Los Angeles, California: Melanie is back, aboard what has been described, by Goldmine magazine, as one of the most significant reissue campaigns of recent years.
And it’s hard to argue with that.
After years lost in the wilderness of deleted discs, budget compilations and bootleg downloads, Melanie’s entire post-1971catalog has at last returned to the shelves, in both its original form and across a slew of previously unissued archive releases. And a new digital publication, the 60 page, full color Deluxe Editions, tells the story.
In just two years, since the program launched in late 2023, Cleopatra Records in the US, and their UK licensee Easy Action/The Wintergarden, have remastered, repackaged and, in some cases, reinvented some 50 different albums.
Overflowing with studio rarities, live recordings, home demos and even a handful of song sketches, it’s a campaign that completely up-ends the industry norm of just two or three “archive” albums a year. “If we’d followed that,” Cleopatra head Brian Perera told Quillette in early 2025, “we’d still be releasing old Melanie albums in 2050.”
Deluxe Editions is a one stop catalog of this astonishing body of work, detailing not only the albums that have already been released, but also a clutch more scheduled for the future. These include a breathtaking collection of traditional songs recorded when Melanie was still in her mid-teens; a live recording of her epochal 1971 Broadway concert; and a deluxe remastering of her 1996 Christmas album Antlers, appropriately retitled Melanie’s Christmas Treasury.
Melanie left very firm instructions for how she wanted the series to proceed. Long before the reissues began, she began planning how her catalog ought to be presented, going through every album one by one, picking bonus tracks , discussing artwork and so on. The first reissue, 1984’s live One Night Only - The Eagle Mountain House, was released in early January 2024, just weeks before Melanie’s death.
In addition to the CDs and vinyl, Digital Editions also documents a wealth of digital singles, as a host of admirers stepped forward to record completely new versions of some of her best loved numbers - among then, Cactus, Ozric Tentacles, Terry Reid, Linda Gail Lewis, Charming Disaster, The Courettes and the Pink Fairies.
Download Deluxe Editions here: https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0868/3379/1287/files/melanieDeluxeEditions.pdf
There’s a lot to digest, but Cleopatra are definitely making it easier for anyone who wants to dive in.
To coincide with the publication of Digital Editions, Cleopatra’s own Pirate Radio Cleopatra counts down Melanie’s Top 20 albums with guests including her children Leilah and Beau Jarred, and archive commentary from Melanie herself. Listen on Mixcloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and Cleorecs.com
In addition, the label’s Cleorecs.com website this weekend launches a three day 30% off sale on all Melanie CDs and vinyl. It’s not quite Buy Two, Get One Free, but it’s close.
Happy shopping!
3 Kommentare
Hello, I came too late for the big sale, a week after. I have commented here at that time but it looks like my comment didn’t make it through.
I would ve very interested in all the newly released “digipacks”, so I am wondering how often such a discount is coming by?
Can you please email me a list of EVERY CD you’ve released by Melanie. I need to know what I DON’T have!
Thanks for all the great Melanie lps and cds. I’ve loved them all with the exception of “Any way you want me”. Way to muddy. I know it’s old recordings but it would have been a great cd had AI Ben used to clean. It up a bit. Anyways, I’m looking forward to more great Melanie recordings. Thank you for taking on this daunting task! I hope to see more vinyl. I will forever be greatful to Cleopatra records.