Eli And The Thirteenth Confession
Laura Nyro
1968
Album Summary
Eli and the Thirteenth Confession is the second album by New York City-born singer, songwriter, and pianist Laura Nyro, released in 1968.
WikipediaUnderrated, gorgeous, heartfelt gem. The vocals are lovely. Truly an underappreciated masterpiece.
I have never heard of Laura Nyro before, so I'm quite excited to go on on an album knowing nothing. She's really good. Soul, jazz and experimentation all banging together. It's an album I won't be sure about until I've given it more listens. But it makes me want to listen to it more. I went back for a second listen. I think I'm going to buy this one off the back of this. I could end up regretting the score I give it, as I feel like this could end up being a five star album to me once I've lived in it for a bit. How had I missed her all my life? I know I Met Him On A Sunday. It's a tune! It's not on this album, it just came up after it ended!
Loads going on and all of it is great. Slow sad songs, uptempo fun stuff. Powerful voice.
Really enjoyed this album. It was all over the place in a very good way. The band was on fire and the vocals were amazing. I appreciate the wide variety of sounds even within songs. A very interesting listen all around. Favorite tracks: “Lucky,” “Lu,” “Poverty Train,” and “Eli’s Comin’”
This production fucking slaaaaaaaps. Songwriting is fantastic. Great rhythm. One of my favorites I've heard on here so far. Sounds timeless to me. Big influence for Todd Rundgren too.
I have listened to this album many times before. Several years ago I became a huge fan of The 5th Dimension’s version of “Sweet Blindness.” When I found out it was originally written and performed by Laura Nyro, I landed on this album and was surprised to also find “Eli’s Comin’” (which I knew from Three Dog Night) and “Stoned Soul Picnic” (another 5th Dimension hit). These songs drew me in and I fell in love with the album and Laura Nyro. I wish I was sitting in a cabaret somewhere sipping on a Gin Gimlet and enjoying a live performance of these incredible songs. Laura Nyro’s vocals are exhilarating. She creates elaborate song tapestries with varied and interesting textures, stories and dimensions. You never quite know where her songs might go or end up, but every one of them is peppered with delightful surprises. It’s such an amazing journey… I LOVE this album. If you haven’t heard Laura Nyro perform “Eli’s Comin’” then you haven’t really ever heard it, no matter how much of a Three Dog Night fan you might be. Besides the three songs mentioned previously, I’ll give a special call out to “Luckie”, “Lu”, “Poverty Train”, “Lonely Women”, “Emmie”, “Women’s Blues”, “Once It Was Alright Now (Farmer Joe)”, and “The Confession”. Looking at the previous list I feel a little silly. I could single out any song on this album as it is a phenomenal work (did I really leave out “Timer” and “December’s Boudoir”?!). The whole journey is a thrilling, beautiful adventure and I love every twist and turn. ELI AND THE THIRTEENTH CONFESSION is a masterpiece that up until now I have had to myself. Being able to share the Laura Nyro experience with my friends today makes the world a whole lot brighter!
weirdly loving this, feels like 4 or a 5 started grating after a bit Once it was alright now slaps tho
I feel like I've been misled, I thought Laura Nyro was going to be some Laurel Canyon folkie; this was quite something else! Absolutely eccentric in both writing and execution, but exhilirating for all that. I found Nyro's policy of teeing off wildly and playing where it lay to be endearing, but can fully understand that it could be disorienting or frustrating for others. Quite what is this anyway? Mutant show tunes? Soul-jazz-kitchen sink pop?
Standard 60s blue-eyed soul pop with an occasional dash of Gershwin-esque jazz and an extra helping of inane lyrics. Boring. Best track: Luckie
Man, I almost like this, but it's consistently pushing itself into show-tune territory and I just can't stand it. Like, I don't feel like she's brassy enough to pull off these big moments for me. I wish it was a smaller album, maybe? Like, a little more intimate, like what the album cover seems to suggest.
