Friday night my paranoia struck deep. The pain in my mouth was intense. Not take a Vicodin intense, but something is definitely wrong intense. Now if it required an M.D., I could go to the emergency room, but a dentist? I’m sure I could get someone, but I doubt it would be my number one, the man I trust, the paragon of excellence.
People talk about leaving L.A. I’m NEVER leaving L.A., because of the health care amongst many other reasons. I need the big doctor, it’s a Jewish thing. And I’ll pay through the nose. Because all you’ve got is your health, right? You don’t want to cheap out on your health.
And I know too many people who were misdiagnosed and abused in the hinterlands, even highfalutin’ hinterlands, like Aspen. Whereas in L.A. you’ve got world class doctors. Who have access to the experts in every field. Yes, there’s someone in America who spends their entire life dedicated to the problem you have. Like pemphigus. That guy’s at Johns Hopkins, my dermatologist trained under him, she could have gotten me in to see him if I felt the need to make the trip. And let’s not forget, three top-tier dermatologists misdiagnosed me before I found this woman.
So…
That football player died last month from a dental infection. And you don’t always feel a dental infection. Like last September, I got a CT scan for a broken tooth and the oral surgeon started freaking out about a completely different tooth, where there was already an implant, there was an infection.
But it was Friday night.
Saturday it felt a bit better and I was convinced it wasn’t a big deal.
Oh, did I mention that I thought it was a Covid side effect? Because the pain started at the exact same time my nose started to run. And if you Google, there is documentation that tooth pain and Covid can be related.
And then I had Covid for three plus weeks. So it wasn’t clear who was zoomin’ who. But my Covid symptoms finally faded on Friday, and on Saturday they were mostly gone. And on Sunday, I felt like myself, other than this pain in my mouth. I couldn’t chew anything on that side. And I’m missing a molar on the other side, from that surgery back in September.
But I’ve got a podcast at the crack of dawn on Monday morning. And the dentist doesn’t usually start until nine. And I don’t want to distract myself. And it’s no big deal anyway, right?
For the umpteenth time I’ll tell you that it was illegal to be sick in my family. If I told my mother I had symptoms, she’d say to go to school and see if I felt better. So I’ve got a constitution of iron, and a totally warped perspective. I’m missing a body part as a result of this, I tolerated a condition that the literature says is the most painful experience a man can have.
I don’t feel entitled to ask for more, to be squeezed in. But I called first thing and they said they were booked but then they called back, right before the podcast, and said to come in at four. NO PROBLEM!
So first I get the assistant who asks if I’m in pain. And when I tell her no…I figure she sees me like all the wankers who come in on a whim. I tell her if I bite down I’ll be in pain.
And then the dentist comes in and I tell him the story from soup to nuts. And then he starts banging on my teeth and when he hits the chosen one… WOW!
So he pulls back and says we need to take a picture.
But there’s no camera in this room.
But then he reconsiders. Why take pictures twice? I should see the endodontist first, to see if I need a root canal.
So they call and that guy can see me immediately and I walk a block away and…
Yes, it’s like a glorified hospital. You can shop for clothes on Rodeo, but on Camden and Bedford they work on the inside.
And they come in and take a picture, after I tell them to turn off the TV. Drives me crazy. Doesn’t anybody read anymore?
And I’m waiting and waiting. Convinced it’s just a crack. And the dentist will leave for the day. And I’ve got an hellacious schedule this week, and I’m going out of town the next. And this dentist has his own lab and he can make a crown in a few days but it’s best to start the process as soon as you can.
And I’m waiting and waiting and then, long after I’ve given up on the dentist, the endodontist comes in, and remembers me from ten years before. And tells me there’s a crack in the tooth, and an infection, and he thinks I need a root canal, but he has to run these tests. Whereupon he starts banging on my teeth and I’m convinced I’m getting the expertise I’m paying for but is this guy a cowboy, does he just want to drill?
He’s convinced of the problem, but to make sure he wants to take a CT scan.
You used to have to go to a separate location. But now they’ve got the CT scan in the office. At least the oral surgeon and the endodontist. Do they have these in the hinterlands? The one the endodontist has cost two hundred and fifty thousand dollars.
Well, the good news is the root canal from ten years before is holding up perfectly.
The bad news is I do have an infection.
And after some prep, they start to drill. Yes, pay through the nose and they’ll miss dinner, they’ll do this stuff right away, they’ll cater to your schedule.
And the guy is drilling and I’m thinking this is not that bad, I can’t feel anything, but then he asks me to open my jaw wider and the strain is intense and I don’t see how I’m going to continue to do this.
Whereupon he says we’ll use a bite block. A hard rubber item they shove in your mouth to keep your jaw open.
And just when I’m thinking I didn’t need anesthesia for the surgery back in September, the endodontist says normally he’d suggest anesthesia, as in putting you out, but he didn’t think he could get an anesthesiologist at this hour.
So he’s drilling and drilling and then EE-OWW!
WTF?
Well, the dude shoots me up a couple of more times.
But I’m still hurting.
He tells me some science about PH levels, express concern, that he never sees it this bad, and says it’s all about the infection. Whereupon he shoots me up a total of TEN TIMES! Whereas normally it’s only three.
Maybe that’s why I feel so bad today. There’s no pain, but my mind is swimming.
So ultimately he’s done and…I want details. I want to make sure my money was wisely spent.
