My name is Jim McGuire and I live in East Kilbride,Scotland.My contribution
is made in February 1997.
As an introduction I would describe myself as a 42 year old father of 2
teenagers who have been brought up on Melanie music.I am in full time
employment but also have an interest in the music business,selling
c.d's,cassettes,and vinyl in Glasgow.The name of the store is MUSIC
MANIA,BYRES ROAD,GLASGOW TEL.NO. 0141.334.3202.
We stock most of the c.d's currently available in the U.K. and U.S.A.

When I was about 17 years old I worked in a large supermarket chain store and
one of my fellow workers introdued me to Melanie's Candles in the Rain and I
was immediately hooked and was captivated by her voice... much to the dismay
of my family and fellow workers.I then began the long road that took me down
the Melanie way.

Like many others I bought myself a guitar and started doing 'Melanie'
whenever and wherever I could and still do so even today though I do my
version of the songs and not like Melanie.

At present I have in my collection the following;
MY FIRST ALBUM / BORN TO BE (DIFFERENT SLEEVES) LP &CD
AFFECTIONATELY,LP&CD
CANDLES IN THE RAIN,LP&CD
LEFTOVER WINE,LP&CD
ALL THE RIGHT NOISES,LP
THE GOOD BOOK,LP&CD
GATHER ME,LP&CD
GARDEN IN THE CITY,LP,UK AND GATEFOLD USA
STONEGROUND WORDS,LP
AT CARNEGIE HALL,LP
FOUR SIDES OF MELANIE,LP&CD
MADRUGADA,LP,UK AND USA(DIFFERENT TRACK LIST)
AS I SEE IT NOW,LP
SUNSET AND OTHER BEGINNINGS,LP,UK &USA
PHOTOGRAPH,LP
PHONOGENIC,LP,DIFFERENT SLEEVES
BALLROOM STREETS,LP&CD
ARABESQUE,LP&CASSETTE
SEVENTH WAVE(DIFFERENT SLEEVES),LP
AM I REAL OR WHAT,LP&CASSETTE
COWABONGA,LP
MELANIE 1987,CD
PRECIOUS CARGO,CD
SILENCE IS KING,CD
FREEDOM KNOWS MY NAME,CD
BEST OF AND REST OF,CD
SILVER ANNIVERSARY,CD
OLD BITCH WARRIOR,CD
UNCHAINED,CD
HITS NEW AND LIVE,CD

OTHER TITLES WHICH ARE COMPILATIONS;
THE COLLECTION,CD
MELANIE,CD,USA
THE GOOD BOOK,LP(FRANCE)
PORTRAIT,LP
RUBY TUESDAY,LP(POSSIBLY HOLLAND)
BEST OF,LP
BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE,LP
GREATEST HITS,LP
BEST OF,LP

RUBY TUESDAY,12" AND CD SINGLE.

Why is Melanie a turn on to some people and a turn off to others.You either
love her or you loathe her, there never seems to be a middle ground with
Melanie music,and that's with talking with customers in the store.
I've thought long and hard about this and still I have not come up with a
decent answer,suffice to say that here in Britain she is really only known
for 'Brand New Key' and 'Ruby Tuesday'.
The general public have no perception of the range of topics and the depth of
meaning of the lyrics and the beautiful melodies or of her tremendous voice.I
personally have done a lot for her sales here in Glasgow.

Is the record company to blame or in the case of Britain is she just fed up
trying to gain the recognition she deserves,because in the case of 'SILVER
ANNIVERSARY' AND 'OLD BITCH WARRIOR' there was no sell through here,no
publicising,no fanfare,nothing,the albums were just put out.Still I sold them
here in Glasgow and if I can do that here then there is a market here for
Melanie music and people need to get to know that she is still alive and
making some of the best music around.

I would like to start off my compilation by stating that I have picked too
many songs,I am sorry but I just could not get the list any shorter;

BORN TO BE
1.In the hour
2.Bo Bo,s Party
3.Mr.Tambourine Man
These 3 songs show the range of her voice and the orchestration blends so
well with her phrasing

AFFECTIONATELY
4.Tuning my guitar
5.Johnny Boy
I just love these songs to bits and sing them all the time

CANDLES IN THE RAIN
6.Lay Down
7.Lovin' Baby Girl
8.Good Guys
I never tire of playing these songs

LEFTOVER WINE
9.Mama Mama
10.Close to it all
11.Saddest Thing
12.Leftover Wine
Although these songs are on other albums I really like all of these done
live.Leftover Wine is still one of my most favourite songs ever and when my
friend met Melanie in London when she signed my c.d. he told her this and she
said I must be a very melancholic kind of person.I do not know so much but I
just love this song.

ALL THE RIGHT NOISES
13.Ears to the ground

THE GOOD BOOK
14.The Good Book
15.Birthday of the Sun
I have included 'Birthday' here although I much prefer her Woodstock version
where again it is performed live

GATHER ME
16.Litle bit of Me
17.Steppin'
18.Some Say(I got Devil)
19.Ring the Living Bell
Balanced on a mountain,you said you were leaving,some say I got devil,Ring
the living bell,I feel I've lived each of these lines at various times of my
life

GARDEN IN THE CITY
20.Lay Lady Lay
21.Love in my mind
22.Stop! I don't wanna hear it
Lay Lady Lay is such a beautiful song performed with great sensitivity and I
think the flute sound is so haunting.

