Los Angeles, California: What Goldmine magazine ranked among “the most significant reissue campaigns” of recent years continues apace with the release of one of the most legendary projects in Melanie’s vast catalog of work.
Previewed by a single of one of Melanie’s most remarkable performances, the darkly Brechtian “The Champagne Song,” Ace o’Diamonds was conceived in the late 1970s as a Broadway musical, co-written by Melanie and author and journalist Ed Kelleher.
SINGLE: https://orcd.co/melanie_thechampagnesong
The musical was based around a cache of letters purportedly written by the western legend Calamity Jane to the daughter, Janey, she and her lover, the equally legendary Wild Bill Hickok, had given up, in 1873, to be raised by a sea captain named James O’Neill.
A glorious slice of Wild West lore, the musical not only brought Janey’s story to life, but also vividly painted her parents, Calamity Jane and Wild Bill Hickok, such friends as Annie Oakley and Teddy Blue Abbott, and frontier life in general. Broadway giant Seymour Vall came on board as producer; directors Tommy Walsh and, later, Sparkle Finley too.
And, of course Melanie composed the music and lyrics, some 30 songs that included several destined to become classics of her later catalog: “Golden Chains,” “Running After Love,” “Wear It Like A Flag,” and the hilarious “Taking A Bath” - opening line, “Oh I feel grotty, the scent of my body reminds me of dishwater left over night.”
Of note, too, are such offerings as “You Could Have Had Me For A Nickel,” “Slop ‘Er Up Over The Rim” and “Teddy Blue’s Song,” whose final line is so unexpected that you can hear the audience gasp as it is delivered.
It was all a long way from “Brand New Key”!
At the time, sadly, the majority of thee songs went unheard, the death of producer Vall sounding the demise of the project before it had even escaped workshops and occasional public readings around New York.
Few of the songs were recorded at the time, while the one “live” recording to have surfaced was taped from the audience by a fan who cared only to capture the songs performed by Melanie herself. When Melanie was asked, back in 2023, what she thought of preparing Ace o’Diamonds for CD release, she simply laughed. “It can’t be done.”
It could. Across two CDs, Ace o’Diamonds not only recreates the full show, but also the songs that were written for, but ultimately omitted from the final script. Plus onstage dialogue, performed by Melanie herself.
Copious liner notes detail not only the short life of the musical itself, but also the year-plus of work that went into tracking down (and cleaning up) the material; deluxe packaging, too, marks this release out as something special, even amidst the 30+ Melanie albums that have so far been released as this marathon project takes shape.
Melanie’s daughter Leilah Safka, who grew up with Ace o’Diamonds forever percolating in the background, is available for interview.
DIGITAL ALBUM: https://orcd.co/melanie_aceodiamonds
CD: https://cleorecs.com/products/melanie-ace-odiamonds-2-cd
