Comments, input and alterations are very welcome!
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Melody
(Mick Jagger / Keith Richards)

Rolling Stones Mobile Recording Unit, De Doelen, Rotterdam, Netherlands,
January 23, 1975, Mountain Recording Studios, Montreux, Switserland,
October 19 - November 29, 1975, Musicland Studios, Munich, West-Germany, December 3 - 16, 1975 and Atlantic Studios, New York City, New York, US,
January 18, 1976

Mick Jagger - lead vocals, percussion
Keith Richards - electric guitar
Charlie Watts - drums
Bill Wyman - bass
Billy Preston - piano, organ, harmony vocals
Ollie Brown - percussion
Arif Mardin - horns

Melody, it was her second name, Melody, it was her second name
Melody, it was her second name, Melody, it was her second name

I came home one morning about a quarter to three
I'm banging on my door, cause I just lost my key
Open up baby, you got someone else inside
I'm gonna come and get you, dead or alive

Melody, it was her second name, Melody, it was her second name
Melody, it was her second name, Melody, it was her second name

I took her out dancing, but she drank away my cash
She said I'm gonna fix my face, don't you worry, I'll be back
I'm looking for her high and low, like a mustard for a ham
She was crashed out in the bathroom in the arms of my best friend

Melody, it was her second name, Melody, it was her second name
Melody, it was her second name, Melody, it was her second name
Melody, it was her second name, Melody, it was her second name

Then one day she left me, she took everything that moved
She took my trailer home, she took my Sunday boots
My nose is on her trail, I'm gonna catch her by surprise
And then I'm gonna have the pleasure to roast that child alive

What’d I say, it was her second name, Melody, it was her second name
Melody, it was her second name, Melody, it was her second name…

Produced by The Glimmer Twins

First released on:
The Rolling Stones - “Black And Blue” LP
(Rolling Stones Records COC 79104) US, April 15, 1976

But what was her first name?

I have always liked it....Melody has Personality...

2 1 2 0

Inspired by Billy Preston, whatever that means? Did he get any royalties for that "inspiration".

Not a bad song, but it outstays its welcome IMHO, and there is this strange "punched in" vocal at some point where Mick goes "well I say" that I can look up if anyone's interested ;-)

Melody, it was her second name...

Melody Nelson/ Serge Gainsbourg 1971 another vinyl from my collection
I have no clue if there's any connection between these songs!

The fact they chose this over "Worried About You," "I Love Ladies," or even "English Rose" for inclusion on B&B. Says a lot about the state of the band at the time.

Thankfully punk exploded and they gave us SG two years later.

Highlight of a great album. Sublime interaction between Billy and Keith.

By the way, I was always surprised by Mick's quite on timeisonourside that "Melody was a bit tongue in cheek for me really. It's hard to play live and take it any further. All we could do is make a reasonable copy of the reord onstage which I'm not particularly interested in doing". I have covered it many times with my band and it was great to play and always well received.

C

Bill took Melody and played it many times with his Rhythm Kings. It fits his band perhaps
better than it fits The Stones. But this is surely a nice tune to play late in the evening,
in good company.




Just as long as the guitar plays, let it steal your heart away

It's nice to see them trying something different, but this one only leads to middling results, IMO. It's a bit too loose and relaxed; there is no tension and release, and it really starts to drag after a while.

The fact that they had to collaborate with one of their sidemen to fill an album is symptomatic of the creative rut they were in. Still, as big4 points out, they could have gone with the great "Worried About You"! Blows my mind that they chose this one instead.

Drew

Quote
gotdablouse
Inspired by Billy Preston, whatever that means? Did he get any royalties for that "inspiration".

Not a bad song, but it outstays its welcome IMHO, and there is this strange "punched in" vocal at some point where Mick goes "well I say" that I can look up if anyone's interested ;-)

More like a blueprint of Preston.

Some very, very nice authentic blues guitar from Keith on this one

More Meters inspired soul. Not bad but definitely filler. I think the Stones had the concept for a more black sounding album, were a little short on material and brought back Billy to funk up the sound. He probably had more to do with it than just merit an 'inspiration' but i guess that's how it goes working with the Stones. Ask Ronnie.

Melody" is a good example why The Stones albums are such a joy to listen. They offer such different and surprising things which enrich their legacy so much. It's good to have such unique pieces as "Melody" in the catalog.

"Melody" is something I think could be described a 'justified filler'. A jazzy, soulful nightclub number. What I love very much is how dedicated they are to the groove, to make it sound sound 'right'. Jagger can think of it as 'tongue-in-cheek' but he does that with remarkable results (think of, say, "Faraway Eyes"). Kids, don't try that at home!