Well, the infection was really bad. There was puss. And it had eaten up part of the nerve and…
Man, what if I’d waited even longer?
But there’s no guarantee this will work.
That’s right. On Friday they’re going to glue the tooth back together. And then wait three months and see if it holds. And if it does, the dentist will put a crown on it. Yes, the remnants of the tooth may collapse, and ultimately it might need to be pulled and I’ll need to get an implant. Meanwhile, don’t chew on that side. But I’m missing a molar on the other side, from the surgery in September!
So what does the average person do? Dental insurance is a joke, not worth paying for.
The endodontist tells me they have the tooth pulled.
Whereupon he says you can get the root canal for half the price, at a clinic, by an inexperienced person, but it probably won’t be done right.
Yeah, but what am I looking forward to? I can’t blow all my money on my teeth.
Well, he says the rest look good. And an implant is not a panacea. Which I know is true, since all that money I spent back in 2017 was a waste, because of the infection and ultimate bone replacement surgery in September.
And I walk out of the building into the dark with a prescription for an antibiotic and…
Man, if I spent this amount of money in my regular life, I’d have been thinking about it for weeks, maybe months. But I’ll get the points!
Oh, they all take credit cards, they want the money right away. But they figure you’re good for it, otherwise why would you be there?
And I’m thinking about what Narada told me when I asked him about his finances. “Money comes in, money goes out.” I’ve got a payday this week, but it still won’t cover the final bill for the tooth. Then again, it was an unexpected payday.
But I’m not the only one. It’s a feature of getting older. The deterioration. And many are silent about it. Or when they open their mouth they’re missing teeth. Or have dentures. Or…
Who knows, I could live only a couple more years and it all won’t matter.
But if I keep on keepin’ on…am I gonna be able to pay for this?
“In the Court of the Crimson King: King Crimson at 50” – trailer: https://twtr.to/ymC4G
The only thing wrong with this documentary is you’re going to have to pay to watch it. Who knows, it may eventually be on one of the big streamers, but they’ve all tightened their budgets, stopped licensing what they see as niche, marginal material. But if this documentary was available as part of Netflix, it would be a cult classic, Robert Fripp would become if not quite a household name, more of a well-known icon than he already is.
You see this doc is absolutely different from any you’ve ever seen before. You know, they’re all hagiography, with maybe one naysayer, who is ultimately contradicted. They’re all love letters that cover the artist/band’s life from birth to today. Delineating all the highlights you think you’re interested in.
That’s not this doc.
What we’ve got here is band members, past and present, primarily talking about making music with Robert Fripp. Most of whom have negative things to say about him. He’s difficult, he’s exacting, why can’t he let a few mistakes slide by?
Robert is a taskmaster, but it’s all in service to the music. Hell, how can you argue with a man who still practices his instrument for hours every day?
And the players tolerate Robert and Robert tolerates the players all in service to the music. The music is paramount. The live experience is paramount. They’re trying for that elusive gig in the sky every single night. Where they get it right, there’s a feeling in the music and the audience connects.
And the audience is all hard core fans. There are no casual King Crimson fans. Either you’re a member of the tribe, or you’re not.
But having said that, the doc makes you want to go to a King Crimson show, which you may never get to see.
And so many members of the band, past and present, tell their stories. Adrian Belew thought it was a partnership, he couldn’t understand when Robert continued without him.
And Ian McDonald still regrets jumping ship during the first American tour.
And then you’ve got erudite and upbeat Bill Bruford. Who left Yes at its peak to join Crimson, and is now retired completely.
But really the film is about Robert Fripp. A unique character. Unlike seemingly everybody else in the music business.
Fripp reminds me of that great Pete Townshend song “Pure and Easy,” written for “Lifehouse,” the definitive version of which opens his 1972 solo album, “Who Came First.”
“There once was a note
Pure and easy
Playing so free, like a breath rippling by
The note is eternal
I hear it it sees me
Forever we blend
And forever we die”
This guy sans a university degree is an intellectual. He’s analyzing the music, the performance and life itself. He’s on a mission and no one is going to get in the way. It’s all about discipline. You make the decision and you live up to it. And if you’re a player in the band you must respect and accept this.
And Robert speaks in such a fashion that he appears to be from Mars. Well, not this planet anyway. It’s slow, and measured and everything he says is considered. There are no superfluous words. He comes across as anything but casual.
And there is some history of the band involved. But it’s not paint-by-numbers like most docs.
I don’t care if you hate King Crimson, I don’t care if you’ve never even heard of King Crimson, you’re going to dig this movie. Watching it is anything but a chore. You’ll be engrossed. These people live in a world where music is paramount. Fame isn’t even part of the equation. Sure, there’s money involved, but it’s all about the performance. Nailing it.
After waking up, I immediately laid down on the couch to finish my book.
No, that’s not true. First I read my e-mail, checked up on the news and got hooked on Instagram Reels, which I oftentimes prefer to TikTok because the videos are shorter. The longer people talk the more they display their vacuity. And I must admit I’m fascinated by people, their lives, want to meet each and every one of them, but probably wouldn’t want to hang with them thereafter. But that’s the magic of social media, the people, the humanity. Not that I’m getting as much satisfaction from TikTok as I used to, however I do love the automobile clips, where they analyze problems and fix them.
