We lost the force of nature that was Melanie Safka earlier this year | Here her classic THIRD album : Candles in The Rain | Plain & Fancy

Melanie - Candles In The Rain (1971, 2015 bonus tracks remaster)

here . . . .

1970s Candles in the Rain was Melanie Safka's third album, but while her first two LPs found her trying to make a coherent whole out of her grab bag of influences and ideas, this was where she seemed to truly hit the mark for the first time. "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)" was that rarity, a hit single that truly presented an eclectic artist in her best light -- the Woodstock rock festival that inspired the tune was just the sort of event that would appeal to Melanie's hippie-styled idealism, and with the power of the Edwin Hawkins Singers backing her, she had a level of musical strength on hand that would prevent her from sounding histrionic. 

While "Lay Down" was easily the most effective track on Candles in the Rain, the rest of the album found Melanie sounding more confident and expressive than ever before -- there's a emotional gravity to "Citiest People" and "Leftover Wine" that's compelling even when she pushes a little to hard for pathos, and "What Have They Done to My Song Ma?" was the first of her many musical broadsides against the music business, and its wit doesn't blunt its wounded passion. And while Melanie is generally thought of as a singer/songwriter, she was always an imaginative interpreter of the songs of others, and her versions of "Ruby Tuesday" and "Carolina on My Mind" exist on an entirely separate plane from the originals. 

Finally, the production and arrangements by Peter Schekeryk create fine backdrops for Melanie, punctuating her performances and complementing her emotional peaks and valleys without getting in the way (and the accompanists deliver uniformly superb work). If Candles in the Rain was the album that broke Melanie to a larger audience, it did so not just because it featured her biggest hit single to date, but because it matched material and interpretation with greater skill than she had in the past, and it ranks with her finest work. 

by Mark Deming

Sadly Melanie Anne Safka Schekeryk, passed away on January 23, 2024, at the age of 76.

Tracks

1. Candles In The Rain - 1:49

2. Lay Down (Candles In The Rain) - 3:49

3. Carolina In My Mind (James Taylor) - 3:49

4. Citiest People - 3:42

5. What Have They Done To My Song Ma? - 4:06

6. Alexander Beetle (Alan Alexander Milne, Melanie Safka) - 3:05

7. Good Guys - 3:11

8. Lovin' Baby Girl - 4:05

9. Ruby Tuesday (Mick Jagger, Keith Richards) - 4:48

10.Leftover Wine - 6:15

11.Almost Like Being In Love (Alan Jay Lerner, Frederick Loewe) - 3:51

12.Dream Seller (Rod Clements) - 3:36

Music and Words by Melanie Safka except where noted

Bonus Songs 11-12

Musicians

*Melanie - Vocals, Guitar

*Alan Parker - Guitars

*Alan Hawkshaw - Keyboards, Organ

*Edwin Hawkins - Piano (Track 2)

*Harold Mcnair - Fiddle, Flute

*Herbie Flowers - Bass

*Barry Morgan - Drums

*Rico Reyes - Congas, Percussion (Track 2)

*John Abbott - Arrangement (Track 2), Conductor (Track 5)

*Lee Holdridge - String Arrangements (Tracks 4,9)

 Lay Down, Lay Down (Candles In The Rain) 

FULL RECORDING Melanie & The Edwin Hawkins Singers ('70)

In tribute to Peter Schekeryk (the Record Man), and of course Melanie herself, creator of this 8-minute record. Peter made the call to Edwin Hawkins, leader of the gospel group. They had just come off their hit "Oh Happy Day." Peter was in high gear talking Edwin Hawkins’s ear off. Then out of nowhere he said, “Here....Melanie wants to talk to you.” I looked at him in horror as I put the phone to my ear. Earlier I had said, “Peter, wouldn't it be great if the Edwin Hawkins Singers sang on Candles In The Rain?" He was off and running. He orchestrated the whole thing. We flew out to Oakland, California where they were rehearsing in a high school gym. They only do nonsecular music, I thought…couldn’t believe he got me into this! When we walked in they were in the middle of a song. They trailed off and all looked at me. A white girl with a guitar and a wildly gesticulating man standing next to her. Peter ran up to Edwin Hawkins who was playing the piano. What I'm certain of is that he wasn't apologizing for barging in on their rehearsal. I thought Peter had prearranged this meeting. Apparently it was a surprise visit! So in this spirit of ("I wish I could crawl under a seat and hide") I sang my heart out on a solo version of “Lay Down.” When I got to the second chorus, the Edwin Hawkins Singers joined in. The rest is, as they say, history.

  / melaniesafka