10/10 such a fun album no complaints, just some really fun pop I should listen to at least one or two other albums from her
Excellent album. Amazing how influential she was, and died so young. Such a tragedy. Fave track: stoned soul picnic.
Laura Nyro is one of those names I know but completely missed out on her music - somehow. And to my own detriment. Quick review: if you're partial to early 70s complex singer/songwriter artists like Carole King, Elton John, Todd Rundgren ... you will love this. There's definitely a strong and immediate Carole King comparison to be made in songs like "Stoned Soul Picnic" both in voice and melody; it's a high compliment yet I find Nyro in parts to be more complex in her arrangements. For example - the amount of tempo changes within songs isn't quite jarring but it is eminently noticeable in a way that forces you to listen to these songs. Heck you could almost call it progressive 70s AM gold. Summing up -> I think I love every minute of this album. The mix is a very clear recording, the music a preponderance of major 7th chords amidst jazz+pop progressions, gorgeous harmony, dynamics, varying melodies constantly in motion, variety in songs... giddyup. 9/10 5 stars.
This is incredible. I have heard of Laura Nyro but never listened. I always had the feeling for some reason that her music was somehow weird and would be a challenge to listen to. On the surface, it doesn't seem challenging at all --- I get a clear singer-songwriter pop vibe a la Carole King or Rickie Lee Jones --- and I can't figure out why she wasn't on the radio all the time when I was a kid. But, oh, yeah...melodies and rhythms and even styles change every couple of lines or so. She doesn't stay anywhere for very long...and I love it. My god, what a treasure.
Frábær plata. Verð að eignast. Greinilegur áhrifavaldur fjölda tónlistarfólks sem á eftir kom.
I had never listened to this before but I'm very glad I did. Her voice and the musical arrangements are superb. I could hear echoes of Motown and Atlantic soul on there too. This is an artist I'll be looking into more, and an album I shall certainly be playing again.
Laura Nyro should have been as popular and adored as Linda Ronstadt. In a way, she was Linda Ronstadt before Linda Ronstadt, the biggest difference being that Laura wrote all of her own songs. Ironically enough, most of those songs became huge hits for other artists, especially The Fifth Dimension. Nyro was somewhat press shy - you can't find any old televised appearances of her anywhere. But my word, did she write some perfect pop songs. Unfortunately Nyro didn't live long enough to see the acclaim that eluded her in life, such as being elected to the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame. But we still have the music, and all of those incredible songs. Laura Nyro knew that was ultimately all that mattered.
Never heard of it, absolutely loved it. So weird and all over the place. Knocks Sade I to a cocked hat.
Beautiful and brilliant album! Loved it. Never heard of Laura Nyro before this and definitely going on my daily listening list.
Can’t believe I never heard of her, had a Joni Mitchell vibe mixed with Sheena Easton, I really liked it.
old school New York singer. She influenced Elton John. This album was in Rolling Stone's top 500 albums of all time (somewhere in mid-400s).
A pleasant surprise of an album. Excellent singing by Nyro over an eclectic collection of sounds from diverse genres.
Never heard of Laura Nyro, but 2.5 tracks in I think this is GREAT! What a voice! Excellent record. Catchy, toe tapping, range of styles. Really nice songs that her voice elevates.
Very good! And so nice to have a woman on here, finally! This is vibey! And the album cover is nice.
Ok Laura, go off! I’ve never heard of Laura Nyro and was not expecting to like this as much as I do. What a great voice.
Sounds like the link between Carole King and Joni Mitchell. Lovely voice, soul meets jazz and pop. His did I miss this all these years?
Powerful performances, incredible voice. A lot of clever gems hidden inside these recordings.
I really liked this one a lot. Great vocals, the instrumentation is weird and super fits within the work. I added quite a few of the songs to one of my playlists.
