A GUIDE TO THE RECORDINGS OF MELANIE

SAD SONG (Melanie Safka) (2:29)

LOVE IN MY MIND (Melanie Safka) (2:38)

Produced by Peter Schekeryk for Hugo & Luigi Productions Inc

Arranged and Conducted by John Abbot

Released September 1967 on United Artists UA 50219

Single by an all-female vocal group. It is unknown if Melanie is actually featured on this recording, though some of the vocals do sound like her.

GODS ONLY DAUGHTER (Melanie Safka (2:32)

Produced by Peter Schekeryk for Hugo & Luigi Productions Inc.

Arranged by John Abbot

Released in the USA in late 1967 by Columbia Records 4-44349

Melanie’s first single under her own name is also the first recording of Beautiful People, this version being different to the one that appeared on Melanie’s second album. God’s Only Daughter was later released on the compilation Please 

WHY DIDN’T MY MOTHER TELL ME (Melanie Safka) (2:50)

Produced by Peter Schekeryk for Hugo & Luigi Productions Inc.

Arranged by John Abbot

Released in the USA in 1968 by Columbia Records 4-44524

Buddah Records later released Garden In The City on the album of the same name

A ALEXANDER BEETLE (Melanie Safka/A. A. Milne)

B1. CHRISTOPHER ROBIN (Melanie Safka/A. A. Milne)

B2 ANIMAL CRACKERS(Melanie Safka)

Released in th UK. October 1971by Buddah Records 2011 093

Alexander Beetle was dropped from the UK release of Candles In The Rain and instead was included on this 3-track single

B. DO YOU BELIEVE (Melanie Safka)

Produced by Peter Schekeryk

Arranged by Ron Frangipane

Sax by Artie Kaplan

Background Vocals by Brooks Arthur.

Single Released in 1973 by Neighborhood Records

UK: NBH 6 / USA: NRS 4210 / AUS: NBH10157 / Canada: 4210X

France: 2C006-94.236 / Spain: J006-94.236 / Germany: C006-94249

Bitter Bad was the first of three non-album tracks to be released as singles by Neighborhood Records.

B. SEEDS (Edited Version) (2:59)

Produced by Peter Schekeryk

Written by Melanie Safka

This promotion single was issued in the US in 1973 by Neighborhood Records

NRA 4212

The label states ‘from a forthcoming album’, though Seeds never actually appeared on any album. The complete version includes a rendition of the Gather Me poem. The single itself was backed with Some Say (I Got Devil)

A1. I AM NOT A POET (NIGHT SONG) (2:07)

A2 SONG OF THE SOUTH, BASED ON THE THEME FROM SONG OF THE NORTH,

ADAPTED FROM THE ORIGINAL (2:40)

B1. BRAND NEW KEY (Recorded live at Carnegie Hall) (2:22)

B2 SEEDS (2:54)

All titles composed by Melanie Safka

Produced by Peter Schekeryk

Made in England by Lyntone Recordings Limited LYN 2673

This flexi-disc came as a free gift with Honey Magazine. Side 1 contains edited versions of two songs from the Stoneground Words album

B. HERE I AM (Melanie Safka)

Produced by Peter Schekeryk

Released 1973 by Neighborhood Records

UK: NBH 6

USA: NRS 4210

Will You Love Me Tomorrow was released as a single in the UK in November 1973. It received quite a lot of radio play and made it to number 37 in the UK singles charts by February 1974. Presumably it was because of this success of the single that it was decided to add the track to the UK version of Madrugada (in favour of the song I Am Being Guided), to try and boost sales of the album. In the USA, Will You Love Me Tomorrow was only ever released as a single

B. SWEET MISERY (Melanie Safka)

Produced and Directed by Peter Schekeryk

Italian single released 1975 by Neighborhood Records NBH 3534

Quotes from Melanie on La Bamba.

“I even had a hit record in Italy that I didn't know I had (released). I had done 'La Bamba', and it was beautiful, I loved it. We had recorded it in Nashville, and I was on Arista at the time and there were problems with the albums and stuff, and it just didn't get out. Well, it came out in Italy and it was way up in the charts, I mean a hit! Somebody sent me a copy with a picture of myself on the cover, and I never got a penny for it. I don't know how they got the tape. It was never released. It was never even mixed (laughs)” – Interview 1994

“There's a lot of bootleg stuff on me, I had a record out, that I never put out, it was ‘La Bamba’, I recorded it when I was on Arista with Clive Davis, I don't know how this tape came out, but I recorded a version of "La Bamba", in a studio, that we never mixed, never finished, we never released, it came out in Italy, and it was a Number One record, somebody sent it to me, I wouldn't have believed it, because I went to Italy, and having knowing I had a hit record, I would do "La Bamba", but I didn't know, so I'm singing all these songs that nobody ever heard of, but I didn't know, I found out later” – Interview 1996

B. BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE (Melanie Safka) (5:17)

Side A Produced and Directed by Peter Schekeryk

Musical Director: John Abbot

Taken from the album Sunset and Other Beginnings.