And I’d love to talk about the book “The Late Americans,” but it mostly focuses on gay people and the sex they have, and I find a lot of people who are not gay have a hard time tolerating this, they get squeamish. But what I liked about the book was it created an environment completely different from the one I normally inhabit, in my everyday world. Then again, too many writers center their books in Iowa, where they went to graduate school. And this book is about graduate school, and the questions lingering in the future, like what you’re going to do with your life, and my life path has already been established.
And after finishing I sat at the kitchen table and started to dive into the “Times.” I started with Maureen Dowd, with an anti-Trump screed. It’s hard to disagree with her, but then I wondered how many Trumpers would be up in arms. Then again, these people can’t cancel their subscriptions because they don’t read the “Times” to begin with.
And there were endless stories about Trump in the Opinion section, and now the paper has some right wing writers and…why do I care what these people have to say? They’ve been wrong about everything else, they didn’t see Trump coming and still can’t figure him out. And the election isn’t until November, enough already. (Not that I’m not rooting for Nikki Haley, miracles do happen.)
But on this extremely warm late January day in Southern California it’s in the mid-seventies and Felice opened the windows and the bubbler in the birdbath was driving me crazy, distracting me, getting under my skin, so I got up to shut the windows and that’s when my eye caught Alexa. I wasn’t looking, but I saw what she had to say, and it was “December.”
Now oftentimes Alexa will display the last cut you told her to play. I didn’t call out “December.” Did Felice? But I couldn’t imagine that. And I sat back down to the “Times” and my coffee yogurt and…
I couldn’t get that line out of my head. You know, that descending guitar intro.
Not that I was a big fan of “Shine.” Although I must say that stutter in the pre-chorus and the chorus itself are infectious. But I didn’t foresee it being the number one hit it became, at least on rock radio, when that was still important. “Shine” was ubiquitous. Back in the eighties, right?
Well, actually, no. “Shine” was a smash in 1994, after Nirvana and the Seattle sound supposedly wiped hair bands and mainstream rock from the airwaves.
Not that Collective Soul was a hair band, it wasn’t even a band at first.
But I loved “December.” Not that I would have put it that way prior to today. I always liked it, but thinking about it and playing it this morning made me smile.
And think about how I was not the only one who knew it. EVERYBODY knows it. Because it was a different era.
MTV in the nineties was not as powerful as MTV in the eighties, and certainly not as new. And there were now half hour shows, and non-music programming. But the imprimatur of the station made the rest of media fall in line. And MTV reached everywhere. And we still tuned in, if not quite as much. So, if it was on the station…
But conventional wisdom is the nineties was when rap infiltrated MTV. And that is true. Along with expensive videos made by pretty faces with little talent. So why do I know every beat of “December”?
Which somehow makes me think of Matchbox 20, or Matchbox “Twenty” as the band insists. And although that’s a great Carl Perkins song, with a legendary cover by the Beatles, does anybody know what a matchbox is today?
I guess thinking of “December” made me think of “Push.” Which is a great cut, but I didn’t realize it until I heard the acoustic version recorded in the Star Lounge of radio station 98.7. I bought a CD of performances on the station, at Music Plus, on a bad Love@AOL date. Well, it was a little more complicated than that. I drove to the far west valley to sit down at a sushi bar where the woman professed love at first bite, which freaked me out, but by time I’d calmed down she wasn’t as infatuated, and then I played Van Halen’s “And the Cradle Will Rock…” at top volume on the Alpine/ADS system in my car and that sealed the deal, as in she put her hands over her ears and insisted I take her back to her automobile.
And at this point there’s tons of acoustic takes of “Push” out there, but what this slowed down version made me do was focus on the lyrics, which are great. That is, unless you see “push” as physical as opposed to emotional.
And looking at that first Matchbox Twenty album… It’s got four hits. And the one that resonates with me most these days is “Back 2 Good.” Don’t we always want to get back to good?
And I know all these songs. By heart. And I’m not the only one.
Now there are a lot of hit songs, tracks that climb the chart and then disappear, from not only the chart, but your mind. But that is not “December.”
It’s that hypnotic guitar figure, that sustains. And the dark vocalizations. And then the whole thing speeds up:
“Don’t scream aloud
Don’t think aloud
Turn your head now baby, just spit me out”
I didn’t even know the song was entitled “December” for the first trillion listens. Not that another lyric sticks out. It’s a track you know by the sound.
And I’m not a good forensic listener, but are those strings, or maybe a keyboard that give the song a sense of majesty?
And then the record takes a complete left turn, just before 3:30:
“December promise you gave until me
December whispers of treachery
December clouds are now covering me
December songs no longer I sing”
And then again.
And again.
And then these words are blended with the verse and then…
You get that guitar figure once again, and it’s all over, with a hard finish, not a fade-out. WHAT WAS THAT?
Yes, the structure is not traditional. And yes, Ed Roland does mention “December,” but at this point it’s all a wash of sound.
It’s like they performed the track in one place, and then moved down the road, over hill and dale, marching to another.
Not that I could tell you what it was all about, but through the magic of the internet I now know it’s about Roland’s anger/dissatisfaction with the band’s original manager.
Huh.
On the surface not a song that would be a hit, part of the firmament, but it was!
And nothing is that big today. Forget Zach Bryan, even Morgan Wallen and Taylor Swift’s hits don’t reach as many people. They’re well-loved by their fans, but not everybody is a fan. But we were all fans back then. Of not only this cut, but music.
And then something changed.