I think the song works very fine in meeting its ends (unlike, say, "Cherry Oh Baby", another 'experiment' in a new groove).

- Doxa

Here's "Melody":







Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2012-11-12 14:53 by DandelionPowderman.

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Melody (Mick Jagger / Keith Richards)

Yep, sure

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"I'm gonna walk... before they make me run"

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DandelionPowderman
Here's "Melody":

Great find Dandy. Yup, sure sounds like the inspiration for Melody. Same groove and tempo. Plus it's got Outta Space on the album, Billy's big mid-set number on the 75/76 tours.

+ the same chords

Now, that was an "inspiration"...

- Doxa

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Silver Dagger
Plus it's got Outta Space on the album,

Actually, no. Do you love me is from the album "Everybody likes some kind of music"
from 1973. There is a song on that album called Space Race. Not to be confused
with the 1971 album "I wrote a little song" that contained Outa-Space.

(But this is OT of course, since we are discussing Melody here)

Just as long as the guitar plays, let it steal your heart away

I love this song! It's also one of the best recorded songs of all time. Of course the rest of the album also sounds great. It's a shame they lost so much sound quality when they lost Keith Harwood, never to really find it back...

Great late night feel on this one,the horn arrangement at the end really makes it.

Always loved it!

this is the sound of a band that's completely given up.

i have a suspicion that during one of his more sober moments in 1977 keith richards heard this playing and asked 'what is this crap?'

when told it was from the stones' latest album he cursed to himself, threw a couple whisky bottles at the wall, and decided then and there to reclaim his honor and make the "some girls" album and make it good

Quote
Turner68
this is the sound of a band that's completely given up.

i have a suspicion that during one of his more sober moments in 1977 keith richards heard this playing and asked 'what is this crap?'

when told it was from the stones' latest album he cursed to himself, threw a couple whisky bottles at the wall, and decided then and there to reclaim his honor and make the "some girls" album and make it good

Several things I see wrong w/ this ...
Some Girls is more a Mick album, he was the reason for that direction. And by Stones giving up, you mean by trying something very unique for them?
And you suspect Keith saying 'what is that crap' about his own brilliant guitar work on this one?

Hmmmm... I don't follow this at all.

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LeonidP

Quote
Turner68
this is the sound of a band that's completely given up.

i have a suspicion that during one of his more sober moments in 1977 keith richards heard this playing and asked 'what is this crap?'

when told it was from the stones' latest album he cursed to himself, threw a couple whisky bottles at the wall, and decided then and there to reclaim his honor and make the "some girls" album and make it good

Several things I see wrong w/ this ...
Some Girls is more a Mick album, he was the reason for that direction. And by Stones giving up, you mean by trying something very unique for them?
And you suspect Keith saying 'what is that crap' about his own brilliant guitar work on this one?

Hmmmm... I don't follow this at all.

By giving up a I mean releasing a half-baked song with awful lyrics dominated by a musician who while good didn't fit their style well at all.

From the album thread for BLACK AND BLUE, there is one post that captures the interesting aspect of this song. I quote

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mr edward

..................................

Melody: starts out nice, but Micks falsetto nonsense ruins the song. Those childish screams, why?


..................................

In contrast, I think it starts out rather indifferently (instead of nice). Then towards the end those said childish screams to me completely destroys an at the outset ordinary song at best and, I repeat, to me makes it the most irritating Stones song that I have ever heard. To the extent something like that can be said about a Stones song and from me, admitted as much of a fanboy, the studio song of "Melody" is a disaster, almost abominable.

I love this track, fantastic guitar work here

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pepganzo
I love this track, fantastic guitar work here

Agreed! And to me, Preston's best contribution on keyboards. It has such an incredible mood and jazzy type of beat ... and although I know Preston's not on Jamming w/ Edward, this reminds me a bit of that.

I actually prefer Serge Gainsbourg's MELODY >>> [vimeo.com]

I recently met a girl named "Melody" and thought of telling her about the Stones' song, but it's nothing special so I haven't.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2015-08-25 07:51 by Title5Take1.

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liddas

By the way, I was always surprised by Mick's quite on timeisonourside that "Melody was a bit tongue in cheek for me really. It's hard to play live and take it any further. All we could do is make a reasonable copy of the record onstage which I'm not particularly interested in doing".

Oh my god... Mick, remember those times you were thinking live performance in those terms....????..

- Doxa

I like Melody, but it isn't quite as good as the original...

[www.youtube.com]