Laura Nyro "Eli and the Thirteenth Confession" 1968

                My sister and I are the only two people I know that like Laura Nyro.  Her voice can take a little getting used to.  It’s like a bird tied to a string; it goes all over the place, and is constantly on the verge of breaking free and losing control.  I happen to think that is cool, but my wife does not.  I put this album on to make some notes, and the mood in the room instantly changed.  She puts up with a lot of crazy music in this house, but it was very clear that this was not a record that was going to be in rotation for very long.  I can get that.  She is not alone in this opinion, and that is fine with me.  She asked if I would please put the Bob Dylan back in the player, after I was done listening to “that girl with the ridiculous voice.”  How could you be upset with a woman who encourages you to listen to more Dylan?  She’s a keeper.

                I, however, love this record!  It just soars for me.  Laura does all of the lead vocals as well as the background vocals.  Having one person do all the vocals is like putting magnifying glass on the personality of the performer.  Instead of one over the top vocalist, you get 20.  My favorite song is “Sweet Eyed Blindness.”  In some parts, I am hearing at least 4 vocals intermingling.  The rhythm is also all over the place, and the beat changes tempo throughout the song.  The most important thing is how wonderfully happy the song feels.  The song is about drinking, and as a result gives the song a bit of a medicated happy feel.  How could you not sing along to this?

               “Poverty Train” is full of intrigue.  The song has a limping quality, with its starts and stops.  Laura and her piano are joined by light flutes, ringing vibes, buzzy fuzz guitar, and soft horns, but each instrument seems to be independent of the others.  They simply wander in and out of the song like confused children.  By the end, Laura and her piano are again alone. 

                This album came out in 1968, but I get sort of a mid 60’s/Motown/Brill Building feel to it.  This makes a lot of since because Laura was a songwriter who scored several hits with groups like The 5^th Dimension, Three Dog Night, and The Blood, Sweat and Tears.  I happen to prefer her version of “Eli’s Comin’” over Three Dog Night’s.  I feel like the vocals mesh far better in her recording than the hit version.  The song also works much better from the perspective of a woman than a man.  I find it hard to believe that a man, especially like Chuck Negron, would sing about watching out for a heartbreaker.  “Stone Soul Picnic” on the other hand lacks the bold production of the The 5^th Dimension’s version.  Laura’s version, however let’s you focus on how wonderful the melody really is.  It’s very good, but far less lush. 

“Farmer Joe” absolutely knocks my socks off every time I hear it.  The piano is thick, guttural, and as satisfying as butter on a biscuit.  Laura must have been pretty happy the day she found that groove.  The lyrics are simple and repetitive and easy to sing along to.  Also, pay attention to the section where she sings “run, run like a son of a gun.”  The note she sings when she says “gun,” is so out of key, but just so right.  Who does that? Why pick that strange note?  Because she pulls it off; that’s why.  Sometimes you just do things because others haven’t.  I am glad she did. 

                Did I say I like to sing to this record?  Well, I should make an exception for “The Confession.”  It is a lovely melody and the finger picked acoustic guitar really percolates the song, but…and I do mean but…I am not sure this song was meant for me to sing along to.  Groove on these lyrics:

Super summer sugar croppin'
In the mornin'
Do your shoppin' baby
Love my love thing
Super ride inside my love thing

You may leave the fair
But you'll be back I swear

And

Oh I hate my winsome lover
Tell him I've had others
At my breast
But tell him he held my heart
And only now am I a virgin
I confess

Love my love thing
Love is surely gospel

This is 1968 we’re talkin’ about here, and “Super ride inside my love thing,” is so far past anything you will hear from this era.  This is especially true for a woman.  This was ground breaking music and credit should be given where credit is due.  Even though I, as a man, am uncomfortable singing along with it, “The Confession” should be viewed as the major statement it is.  Sometimes songs push the boundaries of sound or harmony, but this one was a great step forward for lyrics. 

Tones:  Everything sounds pretty close mic’d except for the strings, which sound like they were recorded in a massive studio with only room microphones. 

Cover Note:  It’s a very basic cover.  I guess the stark black cover is notable because of how non psychedelic it is for 1968.  I get kind of a singer/songwriter vibe from it.  Also, I have seen this used quite a few times, and each time the cover has had a massive amount of ring wear.  Roxy & Elsewhere by Frank Zappa is the same way.  I guess some records were just printed poorly compared to others.

Price paid:  I have the CD reissue, but I did buy a vinyl copy for my sister.  It was in the $4.00-$6.00 range, which is a fair price.  The bonus tracks on the CD are also very good. 

Bottom line:  If someone was interested in 60’s music and had never heard a thing, I would probably tell them to start with the Beatles, then move to the Beach Boys, then The Stones, then The Kinks and so forth.  A logical progression of appreciation would then develop and their life would gradually improve until they exploded from pure joy.  This album and Laura’s others would probably not fit into the first 50-100 records I would suggest to a 60’s music novice.  However, after some of the more obvious choices are covered, this would be a great suggestion.  It certainly won’t disappoint any long time lover of 60’s music.