Music was the driver of the internet revolution, with Napster. And unlike seemingly every other media vertical, music figured it out, you can get all the music for just over ten bucks a month. Not in TV. Not in news. Probably not ever.
And with everything at our fingertips…
Everything’s smaller, including music itself.
As for cuts like “December”? They’re nowhere to be found.
Where would you be exposed to them anyway?
The industry wants something narrower, or blander. Edgier. To appeal to the people in the silos. Active Rock is hard-edged. And a lot of hip-hop has edges too, when it’s not cartoons.
And if you’re sitting at home, writing a rock song, trying to become famous…
That paradigm doesn’t even exist anymore. Oh, you can write it, but the odds of people hearing it are tiny.
This is not a lament for what once was. This is just a reminder of what once was. The goals of quality and ubiquity or worth shooting for. It’s just a matter of how you achieve this.
In the old days the record labels found unknown talent and foisted it upon us. Today the labels just try and maximize what the data says already has an audience. The tail wags the dog.
Then again, we can’t even agree on the news, what are the odds we can agree on what music to listen to?
Then again, “December” was one of those cuts you only had to hear twice to be infected by, to be moved, to want to hear it again. Not once, because its magic was somewhat subtle, but once your head rearranged itself to be open to it…
Not that the nineties were a paragon of musical excellence, of musical breakthroughs. But somehow “December” doesn’t sound quaint, it still retains its edgy, meaningful quality.
And I’m doing some research, trying to find a video, and I stumble upon the band’s performance of “December” at Woodstock ’99.
No one has anything good to say about Woodstock ’99.
And most bands can’t replicate the sounds of their hits live. It’s more about a feeling, being there, connecting with the record in your head.
But I’m watching the video and soon the guitarist starts playing that figure. On his PRS guitar in front of a wall of amps, when that was a feature of rock and roll.
And another guitarist is playing a Les Paul.
And then Ed Roland steps up to the mic with an acoustic around his neck and…
The hairstyles are dated. Making me realize this is twenty five years ago. But this is not the festivals of today, with a zillion stages. This is a veritable sea of people focused on Collective Soul singing “December.” It’s like a visual Dead Sea Scroll.
I interviewed her for my  podcast just last week, so it was probably her final one.
Melanie was very gracious and told some fantastic stories that I don’t think people know about her.
First, her husband/manager/producer, whose office was across the hall from Michael Lang’s, asked if Melanie would play a garden party that they were planning for next summer. This was July of 1968. She agreed and thought nothing of it until late spring 0f 1969. So, she was actually the first artist to be booked for Woodstock. As it got closer to the date in 1969, she realized this was no garden party. She followed Sly and the Family Stone, who, just before they played their final song, passed out candles to the audience and asked that everyone light them. Out came Melanie, who hadn’t played for more than a couple of hundred people in the clubs of NYC. She looked out across the concert site and saw thousands of people holding candles. She went on from her appearance to become an international star. When she got home later that year, she was moved to write a song about her experience. She wrote the song, “Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)”, and got the Edward Hawkins Singers who were recording in the studio next door to sing backup. They nailed it in one take.
Next came “ Look What They Done To My Song, Ma†and then she left Buddha Records to start her own label, Neighborhood  Records (distributed by Paramount.)  She then released a single that went to number one around the world, “Brand New Key.” As you correctly pointed out, she was really becoming a superstar. But it killed her career.
At the time of her death, she was just about to be back in the spotlight. She had been asked to sing a song for a tribute  album for the late Pete Ham. She chose the classic, “Without You†which Ham wrote. It had been a big hit for Harry Nilsson, Mariah Carey, and others.
She truly was a star and I miss her…
Denny Somach
_______________________________________
She was our next-door neighbor until about a year or two ago, when she moved away. She and her son Beau had us over for dinner a few times, or we’d go out to eat. I hung out a lot with Beau – he’s a helluva musician with *killer* chops – and helped him sometimes with recording tech issues. Melanie and I also had a mutual connection, Ron Frangipane. He had produced her and Mandrake’s third album, “Puzzle.” FWIW she was the first female artist to have three records in the top 40 at the same time (“Brand New Key” and the next two follow-up singles). That was a big deal in those days.
Melanie was a sweet lady. We were at her place one night and she played a new song she was working on, I don’t remember if the title was finalized but I think it was “Ruins.” To paraphrase, it was about being a ruin yet persisting. She was always looking to the next project, she didn’t stop.
BTW she got very little financial benefit (as in virtually none, from what I could tell) from her hits. She didn’t talk about it much, and I didn’t press for details.
I really can’t tell you too many stories about the celebrity part of her life, we always just related to her as Melanie, the neighbor who was also part of the music biz. She didn’t need us to be fans, she had plenty of fans. She didn’t have any airs about her. She sure looked comfortable in her own skin.
Rest in peace Melanie, but preferably peace includes a home recording studio for you.
Craig Anderton
_______________________________________
Thanks for writing your excellent piece on Melanie. I was fortunate to spend a few hundred hours in the studio engineering for her. We did a very unique double album, live (in the studio with a live audience) in 1977 or ’78, called Ballroom Streets.
We started another record a couple years later with the Bee Gee’s rhythm section backing her, but I don’t think it was ever finished or released. Hopefully, her kids have Mel’s cover of Lay Down Sally in their archives.
Each night, we had an audience of 30 people from the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area sit on the floor in the live room (Triiad Recording Studios, Ft. Lauderdale) while Melanie and her band (usually about 6 or 7 musicians) played the entire set list from beginning-to-end, LIVE.
