Time And Love: The Laura Nyro Album By Album Thread

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by mdekoning, Aug 12, 2009.

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  1. mdekoning

    mdekoning Senior Member Thread Starter

    Welcome to the Laura Nyro album by album thread. This thread will include all of Laura Nyro's live and studio albums in chronological order by performance date. Of all the compilation albums that exist I'll only include the ones that were released worldwide. We'll discuss them at the point when they were released, see below for a full list.

    It's OK to discuss everything you want to discuss about the album, different pressings, best sound quality, rare editions, covers of the songs from the album, live performances from the era, different edits of certain songs, your memories of when you first heard the songs, everything is fine. If you have interesting articles, interviews, pictures or reviews don't hesitate to post them here, but wait until we get to the actual album/period in Laura's career. If you've missed one or 2 albums and want to post something about a previous album it's OK to jump back a few albums for a few posts, others can read around them. For those who want to know where we are without having to scroll through several pages my avatar and signature will feature the current album.

    MORE THAN A NEW DISCOVERY (February 1967)
    ELI & THE 13TH CONFESSION (March 1968)
    NEW YORK TENDABERRY (September 1969)
    CHRISTMAS AND THE BEADS OF SWEAT (November 1970)
    SPREAD YOUR WINGS AND FLY: LIVE AT THE FILLMORE EAST (Recorded May 1971)
    GONNA TAKE A MIRACLE (with Labelle) (November 1971)
    SMILE (February 1976)
    SEASON OF LIGHTS: LAURA NYRO IN CONCERT (Recorded Spring 1976)
    NESTED (June 1978)
    IMPRESSIONS (Released 1980)
    MOTHER'S SPIRITUAL (January 1984)
    LAURA: LIVE AT THE BOTTOM LINE (Recorded 1988)
    LIVE FROM MOUNTAIN STAGE (Recorded November 1990)
    WALK THE DOG AND LIGHT THE LIGHT (August 1993)
    LIVE: THE LOOM'S DESIRE (Recorded 1993/1994)
    LIVE IN JAPAN (Recorded 1994)
    ANGEL IN THE DARK (Recorded 1994/1995)
    STONED SOUL PICNIC: THE BEST OF LAURA NYRO (Released February 1997)
    TIME AND LOVE: THE ESSENTIAL MASTERS (Released October 2000)
     
  2. mdekoning

    mdekoning Senior Member Thread Starter

    MORE THAN A NEW DISCOVERY

    [​IMG]

    Released: February 1967 by Verve/Folkways as FT/FTS-3020
    Peak US Chart Position: did not chart

    Produced by Milt Okun
    Recorded at Bell Sound, West 54th Street, New York City, Fall 1966
    Engineered by Val Valentin and Harry Yarmark

    All songs written by Laura Nyro
    Arranged and conducted by Herb Bernstein

    Laura Nyro: Lead Vocals
    Jay Berliner: Guitar
    Herb Bernstein: Fluegelhorn
    Hi Fashions: Backing Vocals
    Stan Free: Piano
    Bill La Vorgna: Drums
    Buddy Lucas: Harmonica on "And When I Die", "Wedding Bell Blues" and "California Shoeshine Boys"
    Lou Mauro: Bass
    Jimmy Sedlar: Horns
    Toots Thielemans: Harmonica on "Billy's Blues", "Lazy Susan" and "He's A Runner"

    Side 1
    1.Goodbye Joe (2:38)
    2.Billy's Blues (3:20)
    3.And When I Die (2:40)
    4.Stoney End (2:46)
    5.Lazy Susan (3:53)
    6.Hands Off The Man (later re-titled "Flim Flam Man") (2:29)

    Side 2
    1.Wedding Bell Blues (2:44)
    2.Buy and Sell (3:38)
    3.He's a Runner (3:40)
    4.Blowin' Away (2:23)
    5.I Never Meant to Hurt You (2:52)
    6.California Shoeshine Boys (2:45)

    Singles:
    September 1966: Wedding Bell Blues/Stoney End (#103/12 weeks)
    February 1967: Goodbye Joe/Billy's Blues (did not chart)
    April 1967: Flim Flam Man/And When I Die (did not chart)

    [​IMG]

    This album was reissued twice with a new tracklisting. First as Laura Nyro by Verve/Forcast in 1967 and later by Columbia in 1973 as The First Songs. These releases and all CDs (except the recent Rev Ola CD) feature the following tracklisting:

    Side 1
    1.Wedding Bell Blues (2:44)
    2.Billy's Blues (3:20)
    3.California Shoeshine Boys (2:45)
    4.Blowin' Away (2:23)
    5.Lazy Susan (3:53)
    6.Goodbye Joe (2:38)

    Side 2
    1.Flim Flam Man (2:29)
    2.Stoney End (2:46)
    3.I Never Meant to Hurt You (2:52)
    4.He's a Runner (3:40)
    5.Buy and Sell (3:38)
    6.And When I Die (2:40)

    The 1973 Columbia reissue managed to chart at #79 and stayed on the charts for 11 weeks.
     