Anything from 1968 makes me wary, this little project seems to insult me more often than not with absolute garbage from this period, but this doesn't strike me immediately as folk rock or psychedelic shit, looks more like it'll be jazz. Cover gives me jazz vibes. Ok it's pretty jazzy, but also kinda like the Supremes as well? Songs are upbeat for the most part and catchy. She can sing, too. And wrote all the songs according to wiki!! I'm honestly surprised I've never heard of her before. This is a really nice surprise, and a welcome change from groaning as I slog my way through the day's album haha. An actual worthy entry for 1968, who'd a thunk it? Lost a bit of steam towards the end but still gonna give it 4/5.
This is a style of music that has never quite done it for me, though somehow Joni Mitchell gets a pass for it with me. This one grew on me though as it went on. Still not really my thing but it's clearly hugely influential and objectively good.
Great singer/songwriter vibe. She reminds me of Carole King. Songs like "Sweet Blindness" are very indicative of their time. Horns, tambourine, vocalized "ba ba ba bas," like classic Dylan. These songs are well produced. I like that she has something to say. She's definitely a budding activist and she uses her music to entertain but also inform. She's as confident as they come, willing to intimately feature her voice with minimal accompaniment, which is raw, bluesy, and beautiful. I had heard Eli's Comin' and I always attributed it to some 70s band (3 Dog Night?), but I guess it was Laura Nyro. Good song! Stoned Soul Picnic is awesome! I am a Laura Nyro fan - she's an inspiration and a talent.
For a stretch - the first three songs, say - I felt that this was pleasant jazz-pop, but nothing to write home about. Sure, there are gestures at character, but the effect is that of one color of paint. But the rest of Eli convinced me that the paint was higher quality and the technique more subtle than I thought. The richness comes out as the songs are layered, and my perspective on the beginning of the record is very different now that I have heard the end.
A great selection from 60s pop. Favorites: Sweet Blindness, Poverty Train, Eli's Comin'
I have heard of Laura Nyro in reference as an influence of other artists, but don’t recall ever hearing her work before. I will admit that it was not love at first listen…and I was surprised. The voice is beautiful, but the multiple changes within a single track did not set well with some listlessness that I was experiencing yesterday. I was aware that it was not her, it was me. So, I came back to it today and have enjoyed the experience much more.
It's a shame that with a voice and songs like hers that I have never heard of Laura Nyro. This was a pretty great album and though it seems a lot of artists knew that, I think it deserved more love from the general public. "Lonely Women" caught my ear as something even beyond really good, late 60s singer-songwriter material. I love the range of her voice in it. And then it goes right into the energetic "Eli's Comin'." This is when the album really stood out for me. "Stoned Soul Picnic" is a crazy cool song, and it's hard not to think of the 5th Dimension as I always associated them with this song. So much of what I thought was their sound is Nyro's sound. The song that really has everything I love about Laura Nyro is "Once It Was Alright Now (Farmer Joe)." I really wish I could figure out what the story is, but I sure like hearing it. I didn't fall in love with every song, but I am so happy I got to listen to this, and I look forward to listening to more of her as well as being aware of her influence on so many other artists.
Wow. What an album. Captivating from beginning to end. Many familiar tunes that I had no idea were hers; Eli's Coming and Stone Soul Picnic in particular. On first listen my favorite song is the blues burner The Poverty Train. This album is an important discovery for me and I expect it to be an important addition to my regular listening. 4.5 🌟
Never heard of her before, but very much enjoyed the album - will be definitely added to the list of ones I will be listening to again.
Well, this was different! I’ve heard the name Lauro Nyro before, but today was the first time that I’ve listened to any of her albums. There’s some really imaginative songwriting on here. “Poverty Train” was a stand out and my favorite track the first time through. It had a great intro, interesting tempo changes throughout the song and a complex song structure. The mood shift at the end “Eli’s Comin’ ” was a good hook as well. The rest of the songs on here are well crafted and well thought-out and the lyrics are quite good. This is the kind of album that will take a few listens to really get to know well due to the depth of the songwriting, but it was enjoyable enough the first time through to make that journey again.