Melanie and her husband/manager/producer Peter Schekeryk wanted to capture her live “vibe,” but with studio quality sound.
After many nights of doing the same “show,” over and over, I edited the 2″, 24-track tape of the best takes/performances/minutes/sections into what became the double album, released on Tomato Records. There were virtually no overdubs, and all but one of Melanie’s vocals on that record were the live vocals she sang with fans sitting at her feet, clapping along. No Autotune, vocal punch-ins, or comps!
It was an engineering and production challenge I relished, to say the least. Live monitors for the audience out in the room, wedges for band members to hear themselves, and no click track. Real musicians playing real music, warts and all.
Did the weed-smoking, wine/beer-drinking audience members scattered around the studio’s floor clap out of time into some of the microphones? Definitely!! And somehow it all worked out incredibly well.
Because of the skinny budget, each song was mixed in only 1 or 2 hours. Unheard of these days. Unheard of even back then! No automation, no plugins, and only 24 tracks. The mixes were almost as live as the recordings. I doubt that many engineers or producers today will ever get to enjoy that experience or challenge. My training with legends like Tom Dowd, Karl Richardson, and Don Gehman at Criteria Studios in Miami gave me the skills needed to pull it off, and I remain grateful for that to this day.
Am I telling you this to brag? No, I’m doing it underscore Melanie’s (sometimes underestimated) chops as an artist. She was authentic and original in every way. BTW, most people knew her as a folkie, but she could rock out with the best of them. Check out the end of Beautiful Sadness: https://twtr.to/8WZrP from Ballroom Streets.
It’s sad that we’ve lost her, but her music will live on as her legacy. There was so much more to Melanie than Brand New Key. Hopefully, your readers will do a deeper dive so they can hear what music sounded like when an artist’s performance mattered more than perfection.
Warm regards,
Michael Laskow
_______________________________________
Thank you for recognizing Melanie and the huge impact she had during that brief but magical time. Like you, I also first became aware of Melanie when our local FM station started playing “Beautiful People.†I was only 15 but I was drawn in by her unique voice and the positive message of the lyrics.
A few months later, I heard “Candles in the Rain†and immediately went out and bought the album. Thus began my lifelong love affair with Melanie’s music. I soon bought her two earlier albums, “Melanie,†“Born to Be,†and the wonderful live album, “Leftover Wine.†Most enlightened music lovers were listening to Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Tim Buckley and others at the time but for me, it was Melanie who connected with me more than any other singer-songwriter. Her next 3 albums, “The Good Book,†“Gather Me,†and “Stoneground Words†showed a growing maturity in her songwriting and voice but like you said, she was unable to sustain the momentum from the previous few years. My tastes in music evolved over the years but my affection for those early albums, never waned.
Melanie continued to release albums over the next two decades, some better than others and I would still buy them, hoping to recapture that magical connection from my youth. Thanks to YouTube, Melanie continues to reach legions of new fans.
Fast forward to 2022 and by some stroke of luck and good timing, I was introduced to Melanie by a long time friend, who mentioned to her that I was interested in having her record a song for a Pete Ham tribute album that I was working on. Much to my delight and amazement, she was very excited to be a part of it and her version of “Without You†is a major highlight on the album.  I could not believe it but I was working with one of my musical heroes and I soon became fast friends with Melanie and her wonderful son, Beau Jarred. This led to another release on our label, a 51 year old live radio broadcast from a Miami station (called “The Magic Busâ€) that was digitized and restored by Beau.
Working directly with Melanie these past 2 years has been the highlight of my career and getting the call about her passing has broken my heart into pieces. My thoughts are with Melanie’s wonderful children, Beau Jarred, Leilah, Jordie and her beautiful grandchildren. My memories of her will be with me as long as I live.
Rich Ulloa
Y&T Music
_______________________________________
Wow. Spot on. You’re the second person who ever articulated this about “brand new key†to me. The first one was my neighbor and friend Harry Chapin, back in Huntington Long island.
Happy circumstance, i got to be part of one of Harry’s songwriting workshops that he did all the time for free, then I became friendly with him and he told me a million stories and he dragged me around to Gigs—and it was really really fun. He became famous about the time the Melanie did. They did some gigs together and he talked about her once in a while. I’m not sure about your 1971 date. I thought it was A couple of years later than that. Whatever.
(Harry was an amazing guy, kind of insane but smart as a whip and had more energy than any six people I ever met. He liked to talk about the business and he had LOTS Of opinions. I loved hearing them, he was usually right. And his stories and named dropping were unparalleled.
I do remember him saying that because they were career contemporaries, he felt that the most egregious mistake Melanie ever made was releasing “brand new key.†He said it was a bullsh*t bubble gum song that totally worked against her entire image, disappointed her fans, confused everyone about who she was and what she did, and pretty much trashed her career. (Just like you said in your post.) I recall he told me that about 1975.
She was a bigger star, but Harry was true to what he did, and his fans adored him, and he put on the most wonderful live shows. I was always amazed that he could make chicken salad out of chickensh*t no matter where he was or what he did. I still miss him. He put out some clunky songs too, but nothing ans awful as “brand new key.†Lol
Rik Shafer
_______________________________________
For a short window of time, our agency Blue Raven Entertainment represented Melanie and booked her shows exclusively.  She was a very unique person like so many of the talented.  Interestingly, we had her booked on the ill fated Woodstock 50.  Michael Lang paid Melanie in full and in the end, she was able to keep that which was meaningful to her at the time.  Alas, the Woodstock era comes to a close.  She was a sweet, gentle soul and we enjoyed our association with her.
