What I Got
Personally
Mystery Train
I Want to Live & Love
Cruisin'
I Thank the Lord My Prayers
Losing the Feeling
Barefootin'
Icy Blue Heart
Ain't Got You
Have Mercy
I'm Your Puppet
That's All It Took
I Thought About You
Lush Life

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

Track Listings
1 : Good Day
2 : Mountain
3 : The Stars Are Out
4 : Long Night
5 : Deadweight
6 : Hurt No More
7 : Foot Track Magic
8 : No-one
9 : U-bahn (It's Not Too Late for Us)
10 : Shimmerlove
11 : Yes in a Heartbeat

The London based Brit's fourth album, buthis first for PIAS Recordings, and one that eclipses everything Jonathan has achieved so far. The album showcases the remarkable depth of his craft, with his wonderfully weary, warm voice carving out haunting melodies amid uncommonly sophisticated arrangements from The Heritage Orchestra's Ben Trigg. Recorded at Ray Davies' Konk Studios, Good Day draws on the likes of Serge Gainsbourg, Scott Walker, Richie Havens, John Martyn, Carole King and James Taylor.

Before the Flood is a live album by Bob Dylan and The Band, released in June of 1974 on Asylum Records, catalogue AB 201. It is the seventeenth album by Dylan and the seventh by the Band, and documents their joint 1974 American tour. It peaked at #3 on the Billboard 200, and reached #8 in the United Kingdom.

Track Listings
1 : Spider
2 : Fly
3 : Match
4 : OK Corral
5 : Serpent Love
6 : Long Haul
7 : Sad One
8 : Slow Down Day Friend
9 : I'm High I'm On High
10 : Poethearted
11 : Hello Vietnam
12 : Train Inside
13 : 331 (bonus track)
14 : Second Coming (bonus track)
15 : J'aurais Voulu (bonus track)

While Indigo Girls is still very much alive and well, 'Murmuration Nation' is Saliers' first release under her own name, and it's a surprising journey indeed. The record brims over with life and energy, blurring both musical and geographical boundaries as Saliers breaks down barriers with a bold and infectious spirit of adventure. Recorded with an all-star band—including bassist Tim LeFebvre (David Bowie, Tedeschi Trucks Band), keyboardist Rachel Eckroth (KT Tunstall), and drummers Robert "Sput" Searight (Snarky Puppy) and Will Calhoun (Living Colour)—and featuring guest appearances from fellow luminaries like Lucy Wainwright Roche, Jonatha Brooke, and Jennifer Nettles, the album explores the kind of rhythmically centered, globally inspired music that's always held a special place in Saliers' heart. "I was born in a predominantly African American neighborhood in New Haven," she explains. "Most of my friends growing up were black, so I was steeped in a musical culture that included James Brown, Otis Redding, and all the great R&B artists of the time. That's the music that really stirred my spirit and made my body want to move. I found myself loving music from West Africa and South America for the same reasons. I think of it all as 'body music.'" It was folk music, however, that first brought Saliers to national prominence. Indigo Girls released their breakout self-titled album in 1989, and in the ensuing decades, racked up a slew of Gold and Platinum records, took home a coveted GRAMMY Award, and earned the respect of high profile peers-turned-collaborators from Michael Stipe to Joan Baez. NPR's Mountain Stage called the band "one of the finest folk duos of all time," while Rolling Stone said they "personify what happens when two distinct sensibilities, voices, and worldviews come together to create something transcendently its own," and The New York Times raved that "gleeful profanities, righteous protest anthems and impeccable folk songwriting have carried this duo for thirty years." Known for their outspoken political activism in addition to their brilliant songwriting, Indigo Girls became a household name and a fixture of American pop culture, but Saliers has never been one to rest on her laurels. Throughout her rise to stardom, she toyed with the idea of recording a solo album that combined her love of folk storytelling with her passion for the grooves and beats of that "body music" she'd always been so innately drawn to. When she met Juliard-trained violinist Lyris Hung, now a frequent Indigo Girls collaborator, Saliers found that her dream no longer seemed that farfetched. The result is a record that defies easy categorization, with Saliers effortlessly mixing disparate musical traditions underneath poetic lyrics that take their cues from the natural world around us. Album opener "Spider," for instance, brings together hints of heavy metal and Native American a capella music as Saliers weaves an arachno-centric metaphor for geopolitical trickery, while Spanish guitar gives way to orchestral strings and an electronic beat on the slithering "Serpent Love," and the elegant "Fly" draws on avian inspiration for its message of community and cooperation. In much the same way, Saliers' songwriting and Hung's production reach across divides to a broad and diverse audience. Though the musical setting may be different, Indigo Girls fans who have grown up with Saliers will recognize her trademark passion and perception, while younger listeners unfamiliar with her illustrious back catalog will discover in this record a voice of great clarity and understanding that speaks to these unique and troubling times. By drawing on her love of so many cultures and her insatiable appetite for great songwriting, regardless of genre or era, Saliers has crafted an album that is at once classic and modern, timeless and daring.