*Album can be listened to at the end of the blog
If it were not for this album, 2011 may have been my last year on earth. Dramatic as it sounds, that's precisely how life changing this album is for me. Not since my childhood has an artist had such an impact on me as the legendary Laura Nyro. I've been familiar with Laura's work for quite a while: as a pre-teen I had a greatest hits compilation of The 5th Dimension, my Mom had exposed me to Blood, Sweat, and Tears, and a favorite Barbra Streisand song of hers has always been "Stoney End." So I had been exposed to Laura Nyro the songwriter; her songs were hits for all the aforementioned artists. But Laura Nyro the artist didn't permeate my heart until my 20s. It wasn't until my existential meltdown at 28 (am I even in the clear yet?) that Laura Nyro took hold of my soul--and I am better because of her.
I happened to be living in New York at the time--Laura's native city. Perhaps she was haunting me. Perhaps she was there to guide me. Who can say? I am not certain of such apparitions but I am certain that the melodies, lyrics and ultimately, that voice--that distinctly unique voice--were what saved me from myself. That was 3 years ago.
Recorded in 1965 by Laura at just 19 years old and released in 1967, this album was ahead of its time. This is the precursor to Joni Mitchell's debut "Song To A Seagull," and Carole King's breakthrough, "Tapestry." This is the album that would give birth to the pop-with-pathos song structure that became the trademark of many singer/songwriters in the early 1970s all the way through to the present. Combining Pop, Jazz, Broadway, R&B, Soul, Folk, Gospel and Rock, "More Than A New Discovery" was the album that would allow popular songwriters to write anything and everything. You read about any pop musician's songwriting and you will find Laura Nyro amongst their influences. In a time where music is incredibly homogenized, Laura Nyro still remains an enigmatic entity of her very own.
Laura didn't just write her own songs; she rewrote the rules on songwriting. Not only did she mix every genre imaginable, she changed tempos, time signatures and keys drastically--a song that began as a ballad would erupt into an up-tempo; a gospel-like spiritual turned into a Broadway chorus line. Not too shabby for a Bronx-born girl who was self-taught on the piano. Shy and introverted, Laura would hear symphonies in her head and spend her career attempting to convey them in her music. Often described as being difficult, it simply was a matter of translation--Laura spoke a different musical language than the producers assigned to produce and arrange her albums. She would even describe her music in terms of colors rather than instrumentation. It was enough to drive practically everyone she worked with nuts. Not even this album was to her standards--she was too much of a genius, not so much a perfectionist.
Ever the observer, Laura wrote about the world around her. The themes on this album are much deeper than most of what was on the radio at the time. So deep were the themes in fact, that this album was a flop and produced no hit singles for Laura; save for a minor hit with "Wedding Bell Blues," a song most know as a hit for The 5th Dimension. For my generation, it's the song Vada Sultenfuss sings in the heart-wrenching movie "My Girl." With themes ranging from depression to death, atheism to drug addiction to plain old love, 'New Discovery' stands as quite possibly the first contemporary pop album in the history of American music. In these songs you can hear echoes of Tori Amos, Fiona Apple, Sara Bareilles, Vanessa Carlton and Lady Gaga; not to mention Elton John, hugely inspired by Laura's album "New York Tendaberry," and Joni Mitchell herself.
Though Laura didn't have hits with her versions of her songs, other groups' entire careers practically depended upon her songs for their success. The 5th Dimension covered most of her material: "Wedding Bell Blues, Blowin' Away, Stoned-Soul Picnic, Sweet Blindness, Time And Love, Save The Country, Blackpatch, He's A Runner." Blood, Sweat, and Tears had a massive hit self-titled album which included, "And When I Die" and "He's A Runner." Barbra Streisand had a hit with "Stoney End." Thankfully in 1999, "More Than A New Discovery" was awarded a Grammy Hall of Fame award. Laura was never nominated throughout her entire career.
Only a few years ago was Laura awarded her rightful place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Bette Midler did the honors! Take a look at a video below of Sara Bareilles performing "Stoney End" in tribute:
As with June Christy's "Something Cool" (blog post here) Laura Nyro's debut album is a full listening experience and I truly believe each song is integral to the piece as a whole--every track hinges on the revolutionary sound of this record. Unfortunately it is unavailable in iTunes, but can be purchased on compact disc or vinyl at most online retailers. The album was re-released as "The First Songs" in the 1970s but to the detriment of the masterwork, it is not the original song sequence as intended on first release so please find the original album if you can. I hope this Gem Of A Jam changes your life as much as it continues mine; as the title suggests, you're about to make 'more than a new discovery' with the completely original Laura Nyro.