Melanie Ballroom Streets 2LP (Mustard Yellow Vinyl)

Recorded live in front of a small private audience in a residential studio in Miami in 1978, this unique album included brand new songs along with some classics such as "Nickel Song," "Ruby Tuesday," "Brand New Key." The latter was performed in the style that Melanie had originally envisioned it to be. The pinnacle of this album is arguably the stunning version of the single "Cyclone" which segues into the classic "Candles in the Rain."

"In some ways, it's almost a live rehearsal," said Melanie. "We were getting ready for a run of concerts, a lot of them in Florida, and the initial plan was to record them for a live album. But then we changed our minds and released Ballroom Streets instead. It was a very last-minute thing, but I'm glad we did it. Some songs worked better than others, but it didn't matter. It was the feel of the performances that I cared about."

She described it as "a glorious mess. There was nothing that could be sent out to radio as a single, but that didn't matter. In a way, I wasn't making this album for the music industry, I was making it for me — this is who I am, this is what I do, and if you don't like, too bad."

And the album sounds all the better for it, being as organic as you can get — a singer songwriter and an elite band of musicians doing what they do best…this album is one of the overlooked classics in the Melanie catalogue.