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TOMORROW, July 7, Second Disc Records is proud to unveil its fifteenth release in conjunction with Real Gone Music - and quite possibly the title of which we're most proud.
We're inviting you to surry to a stoned soul picnic to celebrate the music of visionary singer-songwriter Laura Nyro in the 50th anniversary year of her first release, More Than a New Discovery. Throughout the course of her life, Nyro wrote and introduced some of the most beloved popular songs of all time with her singular fusion of pop, jazz, R&B, soul, Broadway, gospel, and folk sounds. The 2-CD collection A Little Magic, A Little Kindness: The Complete Mono Albums Collection was over two years in the making, and we couldn't be more excited than to finally be able to share it with you. This new collection features, for the very first time on CD, both of Nyro's original mono albums (More Than a New Discovery and Eli and the Thirteenth Confession) newly remastered by Vic Anesini at Sony's Battery Studios from the original master tapes, plus new-to-CD bonus tracks!
More Than a New Discovery, originally released on Verve Folkways in 1967, premiered the songs that Barbra Streisand, Blood Sweat and Tears, and The 5th Dimension would all take up the charts, including "Stoney End," "And When I Die," "Blowin' Away," and perhaps the most famous song Nyro ever wrote, "Wedding Bell Blues." This special edition restores the original album sequence and mono mix from the very first version of the album. In 1968, the pioneering singer-songwriter moved to Columbia Records to create her most acclaimed album, Eli and the Thirteenth Confession. Its haunting, passionate, and powerful songs were once again adopted by other artists such as Three Dog Night, Frankie Valli, and of course, The 5th Dimension. Featuring "Eli's Comin'," "Emmie," "Sweet Blindness," and the era-defining "Stoned Soul Picnic," this ultra-rare edition also makes its maiden appearance on CD.
A handful of bonus tracks round out this special package, including the Bones Howe-produced "pop" version of "Save the Country," and the CD debuts of the Verve "censored" single version of "Stoney End" and the single mix of "Eli's Comin'." John Sellards has beautifully designed our collection, incorporating the original artwork for both albums into a deluxe 24-page booklet. I've penned the liner notes, based upon my fresh interviews with two legendary music men: Charlie Calello, producer of Eli and the Thirteenth Confession, and Bones Howe, Laura's longtime friend and champion. All tracks have been sourced from the original master tapes!
A Little Magic, A Little Kindness: The Complete Mono Albums Collection pays tribute to one of pop's most enduring iconoclasts. A true labor love for all of us at The Second Disc and Real Gone Music, we hope it's a soul picnic you won't want to miss. Orders can be placed at the links below, and copies will start arriving TOMORROW!
Laura Nyro, A Little Magic, A Little Kindness: The Complete Mono Albums Collection (Second Disc Records/Real Gone Music, 2017) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
CD 1: More Than a New Discovery (Verve Folkways LP FT-3020, 1967)
- Goodbye Joe
- Billy's Blues
- And When I Die
- Stoney End
- Lazy Susan
- Hands Off the Man (Flim Flam Man)
- Wedding Bell Blues
- Buy and Sell
- He's a Runner
- Blowin' Away
- I Never Meant to Hurt You
- California Shoeshine Boys
- Stoney End (Original Single Version with Alternate Lyrics) (Verve Folkways single KF-5024. 1966)
CD 2: Eli and the Thirteenth Confession (Mono promotional edition of Columbia LP CS 9626, 1968)
- Luckie
- Lu
- Sweet Blindness
- Poverty Train
- Lonely Women
- Eli's Comin'
- Timer
- Stoned Soul Picnic
- Emmie
- Woman's Blues
- Once It Was Alright Now (Farmer Joe)
- December's Boudoir
- The Confession
- Eli's Comin' (Mono Single Version) (Columbia single 4-44531, 1968)
- Save the Country (Non-LP Single Version) (Columbia single 4-44592, 1968)
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Do you know if there was some sort of issue or problem with distribution? I ordered this set from Amazon when you first announced it.
I kept checking Amazon for updates and it, at first, it said it would arrive Friday, July 7. And then an email arrived last night that said that there was a "problem" and Amazon could not tell me when this item would be available.
Have you heard this from others?
Thank you.
Hi Rich, we're so sorry and surprised to hear this! Based on emails and comments around these parts as well as on other forums, Amazon has been shipping copies, and this is the first we're hearing of any delays! Amazon is currently showing it as in stock for 1 and 2-day shipping, as of this writing, so I'm particularly confused and sorry that they would delay a pre-order for reasons unknown. Please let us know the resolution, and we hope it arrives soon! Thanks!
Is Eli a fold down?
Hi there. I can confirm that "Eli" is a fold-down, but we felt it was a worthy inclusion to this set as remastered from the original tapes because of the rarity of the original U.S. white label promo LP. In addition, we felt that so much of the "is it or isn't it?" speculation over the years confirmed just how well its stands on its own as a valid alternate view of the album. Hope you take a chance, and enjoy!
Hi, Joe --
I ordered my copy the day you made the announcement.
Normally I get a notification from Amazon when something ships and it was to be delivered Friday. On Thursday night, I looked up my order. Anyway, no arrival Friday.
I called Amazon today. The first person couldn't help me. The second person couldn't help me. The third person couldn't help me. The fourth person was a Supervisor and he said that, unfortunately, Amazon did not order enough copies to meet demand. I said, "But I ordered this the day it was announced. Aren't you fulfilling orders in the order they were received?" And he said that they were doing that but they had not anticipated the demand and had not ordered enough from you/Real Gone.
I find that hard to believe. Something is very "off" with this. Tonight I received an email time-stamped at 10:48 p.m. (Pacific time) Saturday, July 8, that I can expect delivery on Friday, July 7. WHAT?
When I track the package, it just says "In Transit."
I don't know what kind of contact you have with Amazon, but it just seems very odd. Believe me, I love Laura Nyro and can't wait for this, but I was very tempted to cancel my order from Amazon. I did not.
Thanks, Joe.
So sorry for all the trouble! I sincerely hope you find this set to have been worth the wait, and I hope it gets out of transit and into your mailbox as soon as is humanly possible!
I ordered the set from BullMoose.com, who were able to supply it without any problem. Speaking of Laura Nyro, I wonder if there is any further music by her in the vaults. To my knowledge, the only Columbia studio vault tracks ever released were three songs that were added to a Japan CD reissue of her 1976 "Smile" album. Each was a multitracked recording with Laura doing keyboards, perecussion, lead and background vocals. Presumably, other musicians would have been added if Laura had decided to release the songs.
I love these albums! Great, great stuff, especially in Mono!