Daria's

Melanie

melanie safka

Session recording from '77, Melanie's homage to Joan Armatrading who she says is her favourite songwriter.

MELANIE Down To Zero (J.Armatrading)

Live radio broadcast from Telstar Studios, Sarasota, Florida, September '78. 

Photo: source unknown

MELANIE Buckle Down (Coffee Break Concert)

Also known as Golden Chains, this song would later appear in Melanie's musical play, Ace Of Diamonds. Live radio broadcast from Telstar Studios, Florida, September '78.

Photo source uncertain

MELANIE Hand Me Downs (Coffee Break Concert)

Excellent studio recording of this song's first incarnation from Suntreader Studios, Vermont, in late '78. This was never officially released.

MELANIE Leftover Emotion #2 ('78)

A precious remnant. We have only this and one other song in professionally recorded form from the '76 Australian tour. Melanie accompanied by David Doran (guitar) and Jay Woolfe (bass). Venue uncertain. Thanks to Oldshore for making this available: "Some Say (I Got Devil)" by the great Melanie Safka.

MELANIE Some Say LIVE AUSTRALIA '76

Stunning live performance of an enigmatic song unreleased elsewhere, at Carnegie Hall in '78.

MELANIE Singing 'em Blue (live)

Unreleased recording made at 914 Studios, New York, on November 21, 1973. Originally a hit by the Five Stairsteps, it was written by Stan Vincent. Melanie subtly altered the lyrics in a couple of places; can you pick them? 

MELANIE Ooh Child (S.Vincent)

Peace Will Come -Miley Cyrus & Melanie Safka - Backyard Sessions

(2015 Version)Look What They've Done To My Song Ma - Miley Cyrus & Melanie Safka - Backyard Sessions

WPLJ-FM New York - Melanie with Tony Pigg 

Originally broadcast 1974 to promote "Madrugada". Includes a live performance of "Sweet Misery" and the debut of the new single "Love To Lose Again" (with unique ending).

Melanie - Archived Interview 1974

Yaw Baby (Break My Heart)- Melanie Safka

Pretty Little Baby (Virgin Mary)/ Hallelujah - Radio Broadcast 1975.


Pretty Little Baby - Hallelujah (Live 1975)

Melanie Safka-No Time To Talk

Simple, stunning acoustic version recorded live at Montreux in 1971.

7 Babe Rainbow

Babe Rainbow - Live At Montreux 1971

Amazing unreleased cover of a song by Carole Bayer Sager and Peter Allen, recorded in '74 during the 'As I See It Now' sessions

MELANIE SAFKA Shy As A Violet

Melanie - Oh Boy / Brand New Key 7" (1978)

In October of 2012 Didier (a French Melanie fan) wrote this entry into his blog:

Between 1978 and 1982, Melanie tried to reach some kind of success using covers of others' songs. There were "Knock On Wood", there will be "Detroit or Buffalo" and here was the classic Buddy Holly "Oh Boy". Honestly, I never found she succeeded in covering rocky songs when she triumphs in making hers ballads or sad songs. 

Here it's a rocker, and even if she sings it really well and with guts, behind, the band is too mainstream to make it a total success. But the interest of this single is the B-side. 
At least the US single (elsewhere it will be backed with one song from Phonogenic, "Running after Love"). 

A re-worked version of her biggest hit "Brand New Key". First you must know that in 1971, she initially wanted to record the song as a sort of Louisiana cajun one and was greatly disappointed to realize that Peter Schekeryk had done of it a much poppy song. 

So, here, it's not a version to fit in the 1978-mood, but the version she had initially in mind. And it's true that it's totally different. Much better in a way, but the song has became such a classic, that it's difficult not to love the version that was a hit. 

It's interesting to post this lost treasure when Melanie re-worked it recently with her son in the  hope that when this song will be used for ads (recently for HP) or in movies, she will win at least some money from it, since she has apparently no right on the hit version. 

So here I add another brand new piece to this puzzle. Sorry for the sound quality. It's a rip from my vinyl and the one I found is rather noisy and scratchy. I did my best to improve things but couldn't do miracles. 

Totally unbelievable not any of the hundreds of Melanie compilations included any one of these songs. The web allows to share them with Melanie's amateurs.

There was no picture sleeve for this US single so I did one.

[Didier 2012]

02 Brand New Key (Swamp Version 1978)

A favourite of many fortunate to have heard this unreleased recording from the Suntreader Sessions, Sharon, Vermont, 1978. Written just before Melanie's Carnegie Hall appearance in June that year (she aired it at that show) and later included as part of her musical, 'Ace Of Diamonds'. We hope that this, along with a lot more wonderful unreleased material, will be officially released, at last, in the not too distant future.

02 Brand New Key (Swamp Version 1978)

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