ON AIR
BBC RECORDINGS 1969 – 1989
1. AUTUMN LADY (4:12)
2. CHORDS OF FAME (5:14)
3. ALMOST LIKE BEING IN LOVE (5:09)
4. STONEGROUND WORDS (5:00)
5. HERE I AM (2:36)
6. ANY GUY (2:55)
7. DO YOU BELIEVE (6:08)
8. LEFTOVER WINE (5:44)
9. THE NICKEL SONG (4:02)
10. BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE (5:31)
11. VISIT MY DREAMS (3:50)
12. UPTOWN AND DOWN (2:50)
13. BABY GUITAR (2:49)
14.TUNING MY GUITAR (4:15)
15. RUBY TUESDAY (3:49)
16. ROCK 'N' ROLL HEART (5:16)
17. RACING HEART (5:17)
18. APATHY (3:49)
All sections written by Melanie Safka except
Chords of Fame written by Phil Ochs
Almost Like Being In Love written by Alan J. Lerner and Frederick Lowe
Ruby Tuesday written by Mike Jagger and Keith Richards
UK CD released in 1997 BBC Worldwide Music, Strange Fruit SFRSCD035
Tracks 1 - 10 recorded in concert 6.11.75, produced by Jeff Griffin
Melanie: Vocals and Guitar
Barry Lee Hardwood: Guitar and Mandolin
Tracks 11 - 14 recorded in session 15.9.69 produced by John Walters, engineered
by Tony Wilson
Melanie: Vocals and Guitar
Tracks 15 - 18 recorded in session 26.4.89, produced by Peter Watts, engineered
by Martyn Parker
Alan Ross: Guitars and Backing Vocals
Justin Myers: Bass
Pete Thompson: Drums
Neil Palmer: Keyboards
Chris Staines: Backing Vocals
Kay Langford: Vocals
COMMENTS
Featuring a series of live recordings covering a period of 20 years this CD provides excellent sound and a unique record of Melanie's live and session work for the BBC. The first 10 tracks feature a concert recorded for the BBC Radio One In Concert series in 1975. Track 5 is incorrectly listed and is actually a song called Here We Go Again. During this concert Melanie is accompanied by Barry Lee Harwood on guitar and mandolin. Barry played on Sunsets and Other Beginnings and As I See It Now but fails to be credited on the cover of the CD.
Tracks 11 to 14 are rare session recordings from 1969, just Melanie and her guitar. Visit My Dreams is perhaps better known as Deep Down Low from Melanie's second album.
While all tracks have so far featured acoustic versions of songs, the last four feature Melanie with a full band. The tracks where recorded during a visit to the UK to promote Cowabonga. The musicians that accompany Melanie also accompanied her during two concerts at the Shaw Theatre in London in 1989.