Laura: Live at the Bottom Line
Encyclopedia
Laura: Live at the Bottom Line is the second live album by New York
-born singer, songwriter, and pianist Laura Nyro
and her tenth original album in total, including the 1977 live album
Season of Lights
.
Nyro's long-time label Columbia Records
wanted a brand new studio album from Nyro, who had stayed with the label despite not having had a reasonable commercial success for well over a decade. Instead, she decided she wanted to go on the road and record a new live album.
Columbia did not approve, and a deal was negotiated allowing Nyro to release the live album on a different label, Cypress, before returning to Columbia for another studio album.
Live at the Bottom Line was recorded at New York
's famous intimate venue, the Bottom Line
, and mixes some of Nyro's famous compositions with newer ones and also previously unreleased songs.
, was recorded during Nyro's tour in 1988. Her voice had been recovering after she gave up her smoking habit, and the atmosphere of the album is notably relaxed and entertaining.
Nyro's six new songs here are often humorous and light-hearted in stark contrast to the wild and adventurous music on her earliest albums and the more world-conscious songs of her most recent studio albums. It was very well-received by critics, and earned Nyro several new interviews and articles.
The album was not a commercial success, however, and Nyro would not release another live album during her lifetime. After the release of Laura: Live at the Bottom Line, Nyro recorded two new studio albums, of which only one was released, and a retrospective collection before her death in 1997.
Nyro paid $18,000 for a quarter-page black and white advertisement in Rolling Stone
magazine.
The song "Broken Rainbow" had been written and recorded for an Oscar
-nominated documentary of the same name in 1985, and was included in re-recorded form on 1993's Walk the Dog and Light the Light
.
The final song is a medley.
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
-born singer, songwriter, and pianist Laura Nyro
Laura Nyro
Laura Nyro was an American songwriter, singer, and pianist. She achieved considerable critical acclaim with her own recordings, particularly the albums Eli and the Thirteenth Confession and New York Tendaberry, and had commercial success with artists such as Barbra Streisand and The 5th...
and her tenth original album in total, including the 1977 live album
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
Season of Lights
Season of Lights
Season of Lights is the first live album by New York singer, songwriter, and pianist Laura Nyro.Columbia Records issued the album in the summer of 1977, taking the songs from various locations on Nyro's 1976 tour in support of her most recent studio album, Smile...
.
Nyro's long-time label Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
wanted a brand new studio album from Nyro, who had stayed with the label despite not having had a reasonable commercial success for well over a decade. Instead, she decided she wanted to go on the road and record a new live album.
Columbia did not approve, and a deal was negotiated allowing Nyro to release the live album on a different label, Cypress, before returning to Columbia for another studio album.
Live at the Bottom Line was recorded at New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
's famous intimate venue, the Bottom Line
Bottom Line
The Bottom Line was a music venue at 15 West Fourth Street between Mercer Street and Greene Street in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City...
, and mixes some of Nyro's famous compositions with newer ones and also previously unreleased songs.
Overview
This live album, which follows twelve years after Season of LightsSeason of Lights
Season of Lights is the first live album by New York singer, songwriter, and pianist Laura Nyro.Columbia Records issued the album in the summer of 1977, taking the songs from various locations on Nyro's 1976 tour in support of her most recent studio album, Smile...
, was recorded during Nyro's tour in 1988. Her voice had been recovering after she gave up her smoking habit, and the atmosphere of the album is notably relaxed and entertaining.
Nyro's six new songs here are often humorous and light-hearted in stark contrast to the wild and adventurous music on her earliest albums and the more world-conscious songs of her most recent studio albums. It was very well-received by critics, and earned Nyro several new interviews and articles.
The album was not a commercial success, however, and Nyro would not release another live album during her lifetime. After the release of Laura: Live at the Bottom Line, Nyro recorded two new studio albums, of which only one was released, and a retrospective collection before her death in 1997.
Nyro paid $18,000 for a quarter-page black and white advertisement in Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine.