Rachel Hill
_______________________________________
I never let my lack of love for “Brand New Key” affect my ardor for “Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)”. It’s one of THE records. Great writing, great performing, great production. Some may chafe at her voice, but the power, the passion, is indisputable. And she WAS weird, fey. But to be herself so completely, without care for modern concerns like “image”, was a beautiful thing, something to love her for. We were hippies, for Christ’s sake, being who you were without caring what others thought — the lame OR the hip — was the ideal. Probably why I shrugged off “Brand New Key”. So she wants to be silly this time: let her. God knows her early stuff had enough angst and open wounds to tide us through the goofy grins.
I revere her work and mourn her loss.
Berton Averre
P.S. “Close to It All”: https://twtr.to/tPtd_
Sincere/Confessional/Philosophical has over the years become pretty dreary. But if we apply the positive aspects people tout — “It’s clearly coming from the heart”, “You can tell she’s singing about her life” — well I’d put this odd sprite up against the blatant babes. The difference being Melanie Safka could whisper her screed, pull you in. And then take it to the height of pain, or fear.
Not many Melanies in our world. And isn’t that a pity?
_______________________________________
A funny Melanie story. I was at Woodstock with my Jewish summer camp, Camp; Willoway, when I was 13. I was probably the only person there in chinos with a button down shirt studying my Haftarah.  We had tickets for all three days, but after the concert reached the news parents made us leave Saturday morning. We ended up on the back cover of the Life Magazine special and the centerfold also…just our backs.
Meanwhile, we slogged through folk night, which was fairly terrible to a kid who only knew a few rock acts on the bill and wanted to see the Who, Jimi, the Airplane….and Arlo Guthrie and Joan Baez.
If memory serves, it was like 2 a.m. when Melanie came on and Arlo and Joan were scheduled next. But more rain was coming and Melanie seemed interminable.
The rain picked up and I kept wishing Melanie would end so I could see the two artists I knew that night.
But then there was a long rain break and I missed them, falling asleep and cursing Melanie the whole time.
Anyway, I came to appreciate her later and always laugh at how much I hated her that night.
PS: No one talks about the guru who rambled on for I think 40 minutes Friday night. He didn’t make the movie either. He was total pain for me also.
Peace and Love
brad kava
_______________________________________
Wow. Â Â Â Some of your best words.
“Candles..”(on repeat/ long version) was one of my early experiences with good heavy headphones. Â Â And it was today that I learned that it was the beloved Edwin Hawkins choir in the hauntingly beautiful BGVs.
The short version? I loved it too when it flowed out of the AM radio in my 64 Plymouth Valiant. I’d never leave the car until it was finished and faded with my head full of wonder and pulse rate a bit higher.
The time we have is somehow both long and oddly brief. Â These tracks, these artists ( breathing or not) are our communal stepping stones across the turbulent water…. till death do us part.
From your Melanie piece,  I have all of your aforementioned singles.  Heck, thanks to streaming we all do. Unlike you, I count “Brand New Key” as a plus but I so get your point.
I’m gonna miss Melanie like I miss Mary Travers and Laura Nyro….the long-dressed poetic hippie-chicks with style, talent and swagger-ish attitude.
But with all our clocks ticking, I’m going to focus not of missing things but making things. Â Like Buffett told us, we’re just living and dying in 3/4 time.
Much Peace,
Skip Bishop
_______________________________________
Been listening to Melanie while I read your email. She had a great voice and a couple of hits. But back in the 70s was she on mine or my friends radar, I’d have to say no. I was 12 in 69 so Woodstock was not much of a concern to us and I really hadn’t got into “music” yet. That happened a few years later when my older brother bought a stereo and Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, David Bowie, Average White Band, Gordon Lightfoot and many other artists entered my consciousness. We listened to that stereo constantly.
As we got a bit older and had parties at Mom’s house, there was one constant at every party and I’m not sure why, it was Bob Dylan-Blood on the Tracks and dope, lol!!
It’s sad Bob that all these champions of our musical past like Melanie are passing. David Bowie was a tough one, my one serious regret was not seeing Bowie in Toronto when I had a chance. I’ve seen Dylan 9 times but when he passes that is going to be a tough one.
I’m 66 Bob still working and like you I think that one day it’ll be my turn. I try to enjoy myself as much as I can but it’s tough.
I’ve lost two brothers, a sister and her husband in the last few years. Three of my sisters have Alzheimer’s.
I never thought it would happen like it has. I am the least healthy, my brother and sister were very health conscious, yet they are gone and I’m still here.
Anyway Bob I hope you stick around for a very long time as I enjoy your emails and will sorely miss you if you were gone.
Doug Gillis
_______________________________________
Thanks Bob,lot of memories.I wish I couldn’t remember Brand New Key,but now I have that earworm.Stay well,Ted Keane
_______________________________________
Great job describing that point in time from FM vs AM, to the Woodstock movie to Melanie. Only problem is now I have Brand New Key as an Earworm!
Lyndon Virkler
_______________________________________
Melanie, another voice I hadn’t heard, just added two of her songs to my spotify list, thanks Bob.