  3. audiomixer

    audiomixer As Bald As The Beatles

    I have always prayed that they would find the multi-tracks for this album and remix it ...sans the distortion. But I doubt that will ever happen. What is currently the best sounding CD of this album?
     
  4. Beattles

    Beattles Senior Member

    Location:
    Florence, SC
    3 hugh hits by other artists from her debut LP. That's pretty strong. It is a shame she didn't have more success as a performer.
     
  5. mdekoning

    mdekoning Senior Member Thread Starter

    The allmusic.com review:

    These 12 sides represent singer/songwriter Laura Nyro's earliest professional recordings. More Than a New Discovery was originally issued on the Folkways label in conjunction with Verve Records in early 1967. The contents were subsequently reissued as The First Songs in 1969 after she began to garner national exposure with her first two LPs for Columbia -- Eli and the Thirteenth Confession (1968) and New York Tendaberry (1969), respectively. Many of these titles became international hits for some of the early '70s most prominent pop music vocalists and bands. Among them, "Wedding Bell Blues" and "Blowing Away" were covered by the Fifth Dimension. "And When I Die" became one of Blood, Sweat & Tears signature pieces. Likewise, "Stoney End," as well as "I Never Meant to Hurt You," are both arguably best known via Barbra Streisand's renditions. Accompanied by a small pop combo, Nyro's prowess as both composer and performer are evidence that she was a disciple of both Tin Pan Alley as well as the Brill Building writers. Additionally, Nyro was able to blend the introspection of a classic torch ballad with an undeniable intimacy inherent in her lyrics. "Buy and Sell," as well as "Billy's Blues," exemplify her marriage of jazz motifs within a uniquely pop music structure. Also immediately discernible is that these were far from simplistic, dealing with the organic elements that tether all of humanity, such as love, death, loss, and even redemption. While artists such as Tim Buckley and Joni Mitchell were attempting to do the same, much of their early catalog is considerably less focused in comparison. For example, "Lazy Susan" incorporates the same acoustic noir that would become the centerpiece of her future epics "Gibsom Street" and the title track to New York Tendaberry. There are a few differences worth noting when comparing More Than a New Discovery and First Songs. After Columbia Records bought Nyro out of her contract with Verve/Forecast, they also issued this collection in 1973 as First Songs, boasting a revised running order, as well as a title change from "Hands Off the Man" -- as listed here -- to "Flim Flam Man." Beginning in 2002, Sony/Legacy began an exhaustive overhaul of Nyro's classic '70s albums. In addition to remastered sound and newly incorporated artwork and liner notes, the series also boasts "bonus tracks" where applicable. Both casual listeners, as well as seasoned connoisseurs, can find much to discover and rediscover on these seminal sides from Laura Nyro.

    LINDSAY PLANER


    A review from Uncut when the 2008 Rev Ola reissue came out:

    Before Laura Nyro became the dark poetess of singer-songwriterdom – New York’s answer to the Ladies of the Canyon – she made this, an album of crafted Brill Building pop arranged in the big, blousy, orchestral style of Springfield and Streisand.

    Once she had been sprung from her contract and given “artistic freedom” by manager David Geffen, Nyro disowned the album as a commercial compromise, despite its enormous success as a trove of hit songs for others. Fifth Dimension, Blood Swea at and Tears and Streisand were among those bending the knee to the talented Bronx teenager, who wrote the most famous song here, “And When I Die” at seventeen.

    The precocious Nyro already conceived of the song as part of a suite, and bristled when arranger Herb Bernstein bundled her concept into conventional form. In retrospect, with the pop diva once more in major vogue, following the example of Dusty and Dionne Warwick wasn’t such a bad thing, while Nyro’s songs and performance both transcend the fussy arrangements.

