Laura Nyro - Christmas and the Beads of Sweat

one of the original divas!

I got this CD to replace my original vinyl album, for which I no longer have a turntable. I had forgotten how beautiful this album is... Between the haunting poetic lyrics and Laura Nyro's truly incredible soprano (which frequently soars so high in this collection that your dog may be the only one who will be able to make out some of the lyrics), you may feel as though you're listening to an angel--and you are! If you like Joni Mitchell, you're going to love Laura! Be sure to read the lyrics in the liner notes. She's not just an accomplished singer--this girl can WRITE. July 16, 2008

Friends, red wine and rhubarb pie.

In 1974 I hung out in dingy smoke filled bistros absorbing atmosphere and jazz. I bought a record for the title! Christmas and the Beads of Sweat.
My friends loved it too! We created our own bistro in my flat with Laura's haunting presence of voice and words transporting us to heights of relief. Rhubarb pie was the climax with "Christmas in my Soul".
A timeless escape from beginning to end, "Christmas and the Beads of Sweat" is a must-have for anyone who wanted to climb up on the roof!

The CD cover unfolds and there in beautiful handwriting are all the words.
What a fantastic bonus! April 13, 2008

Life not only Christmas

I remember it well: my big sister and I went to Tower Records on Sunset Blvd. the day after Christmas 1980 to buy Laura Nyro's "Christmas and the Beads of Sweat." And who was there in the store but Peter Bogdonavich and Cybill Shepherd! I was very young at the time but I still rememeber that day well. And it wasn't because of Peter and Cybill. It's because this music is still so vibrant, vulnerable and magical. "Freeport," "Blackpatch," "Brown earth," "Up on the Roof" and on and on...songs of love, songs of despair, songs of protest.
What people don't know is that Laura Nyro was the consummate musician: she wrote, she played piano, she sang, of course, she produced most of her albums and she wrote the arrangements.
To appreciate Laura is to appreciate New York, Spanish Harlem and the music of the streets. It has been rumored that when Laura was directing back up orchestras at her recording sessions, she would say things like: "play it bluer," "play it like you are sad and crying..." If you really really listen to her albums...you know that this is true.
She is gone now but she is certainly not forgotten. Rest in peace, Laura.
When is someone at Columbia/Sony going to realize how important an artist Laura Nyro was and digitally re-master complete versions of "Christmas" and "Smile." It is long over do. March 30, 2008

Genius

A word that is overused and cheapened is "Genius." If you look in the dictionary for a definition of that word, you may find a picture of Laura Nyro with a link to her best music. This album was one of her very best. As late as 1991 Rolling Stone defined this album as the "worst" of her career. Doesn't take a genius to understand the quality of that review. Listen to this CD in the dark. Be alone with "Christmas and the Beads of Sweat." After it has seeped into your soul, invite a friend to join you in the darkness and listen again. Close your eyes and bathe in the luminescence of Ms. Nyro. Genius. December 4, 2007

An unheralded classic

Laura Nyro was one of the greatest songwriters in history, and her readings of her own songs are nothing short of soul shaking. "Christmas and the Beads of Sweat" is a collection of hyper-introspective masterpieces performed in Ms Nyro's characteristic rubato tempos that will touch your heart deeply. Included is the hit "On the Roof". November 24, 2007

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