STONEGROUND WORDS
23.Together alone
24.Here I am
25.Do You Believe
I recently managed to get the chords of Together Alone and am starting to
play it.I have read that other people think this album was over orchestrated
but I think that that is what made this album so good.Here I am is just so
unusual,it is a beautiful song

AT CARNEGIE HALL
26.Pretty Boy Floyd
27.Bitter Bad
28.Psychotherapy
I do not know any other versions of this song but to better it they would
have to be very,very good.Bitter Bad is so much better live than studio
recorded and Pschotherapy is such a fun song.I have performed this song on
many occasions and it always raises the roof and people want to knoe where I
found it.So,I tell them and they don't believe me

MADRUGADA
29.Love to lose again
30.Lover's Cross
31.Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow
32.Wild Horses
3 cover versions very well done and Love to lose again is very well written
and I love the ending

AS I SEE IT NOW
33.You're not a bad ghost...
34.Don't think twice..
35.Sweet Misery
36.Monongahela River
37.Autumn Lady
38.Chart Song
Melanie has outdone Dylan once again,and once again Chart Song performed live
is outstanding

SUNSET AND OTHER BEGINNINGS
39.Loving My Chilren
40.Where's the band
41.Deam Seller
42.Sun and Moon
This album is one of my favourite albums and is played regularly

PHOTOGRAPH
43.Photograph
44.Raindance
I love the differing tempos on Photograph and I recently sang Raindance at a
party and was again asked who wrote the song and one of my mates without
prompting said 'MELANIE'.He knows if I sing a song no one has heard of it is
bound to one of Melanie's

PHONOGENIC,NOT JUST ANOTHER PRETTY FACE
45.Spunky
46.I'd rather leave while I'm in love
47.California Dreamin'
48.We can work it out
Another 3 superb cover versions and a real fun song in Spunky.There used to
be a music quiz on British Television some years back and they played We can
work it out and asked the contestents to name the singer.I think I would have
been the only one to guess it correct.

BALLROOM STREETS
49.Cyclone/Candles in the rain
50.Save Me
51.Friends and company
I really like this album again performed live with overdubbs kept to a
minimum but why did Tomato Records cut the c.d by a couple of songs,can
anyone tell me.Save me is one of those songs I never tire of hearing and
again much better here than on the studio recording of Photograph

ARABESQUE
52.Anyway that You want ma
53.Standing on the other side
54.Love you to Loathe me
55.Imaginary Heroes
56.Chances
I love this album for its overall 'country' feel which I believe is one of
Melanie's greatest assets.She should record a full album of contemporary new
country material,such as Silence is King,How can I help you say goodbye and
get a video on to CMT

SEVENTH WAVE
57.If you go your way
58.Lover's Lullaby
I did not include the singles taken from this album.I think the simplicity of
the guitars on these songs is magic

AM I REAL OR WHAT
59.Who's been sleeping in my bed
60.Abuse
2 great songs and I would love to hear Abuse performed with acoustic guitars
only behind Melanie

MELANIE (1987)
61.Rock 'n' Roll Heart
62.It's a fine world
Rock'n' Roll Heart is a classic and I think that 'It's a fine world' shows
that Melanie sings soul as good as any true soul singer.I just love the guy's
voice singing with her

COWABONGA
63.Racing Heart
Brilliant ballad

PRECIOUS CARGO
64.Undertow
65.Hard Rain
Brian Ferry eat your heart out,your version is not a patch on this Dylan song

FREEDOM/SILENCE IS
66.Detroit or Buffalo
67.Wear it like a flag
68.Freedom knows my name
69.Record Machine
What can I say.....

SILVER ANNIVERSARY
70.Arrow
71.Purple Haze
72.How can I help you...
73.Tonight's the kind of night
74.Close to it all
I have to admit that I waited a long long time for an album like this from
Melanie and was delighted to get it.Not only is it never off at home but in
the store it was on all the time there while I was there and sold very well
but now it is out of print...so sad.I have included Close to it all again as
I believe the song sound so different from the original

OLD BITCH WARRIOR
75.No time to smell the flowers
76.Beautiful People
77.I will survive
Beautiful People sounds as though it was only written very recently instead
of in the sixties.This should have been released as a single.

UNCHAINED
78.Unchained Melody
79.Bitter Blue
80.Prematurely Grey
81.I never had a clue
I loved the guitar work on this album especially on Prematurely Grey

HITS LIVE AND NEW
82.Peace will come
83.Something Warm
84.These Nights
85.Estate Sale
86.Summer of love
Once again I was in seventh heaven.A live album!!!!

CONCLUSION
I recently met a rock star of the 80's named Pete Burns lead singer of Dead
or Alive and whilst he was visiting with me I found out that he was a fan of
Melanie and knew lots of her early work.He really admires her work so I gave
him some new material and he was knocked out by the strenght of her voice.
I just wish more people would take the time to listen to Melanie.
I think I must be the biggest Melanie fan in Scotland and I try to share my
appreciation with as many people as I can when I am in the store.
I hope anyone reading this likes the choices I have made.

LOVE AND MUSIC
JIM MCGUIRE