First Songs

Laura Nyro | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 1, 2008)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sbme Special Mkts.
• ASIN: B0012GMXXS
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #38,635 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Wedding Bell Blues

2. Billy's Blues

3. California Shoeshine Boys

4. Lazy Susan

5. Goodbye Joe

6. Flim Flam Man

7. Stoney End

8. I Never Meant to Hurt You

9. He's a Runner

10. Buy and Sell

11. And When I Die

12. Blowin' Away

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An unfairly forgotten early masterpiece by Nyro, March 16, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: First Songs (Audio CD)

Laura Nyro's debut album for Verve in 1966 entitled "More Than A New Discovery" was acquired and re-released years later by CBS as "First Songs" after she had attained fame and established herself as the genius singer-songwriter of three devastatingly powerful and introspective soul albums in the late 60s/early 70s. Yet to those unfamiliar with Laura and her career defining works, she was simply the writer of some of the most definitive and joyously sung pop tunes of the late 60s era by artistes ranging from the Fifth Dimension to Barbra Streisand and Blood, Sweat and Tears. So, it is doubly ironical and galling to fans to find this debut album of Nyro's, which spawned many of her most famous songs, being constantly glossed over and consigned to the footnotes whenever pop historians consider Laura's place in pop music history.

The fact that "First Songs" wasn't conceived as a concept album the way Laura's three masterpieces that followed obviously were should not detract from the fact that cut for cut, "First Songs" was equal to the best of the genre that was just beginning to emerge in the late 60s. If you loved the Fifth Dimension's "Wedding Bell Blues" and "Blowing Away" or Streisand's "Stoney End" and "Flim Flam Man", - and I still do - you will find these originals by Nyro before they became pop fodder even more inspirational and stunning for the purity of their expression. Nyro literally gives me goosebumps when I hear her emotional and soulful soprano on songs like "Billy's Blues", "Goodbye Joe" and "Lazy Susan". Her "I Never Meant To Hurt You" and "He's A Runner", incidentally also covered by Streisand and the Fifth Dimension respectively, are two other highlights on this album. In fact, the album is so jam packed with Grade A songs with nary a filler it's not surprising that most of them were subsequently covered by artistes on the hunt for great material to record.

"First Songs" is such a mature piece of work, yet so fresh and gorgeous even today it's a wonder critics give it only a 3-star rating when they're obviously admirers of Nyro's music. I urge these and others who haven't discovered "First Songs" to put aside any preconceptions they may have that this is a lightweight album because it preceded Nyro's serious artiste phase to go check it out. I guarantee it will blow you away.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential Debut, March 11, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: First Songs (Audio CD)

Jaw dropping is a more accurate description of Nyro's debut. It was 1966 when she recorded these songs,and the term singer-songwriter was still 3-4 years away.What other singer at that time was singing with this much personal involvement? Aretha hadn't been "born" yet, maybe Dusty Springfield , but you probably had to go to the jazz field to find someone else like her. An amazing album that was later, and wisely so, cannabilized by a wide array of singers who propelled half of these songs into million selling singles and albums. That almost all of hem stuck so closely to the original arrangements is a testament to Nyro and her arranger. Originally released on Verve/Forecast. the first, and only the first pressing titled More than a New Discovery" had a the songs lined up differently. Program your CD to play it out like this: 1.Goodbye Joe 2.Billy's Blues 3.And When I Die 4.Stoney End 5.Lazy Susan 6.Hands Off The Man(Flim Flam Man's-orignal title) - end of side 1 7.Wedding Bell Blues 8.Buy and Sell 9.He's A Runner 10.Blowin' Away 11.I Never Meant To Hurt You 12.California Shoe-Shine Boys

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Never As Good As The First Time, June 28, 2000

By 

J. Collins "Paradise Bar & Grill" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: First Songs (Audio CD)

Laura Nyro has a lot of fans who probably don't know who she is. As many of the previous reviewers have noted, these songs were huge hits for a variety of artists who covered them, beginning in the mid to late 60s. Unlike the majority of other reviewers at Amazon, I tend to think Laura's latter works were often inaccessible or just lyrically convoluted...two descriptions that do not apply to "The First Songs." But rather than risk the ire of yet another rabid cult following, I'll just offer my opinions on this album.

In "The First Songs," memorable, hook-filled music and potent, heart-felt lyrics combine for a seamless and soul-intensive recording. Laura's original versions of the hits here are generally "definitive," though two of the four songs covered by the 5th Dimension ("Wedding Bell Blues," and "Blowin' Away", along with "He's A Runner" and "Stoney End") receive less flattering production and performance in this recording. Laura's versions of "Stoney End" and "Flim Flam Man" are infinitely superior to Streisand's overblown and wooden versions. Similarly, Laura's original of "And When I Die" is more than sufficient to erase the memory of Three Dog Night's goofy and gimmicky version of same.

After the hits are considered, there's still a wealth of great material to appreciate on this album. "Billy's Blues" and "Lazy Susan" are slow-burning delights, awash in bluesy reverie. "California Shoeshine Boys" and "Good By Joe" are uptempo gems to get your foot tapping. My personal favorites are "I Never Meant To Hurt You" and "Buy And Sell": the sincerity of her poetry/lyrics and bare-bones simplicity of her singing is riveting and unforgettable.

"The First Songs" should be an essential addition for collectors who love the hit covers of songs contained here. Music lovers who appreciate substance over style should already own it.

-Mic