I feel like I've heard a song or two by Laura Nyro and never knew who it was. Or maybe I'm confusing some of her songs with Carole King's. Great voice and even though it sounds like it's from a different era it doesn't sound dated. More than listening to the album I appreciated the prompt to learn about her and her massive influence on the industry (lot of songwriting credits and remakes of her work). For sure a 3, feels like a coin flip after that. Not quite my thing but I think I'm going up because I compared her to Carole King.
I can't really explain why but I've been looking forward to this album for a long time. I've never heard it before, never knew about this album or artist, but something about seeing it among albums on the list, or perhaps it was seeing it on the shelf at a record store, just intrigued me so much. It's all over the place in mostly good ways, spanning so many genres. For an album from the late '60s it's extremely impressive. A lot on here I will return to, including "Once It Was Alright Now" which, upon hearing for the first time, I immediately recognized as sampled by the 1975. This is a very quirky album, jazzy and full of life, especially for a singer-songwriter type project. I can imagine how many artists have been influenced by this one. I dig it. Favorite tracks: Once It Was Alright Now, Lu, Lonely Women, Emmie, Eli's Comin. Album art: Again, just seeing this one so many times intrigued me to the point of being excited about it without knowing anything about the artist or music, so that's huge. It's a portrait, but the contrast is strong. The facial expression and angle is intriguing, and I really love the font. 4/5
These are some truly incredible songs, and Laura Nyro is a wonderful singer to boot. Not only is her voice sweet, but she's full of personality that brings each song to life. Is it perhaps a little long and over-indulgent? Sure, but it can be forgiven for the level of quality on display here. Nyro can really play with the best of them, easily at the same level as Sgt. Pepper's or Pet Sounds. These are not simple singer/songwriter songs, no sir.
Wow -- some frenetic ballads and effusive singing. So many of the songs undulate between soft and loud, slurred and staccato, theatrical to moody, fast and slow. The variety and energy feels innovative :D
Pretty nice jazzy songs in this album. Specially the first half. Second half was a bit meh
I'll have to come back to this one. I enjoyed some moments but it was mostly lost on me. Her voice is technically good but I don't really like the sound of it.
Great voice, and a tragic story. The first half of this album is great. I love the jazzy show-tunes-y nature of it! The second half really drags on as she goes higher and higher into her register. I was glad it was over by the end.
Laura Nyro was a great song-writer and a lot of people did well from her songs, especially The Fifth Dimension, who would have been a one-hit wonder without her. As performer she had a good enough voice, but IMO it can be a bit shrill when she ramps it up. The album fades a bit & I think her interpretations of her own songs weren't as great as the interpretations of other great performers. I guess that's why there are so few great singer-songwriters out there. It's hard to be equally good at both.
Eeeh, I can't say this was awful but not my cup of tea. It had that weird lounge singer vibe again that was just a total swing and a miss. The only song I really jelled with was "Stoned Soul Picnic." I thought it was great and the soul was really there. Other than that was just waiting for it to be over.
I loved her voice. Dad recognised her voice too and she was the vocalist with 5th Dimension; Wedding Bell Blues, great song ! A solid ***
This album is very simple and speaks to a kinder gentler time when music was far less sophisticated. The songs have one intention which is to entertain a live audience. Her voice is impressive as it bounces effortlessly up and down the scale. Many of the songs are flush with tempo changes that keep things moving along nicely. Unfortunately there are a number of other songs that seem to stagnate.
Well the beginning of the first song started a bit suddenly. Ohhhh it's the blues, that makes sense. It's good so far, I'd probably rate a 3 based on what I've heard so far. Wait, this came out in 1968? The recording quality sounds really good for the 60s. I'm considering rating a 4 just because of the sound quality. Album ended as suddenly as it began. I enjoyed the quality. The style wasn't my thing, but I appreciate it for what it is.
This was bloody good! Really enjoyed it, couple of duffers on it though which stops 4 stars. However, throughly worth a listen by all!
Not sure why I've never heard of her before, this sounds like it should be classic stuff, but I guess she never had a major hit. Definitely sounds like it could have been recorded yesterday.
