Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
This disc contains a dozen of the first songs that singer/songwriter Laura Nyro ever recorded. They were issued originally as More Than a New Discovery (1967) for the folkie Forecast division of the primarily jazz-oriented Verve Records label. When Columbia Records bought Nyro's back catalog, they reissued the material under the title The First Songs in 1973 as a stopgap release during her self-imposed exile from 1971 until 1976. Pop music enthusiasts will recognize many of the songs, as they became international hits for other artists. "Wedding Bell Blues" and "Blowing Away" are signature tunes for the Fifth Dimension. "And When I Die" likewise became best known by Blood, Sweat & Tears. "Stoney End" and "I Never Meant to Hurt You" both are notable from Barbra Streisand's respective cover versions. For The First Songs, Nyro is accompanied by a small pop combo. Her duality as composer and performer demonstrate her influence from pop music's golden Tin Pan Alley to the more modern Brill Building style. Nyro's ability to synthesize the introspection of a classic torch ballad with an undeniable intimacy inherent in her lyrics is evident on "Buy and Sell," as well as "Billy's Blues" -- which both exemplify her uncanny marriage of jazz within a uniquely pop music structure. Also immediately discernable is that these tunes 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 between this release and More Than a New Discovery. In addition to altering the title and cover art, The First Songs revises the running order and renames "Hands Off the Man" to "Flim Flam Man." Beginning in 2002, Sony/Legacy commenced an exhaustive overhaul of Nyro's classic '70s albums. In addition to remastered sound, 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 /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From $16.65/month
Harry Yarmark, Engineer - L. Nyro, Composer - L. Nyro, Lyricist - Jack Ashkinazy, Re-Mixer - Milt Okun, Producer - Herb Bernstein, Conductor - Herb Bernstein, Arranger - Laura Nyro, Performer
(P) 1973 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Harry Yarmark, Engineer - L. Nyro, Composer - L. Nyro, Lyricist - Jack Ashkinazy, Re-Mixer - Milt Okun, Producer - Herb Bernstein, Conductor - Herb Bernstein, Arranger - Laura Nyro, Performer
(P) 1973 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Harry Yarmark, Engineer - L. Nyro, Composer - L. Nyro, Lyricist - Jack Ashkinazy, Re-Mixer - Milt Okun, Producer - Herb Bernstein, Conductor - Herb Bernstein, Arranger - Laura Nyro, Performer
(P) 1973 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Harry Yarmark, Engineer - L. Nyro, Composer - L. Nyro, Lyricist - Jack Ashkinazy, Re-Mixer - Milt Okun, Producer - Herb Bernstein, Conductor - Herb Bernstein, Arranger - Laura Nyro, Performer
(P) 1973 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Harry Yarmark, Engineer - L. Nyro, Composer - L. Nyro, Lyricist - Jack Ashkinazy, Re-Mixer - Milt Okun, Producer - Herb Bernstein, Conductor - Herb Bernstein, Arranger - Laura Nyro, Performer
(P) 1973 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Harry Yarmark, Engineer - L. Nyro, Composer - L. Nyro, Lyricist - Jack Ashkinazy, Re-Mixer - Milt Okun, Producer - Herb Bernstein, Conductor - Herb Bernstein, Arranger - Laura Nyro, Performer
(P) 1973 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Harry Yarmark, Engineer - L. Nyro, Composer - L. Nyro, Lyricist - Jack Ashkinazy, Re-Mixer - Milt Okun, Producer - Herb Bernstein, Conductor - Herb Bernstein, Arranger - Laura Nyro, Performer
(P) 1973 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Harry Yarmark, Engineer - L. Nyro, Composer - L. Nyro, Lyricist - Jack Ashkinazy, Re-Mixer - Milt Okun, Producer - Herb Bernstein, Conductor - Herb Bernstein, Arranger - Laura Nyro, Performer
(P) 1973 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Harry Yarmark, Engineer - L. Nyro, Composer - L. Nyro, Lyricist - Jack Ashkinazy, Re-Mixer - Milt Okun, Producer - Herb Bernstein, Conductor - Herb Bernstein, Arranger - Laura Nyro, Performer
(P) 1973 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Harry Yarmark, Engineer - L. Nyro, Composer - L. Nyro, Lyricist - Jack Ashkinazy, Re-Mixer - Milt Okun, Producer - Herb Bernstein, Conductor - Herb Bernstein, Arranger - Laura Nyro, Performer
(P) 1973 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Harry Yarmark, Engineer - L. Nyro, Composer - L. Nyro, Lyricist - Jack Ashkinazy, Re-Mixer - Milt Okun, Producer - Herb Bernstein, Conductor - Herb Bernstein, Arranger - Laura Nyro, Performer
(P) 1973 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Harry Yarmark, Engineer - L. Nyro, Composer - L. Nyro, Lyricist - Jack Ashkinazy, Re-Mixer - Milt Okun, Producer - Herb Bernstein, Conductor - Herb Bernstein, Arranger - Laura Nyro, Performer
(P) 1973 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Album review
This disc contains a dozen of the first songs that singer/songwriter Laura Nyro ever recorded. They were issued originally as More Than a New Discovery (1967) for the folkie Forecast division of the primarily jazz-oriented Verve Records label. When Columbia Records bought Nyro's back catalog, they reissued the material under the title The First Songs in 1973 as a stopgap release during her self-imposed exile from 1971 until 1976. Pop music enthusiasts will recognize many of the songs, as they became international hits for other artists. "Wedding Bell Blues" and "Blowing Away" are signature tunes for the Fifth Dimension. "And When I Die" likewise became best known by Blood, Sweat & Tears. "Stoney End" and "I Never Meant to Hurt You" both are notable from Barbra Streisand's respective cover versions. For The First Songs, Nyro is accompanied by a small pop combo. Her duality as composer and performer demonstrate her influence from pop music's golden Tin Pan Alley to the more modern Brill Building style. Nyro's ability to synthesize the introspection of a classic torch ballad with an undeniable intimacy inherent in her lyrics is evident on "Buy and Sell," as well as "Billy's Blues" -- which both exemplify her uncanny marriage of jazz within a uniquely pop music structure. Also immediately discernable is that these tunes 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 between this release and More Than a New Discovery. In addition to altering the title and cover art, The First Songs revises the running order and renames "Hands Off the Man" to "Flim Flam Man." Beginning in 2002, Sony/Legacy commenced an exhaustive overhaul of Nyro's classic '70s albums. In addition to remastered sound, 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 /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 12 track(s)
- Total length: 00:35:14
- Main artists: Laura Nyro
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Columbia
- Genre: Soul/Funk/R&B
(P) 1973 Sony Music Entertainment Inc.
Improve album informationWhy buy on Qobuz...
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.