Side B recorded live at Royal Albert Hall, London, October 6th 1975

Released in the UK in 1975 on Neighborhood Records

NBH 3789

B. BRAND NEW KEY (Melanie Safka) (3:47)

Produced by Peter Schekeryk

Released in the USA in 1978 by World United Record Company 1947

This single included a new recording of Brand New Key.

B. RUNNIN’ AFTER LOVE (Melanie Safka) (3:57)

Produced by Peter Schekeryk

Released in German in 1978 by RCA Records

XL 1063

Oh Boy was also released as a single in Germany, though it did not include the 1978 recording of Brand New Key

B. ONE MORE TRY (M. Mueller) – Mono (3:42)

Produced by Peter Schekeryk and Lennie Petze

Executive Producers: Artie Ripp and Jonathan Needle

7” promotional single Issued in the USA in 1981 by Epic/Portrait 12-51001

Side A. produced by Peter Schekeryk and Lennie Petze

Side B produced by Peter Schekeryk

Executive Producers: Artie Ripp and Jonathan Needle

Issued in the USA in 1981 by Epic/Portrait Records

12-51001

B. DEAD AND GONE (Melanie Safka – Peter Schekeryk)

USA 7” single rumoured to have released in 1982 by Blanche Records. Unknown if copies actually exist.

 

B. LOVER’S LULLABY (Melanie Safka/Schekeryk) (2:50)

Produced by Peter Schekeryk

Limited edition picture disc released in the UK in 1983 by Neighbourhood Records NB1

Both tracks are taken from the album Seventh Wave.

B1. LOVER’S LULLABY (Melanie Safka/Schekeryk)

B2. PUT A HAT ON YOUR HEAD (Melanie Safka/Schekeryk)

Produced by Peter Schekeryk

Released in the UK in 1983 by Neighbourhood Records NB1

This 12” single featured the song Put A Hat On Your Head, which does not appear on any album. The other two tracks are taken from the album Seventh Wave.

A.. RAG DOLL (Long Version) (Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio) (4:39)

B. RAG DOLL (Short Version) (Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio) (3:36)

Promotional single issued in the USA in 1985 GORDIAN G-1947

B. WHO’S BEEN SLEEPING IN MY BED (Radio Edit) (3:59)

Written by Melanie Safka Schekeryk

Produced by Peter Schekeryk for Neighborhood Records Inc.

Mastered by Dennis King

12” single released in the US in 1985 by Amherst Records Inc.AMHD-125

Extended mix of the track from Am I Real Or What

B. I CAN’T HELP BUT WONDER (Melanie Safka Schekeryk)

Produced by Peter Schekeryk for Neighborhood Music

Australian single released in Releases 1987 by Powederworks Records and Tapes

POW 0380

The B side of this Australian single contains a different version of the song Wonderer, here called I Can’t Help But Wonder. The song was included on Melanie’s self-titled Dutch only release in 1987. She later recorder another version for the album Crazy Love. The version here is unique to this single

B1. SHOW YOU (Melanie Safka Schekeryk) (3:27)

B2. ROCK ‘N’ ROLL HEART (Melanie Safka Schekeryk) (4:12)

Produced by Peter Schekeryk

UK 12” single released in 1989 by Food For Thought 12 YUM 17

Both Ruby Tuesday (a re-recording) and Show You are taken from the album Cowabonga. Rock ‘n’ Roll Heart is the 1987 recording which appears on Melanie’s self-titled Dutch album and was included here as a bonus track.

BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE REMIXES

A. SANTINI AND STEVENSON MIX (6:26)

B. INSIDER’S KUN KUN KAA MIX (Rhythm Injections by C.J. Bolland) (4:30)

Beautiful People written by Melanie Safka

C.J. Bolland appears courtesy of London Records

Published by Creastars Europe 1995

Belgian 12” single released in 1995 by BONZAI Records

Very little of the original track recorded by Pop In Wonderland and Melanie remains after the remix by Santini and Stevenson, only brief samples of Meredith’s vocal. However, much of the original vocals (both Meredith’s and Melanie’s) remain after the second mix.