Jeff Watz
_______________________________________
Her hip period was overshadowed by the true stars of Woodstock and I could never go back once Brand New Key came out. How do you screw it up. It was too awful to get past.
John Brodey
_______________________________________
I went to see Melanie 10 years ago in NYC at a small venue called The Cutting Room. She was pretty good! She was accompanied by her very talented son on guitar.Made me want to keep writing my little songs for fun.
Russ Turk
_______________________________________
Candles in the Rain on WNEW-FM.  I bought that album when I couldn’t afford to buy albums, and listened to it end to end.  Everything that seemed right about hippie folk 60’s music was right there for me in my tween mind.  And the songs held up for a lifetime, they hold up now.  Look what she did with her songs.
Michael Alex
_______________________________________
I felt the same way – when I saw the news about Melanie it hit me hard: different from Jimmy and Tom.  She was part of the family, a member of the tribe.  When I was stationed at Fort Campbell in Kentucky in 1969, hers was one of the albums that was in constant rotation in our barracks’s room; the others  were Its a Beautiful Day, Zeppelin II, Fever Tree and Steppenwolf.  But Melanie carried the flag, her spirit buoyed us up and held us together through those dark days.  Her voice and passion made us feel like we were part of something special, that we could carry on through all the bullsh*t.  I often feel lately that all our heroes are dying, that our known world is coming to an end.  I’m glad that there are still those like yourself that resonate with that, and carry that essence on.  Keep it up.
Marty Jorgensen
Spirit of 66
_______________________________________
In Joe Boyd’s book “White Bicycles,†he tells the story of how Melanie came to play that night at Woodstock. The Incredible String Band was slated to go on that evening, but it was raining. The band was skittish about playing in the rain. Maybe they were afraid of being electrocuted or damaging their unique acoustic instruments. And they had plenty of them.)
So Melanie, who was going to play in the morning, took the evening slot, played in the rain and was a huge hit. The Incredible String Band played the next morning to a tired, srung out, mud caked audience. And their performance went nowhere.
Timing is everything . ..
Mitchell Manasse
_______________________________________
Don’t know if you’ve heard her song ‘Johnny Boy’ but it’s worth a listen if you haven’t. It’s on Youtube.
Greg Stroh
_______________________________________
I HATE THAT SONG!!!!! NEEDLESCRATCH!!! SO moronic.
Aly Etchison
_______________________________________
I am apparently feeling quite like you, or at least what you wrote. “Brand New Key” was the breaking point for me, but from my perspective at the time Melanie was a “Jersey Girl” and should have known better!
Hope you are well.
Best,
Mike Marrone
_______________________________________
A funny Melanie story. I was at Woodstock with my Jewish summer camp, Camp; Willoway, when I was 13. I was probably the only person there in chinos with a button down shirt studying my Haftarah.  We had tickets for all three days, but after the concert reached the news parents made us leave Saturday morning. We ended up on the back cover of the Life Magazine special and the centerfold also…just our backs.
Meanwhile, we slogged through folk night, which was fairly terrible to a kid who only knew a few rock acts on the bill and wanted to see the Who, Jimi, the Airplane….and Arlo Guthrie and Joan Baez.
If memory serves, it was like 2 a.m. when Melanie came on and Arlo and Joan were scheduled next. But more rain was coming and Melanie seemed interminable.
The rain picked up and I kept wishing Melanie would end so I could see the two artists I knew that night.
But then there was a long rain break and I missed them, falling asleep and cursing Melanie the whole time.
Anyway, I came to appreciate her later and always laugh at how much I hated her that night.
PS: No one talks about the guru who rambled on for I think 40 minutes Friday night. He didn’t make the movie either. He was total pain for me also.
Peace and Love
brad kava
_______________________________________
I’m only 56 but I get it. Â It is weird.
Melanie was actively working on a new album. Â 76 is not that old.
When Christine McVie died, I was crushed. Â But when I learned yesterday Melanie died, I was devastated. I never met her or even saw her live, but she seemed like she could be my second mom.
Her songs were odd, but fun and clever. Â Your take on Brand New Key is fascinating and helps to explain why her albums wind up in the dollar bin today. Â However, I still see lots of the post-Brand New Key albums come in, so someone was buying those when they came out. Â Strange to me, as she didn’t really have any more hits.
If you haven’t seen this live video of Candles in the Rain from Dutch television, stop what you’re doing and watch it. Â When I found it a couple of years ago, it floored me, it’s so outstanding. Â And it reminded me of a song I hadn’t heard or thought of probably since I was in Catholic grade school in 1972. Â Unearthing those memories is a trip.
Thanks for the piece.
catmonster
_______________________________________
I wasn’t there at the time, but Melanie’s “Steppin’†came out after Rollerskates and that’s a real mother. She’s got some other killers on that run of early 70s albums. Maybe consider poking around with fresh ears. Probably won’t change your take, but might give a few new tunes to enjoy.
Best wishes,
Pat Myers
_______________________________________
Funny thing about Brand New Key for me. I was 4 years old when it came out, so of course I heard it regularly throughout my early years. But there was a parody version that came out later called “Combine Harvester†and the local radio station would play it. Consequently, a local John Deere dealership re-recorded that version for a radio spot that got played all the time, trying to sell combine harvesters to the area farmers. So I always associate that song with combine harvesters, not roller skates. Haha!
