''Born to Be'' is the debut

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by singer

Melanie Melanie is a feminine given name derived from the Greek μελανία (melania), "blackness" and that from μέλας (melas), meaning "dark".Buddah Records Buddah Records (later known as Buddha Records) was an American record label founded in 1967 in New York City. The label was born out of Kama Sutra Records, an MGM Records-distributed label, which remained a key imprint following Buddah's foundin ...

in 1968. Following Melanie's success at the

Woodstock Festival Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held during August 15–18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, United States, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. ...

in 1969, Buddha repackaged and reissued the album as ''My First Album''.

Reception

In their review of the album, ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' stated that "The voice is that of a very young girl, but the way she conveys musical thoughts is that of one wise beyond her years. Her non-conformist approach to the selections on this LP make her a new talent to be reckoned with." ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' were more cool in their praise of the record, nothing that "when she's not busy being Streisand, Temple, Garland and Buffy St. Marie with a little Gracie Allen thrown in on the side, and when she concentrates on being Melanie, she can really get to you. Like on "Momma, Momma," for instance, or "Bo Bo's Party." Her voice, her lyrics, her guitar all work for her to produce a tight unit of action and reaction." U.K. publication ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' called it an "interesting album," calling Melanie "a young lady who sings in a strange, arresting way, as if she cant quite remember the words (or the tune at times). She wrote most of the songs and is a sort of female Dylan."

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

noted that the album was "an intriguing curate's egg. Neither Melanie, nor her producer-husband Peter Schekeryk, seem sure exactly where her strengths lie, so she is cast in a number of roles: Piaf-imitating chanteuse, soul-searching, angst-heavy troubadour, giggling novelty figure and children's entertainer. Stranger still, half the time the experiment works."

Track listing

All songs written by Melanie Safka except where noted. # "In the Hour" # "I'm Back in Town" # "Bobo's Party" # "

Mr. Tambourine Man "Mr. Tambourine Man" is a song written by Bob Dylan, released as the first track of the acoustic side of his March 1965 album '' Bringing It All Back Home''. The song's popularity led to Dylan recording it live many times, and it has been includ ...

" (

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

) # "Momma, Momma" # "I Really Loved Harold" # "Animal Crackers" # "

Christopher Robin is Saying His Prayers Christopher is the English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or '' Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Christ" or "Anointed", and φέρει� ...

" (words by

A. A. Milne Alan Alexander Milne (; 18 January 1882 – 31 January 1956) was an English writer best known for his books about the teddy bear Winnie-the-Pooh, as well as for children's poetry. Milne was primarily a playwright before the huge success of Winni ...

) # "Close to It All" # "Merry Christmas"

Personnel

*Melanie - guitar, vocals *

Roger Kellaway Roger Kellaway (born November 1, 1939) is an American composer, arranger and jazz pianist. Life and career Kellaway was born in Waban, Massachusetts, United States. He is an alumnus of the New England Conservatory. Kellaway has composed commissio ...

– arranger ;Technical * Peter Schekeryk – producer * Bruce Staple – engineer *

Artie Ripp Arthur Marcus "Artie" Ripp (born 1940) is an American music industry executive and record producer. Career Early career Ripp began his career as a singer, initially informally harmonizing rock and roll songs with friends from high school. In ...

- director

Charts

References

1968 debut albums Melanie (singer) albums Buddah Records albums {{1960s-pop-album-stub