Eli and the Thirteenth Confession
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| Eli and the Thirteenth Confession | |||||
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| Studio album by Laura Nyro | |||||
| Released | March 3, 1968 | ||||
| Recorded | New York City, January 1968 - February 1968 | ||||
| Genre | Pop | ||||
| Length | 46:15 | ||||
| Label | Columbia Records (UK) Columbia Records (US) |
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| Producer | Laura Nyro, Charlie Calello | ||||
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| Laura Nyro chronology | |||||
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Eli and the Thirteenth Confession is a music album by New York-born singer, songwriter, and pianist Laura Nyro.
It was released in 1968 on the Columbia Records label and became one of the year's underground successes. One critic noted, "the hottest sounds of that summer were Sgt. Pepper and the Laura Nyro record." The album was written entirely by Nyro, arranged by Charlie Calello and produced by both.
The album's themes are of passion, love, romance, death, and drugs, and the songs are delivered in Nyro's distinctive brash neo-operatic vocals. Musically, it is a multi-layered and opulent work, with features including a band, multi-tracked vocals, jazz instrumentation and strings. The album's loose genre is pop, but it also incorporates elements of jazz, opera, soul, gospel, and rock.
It is generally considered to be Nyro's most accessible and most famous work, although it is arguably not the most commercially successful or critically favoured (both honours go to the follow-up, New York Tendaberry). The album was her first chart entry, reaching #189 on the Billboard 200, when it was known as "Pop Albums."
The album is second only to its predecessor, 1967's More Than A New Discovery, in producing hit songs for other artists. Three Dog Night took "Eli's Comin'" to US #10, while The Fifth Dimension went to US #3 with "Stoned Soul Picnic" and US #13 with "Sweet Blindness."
Eli and the Thirteenth Confession is also recognised as the first part in a "holy trinity" of Laura Nyro albums, the others being New York Tendaberry (1969) and Christmas and the Beads of Sweat (1970).
The album was reissued in expanded and remastered format with bonus tracks in 2002 on the Legacy imprint of Columbia.
Contents |
[edit] Concept
The concept of Eli and the Thirteenth Confession tracks the journey from childhood into womanhood. The first few songs explore the innocence of youth, while the middle of the album finds the central character discovering the perils of drugs and rogue lovers. By the album's conclusion, the character has grown into a sexually-aware adult, which is mirrored in the more passionate and feminine music towards the climax.
The title of the album is an amalgam of several features of the album. The album's centrepiece is the gospel rock song "Eli's Comin'," at the core of the album, which tells the story of a dangerous but irrestistible lover. The final song on the album is entitled "The Confession," while the "thirteenth" refers to the thirteen original songs included on the vinyl LP.
The cover art also reflects the concept. One of the featured images shows Nyro kissing the head of another Nyro, in three-quarter profile to give the illusion that she is a child, to symbolise the passing of her childhood (a "kiss goodbye.")??
[edit] Analysis
Luckie: A strong swinging groove begins Eli and the Thirteenth Confession. The song brims with black music influences and is jam-packed with unusual and unexpected time changes. As is the case with most Eli songs, it has multiple hooks. The lyrics use personification, as if the character of Luckie was actually "luck." The insistent rhythm mimics a teenager's exuberant footsteps, and at this stage in the concept, the central character is an apparently naive teenager.
Lu: In similar style and scope to "Luckie," but boasts a more easygoing and accessible melody. It is extremely ambitious musically, bringing together soul, gospel, R&B, pop, and '60s doo-wop, and employing time changes and shifts in rhythmic patterns. The song details a romantic love affair with a "captain" named Lu. The "captain" is a recurrent image in Laura Nyro's songs, for her ideal lover.
Sweet Blindness: One of the album's most famous songs, and the last of the three opening jaunty soul-pop songs. It details a drunken encounter ("please don't tell my mother/I'm a saloon and a moonshine lover") with friends, and in the flow of the album precipitates a change both in mood and style, from the innocent blue-eyed soul of the first three songs to the darker tones of the next three.
Poverty Train: Nyro employs a grittier vocal delivery to sing about the perils of drugs ("I swear there's something better than getting off on sweet cocaine.") The song shifts between atmospheric vocal solos to punchy, crunchily rhythmic lines derived from the blues. Nyro debuted the song at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival.
Lonely Women: Downbeat and lovelorn, "Lonely Women" wouldn't sound out of place in a smoky '40s boite. Nyro's bluesy, smoky vocals are accompanied by the saxophone of Zoot Sims, but the song dramatically shifts gears towards the end into a driving full-band number, typical of Nyro's unexpected mood and tempo changes. In the concept, the character seems to have suffered their first significant romantic disappointment.
Eli's Comin': Popularised by Three Dog Night, this song is the most up-tempo on the album and features a driving rock beat, accompanied by melodic lines derived from gospel music. Nyro's impassioned multi-tracked wails make it one of the album's highlights, and she sings of a dangerous yet irresistible lover ("Eli's comin', hide your heart girl").