I found the the video for Combine Harvester on YouTube: https://twtr.to/9uTEv
Dave Nelson
_______________________________________
That hits the nail right on my head.
That stupid roller skate song , back when we  could punch the preset button on your car radio with a disdainful flourish , quickly finding a better listen .
Is 67 old? Or just almost? I am that guy.
Gerry Lauderdale
Boston
_______________________________________
When i was 11, I had an acoustic guitar and played “Lay Down” in my open classroom and my teacher called my Mom saying the subject matter was “inappropriate”. Â Â As an 11 year old then, I had no idea what the song referred to lyrically, but loved Melanie’s voice and her melodies, hence covering her songs then and later on. Â To me, she was fabulous and whatever the industry did or did not do for her, I have her records!!! Â RIP beautifully talented Melanie!!!!
I would not have known Melanie if it wasn’t for “Brand New Key” and as a kid, I delved in deeper.
Something I hold dear to my heart….
“Someday I got  devil
Someday  i got angel
But I’m just this girl in trouble
I don’t think I’m in danger
No I’m not in danger
Some have tried to sell me
All kinds of things to save me from
Hurting like a woman
And crying like a baby”
Diane Gentile
_______________________________________
I fell in love with Melanie’s unique voice before her Woodstock fame after hearing her version of “Mr Tambourine Man” on her first album; like you it was during my college radio days. Since then, I have enjoyed a career in radio and about seven or eight years ago I got the chance to interview Melanie and found her to be nicely balanced, no pretension; she was still touring at the time, was doing music with Miley Cyrus but when she assessed her life she said was most proud of her kids and said her best times were spent with grandchildren. It was a sweet interview with a happy person.
Mike Fiss
The Villages, Florida
_______________________________________
We die…and if we’re lucky, we become a picture on a piano.
Damn!
I really liked Brand New Key. Â It was emblematic of that time.
Best,
Will Eggleston
_______________________________________
I’m not sure I completely understand why, but Melanie’s death hit me hard. I was always a fan; hell, I even contorted myself into forgiving “Brand New Key.” I’ve spent the past couple days listening and remembering. So, of course, a lot of that first listening happened at Middlebury; I practically wore out the grooves of Photograph, often replacing the needle to re-listen to her cover of “The Letter.”
I kept attaching visuals of Midd to your recollections. My freshman dorm was Battell South, soon to be demolished … sigh. The buildings — and we — are temporary.
Best,
John Hyman
_______________________________________
I closed my music career working at a small label based in Miami….Pyramid Records….it was 2000 or 2001…. we had some good records and I still think we had the best Doobie Brothers album. Anyway……Pyramid was thinking about signing Melanie. I immediately did what you described. “Uh-oh”, I thought. ” she did ‘brand new key’….that’s going to be a tough sell”…but I listened to the demo and it was very good and then she stopped by the office. Sweet and kind., she converted me on the spot. We ended up passing but, when I read she passed, I thought of meeting her and the album we didn’t release…..no thoughts of ” brand new key”.  RIP.
Louis Heidelmeier
_______________________________________
FROM: Mr. DaiWoosnam, Grimsby, UK.
Bob, I salute you for that piece on Melanie Safka.  Not only was it written in your trademark staccato Hemingwayesque style where every word pays its rent in your sentences, but I loved the way that you extended your piece beyond the subject of Melanie, to cover the subject of ‘time passing’… and how time accelerates and ends up cheating us all.  (Something I feel even more strongly than you, being six years your senior.)
Before signing off, a personal memory of Melanie. Â Â The year is 1970. Â I am at a music festival on The Isle of Wight (off the south coast of England). Â Earlier that year, I had packed in my job as a lighthouse keeper on The Needles Lighthouse, about a mile from where the festival was being held.
I thought of my fellow keepers, as they just must have been hearing the massively amplified sounds on the late August breeze.  I mused on what they would make of 500,000 of what they’d call ‘hippies’ grooving to the music.  There were more music pilgrims there than were at Woodstock the previous year.  Indeed, that attendance has never been equalled for a festival here in Britain.  The much vaunted Glastonbury doesn’t even get close.
But do you know something Bob?  In a deliberate attempt to match the never-equalled bill at the ’69 Woodstock, the 1970 Isle of Wight pulled out all the stops.  You will not have time to read the full list of artistes in appearance, so I will spare you it, suffice to say that male performers ran the gamut from Jimi Hendrix (he was to die less than a month later) to Leonard Cohen, via Richie Havens, John Sebastian, Kris Kristofferson, Donovan and Miles Davis (yes!); groups from The Who to ELP and The Doors; and female performers from Joni Mitchell (making up for the fact she had not made it to Woodstock), to the nonpareil Joan Baez… via the aforementioned Melanie.
And do you know my most indelible memory of that festival?  Even beyond the incredibly modest £3 ticket price and the unspeakable squalor of the open-air latrines?  Yes, you’ve guessed Bob: it was Melanie.
The whole event was overrunning like crazy.  I recall Sunday dawn was breaking as Melanie closed the Saturday night with her rendition of ‘Ruby Tuesday’, a bang average base-metal song which she being the alchemist she was, transformed into a GOLDEN memory.
A memory of the first signs of dawn breaking over the beautiful island, and Melanie’s glorious vibrato taking that song on the breeze to my former colleagues, the three lighthouse keepers on the Needles Rock down below.
TTFN,
Dai.
_______________________________________
We covered Lay Down Candles with Blondie a few times
