Laura Nyro - A Little Magic, A Little Kindness - The Complete Mono Albums Collection 07-07-2017

You are in love. I guarantee it.

 

She is special for sure, An incredible, mega, monster talent!

 

Has anyone compared the mono More Than a New Discovery on Real Gone with the recent mono/stereo Japan CD?

 

As far as Laura's catalog that needs reviving, her last and wonderful LP, "Angel In The Dark" absolutely needs a reissue. It is a beautiful and creative effort by Laura who passed away in 1997-this was not released until 2001...and is hard to find nowadays





AllMusic Review by Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr.

Angel in the Dark is a lovely recording featuring the graceful vocals and finely crafted songs that everyone expects from Laura Nyro. These sessions were completed in the summer of 1995 and represent the last music Nyro recorded. The title cut and "Sweet Dream Fade" mine the same soul terrain as her late '60s recordings, featuring horns and underlined by heavy guitar riffs. These upbeat pieces perfectly integrate voice, arrangements, and lyrics to create an organic whole, and are two of the best cuts on the album. Slower, piano-based songs like "Triple Goddess Twilight," "He Was Too Good to Me," and "Serious Playground" are mixed in-between these songs. These pieces are quieter and introspective, with Nyro's voice more intimate. It is almost as though she was sitting at the piano, late at night, and singing to herself. There are also several covers including "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" and "Let It Be Me." The first of these is over five minutes and has been slowed down so much that it drags. In fact, she slows down all of the covers as if to convert them into heartfelt ballads. This works best on "Ooh Baby, Baby," partly because the arrangement is fuller and more dynamic. One other standout is the upbeat "Gardenia Talk," filled with lively percussion and a sensual vocal. Angel in the Dark is a fine coda, perfect for late-night listening, and a perfect companion to Nyro's other recordings.


Angel In The Dark...as good as Laura gets. Some beautiful footage here too...

 

Not her best album but I agree that it should be reissued to make it easily available again. A few years ago when the library in Utrecht was selling all of their CDs for €1 each, I was chatting with the girl next to me and I came across this album. I asked her if she knew who Laura Nyro was, she replied "No". I gave her a euro and this album, saying "Buy this one, you won't be disappointed". Don't know whether she actually did, but this album always reminds me of that incident.

 

Listened to Side 2 this morning. First, a general observation: Anyone interested in "The Great American Songbook" should own some version of this recording. "He's a Runner", "Buy and Sell" wouldn't be out of place on any of Billie Holiday's Verve records. It's easy for me to imagine Ella singing "I Never Meant to Hurt You".

Bottom line: Very glad I purchased this release. I just ordered two additional copies for my daughters.

Real Gone Music: For a mono recording, this is very three dimensional. Another demo mono recording for my friends who don't understand the appeal of mono. Vocals out front with none of the degradation that sometimes occurs on Laura's high range. Really well done. For $22, a no-brainer.

1. WLP of the original mono release in really great shape: This was my go to copy until now. Sound is pretty much the same as on the Real Gone release. Slight nod to the Real Gone release (vocals were a little more upfront on "Buy and Sell" and "He's A Runner")
2. Original stereo release, in less good shape: Better shape than I remember it being. Interestingly, the sound stage isn't that much wider than on the mono release. Vocals aren't as up front as in the mono.
3. Audio Fidelity's release of "The First Songs": A much wider sound stage than on the original stereo release. Extremely well done. While I generally prefer the mono release, "Blowin' Away" is much punchier on this release,with better sound from the horns .

 

Import CDs has copies of Angel In The Dark for $8.50 plus ship on their site if any one is interested.

 

I believe the recent mono Japan CD uses the same mastering as the A Little Magic, A Little Kindness compilation from Real Gone Music.

 

Yes, that is my understanding as well. Japan has issued that version on BluSpec and in a limited edition cardboard release using original art. Classy!

 

Yes this a great swan song for Laura. I like it, and I am listening to it now.

