Live In San Francisco, 28th April 1994 is a rare and intimate live document from one of America’s most singular songwriting voices, the late Laura Nyro, due out on vinyl for the first time on 27th March through Madfish.
During the singer/songwriter movement in the late ’60s and early ’70s, Laura Nyro was one of the most celebrated tunesmiths of her day. 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. Her expressive and poetic songs took in 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.
As a writer, her songs became hits for the likes of Three Dog Night, Blood, Sweat & Tears, The 5th Dimension and Barbra Streisand. As a singer herself, her three octave voice enchanted soulfully, her use of language playful, inventive, if not profound. She was posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2010, then two years later the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, having passed away in 1997.
Live In San Francisco, 28th April 1994 captures Nyro in what’s been described as “spellbinding form” during a late career performance at the New Orleans Room, Fairmont Hotel. Recorded just three years before her passing, the show found her revisiting songs from an extraordinary catalogue with warmth and conviction, exuding her indelible soulful nature.
Pressed for the first time ever on vinyl, the limited edition clear 2LP presents a beautifully curated set spanning early classics, fan favourites and deeply personal later works. Stripped back and heartfelt, Nyro’s piano led performances are enhanced by subtle backing vocals, the power of her songwriting and voice shining through.
As Elton John noted: “She wrote songs that had no kind of fixed compass point. They remain as unique and absolutely spellbinding to this day as when I first heard them in the ’60s.”
Highlights on the recording include moving renditions of ‘Dedicated To The One I Love‘, ‘Save The Country‘, ‘And When I Die‘, ‘Emmie‘ and ‘It’s Gonna Take A Miracle‘, alongside lesser heard gems.
Live In San Francisco, 28th April 1994 is available via Madfish.
