Laura Nyro Appreciation Thread

Cafe Society
1

The tenth anniversary of Laura Nyro’s death from ovarian cancer passed about a month ago. A month ago, I knew nothin’ about Laura Nyro – except that you could hear several of her old songs on Lite FM (covered by the likes of Barbra Streisand; the Fifth Dimension; Blood, Sweat & Tears; and Three Dog Night), or on Muzak.

Still, I LIKED those songs: “Wedding Bell Blues,” “Stoney End,” “Eli’s Coming,” “And When I Die.” And, I understood, Nyro had a tiny but vocal cult following. Sounded like she was right up my alley.

So about ten days ago I bought myself a copy of New York Tendaberry, her 1969 album, the middle album of her “Classic Three” between '68’s Eli and the Thirteenth Confession and ‘70’s Christmas and the Beads of Sweat. It’s also supposed to be the purest distillation of Nyro’s sound, her fans’ favorite, as it’s nearly arrangement-free, almost entirely just her and her piano.

Now I’m totally besotted with this woman’s soulful, luscious soprano voice, and slackjawed over her songwriting power. I sat and listened to *NY Tendaberry * closely the first time through, was confused, which I understand to be the normal reaction, then listened to the whole thing again. Over the next days I sat and listened to the upbeat, gospel-like numbers – “Save the Country,” “Mercy on Broadway.” Then I quit those and listened to the angry, mournful, spooky, cryptic songs – “Gibsom Street,” “You Don’t Love Me When I Cry.” The I moved on to the love songs – oh my god, those love songs – “Captain Saint Lucifer” and “Captain for Dark Mornings.”

Now I’m here in Cafe Society, after doing a search for any other thread devoted to Nyro over the past eight years, and I see there has been none. And I’m not altogether surprised. I work with a number of extremely music-savvy people, and hardly any of them know anything about Laura Nyro except her name, reputation, and the fact that she got covered by a lot of top-selling (though mushmouthed) performers. And that she died young (49 years old) ten years ago.

See, one thing about Laura was that she was a very private person. She didn’t publicize herself, didn’t give interviews while she was at the top of her game, didn’t even like to appear on television. She sang at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 (showing much less stage presence than rock goddesses Janis Joplin and Gracie Slick), became convinced that she was being booed by the audience, and left the stage in tears. She retired in 1972 at the age of 24, got married, moved up to New England, have a kid. Divorced, started recording again (much smaller print runs than her '60s stuff), and played live shows at small venues like the Bottom Line in Greenwich Village.

Go to YouTube and type in “Laura Nyro” and click on “Save the Country – Live at Kraft Music Hall 1969.” 2 1/2 minute perf on NBC teevee (one of only two times she agreed to be on television, and you can see much she hates it), just her and piano.

So, my god, has everyone forgotten her? She was SO good. Please, people, tell me I’m not alone here.

2

I just got into Laura Nyro. I think it’s safe to say that I know more about music than anyone on this board, but even I had never listened to her. Sure, I’d heard her name and was aware of her for years, but never actually checked her out. On a whim, I picked up Eli and the Thirteenth Confession and, well, my mind was pretty much blown. AMAZING record.

3

Now I’d wished I’d posted it to the “favorite Youtube clip” thread, because I can’t find it anymore, but someone made a great comment on her Monterey Pop clip, saying that, unlike today with Christina, Britney, etc, with Laura Nyro it was about the song, not about her.

4

I love Laura Nyro’s songs. I only know them in the hit versions covered by other artists, but they are shining examples of outstanding songwriting ability. They don’t sound like anyone else’s material, and nobody ever wrote anything that was described as “Nyro-like.” She was truly special. One of only two Barbra Streisand records I ever need to hear is “Stoney End.” And when I want to impress somebody with my bass playing, I put on The Fifth Dimension’s record of “Wedding Bell Blues” and play along with it. That song is in my blood now. And “Stoned Soul Picnic” is so out-of-left-field, you can’t help but revere it for its sheer difference from everything else at the time (and even since). Marilyn McCoo may have been the perfect interpreter of Laura’s songs, not unlike Dionne Warwick for Burt Bacharach. “Sweet Blindness” is mesmerizing both in concept and execution. It’s a shame Laura was so uncomfortable with performing and the music business in general. It could have been so different for her. She is missed.

5

Slithy: The Monterey clip can be found on disc three – the outtakes – of the Criterion Collection Monterey Pop Festival movie. You don’t actually see Laura crying (it’s Pennebaker, so it’s hard to see much of anything), but she does seem visibly upset by the end of “Poverty Train.”

Nyro was definitely more about her work than about herself, but then, so were the other divas of Monterey…Slick and Joplin lost themselves in what they were singing, too. Where these little monster girls we have TODAY came from, I have no idea.

I’ll let you off easy on THAT one, bro, because you have the same hardon for the girl that I’m currently enjoying. (insert smiley here)

You go out and pick up Tendaberry, I’ll get Eli, we’ll each pour a drink and swap notes.

6

[Boldness added.]**

[Slight hijack]That’s because they’re the musical offspring of Madonna who is the direct opposite of Nyro, Slick, Joplin, Carole King, Joni Mitchell and other women who put their music ahead of themselves. The thing to remember about Britney, Christina, and their ilk, is that their image and celebrity must take precedence over everything. People have to be constantly talking about them regardless of whether they’re saying anything good or bad. The quality of their music is entirely secondary.[/Slight hijack]

This is not to say their not women like Nyro today. Granted, she may not be to everyone’s taste but I think Fiona Apple is a direct musical descendant (she has even acknowledged Nyro’s influence on her work). There’s also Nellie McKay who, like Nyro, blends a lot of seemingly diverse styles into her music along with an edgy snarkiness.

7

One of my favorite albums is Time and Love, a collection of Nyro songs performed by others. A copy is available thru that Amazon link for $2. How can you lose?

8

This is never the answer people want to hear in a thread of this type, but my mother is a big Laura Nyro fan. :wink:

But I like what I’ve heard too. In fact, I was thinking about her this weekend- and then I happened to walk into a sheet music store in Times Square with “Stoned Soul Picnic” playing on the stereo. So I’m thinking of her, and I’m sure I will borrow at least one of her albums soon.

I haven’t heard Nellie McKay’s music, but I saw her in Threepenny Opera a while ago and was wowed by her voice.

9

Don’t sweat it. One of the first responses I got from a co-worker (39 yrs old, born in Frisco) was “before my time!..my PARENTS had some Nyro records…”

Borrow those three I referenced in the OP. Report back!

10

And after she divorced, she moved to Connecticut with her partner and lived with her for 17 years… I’m glad she found happiness for the last few years of her life…

I saw her perform a couple of years before she died, and absolutely **loved **that concert…

11

You know, when you die, and you’ve been good, you stand in line on a cloud for what seems like hours (its really just a few minutes, but you’re dazed still) and you get let into an amphitheater. There, you get a show from Jimi, Stevie and Laura.

Jim Morrison is the usher. Janice runs the coat-check.

12

Somewhere I’ve got a cassette…

Ah. Found it, buried way back in the Land of Obsolete Media, a cassette of Laura Nyro, “The Early Songs.” Great stuff.

Huh. Found my old Liz Story cassettes while I was digging around in there. Other interesting stuff, too. Now I want to go find a decent cassette player, if there are any still to be had.

13

Herm. So, we have none of those crazy maniac Nyro cult people here at the Dope, willing to engage me in exchanged rapturous hosannas for our favorite Italian-Jewish singer girl from da Bronx?

You could download a tune or two, you know. Or click on the viddy in the OP.