VIA PRESS RELEASE | 2021’s vinyl only American Dreamer box set reintroduced the world to the undisputed but somewhat overlooked talents of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Laura Nyro, the brilliant Brooklyn-born female artist who, in four decades of recording, would merge r&b, doo-wop, pop, jazz, Broadway, opera, folk with her own individual brand of blue-eyed soul across several critically acclaimed studio albums she recorded before her tragic passing in 1997 aged 49 years. Now, Madfish Music is proud to present Hear My Song: The Collection, 1966–1995, a 19 CD deluxe box set that is the deepest dive yet into the creativity of the extraordinary, unmistakable musical force that is Laura Nyro.
Ten original studio albums, six live albums including 2 previously unreleased live concerts, Laura’s original demo tape from 1966, and bonus disc of rarities including mono versions, alternative versions, and live tracks. All albums remastered especially for this collection.
All housed in a deluxe, lift-off lid box. 90-page coffee-table hardback book with in-depth liner notes by Vivien Goldman, foreword from Elton John and testimonials from Charlie Calello, Will Lee, John Sebastian, Jackson Browne, Clive Davis, Lou Adler, Randy Brecker, Bernard Purdie, Scott Billington, John Sebastian, and Gary Burden. Rare, previously unseen photographs including intimate family shots illuminate the book
Included within this set are all of Laura Nyro’s 10 studio albums: More Than A New Discovery (1967), Eli And The Thirteenth Confession (1968), New York Tendaberry (1969), Christmas And The Beads Of Sweat (1970), the wonderful covers album she made with Labelle Gonna Take A Miracle (1971), Smile (1976), and Nested (1978), Mother’s Spiritual (1984), Walk The Dog & Light The Light (1993) and her posthumously released masterwork Angel In The Dark (2001).
Six live albums: Spread Your Wings And Fly: Live At The Fillmore East (1971), Season Of Lights… Laura Nyro In Concert (1977), Live / The Loom’s Desire (1993 & 1994), and two previously unreleased concert recordings from San Francisco (1994). Rounding off this complete collection is Laura’s first ever demo tape Go Find The Moon (1966) and a collection of rarities and live recordings. All audio has been remastered especially for this set and housed in individual sleeves with original artwork.
At the center of this deluxe package is a 90-page coffee table hardback book with liner notes by acclaimed author Vivien Goldman, forewords from Elton John, Laura’s son Gil Bianchini, and brother Jan Nigro. There are contributions and testimonials from Charlie Calello, Will Lee, John Sebastian, Jackson Browne, Clive Davis, Lou Adler, Randy Brecker, Bernard Purdie, Scott Billington, John Sebastian, and Gary Burden alongside never-before-seen photographs and intimate family shots.
During the singer/songwriter movement in the late ’60s and early ’70s, Laura Nyro was one of the most celebrated tunesmiths of her day. Nyro was just 18 years old when she signed her first recording contract and wrote the songs for which she is likely to be best remembered. By the time she was 22, she had become one of the most successful composers in American popular music. She wrote wonderfully expressive and poetic songs that took the folky introspection of her peers and infused it with elements of soul, r&b, jazz, and gospel, giving them an emotional heat that set her apart.
Nyro also possessed something of a crystalline voice which, when accompanied by her formidable piano skills, elevated the songs even higher. And what songs they were … ‘Eli’s Comin’, ‘Save The Country’, ‘Wedding Bell Blues’, ‘And When I Die’, ‘Stoned Soul Picnic’, ‘Map To The Treasure’, ‘Sweet Blindness’ and ‘Stoney End’ are just some examples of what became major hits by other artists, most notably The 5th Dimension, Three Dog Night, and Barbra Streisand.
But at the age of just 24, she drew back from her creativity and fame, exhausted and struggling with the weight of expectation placed on her and the attention that came with it. The inevitable result was that she began to feel alienated from her music, and herself. What’s remarkable is not that she found fame so challenging, and self-discovery so painful, but that she actually achieved what she did. Under an unrelenting spotlight, she was able to create a series of utterly beautiful and stunningly unique albums.
With newly unearthed audio treasure, Hear My Song gives us even more of a closer insight into this enigmatic artist whose songwriting influence has had a profound effect on Bob Dylan, Elton, Joni Mitchell, Alicia Keys, Alice Cooper, St Vincent, Kate Bush, Tori Amos, Todd Rundgren, Suzanne Vega, Elvis Costello, Jenny Lewis and many more.
A film documentary on Laura Nyro is currently in production in the US with Gil Bianchini serving as associate producer.
