Gather Me

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I now see why you my dear ones are here it wasn’t just because you felt sorry for me (someone actually said that) or because I reminded you of something or someone you loved. The Southern Appalachian folk-hymn What Wondrous Love is given an appropriately simple treatment with mostly Melanie's voice and guitar.

The album also features the singles "Some Day I'll Be a Farmer" and the Top 40 hit "Ring the Living Bell".Some of her classics can be found on this as well, from “Ring the Living Bell” to “Some Say (I Got Devil), to name but 2 of the best of her work. The only time I felt good about myself when I was in front of you, and we were together, and I could see and sense that all was well. Interestingly, the album with her catchiest little pop hit was more folk oriented than the hit single would suggest and only Some Day I'll Be a Farmer is a "cute" song like Brand New Key. Buddah never did forgive Melanie for this and continued to dog her career by releasing old, in-the-can songs right around the time she'd release new songs on Neighborhood. If Melanie has always been anxious not to be defined by her religious affiliation (which has changed over the years), and in later years has regarded herself as a secular humanist first and foremost, you'd never know it from listening to this!

The latter is considered by many as one of her classics - to me it's a qualified success, because of the ambiguous lyric. Steppin' has a country feeling with its harmonica and piano and is a somewhat regretful break-up song with a determination to move on.Though she would release six more albums through 1976, this would be her peak on the radio and record charts. To his credit, label head Neil Bogart promoted her relentlessly and also left her style be her own rather than trying to make her a bubblegum princess. For this listener, the biggest problem with the album is a more mundane one - there's too much religious content. I have a very well-worn vinyl copy of this album, and I have a feeling I’ll be spinning the digital version just as much. It was such an unexpected surprise when I listened back to Brand New Key, Living Bell, Some Say, and I look at the girl I was.

You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice.The inside lists musicians and the production crew and that's it except for the track listing on the back. And of course, there's "Brand New Key" - Safka scholars aren't supposed to like it, because of the Wurzel connection and the way it stereotyped her in people's minds as a novelty act, but resistance is futile. Allmusic stated that the album "is one of her most accomplished and confident albums, a set that allowed Melanie the room to indulge her lyrical obsessions while Schekeryk created superb musical accompaniment from her simple but forceful melodies.