    Raised by musical Jewish-Italian parents, Nyro had suckled on New York pop, singing with street corner harmony crews, listening to girl groups like The Chiffons and Shirelles. A major difference between her and the songwriters who became her peers – Joni, Jackson - was her rootedness in black pop.

    Indeed, some of Nyro’s later work could have benefited from the three minute format imposed here. The authenticity of some of these songs has been called into question - “Wedding Bell Blues” was especially derided by Nyro’s feminist champions - but there are few duff efforts (“Californian Shoeshine Boys” anyone?) and Nyro’s authority soars over Bernstein’s heavy-handed treatments, belting out “Hands Off The Man” and “Stoney End” (both hits for Streisand).

    An album of its time, then, but one which still opens a window on Nyro’s out-of-time talent, an early manifestation of her deep, dark and beautiful lyricism. The bravado with which she faces down the Reaper on “And When I Die” is still spine-tingling.

    NEIL SPENCER
     
  6. mdekoning

    mdekoning Senior Member Thread Starter

    I think the 2008 Rev Ola CD sounds fine. There's no excessive compression or noise reduction. Right now this is all I have though, so I can't compare it to anything.
     
  7. Andreas

    Andreas Senior Member

    Location:
    Frankfurt, Germany
    The title is fitting because this album has also been a new discovery for me this year. Fabulous work and abundance of talent is all I can say. Besides the hits that I already knew before (And When I Die, Wedding Bell Blues), my favorites are Lazy Susan, Buy And Sell and He's A Runner.

    The liner notes mention the following about Wedding Bell Blues:
    Does anyone know if Laura ever performed or demonstrated a longer version?
     
  8. Andreas

    Andreas Senior Member

    Location:
    Frankfurt, Germany
    It's also the only issue I have, but it sounds extremely good in my opinion, very warm and full.
     
  9. peter

    peter Senior Member

    Location:
    Paradise
    I like this thread, but feel compelled to point out the following, which are all qaulified by AFAIK.

    More Than a New Disocovery, the original on Verve Folkways, appears to exist only in MONO. This is what I have. The re-issue, on Verve Forecast, is in stereo only and has a re-arranged song order AND added reverb/echo according to one poster on another thread. The First Songs Columbia re-issue retains the revised song order and is, of course, stereo only. The ORIGINAL pressing of the UK Rev-Ola CD, though using the correct artwork on the back cover with the original song order, plays the REVISED song order, and in stereo. (I know, I have it.) I e-mailed Rev-Ola about this and got a response assuring me that this would be corrected. I don't know if it has since I have decided not spend another $16.00 to find out when I can just program my CD player to get the original song order. I have NEVER seen a stereo of the Verve Folkways release or a mono of the Verve Forecast release. There IS a a UK release of this album on Verve, but it is the stereo Verve Forecast edition. I have it. I do not believe there ever was a a UK MONO of this, either on Verve Folkways or Verve Forecast.

    Eli--Exists in MONO as a US WLP and as a UK standard issue. The US sounds better, I think the UK is a foldie.

    NYT--I have heard reports of a UK mono, but nothing confirmed. Same for US.

    Seasons of Light--Orig. JPN. CD (SRCS prefix) had an expanded song listing. The current Iconoclassic edition uses this.

    Impressions--This is a 1980 UK compilation. A nice album. I have it.

    Live at the Bottom Line--Exists on U.S. vinyl, w/ an insert, non-gatefold cover, 2 LP set. My U.S. CD is Made in Switzerland.

    Live In JAPAN--The orig. JPN. CD had an an expanded song listing. This has yet to be re-issued.

    Stoned Soul Picnic--Gives you at least 1, maybe 2, 7" single versions of songs.

    Final word. The U.S. remastered Eli and NYT that I have are among the WORST remastered CD's I have ever heard. If they did not have a few bonus tracks, I would have driven a nail through them.
     
  10. mdekoning

    mdekoning Senior Member Thread Starter

    According to member Averara there was a 2nd edition in March 2008, I guess that one has a corrected tracklisting. But I haven't re-purchased it yet, so I can't confirm anything. Here's the original post from several days ago:

     
  11. mdekoning

    mdekoning Senior Member Thread Starter

    I've never heard about a recording of that longer version. According to Michele Kort's biography "Wedding Bell Blues" is one of the songs that she played during an audition for Artie Mogull, but on a tape of a session from that time only features "And When I Die", "Lazy Susan" and a couple of unreleased tunes. As Herb Bernstein was against that longer version it would surprise me if it was ever recorded during the sessions for the actual album. But you never know what kind of outtakes may exist.
     
