Melody (France/Multi-National): Symphonic Prog

Ivan_Melgar_M wrote: yam yam wrote: Ivan_Melgar_M wrote: There's a recent case, we've been suggested a band called MELODY with one song sample. We ask for more and the guy said there's no more. How can anybody suggest a band based in one song? What's the point to add a band who's album nobody can get? (If several thousand of Prog fans can't get it, nobody can). People who suggest, should add a bio and at least send a link to their music. Are we talking about this 'Melody' Iván? https://www.discogs.com/Melody-Come-Fly-With-Me/release/1450611. They also did a second album called 'Yesterlife' in 1977: https://www.discogs.com/Melody-Yesterlife/release/1303621. They were a French 1970's band, with male/female lead vocals sung in English. Their debut LP "Come Fly With Me" was actually recorded as a demo at Philippe Besombes studio, which won them a contract with Vogue. Collaborator apps79 reviewed their debut album on RYM, and provides all the info you'll need to add them: http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/melody_f1/come_fly_with_me/. Both Melody albums have different versions of some of the same material. They are on proggnosis as symphonic prog band: https://www.proggnosis.com/Artist/4386. If you want to take it any further I can pm you some more samples. That's not what Silly Puppy "who suggested them" said on the thread This is what he said: siLLy puPPy wrote: How does it work here when there are only two videos to be found? This is a super rare and obscure album. It seems like it has been deemed symphonic prog on other sites. Since it is impossible to hear the entire album, will it simply end up in the reject pile? Three videos are untitled, there's a lot of Psyche and hard rock We asked for the whole album and Silly Puppy said it was impossible..That's all, I have asked a friend from the radio for the whole OFFICIAL release, he will answer me when he has time, so unless you have the full album as it was released (Not the misspressed copy with Mahogany on side B), this is on standby. I used to buy all the albums that couldn't be found, I can't afford that anymore, I don't even buy all the albums I would wish to have.

Yes Iván - it's the official release that I have, in fact I have both the Melody albums (the second is a considerably better produced album than the first, though the track listing is screwed up on that album too, with tracks A1 and A2 being reversed on the actual vinyl from the listing written on the back of the sleeve and the disc label itself).

Melody released their debut album "Come Fly With Me" on the label Pôle in 1976, a label bought by Tapioca the following year. The band is composed of Gérard Batrya (bass) Didier Dupard (keyboards) Patrick Frehner (vocals, percussion) Jean-Luc L'Hermitte (vocals, guitar) Phil Louvet (drums, percussion) and American singer Diana Chase. It is Philippe Besombes himself who signed them in 1975 and directed the recording of the album, which, mixing included, occurred over 2 days - November 12 and 13, 1975.

Unfortunately the recording, not to mention the pressing, is horrendous. The second album "Yesterlife" is a far more professional album, in both composition and production, though some of the songs are re-recordings of tracks from "Come Fly With Me". It's also worth pointing out that most of the Tapioca (the inheritors of the Pole label) presses of "Come Fly With Me" features one half of the Melody album with one half of Mahogany Brain's "Smooth Sick Lights", which is an avant garde noise fest and a completely different style to Melody. 

Edit: The first of the three videos I originally posted, which is labelled as 'Merry Go Round' on YouTube is actually track B4 'When I'm Afraid I Sing A Song'.

...And here's the Yesterlife version of 'Merry Go Round':

It wasn't my suggestion to begin with, though I DO believe the band ought to be in the archives somewhere, at least. All the references I found on line are in agreement that the music is indeed prog, so it seems to me that we ought to do what we can to find a home for them here.

If siLLy puPPy happens to read this thread, and wants to pursue the matter any further, then that would be great, but from my point of view I've done my best to dig out some information about the band and provide evaluation samples, but as a non-collaborator that's about as much as I can do, and for now I'm done.

Thanks again for taking the time to check the band out.