Melodie De Nelson: A Pop Anthology is a new compilation by Nelson Bragg, Who was part of Brian Wilson's band for most of this century, The loss of that musical genius recently has made many of us dip back into his musical world and wonder at how brilliantly he shone.
Nelson takes songs from his most recent three solo albums Day Into Night, We Get What We Want and Gratitude Blues and then adds a few new songs and lost songs all freshly remixed for this Anthology. Big Stir are also re-issuing those three albums in full. This compilation concentrates on Nelsons Pop songs, which may mean some listeners are left wanting a wider range of lyrical content.
This anthology opens with We're Gonna Laugh About It and all the absurd things that happened while you were together, with a busy production that draws you into the song and the memories it will, evoke in you, hopefully convincing you that love is here to stay.
No One's Home In Hollywood instead they are out on the boulevards, looking for adventure, or to be discovered, jangling guitars and harmony backing vocals help you to survive, all the drama on the Boulevards if you haven't made it yet.
Tell Me I'm Wrong and prove this isn't heavily influenced by The Byrds and Flying Burrito Brothers, that it isn't a wonderfully graceful bucolic country rock tune for the 2020's, it may just be a lush song begging for some love and the resolution of an earlier argument, go on allay his fears.
Lived This Life Too Long he needs to change and get new bad habits, those old ones are over, harmonic questions of why you never changed in time, this rises seemingly on the edge of sadness, no matter how upbeat its Californian sunshine sound is, the chorus of brass, helping carry you away on a sea of symphonic pop.
She Used To Love Me what a shame, she's moved on and he's too dumb to not be green with envy, at the next guy she goes with, living the 60's free love Californian Beach Boys life to the max, sounds like he needs to open his mind, finding his next fine woman. I have to say I'm on her side, she's well rid of his attitude.
Forever Days he's dreaming that way again, melodious dreams that you really will be in love till the end of time, before she moves on to the next tinder date, to be as lushly orchestrated as this is. You Could Believe that he really is the one, but we know the kind of rogue he is by now, so instead he will let his guitar dance all around you, so you'll just fall into his arms again.
I'm In No Mood to care about you he claims, I guess Nelson's too busy arranging clever pop music. Every Bit Of The Day is very laid-back sparser feeling folk song of love for the one he wants to be with, even when things don't go your way, you really need the Beach Boys style backing harmonies to appear.
Whitechapel Girl sounds like she was born a couple of miles form where I was, this takes us on a glorious journey, while sounding like a chamber pop masterclass, he is happy to chase her all over the world, that still behaves like its about 1973 and full of wealth and intrigue, with the bitter regret that of course she left him for other avenues of life, she's probably a Hoxton girl these days.
Lost All Our Sundays in a haze of purple sunshine, reflections back to those better days, mellower times hoping he wont ever be alone, the guitars come in like Crazy Horse on a stampede.
Glorious Days is exactly that kind of melodious Beach Boys soft rock anthem the title suggests for more days lazing in the sunshine when nothing bad or disturbing was happening in the world.
The Last Girl He Ever Loved has Nelson finally come out the closet, or realised his playing days are over, this has a darker chamber country rock feel, she asked all the questions, but did she get the right answers, The Blasters style guitar freak out may be all the signal she needs, truthfully he'll be a gunslinger no more.
Seriously Girl oh my god you didn't come home late with bad excuses again, oh well with a bit of luck you'll dump him, move on to someone who lets you do what you want, not controlling everything, be it your father or your boyfriend, don't let him control you, he seems to be scolding her into power pop submission. The music is just as dramatic, no one comes out of this mess well, not when you have four husbands.
The album closes with Death Of Caroline with an elegiac heavenly choir with slow strummed feelings of sadness at your passing, Nelson however assures us the whole world is feeling fine that your gone, he celebrates you're going by going Rockingbird's with strings.
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