Candles in the Rain

Candles in the Rain is singer Melanie's third album. Released in 1970, the album produced Melanie's first Top Ten single in North America, "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)", which was inspired by the crowd's reaction to her performance at Woodstock. The cover of the Rolling Stones' 1967 song "Ruby Tuesday" reached the Top Ten in the United Kingdom.

Reception
In their review of the album, Billboard Magazine stated that "Melanie's song creations and vocal interpretations are widely popular in Europe, and with this LP her success in the U.S. should be assured. "Lay Down (Candles In the Rain)," with the Edwin Hawkins Singers, is her current single and the most exciting cut; other outstanding originals include "Leftover Wine" and "Citiest People." Her versions of "Ruby Tuesday" and "Carolina in My Mind" are definitive."

Cashbox noted that the album "offers her strongest bid to date for album success with this beautifully poetic LP....Melanie should find herself on the charts with this excellent record."

Allmusic stated that "this was where she seemed to truly hit the mark for the first time...If Candles in the Rain was the album that broke Melanie to a larger audience, it did so not just because it featured her biggest hit single to date, but because it matched material and interpretation with greater skill than she had in the past, and it ranks with her finest work."

Track listing
All songs written by Melanie Safka except where noted.
 * 1) "Candles in the Rain" 1:42
 * 2) "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)" (accompanied by the Edwin Hawkins Singers) 3:49
 * 3) "Carolina in My Mind" (James Taylor) 3:37
 * 4) "Citiest People" 3:32
 * 5) "What Have They Done to My Song Ma" (fr) 4:02
 * 6) "Alexander Beetle" (Safka, A.A. Milne) 2:35
 * 7) "The Good Guys" 3:08
 * 8) "Lovin' Baby Girl" 4:20
 * 9) "Ruby Tuesday" (Mick Jagger, Keith Richards) 4:31
 * 10) "Leftover Wine" 6:06

Some versions of the album substituted "Close to It All" for "Alexander Beetle", some versions have neither song.

On the original 1970 UK release by Buddah Records (2318009), "Lay Down" is given a timing of 3:49 on both label and sleeve notes as is quoted above. On this album, the track is in fact 7:44 minutes long (from direct timing), but was 3:49 on her Very Best of album.

Personnel

 * Melanie – guitars, vocals
 * Alan Parker – guitars
 * Alan Hawkshaw – keyboards, organ
 * Edwin Hawkins – piano on "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)"
 * Harold McNair – fiddle, flute
 * Herbie Flowers – bass
 * Barry Morgan – drums
 * Rico Reyes – congas, percussion on "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)"
 * John Abbott – arrangement on "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)"; conductor on "What Have They Done to My Song Ma"
 * Lee Holdridge – string arrangements on "Citiest People" and "Ruby Tuesday"