Track listing
All tracks composed by Laura Nyro; except where indicated| TITLE | ORIGINAL ALBUM |
|---|---|
| “The Confession” | Eli and the Thirteenth Confession Eli and the Thirteenth Confession -References:*Michele Kort's biography Soul Picnic: The Music and Passion of Laura Nyro -External links:*[ Allmusic Laura Nyro biography entry.]**... (1968) |
| “High-Heeled Sneakers” (Higginbottom) | previously unreleased cover |
| “Roll of the Ocean” | previously unreleased |
| “Companion” | previously unreleased |
| “The Wild World” | previously unreleased |
| “My Innocence/Sophia” | Nested Nested Nested is the seventh studio album by Bronx-born singer, songwriter, and pianist Laura Nyro, released in 1978 by Columbia Records.Following on from her extensive tour to promote 1976's Smile, which resulted in the 1977 live album Season of Lights, Nyro retreated to her new home in Danbury,... (1978) / Mother's Spiritual Mother's Spiritual Mother's Spiritual is the eighth studio album by New York-born singer, songwriter, and pianist Laura Nyro and her ninth original album in total, including the 1977 live album Season of Lights.... (1984) |
| “To a Child” | Mother's Spiritual Mother's Spiritual Mother's Spiritual is the eighth studio album by New York-born singer, songwriter, and pianist Laura Nyro and her ninth original album in total, including the 1977 live album Season of Lights.... (1984) |
| “And When I Die” | More Than A New Discovery More Than a New Discovery More Than A New Discovery is the debut album by Bronx-born singer, songwriter, and pianist Laura Nyro. It was recorded during 1966 and released at the beginning of the following year on the Folkways imprint of the Verve label... (1967) |
| “Park Song” | previously unreleased |
| “Broken Rainbow” | previously unreleased / written in 1985 |
| “Women of the One World” | previously unreleased |
| “Emmie” | Eli and the Thirteenth Confession Eli and the Thirteenth Confession -References:*Michele Kort's biography Soul Picnic: The Music and Passion of Laura Nyro -External links:*[ Allmusic Laura Nyro biography entry.]**... (1968) |
| “Wedding Bell Blues Wedding Bell Blues "Wedding Bell Blues" is a song written and recorded by Laura Nyro in 1966 that became a number one hit for The 5th Dimension in 1969 and subsequently a popular phrase in American culture... ” | More Than A New Discovery More Than a New Discovery More Than A New Discovery is the debut album by Bronx-born singer, songwriter, and pianist Laura Nyro. It was recorded during 1966 and released at the beginning of the following year on the Folkways imprint of the Verve label... (1967) |
| “The Japanese Restaurant Song” | previously unreleased |
| “Stoned Soul Picnic Stoned Soul Picnic (song) "Stoned Soul Picnic" was a song from 1968. The most known version of the song was recorded by The 5th Dimension, and was the first single released from their album of the same title. It was the most successful single from that album, reaching #3 on the U.S. Pop chart and #2 on the Billboard R&B chart... ” | Eli and the Thirteenth Confession Eli and the Thirteenth Confession -References:*Michele Kort's biography Soul Picnic: The Music and Passion of Laura Nyro -External links:*[ Allmusic Laura Nyro biography entry.]**... (1968) |
| “La La Means I Love You / Trees of the Ages / Up on the Roof Up on the Roof (song) "Up on the Roof" is a song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King and recorded in 1962 by The Drifters. Released at the tail end of that year, the song became a big hit in early 1963, reaching number five on the U.S. pop singles chart and number 4 on the U.S... ” (Bell, Hart / Nyro / Gerry Goffin Gerry Goffin Gerry Goffin is an American lyricist. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 with former songwriting partner and first wife, Carole King. he has co-written six Billboard Hot 100 chart-toppers.-Career:Goffin enlisted with the Marine Corps Reserve after graduating from... , Carole King Carole King Carole King is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. King and her former husband Gerry Goffin wrote more than two dozen chart hits for numerous artists during the 1960s, many of which have become standards. As a singer, King had an album, Tapestry, top the U.S... ) | previously unreleased cover / Mother's Spiritual Mother's Spiritual Mother's Spiritual is the eighth studio album by New York-born singer, songwriter, and pianist Laura Nyro and her ninth original album in total, including the 1977 live album Season of Lights.... (1984) / Christmas and the Beads of Sweat Christmas and the Beads of Sweat - Personnel :-References:Michele Kort's biography Soul Picnic: The Music and Passion of Laura Nyro -External Links:... (1970) |
The song "Broken Rainbow" had been written and recorded for an Oscar
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
-nominated documentary of the same name in 1985, and was included in re-recorded form on 1993's Walk the Dog and Light the Light
Walk the Dog and Light the Light
Walk the Dog and Light the Light is the ninth studio album by Bronx-born singer, songwriter, and pianist Laura Nyro. It was released in the late summer of 1993, more than nine years after its predecessor, Mother's Spiritual...
.
The final song is a medley.