 

Peter Gallway, dear friend of Laura, Peter grew up in the Village with Laura and helped to produce her last album. He moved back to Maine to get away from the wildfires of California and the madding crowd pf NYC to set up a recording studio and record again himself...
Peter Gallway and Peter Gallway & The Real Band


He often speaks reverently of his dear friend Laura during his live gigs. He dedicated his recent album "Feels Like Religion" to Laura. Peter and Laura grew up with the same music in their heads and hearts and you can hear Laura in Peter's music...

Yes. Listening To Laura "feels like religion"...for Laura:

FEELS LIKE RELIGION
All songs © Peter Gallway. All rights reserved.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AstDRxXSQe0


Feels Like Religion

From high above the street wind swirling your hair
You sing to the city and it feels like religion

Your words ring out your voice breaks high
For those who’ve lived a thousand lies for love
In twilight to your shoulders you pull your shawl
Eyes to the heavens ask, what have we done, what have we done?

From high above the street wind swirling your hair
You sing to the city and it feels like religion
A scripture of faith, holy water of the deep
The religion of the corner and the blessing of the street
You sing to the city and it feels like religion to me

You sing to the broken, those knocked to their knees
Those who dare to believe there is something to believe
If there’s a price to pay you’ll cover your end
Defend your family and die with your man

If passion is suffering, enthusiasm or desire
Then the rebel Jesus suffered between the last supper and the cross
As you are one who suffers for us all
Who sings from this rooftop in a voice of muscle and bone

I did not know what love could be
You took me to your room and turned down the sheets
And I said yes, oh yes, yes I believe
I was the innocent, the innocent thief

From high above the street wind swirling your hair
You sing to the city and it feels like religion
A scripture of faith, holy water of the deep
The religion of the corner and the blessing of the street
You sing to the city and it feels like religion to me

 

And what about the stereo portion of the CD? It uses the Columbia remix?

 

Seeing how it's the only mix used for the stereo releases, the Japan CD most likely uses that as well.

 

Having a first listen to the LP - to hear this after all these years without the distortion makes me so happy. It also proves that whoever did the original stereo mix and overloaded the tracks is an idiot. LP manufacture/pressing is perfect. Get it while you can.

 

Is this the same mono mix as "A Little Magic, A Little Kindness" CD ? Is the vinyl better?

 

Thanks for the heads up I had no idea this was coming out, let along already released and it's my job to know what's coming out. Immediately checked my distro, crap only 5 left. Ordered one for myself (did not order extras cause sadly poor Laura just sits at my shop, we have had a 69 verve press since 2015!) and it arrived today. It's drying right now but looking forward to putting this on, I only have the 70s "First Songs" so this will be a new revelation for this album.

 

Wowza! It's like hearing it again for the first time, this is a top notch. The overloading the cart trick works, they only have 18 left! I would not hesitate and buy this wonderful reissue

 

I also thought that CBS (domestically) didn't do folds for mono in late '67/'68. Were any of the ELI singles mixed to mono, and could these have been included on the Columbia WLP of ELI? Every other late '67/'68 US CBS mono, promotional or commercial, is dedicated mono, correct?: SONGS OF LEONARD COHEN, THE HURDY GURDY MAN (WLP), THE NOTORIOUS BYRD BROTHERS, BOOKENDS. Can anyone point to any other domestic CBS mono release/promo LP from 1968 that is a fold?

 

Laura...rare live 1990

Lo-fi but who cares!

 

I bought this CD exclusively for “Will You Love Me Tomorrow”. Her version of this song is truly beautiful and, not surprisingly, so too is the entire Album.

 

Yes! Wonderful.

A good friend of mine co-produced that album and stayed at her flat for a while during those sessions thry shared and played for each other their own songs at her grand piano...oh, to have been a fly on the wall...they had been dear friends since their teens, busking the street corners in the Village.

 

If they could get the rights to the "Night Passage" short film and the few TV appearances that she made, there's enough stuff for a potential DVD or BR release.
Now that would be great.

 

Laura singing about her love for Coltrane
1989

Roll Of The Ocean

 

OK, it's time to take these original mono tapes of the first album, and do a digitally extracted stereo process on them, and give us a new stereo mix. Who's with me ??

 

Me! Me! Me!