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Rating: The best way to understand the beauty of this album, released in 1969, is to listen to it while observing the extraordinary nighttime photo of New York taken from inside an uninhabited house, featured on the cover. That image summarizes the intimate and melancholic contents encapsulated within the tracks of the album from this highly talented New York singer and pianist.
"New York Tendaberry" is an unknown treasure that deserves to be rediscovered. Based on a unique vocal style and a few essential piano touches, the pearls contained in this chest are adorned with very sober orchestral arrangements. Nyro completes the work by evoking in the tracks elements of soul, gospel, jazz, and folk. As if Bob Dylan, John Coltrane, and the Shirelles were pieces of the same puzzle.
In the album, the restless, melancholic, and passionate voice of the protagonist stands out, the focal point of an uncommon musicality characterized by silences, slowdowns, waits but also sudden explosions and tempo changes. Among the tracks, it's worth mentioning the soul of "Mercy on Broadway", the rhythmic changes of "Tom Cat Goodby", the whispered singing of "New York Tendaberry", and the famous "Save The Country", an ecological song about protecting the ecosystem.
Lulled by the critical acclaim that matters, Laura Nyro, over the years, would never have widespread public approval. Several artists would draw from her rich repertoire (Barbra Streisand, Blood Sweat And Tears, 5th Dimension) and various musicians would cite her as a source of inspiration (Suzanne Vega, Tori Amos). Laura Nyro's music is so fragile and deep that it deserves attentive and thoughtful listening. Unique and intense, this great artist deserves to be at the top of the Olympus of the best singer-songwriters of all time. She, alongside Joni Mitchell and Rickie Lee Jones.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
03 Tom Cat Goodby (05:32)
Tom Cat Goodby
Rosie Pearl is a big blonde girl,
and she sails around like a Steamboat!
Takes her time, and her eyes... they shine...for...Tom...
Hey there Tom Cat,
where've you been to?
Hey there Tom Cat
say, where've you been to?
I'm so lonely
I been crying - waiting up for you
Ya hear that?!
Ya hear that?!
I got your name Tom
I got your children
What about the children?
Tom cat Tom cat
you old rat - you old rat
Where've you been to?
Johnny cheated, Frankie killed him
Johnny cheated, said Frankie killed him
Shot and killed him
I don't blame her. I'd'a done it too
Ya hear that?!
Ya hear that?!
You deal and promise
You kiss and swing low
Foot slippin' out the window
Tom Cat Tom Cat
you old rat - you old rat
Where've you been to?
You know you're never gonna make a moviemaker, Tom
You know you're never gonna make a moviemaker -TOM!
You know you're never gonna make a moviemaker
Always be a silly faker - Tom - Tom
Never gonna make a movie maker, Tom
oh Tom oh Tom
Never gonna make a movie maker
Never make a movie maker
Never gonna make a movie maker
Always be a silly faker
No, Tom! I can't go on Tom.
I can't keep pushin', and pushin', pushin', pushin' on
Pushin' on
I quit lovin you
lovin you...
Baby, I'm going to the country
gonna buy me land
I'm going to the country
to kill my lover man
gonna kill my lover
gonna kill my lover
gonna kill my lover man
gonna kill my lover man
gonna kill my lover - Man
You know Tom, he don't care
he don't care....
you know Tooooom!
run like a chicken from the Pan, baby
what'd you say now?
Hey there Tom cat
he walks like a tom cat
he runs like a tom cat
goes fishing like a tom cat
he cheats like a tom cat
He Lies!
Can I find him...
can I find him..
can I find him..
Gonna kill... him
My... Lover - Man...(man)
My MAN!
05 Save the Country (04:36)
Come on, people! Come on, children!
Come on down to the glory river.
Gonna wash you up, and wash you down,
gonna lay the devil down, gonna lay that devil down.
Come on, people! Come on, children!
There's a king at the glory river.
And the precious king, he loved the people to sing;
Babes in the blinking sun sang, "We shall overcome."
I got fury in my soul, fury's gonna take me to the glory goal.
In my mind I can't study war no more.
Save the people! Save the children! Save the country now!
Come on, people! come on, children!
Come on down to the glory river.
Gonna wash you up and wash you down.
Gonna lay the devil down, gonna lay that devil down.
Come on people! Sons and mothers!
Keep the dream of the two young brothers.
Gonna take that dream and ride that dove.
We could build the dream with love, I know,
We could build the dream with love, I know,
We could build a dream with love, children,
We could build the dream with love, oh people,
We could build the dream with love, I know,
We could build the dream with love.
"We Shall Overcome".
11 New York Tendaberry (05:33)
New York tendaberry
Blue berry
A rush on rum
Of brush and drum
And the past is a blue note
Inside me
I ran away in the morning
New York tendaberry
Blue berry
Rugs and drapes and drugs
And capes
Sweet kids in hunger slums
Firecrackers break
And they cross
And they dust
And they skate
And the night comes
I ran away in the morning
Now I'm back
Unpacked
Sidewalk and pigeon
You look like a city
But you feel like a religion
To me
New York tendabery
True berry
I lost my eyes
I east wind skies
Here where I've cried
Where I've tried
Where God and the tendaberry rise
Where quakers and revolutionaries
Join for life
For precious years
Joined for life
Through silver tears
New York tendaberry
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