Hello, who is this? Never seen this name before in my life, but I like the album art (feels very 2000s) and a few of the tunes. But dang if you just put this on and told me it was some later Joni Mitchell record I would believe you like a devout Mormon. Still, “Poverty Blues” worked for me enough that I listened to it twice. The 60s were THE decade for cocaine songs. (I guess, I don’t really know.)
Mukava vanha uutuus mulle. Fiilailin auringonpaisteessa autossa vaikkei mieltä mullistavaa kuitenkaan ollut
I'd never heard 'Eli And The Thirteenth Confession' and I'd never heard of Laura Nyro, so this was a complete surprise to me. In a word, the album struck me as ambitious. Laura's vocals are powerful and each song's arrangement feels packed full, to the point of bursting with purpose and intent. I can see why this would be an infuential album and I can also see how a number of these songs would go on to be hits for other bands as well.
Good! 3.5 stars. Very enjoyable, didn't hit me too hard but I did like it quite a bit.
A wild ride of an LP - the compositions are loud and boisterous, while Nyro’s vocals sit on top and often threaten to go off the rails (though never do). Worth another listen just to fully digest all that’s happening here.
60s sound. Kind of reminds me of dusty springfield. Slightly annoying high pitched voice. Stoned cold picnic is a famous song, pretty cool song.
poverty train sucked. luckie was a good intro to set the mood for the album. overall, it felt ahead of its time
This one was pretty out there. I feel like some songs had the bones of something really catchy, but then would purposefully veer off into some other experimental direction. It was mainly focused on the vocals, which were good for sure, but the songs just didn't grab me, or at least they would start to grab me and then the beat would totally change up and she'd do some strange vocal trill. Best song was Luckie, but Lu was pretty good too.
There's only so many times you can listen to Tapestry, no matter how perfect it is. So when you want a bit of that but also something different there's this. Like King Nyro wrote lots of stuff that were initially made famous by other people. Unlike King her voice is a lot more distinctive, bordering on Joni Mitchell at times. I liked this on listening, and wouldn't have come across it otherwise.
Very Carol Kane-Esque. I'm enjoying it. shocked that I have never heard of so many of these albums. also bought the book in case there's some key info I need to know.
Nikad čuo za nju, ali mogu reći da je stvarno fin album, lijep. Jaka boja glasa. Međutim stvar je što u ovom trenutku nisam baš za ovako nešta pa mi zasad neće biti neko vraćanje na ovo, al da je dobar, dobar je.
Po coveru sam mislila da ce biti neka melodramaticna Irkinja iz 90ih. No ovo je pak melodramaticna Amerikanka iz 60ih. Skroz suprotno. Jako lijep glas. Lonely women mi je najdraža s albuma i stvarno ima nekih dobrih trenutaka. Ali nisam se pretjerano uživila u ostatak. No drago mi je da sad znam za ovu tetu.
Somewhat hard to hear over the chaos of a frat house, but the album overall sounded pretty nice. I’ve become a bigger fan of this type of music since the start of this list I think
I think this would be great to experience live in concert. I don’t think it works as well as a record. Not for me.
All new to me: the artist, the album, and all songs. What a voice! Solid songwriting, too, and great performances. Stylistically, not something I think I'll come back to -- just preference -- but I can appreciate the depth and range of her talent. Impressive.
I had never heard of this artist before today. Very easy to listen to and she has a beautiful voice. I'd be interested in checking out her other work.
First time ever that I listen Laura Nyro. Sweet voice, nice melodies, styles fusion. It sounds to me like a precursor of some others more modern artists like Sade and Norah Jones
This is good but I'm not sure I've missed anything important through not having heard it before.
3.5 for me. I thought it sounded like Carol King recorded a Motown album. A few good songs but not my favorite.
Gave it a go but couldn’t finish the album - some homage to Kate bush but overall found it winey. Not sure which genre - a bit show jazz, easy listening, I’m not sure - some dodgy lyrics had to give up sorry 😞
Highly influential but not widely known and died of cancer at 49. Very sad. She's got a great voice but I'm not all that into her music, even after multiple listens. Pleasant to hear, but don't need to hear it again, which is the definition of a 3 for me.
