Wikipedia

Gather Me

Gather Me is a 1971 album released by Melanie and featuring the US Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart #1 song "Brand New Key" (a novelty hit which also reached the #1 chart position in Canada, New Zealand and Australia between November 1971 and March 1972[2]). The album also features the singles "Some Day I'll Be a Farmer" and the Top 40 hit "Ring the Living Bell". The album was certified Gold in the U.S. and was arranged by Roger Kellaway.

Gather Me
Studio album by
Melanie
ReleasedOctober 1971
StudioAllegro Sound Studios, New York City
GenreFolk[1]
LabelNeighborhood (US)
Buddah (UK)
ProducerPeter Schekeryk
Melanie chronology
All the Right Noises
(1971) 		Gather Me
(1971) 		Stoneground Words
(1972)

Reception

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In their review of the album, Billboard called it a "beautiful package... she is at her plaintive best with "Little Bit of Me." The imagery of "Baby Day" explores new depths of awareness." [3]

Cashbox noted that the album was a "lovingly designed quilt of songs" singling out "the assertive "Steppin'," the wistful "Little Bit Of Me" and the spirited "Ring The Living Bell" are among her very best works."[4]

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...Gather Me may well be Melanie's finest album, capturing her at the height of her skills as a writer and singer, and it has stood the test of time better than the majority of her work."[5]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic      [6]
Christgau's Record GuideB+[7]
The Village VoiceB+[8]

Track listing

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All songs written by Melanie Safka; except where indicated

  1. "Little Bit of Me"
  2. "Some Day I'll Be a Farmer"
  3. "Steppin'"
  4. "Brand New Key"
  5. "Ring Around the Moon"
  6. "Ring the Living Bell"
  7. "Railroad"
  8. "Kansas"
  9. "Some Say (I Got Devil)"
  10. "Center of the Circle"
  11. "What Wondrous Love" (Arranged and adapted by Melanie)
  12. "Baby Day"
  13. "Tell Me Why" (Michael Edwards, Richard Parish, Sigmund Spaeth)

Personnel

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Technical
  • Bruce Staple – engineer
  • Maddy Miller – photography

Charts

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Chart Peak
position
Australian Albums Chart 9
Canadian Albums Chart 14
UK Albums Chart 14
US Billboard Albums Chart[9] 15
US Cash Box Albums Chart [10] 12
Norwegian Albums Chart [11] 25
Singles
Chart Title Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 "Brand New Key" 1
Billboard Adult Contemporary "Brand New Key" 5
US Cash Box Singles "Brand New Key" 1
UK Singles Chart "Brand New Key" 4
Australian Chart "Brand New Key" 1
Canadian Chart "Brand New Key" 1
US Billboard Hot 100 "Ring the Living Bell" 31
US Cash Box Singles "Ring the Living Bell" 21
Billboard Adult Contemporary "Ring the Living Bell" 18
Australian Chart "Ring the Living Bell" 74
Canadian Chart "Ring the Living Bell" 24
US Billboard Bubbling Under Chart "Some Day I'll Be a Farmer" 106
US Cash Box Singles "Some Day I'll Be a Farmer" 79
US Record World Singles [12] "Some Day I'll Be a Farmer" 73
Australian Chart "Some Day I'll Be a Farmer" 95

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[13] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ Breihan, Tom (February 14, 2019). "The Number Ones: Melanie's "Brand New Key"". Stereogum. Retrieved June 16, 2023. ...her LP Gather Me, which is otherwise a straight-up idiosyncratic folk record...
  2. ^ Brand New Key at Songs from the Year 1972.
  3. ^ "Album Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. No. 13 November 1971. p. 42. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  4. ^ "Album Reviews: Pop Picks" (PDF). Cash Box. No. 23 October 1971. p. 44. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
  5. ^ "Gather Me - Melanie | Album | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  6. ^ Deming, Mark. Gather Me at AllMusic. Retrieved 18 November 2011.
  7. ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: M". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 7, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  8. ^ Christgau, Robert (December 30, 1971). "Consumer Guide (22): Melanie: Gather Me". The Village Voice. Retrieved 18 November 2011.
  9. ^ Melanie > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums at AllMusic. Retrieved 18 November 2011.
  10. ^ "Cash Box" (PDF). Worldradiohistory.com. 1972-02-05. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  11. ^ https://norwegiancharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Melanie&titel=Gather+Me&cat=a [bare URL]
  12. ^ "Record World" (PDF). Worldradiohistory.com. 1972-06-10. Retrieved 2023-06-05.
  13. ^ "American album certifications – Melanie – Gather Me". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
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