Timer: Nyro once said that this song was about her cat, but co-producer Charlie Calello has since said that it is about the passage of time and a reflection of where time goes. This song, once again delivered in Nyro's upper register, breaks the cycle of dark songs that began with "Poverty Train." The song boasts an unusual introduction with echoes of opera and Broadway but grows into a doo-wop pop song. A cat it may be, but the musical phrasing is a pace/march and the lyrics suggest a dog walk. In 1969, Laura was quoted as saying "I've got this dog, Beautybell. A great big German Shepard. She's much bigger than I am. She walks me." Also, the lyrics are her musings about love, e.g. "But now my hand is open and now my hand is ready for my heart.” Who was "My lady woke up, and she broke down, she got up, she let go."? Who was the muse for "I like her song - and if the song goes minor - I won't mind"? Who is being put on notice in the song's denouement “And Timer knows the lady’s gonna love again - if you don’t love me” and “The lady rambles never more- if you love me true” and “If you love me true - I’ll spend my life with you - you and Timer”? Reinforcing the notion, as to the lover being a woman, was Laura’s redacted version of “Timer” performed on May 30, 1971, in live concert, at the Fillmore East. The redactions are in the context of the concert’s opening song “American Dove.” This debut release of an original work was Laura’s love song to her fiancé, a decorated Vietnam War veteran. Both songs were released in 2004 on Spread Your Wings and Fly.
Stoned Soul Picnic: Perhaps Laura Nyro's most famous composition, "Stoned Soul Picnic" is arguably the album's most accessible moment. Lazy and easygoing, it's mid-paced and finds Nyro giving a hazy vocal delivery, conjuring images of a drug-fuelled road trip. The song indeed discusses a good time with friends, similar to "Sweet Blindness," but this is far less fast-paced. Nevertheless, it features familiar Nyro hallmarks such as time changes and multiple hooks.
Emmie: Elegant and beautiful, "Emmie" is the only real ballad on Eli and the Thirteenth Confession. Many listeners picked up on the lesbian overtones, while others considered it a love poem for a friend. Nyro described it as an ode to "the eternal feminine," and the song is suitably romantic and passionate, drenched in strings. It remains one of Nyro's most timeless compositions, a song of rich mellifluent beauty.
Woman's Blues: After the welcome rest from the ambition and drive with "Emmie," the pace picks up again with the futuristic "Woman's Blues," featuring Nyro's edgy wails and crashing drums. It begins in a neo-classical vain before growing into a towering gospel-inspired chorus. It is perhaps one of the album's less accessible compositions but immediately after "Emmie" highlights her artistic diversity and versatility.
Once It Was Alright Now (Farmer Joe): Multi-layered and busy, this is the most ambitious and difficult song on the album because it features so many different ideas that could be explored in songs of their own. Nyro crams so many hooks, melody lines, and genres into the space of three minutes, changing tempos numerous times and returning to an original idea only once. It is something of a mini-suite, and highlights the energy and ambition of the record.
December's Boudoir: Exotic and passionate, "December's Boudoir" is the album's most experimental moment, devoid of pop accessibility but instead more of a mood piece, like a stranger cousin of "Emmie." The song's melody isn't one of the strongest on the album, but thematically it explores the character's sexual awakening after a series of traumas and disappointments.
The Confession: The character confesses her newfound sexual knowing in one of Nyro's most fast-paced and edgy compositions. For a closer, it's highly ambitious because the pace never lets up and Nyro continues her fascination with tempo and mood changes. The song climaxes with a series of impassioned wails from Nyro: "love my lovething, love is surely gospel." It's an intense and compelling end to a unique and intoxicating album.
[edit] Track listing
All songs written by Laura Nyro.
- "Luckie" (3:00)
- "Lu" (2:44)
- "Sweet Blindness" (2:37)
- "Poverty Train" (4:16)
- "Lonely Women" (3:32)
- "Eli's Comin'" (3:58)
- "Timer" (3:22)
- "Stoned Soul Picnic" (3:47)
- "Emmie" (4:20)
- "Woman's Blues" (3:46)
- "Once It Was Alright (Farmer Joe)" (2:58)
- "December's Boudoir" (5:05)
- "The Confession" (2:50)
[edit] The 2002 remaster
Eli and the Thirteenth Confession was reissued in expanded and re-mastered format during the summer of 2002. The reissue was produced by Al Quaglieri, with Laura Grover as project director.
The reissue featured three previously unreleased demos recorded on November 29, 1967. The 20-year-old Nyro performed the spare, solo demos of "Lu," "Stoned Soul Picnic," and "Emmie" on piano and multi-tracked her own voice to add harmonies.
The accompanying booklet includes photographs and recording details, as well as liner notes by Rick Petreycik and a back-cover recollection by Phoebe Snow. The re-mastered version was issued alongside re-mastered/expanded editions of New York Tendaberry and Gonna Take a Miracle.
[edit] Miscellanea
- On Nyro's insistence, the album's lyric sheet (which itself was a rarity for records in 1968) was perfumed and fans have reported that it still has a pleasant aroma.
- Nyro premiered some of the songs at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival.
- The song "Luckie" was derived from an earlier composition Nyro had played at her audition for Verve in 1966.
- Before she signed to Columbia Records, Nyro's Verve label already planned to release the album as Soul Picnic.
- No less than six Eli songs - more than any other Nyro record - feature on her 1997 retrospective collection Stoned Soul Picnic: The Best of Laura Nyro.
[edit] Samples
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Sweet Blindness Laura Nyro, Sweet Blindness (Columbia, 1968) Eli's Comin Laura Nyro, Eli's Comin' (Columbia, 1968) - Problems playing the files? See media help.
[edit] References
Michele Kort's biography Soul Picnic: The Music and Passion of Laura Nyro (ISBN 0-312-20941-X)