The choices within each of the songs for tempo, rhythm, and style are interesting to say the least. Originally I thought that the cover was one of those retro covers. Nope, it's for an album of the time. The bottom line is, even with the innovation of the song choices, it still sounds incredibly dated. Not something I would choose to come back to.
Uplifting and a very bright start to the morning. I liked the variety of styles. It reminded me a lot of Carole King's Tapestry. Some decent Northern Soul head nods as well. Not life changing, but decent.
I was pretty shocked to see that this album is from 1968, until I heard it. The album cover and it being listed as "pop" threw me off because it does not feel like something from the 60's but the songs were good! I wouldn't quite compare her to Kate Bush or some of the other pop people of those decades but she had some good songs.
i'm glad i survived that. i do not believe i would have enjoyed that particular part of 1968. i doubt i would've felt the need to be shouted at in that way.
I think this is another case of the poetry of lyrics being lost on me, based on the way the album was written up. She clearly has a great voice, and the instrumentation of strings is interesting, but overall this album didn't seem to catch me. I'm going to rate a 2.5 for now, with an understanding that a more thorough listen may be necessary later.
Skillful, but grating vocals. A few decent songs, but lacking a royal run of tracks to make the list
Somewhat boring and lackluster. She sounds great and there are some high points (Second Half of Lonely Woman for example) but was hard to get through the whole album
It's competently produced and her voice is fine, but the campy broadway-meets-60s-pop songwriting was not to my taste. When the horn section kicks in and it has hints of classic soul I tend to like it, other times it sounds like the schmaltzy Elton John records I tend to skip - there's more of the latter.
I feel like I should have liked this more than I did but for some reason I couldn't get into it and really struggled to get through it. Probably more on me than the record. Probably should be 3 stars but giving it 2.
It's... Fine I guess? But you can't follow Bjork with this mellow schmooze really. Sorry Laura I'm sure you were revolutionary at the time.
Listening to this was like seeing art. I have no idea what I’m looking at but I guess a ton of artists sampled these songs? Just not my cup o tea
i thought that the voice was overwhelming and obnoxious. i’m not sure if it’s because of i was listening through my phone but i just didn’t like her singing at all
off-brand oldies. vocals have this almost comical, meme-like quality that I'm sure isn't intentional
I did not particularly care for the album but I did not skip any songs and I did not feel the need to skip any songs. It was relatively short which is good. The music has a soul feel to it. It is better than a two and not really a three. I will round down.
I know she was talented, but I'm not a fan of the shrill, breathless style of singing. I do love her song Wedding Bell Blues (not on this album) but I didn't really enjoy listening to this very much. 2 stars.
It was OK, no stand outs for me. Very of its time. Sounds like a tune from a 70's film montage
I think there's a reason this never really gained popularity... Nyro is clearly talented vocally but her songwriting is just not that good and it sounds like show tunes, which is kind of insufferable. Really campy. I can't finish the album :/
Well she has a good singing voice but her campy, bouncy jazzy pop style was really grating and annoying to me. I couldn’t get thru this one
This is one of three albums I get to listen to on an island in hell. Things that sound better: Open mouthed pork rind crunching on a public bus, mosquito stuck in your ear canal and the always reliable fingers on a blackboard. I tried to find something good about this cloying 70sesque drivel, but not much here. The opening seconds of “Poverty Train” we’re ok.
Honestly don’t understand how this was selected - but then I’ve always hated this kind of tripe - fuck the 60s
This reminded me a lot of Joni Mitchell and Carole King: neither of whom I like at all. There was only one song where Laura wasn't forcing her singing to a level of intensity that didn't match the music. A meandering mess.
Didn’t really get this. Late sixties singer-songwriter stuff. The doo-wop one was pleasant but the rest didn’t do anything for me.
jazzy; yllättävän hyvä, mut silti vähän tylsä; ei yhtään biisii, jonka kuunteleminen ois ärsyttäny