As Albums Editor for God Is In The TV, when our writers sometimes submit a review with a 10/10 rating, I almost always dissuade them, by asking “Do you really think this is one of the best albums you’ve ever heard?” which 99 per cent of the time results in them agreeing to drop their rating to a 9. Let me be clear from the outset about this massive boxset of one of the greatest female artists of all time though; this is absolutely a work of perfection, from its immaculate presentation to the wealth of information, right down to the most important factor – the music, the song writing and Laura Nyro‘s formidable vocal talents. This is a 10/10 release all day long.
This exceptional set comprises all nine of the gifted singer’s ‘proper’ studio albums (the first two in both mono and stereo versions), as well as the posthumous, incomplete Angel In The Dark from 2001. Also included are six formidable live releases, an audition tape called Go Find The Moon and finally, a rarities disc. If I were to suggest a starting point for Nyro novices, it would have to be her third album, 1969’s New York Tendaberry, largely because of its starkness. If you can embrace this record, the remainder of Laura’s output should be an absolute picnic. Not for nothing is the accompanying hardback set out like a remembrance book and filled with a wealth of information (and lavish praise) from various luminaries of the music world, such as Elton John, Lou Adler and Jackson Browne, the latter of whom says of Tendaberry: “Nyro dips her toes in all sorts of water, and it feels like a confluence where a sweet river runs into the salty sea.” That is such a brilliant metaphor, and it describes the record perfectly, from the world-weary melancholy of ‘You Don’t Love Me When I Cry‘, which is as heartfelt as they come for an opening number, desperately sad but mind-blowingly beautiful at the same time, through the jauntier piano sunshine of ‘Save The Country‘ to the gorgeous ‘resigned to fate’ aura of the title track that closes proceedings. It’s all over the place, yet somehow perfectly coherent, with the highly commercial, almost gospel sounding ‘Mercy On Broadway‘ rubbing shoulders with the desolately tender ‘The Man Who Sends Me Home‘. It’s simply a jaw-dropping record. If you’re not moved, you have the heart of a serial killer.
New York Tendaberry is generally regarded as the second release in a trilogy that also includes 1968’s Eli and The Thirteenth Confession, and 1970’s Christmas & The Beads Of Sweat. There’s a soulful show tune style permeating Eli, especially on its opening gambit ‘Luckie‘ and the ridiculously catchy, joyful ‘Sweet Blindness‘. The fact that Laura was barely even in her twenties when this album was recorded is nothing short of astonishing, given its depth of emotion, especially on the likes of ‘Lonely Women‘ and ‘Woman’s Blues‘, while Christmas is more toe-tapping with delicious uptempo tracks like ‘When I Was A Freeport And You Were The Main Drag‘, the rockier ‘Beads Of Sweat‘ and the mellifluous ‘Blackpatch‘, a perfect foil to the affecting sentimentality of ‘Upstairs By A Chinese Lamp‘ or the feeling of hopelessness conveyed by the tearjerking ‘Christmas In My Soul‘ which contains the somewhat downbeat lyrics: “I love my country as it dies / In war and pain before my eyes / I walk the streets where disrespect has been / The sins of politics, the politics of sin / The heartlessness that darkens my soul.” In between all that is a quite lovely version of the Goffin and King standard ‘Up On The Roof‘ too.
That ties in rather neatly to 1971’s Gonna Take A Miracle, which is a somewhat welcome diversion from all the heartache, being, as it was, a covers album of various Motown tunes that is extremely easy on the ear, especially on the upbeat ‘Jimmy Mack‘ and ‘Nowhere To Run‘. Nyro is clearly enjoying herself here, ably backed up by Philadelphia trio Labelle.
In all my excitement, I’ve completely neglected to mention Laura’s glorious debut, 1967’s More Than A New Discovery, a record packed to the brim with tunes worthy of the Motown stable or classic female vocalists like Shirley Bassey or Bobbie Gentry alike. ‘Billy’s Blues‘ is particularly arresting, while ‘Stoney End‘ would not have sounded out of place on a Dusty Springfield record. Are you getting my point yet? Laura Nyro was one of the greatest songwriters who ever lived, to the extent that this extravagant set can be emotionally overwhelming at times.
It’s interesting too, to note the tributes paid to her by her son, Gil Bianchini, and her younger brother Jan Nigro, and probably important to acknowledge too, that their memories of their mother/sister are extremely positive, happy times, her brother reflecting on the fact that she was always seen as quite a “serious” artist, which is, ostensibly, how the vast majority of her songs come across, yet it seems, by all accounts, that she was every bit the fun loving woman who loved to laugh and joke a lot. Along with the sublime recorded output, the book is a fascinating insight into the life of Laura, to the extent that you almost feel that you know her, and that truly is a beautiful thing.
After Gonna Take A Miracle, a good five years passed, Laura retreating from the spotlight having married, divorced and lost her mother during that time. Perhaps not without good reason, Nyro’s remaining records from this point onwards were often imbued with an aching melancholy, though 1976’s Smile begins with the mesmerising jazz-flecked ‘Sexy Mama.’ Don’t get me wrong though – while there’s a pensive mood percolating throughout this album, it’s never really depressing, despite tugging on your heartstrings a whole lot harder, and personally, I think it’s from this particular moment in time that you can recognise the impact Nyro had on a legion of future female performers, most notably upon Kate Bush.
This being such an expansive, comprehensive compendium of Laura’s work, every live performance worthy of note is included here, all of which are testament to not only Laura’s prowess as a writer but also as an awe-inspiring performer too, even as early as 1977’s Season Of Lights, which was a compilation of her shows in support of Smile, recorded in 1976. Anyone who attended one of those concerts must have gone home utterly spellbound. She’s just electrifying here, and the same can be said of all her other outstanding live sets.
Look, there are loads more CDs to go yet, but I don’t really need to tell you anything else, do I? This is an exceptional box set – EVERY album is great in its own way – by a woman whose entire body of work should be treasured forevermore. You will never, ever hear a better box set than this. It’ll be the best money you’ve ever spent.
Hear My Song is out now on Madfish.