  12. Planbee

    Planbee Negative Nellie

    Location:
    Chicago
    Great thread idea!

    While I have about 10 Laura Nyro CDs, I don't have the first two. Yet. For some reason, I've taken it slowly with her catalog. I bought my first Nyro CD 2 or 3 years ago and have been occasionally adding to my collection since then.

    I just picked up Christmas and the Beads of Sweat last week, and have become obsessed with it. I'll have a lot to say about THAT one...
     
  13. Greg1954

    Greg1954 New Member

    Location:
    .
    Really, I wish they could nix the distortion too. The sound is quite nice underneath.

    When I first obtained 'The First Songs' on Columbia, the large reverberation on the songs made me (mistakenly) think that it could have been made at the Columbia 30th Street studio, since she did use that studio later on.
     
  14. slstokes2216

    slstokes2216 Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    OK, I ordered the Rev-ola the other day. I'll let you guys know about corrections when I get it.

    Got my fingers crossed.
     
  15. mdekoning

    mdekoning Senior Member Thread Starter

    I bought an original Japan CD of The First Songs on this board recently, so once I have it I'll compare it to the sound on the Rev Ola CD.

    I've checked eBay and a Stereo vinyl version of More Than A New Discovery does exist:

    http://cgi.ebay.com/Laura-Nyro-More...inyl?hash=item2555ed9645&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

    At least the cover claims this is stereo. Is this a different stereo mix to the one that's available as The First Songs and on CD?
     
  16. peter

    peter Senior Member

    Location:
    Paradise
    http://cgi.ebay.com/Laura-Nyro-More...inyl?hash=item2555ed9645&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

    This is the SECOND Verve issue - on Verve Forecast, just as I posted. It is NOT a stereo version of the FIRST Verve issue which was on Verve Folkways.

    I believe it is the same mix, but I do not have "The First Song" on LP or CD.
     
  17. RobertKaneda

    RobertKaneda New Member

    Location:
    Paris, France
    Her first album is among the greatest ever made.

    Had to include it among my "if you had to start over" albums.

    I share the desire previously expressed for a clean remix of the record, but doubt we'll ever see it.
     
  18. peter

    peter Senior Member

    Location:
    Paradise
    Yes. It is magnificent. You should hear it in MONO. I am SO grateful to have this record.

    I would rather go back in time and see Laura live more than anyone else. I know that is sacrilege on this forum, but there it is.
     
  19. Greg1954

    Greg1954 New Member

    Location:
    .
    Does the mono have the distortion as well? If not, I'm searching one out, though it may not be easy.
     
  20. mdekoning

    mdekoning Senior Member Thread Starter

    Seconded! And that includes the Beatles, the Grateful Dead, Genesis with Peter Gabriel, Miles Davis or Chet Baker.
     
  21. Greg1954

    Greg1954 New Member

    Location:
    .
    Someone on this forum told a story of seeing her open for Bob Dylan in later years, and apparently the audience gave a her real hard time, impatient for Bob, or just not into her thing.

    Bunch of slobs. It wouldn't surprise me at all if her set wasn't at least as good as Dylan's, maybe better.
     
  22. mdekoning

    mdekoning Senior Member Thread Starter

    Is it easy to find a nice copy for $30 or less? eBay doesn't seem to have a copy right now.
     
  23. peter

    peter Senior Member

    Location:
    Paradise
    Not that I recall. But I have only played this a few times. A few years ago, it was not too hard to find the MONO LP on ebay. However, things have changed. How much? In this most recent economic downturn, I have NOT noticed an increased number of collectible LP's in local stores. In fact, I have noticed the opposite.
     
  24. annewithane

    annewithane New Member

    Location:
    Seatac, WA
    Thanks for starting this thread - I love Laura's music. I've been hunting for that first album for a week now and due to my fantastic filing system (ha ha) I can't find it and I have 2 copies somewhere. I have found most of the other albums though so I'll be ready for those :righton:

    Anyway, I like this first album. It was quite a revelation to hear her do ""And When I Die" after listening to the Blood Sweat and Tears version for years and years. She sings from the heart and it just gets to me everytime.
     
  25. Greg1954

    Greg1954 New Member

    Location:
    .
    If anyone is interested, Barnes & Noble online has a number of her CD's available for 4 dollars and change.

    I just picked up 'Live In Japan' which I haven't heard, and the expanded 'Tendaberry.'
     
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