Christmas and the Beads of Sweat

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Christmas and the Beads of Sweat
Studio album by Laura Nyro
Released	November 25, 1970
Recorded	New York City, May 1970
Genre	Pop
Length	44:55
Label	Columbia (UK) Columbia (US)
Producer	Felix Cavaliere, Arif Mardin
Professional reviews
Allmusic link Rolling Stone "Average" link Robert Christgau "C+" link
Laura Nyro chronology
New York Tendaberry (1969) Christmas and the Beads of Sweat (1970) Gonna Take a Miracle (1971)

Christmas and the Beads of Sweat is the fourth LP by New York-born singer, songwriter, and pianist Laura Nyro.

The album was released on the Columbia Records label in November 1970 after Nyro had recorded it in the early summer with producers Felix Cavaliere and Arif Mardin. Whilst Nyro had handed over production reins, she was still in control of the project and arranged her compositions.

The album is seen as the closing part of a Laura Nyro trilogy that also comprises 1968's Eli and the Thirteenth Confession and 1969's New York Tendaberry. Musically, the album is a bridge between the two, balancing the lighter and more joyful tones of Eli with the dark, sensual, and piano-dominated Tendaberry.

Nyro had by this time built up a strong reputation as a songwriter, and the album features star turns from Duane Allman, who adds a guitar solo to the driving "Beads of Sweat," and Alice Coltrane, who adds harp to a number of the more mystical compositions.

The album, buoyed by Nyro's popularity as a songwriter, became her second commercially successful album in succession, peaking at #51 on the Billboard 200, known as the Pop Albums chart. The album is also responsible for spawning Nyro's sole chart hit single, with a cover of Gerry Goffin and Carole King's "Up on the Roof," which peaked at #92 on the Pop Singles chart, now known as the Hot 100.

Christmas and the Beads of Sweat is regarded by many to be in the same league as its two predecessors, but is generally less favoured by rock critics.

Overview

Christmas and the Beads of Sweat is undoubtedly the least-known of the "classic trilogy" of Laura Nyro records, perhaps because it does not contain songs that became significant hits for other artists. In fact, it is notable that it is the first Nyro album to feature a cover version, that being the Goffin/King standard "Up on the Roof," which gave Nyro her only singles chart entry.

The atmosphere of Christmas is more mystical and exotic than any other Laura Nyro record. It is notably more laid back than its predecessor, 1969's cult favourite New York Tendaberry, but isn't as immediately accessible as the well-crafted Eli and the Thirteenth Confession. Instead, some songs bridge the gap between those two albums.

The presence of the Swampers band from Muscle Shoals lends the album a more easygoing, rock-inspired sound, but this is countered by Nyro's evocative lyrics and moody piano delivery. The second vinyl side features long Nyro originals, primarily solo but sometimes accompanied on exotic harp by legendary progressive musician Alice Coltrane. Thus, Christmas often has an atmosphere of being two separate divisions.

Songs such as "Christmas In My Soul" ease Nyro into the world of politics, a topic she became engrossed with during her songs and performances in the 1980s, while she sings about drug use ("Been on a Train"), and picturesque city lifestyles ("Blackpatch") elsewhere. The album was another commercial success on the back of Tendaberry, but is one of Nyro's oddly less celebrated works, despite containing some of her finest work.

Track listing

All songs written by Laura Nyro except as noted

1. "Brown Earth" (4:09)
2. "When I Was a Freeport and You Were the Main Drag" (2:42)
3. "Blackpatch" (3:33)
4. "Been on a Train" (5:49)
5. "Up on the Roof" (Gerry Goffin, Carole King) (3:13)
6. "Upstairs by a Chinese Lamp" (5:34)
7. "Map to the Treasure" (8:08)
8. "Beads of Sweat" (4:47)
9. "Christmas in My Soul" (7:00)

Personnel

• Duane Allman – Guitar, Guitar (Electric)
• Barry Beckett – Vocals (bckgr), Vibraphone
• Felix Cavaliere – Organ, Keyboards, Bells, Producer, Engineer
• Alice Coltrane – Harp
• Dino Danelli – Drums
• Richard Davis – Bass
• Cornell Dupree – Guitar, Guitar (Electric)
• Joe Farrell – Wind, Woodwind
• Ashad Garabedian – Oud
• Tim Greelan – Engineer
• Roger Hawkins – Drums
• Eddie Hinton – Guitar, Guitar (Electric)
• David Hood – Bass
• Jack Jennings – Percussion
• Ralph MacDonald – Percussion
• Arif Mardin – Arranger, Conductor, Producer
• Laura Nyro – Guitar, Piano, Arranger, Keyboards, Vocals
• Doug Pomeroy – Assistant Engineer
• Chuck Rainey – Bass
• Stuart Scharf – Guitar
• Roy Segal – Engineer
• Jerry Lee Smith – Assistant Engineer

Miscellanea

Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (January 2009)

• Christmas and the Beads of Sweat features the two longest songs Laura Nyro submitted to record – those being the mystical "Map to the Treasure" and the politically-charged "Christmas in My Soul."
• It is regularly thought, considering the title, that the album is a holiday record. Columbia Records tried to get Nyro to change the title but she would not allow it, and some stores still stock it only at Christmas.
• It is the only Laura Nyro album to produce a chart hit, and ironically that song – "Up on the Roof" – was not written by Nyro, who wrote many substantial hits for other artists.
• Four of the album's songs were selected to appear on 1997's retrospective collection Stoned Soul Picnic: The Best of Laura Nyro.
• The cover portrait was originally left as a present to Nyro by one of her fans, art student Beth O'Brien, and Nyro asked if she could use it for the album cover. O'Brien agreed, Nyro added a red earring with her lipstick, and O'Brien received $300 and two tickets to Nyro's New York concert.
• In Japan, both LP (SOCP-1538 – out of print) and CD (SICP-1538) covers were sold as the simple drawing of Laura on the front in a square white field-no titles, logos, or catalog numbers to mar or clutter the cover. This may have been an example of Japanese aesthetics over commerce, as the cover was a stark and beautiful portrait of Laura – a piece of art-once the OBI was removed – likely a Sony Japan decision, as they usually print any cover art or templates sent to them from headquarters in New York City.
• Unlike the other 3 albums remastered with added value material in 2002, Christmas and the Beads of Sweat never made that batch. Ostensibly, the series producer, Al Quaglieri, said he'd searched Japan, the United States, and the EU for the master tapes but did not find them.
• In March 2008, Sony/BMG US re-priced the album into the "budget" category (e.g., $5.99 USD). It was the same CD that has been manufactured and on store shelves since 1990, with the same catalog number (CK 30259), not even having the usual fine print legalese on the cover or label referencing BMG or Sony (the new owners), just "Columbia Records" and a ©1970 Tunafish music. Apparently all other territories except Japan received the same disc.
• In Sept 2008, Sony Japan released a bare bones CD of the title, (SICP-1538, ¥1,800) the exception that it was advertised as "Exclusive Remastering, Japan Only" and came in a duplicate LP style paper cover.
• The deluxe discs from 2002 were cleaned up with a more expensive DSD process and in Jewel cases with bonus materials. Nevertheless, Sony Japan gave the album a cleanup, either from second generation duplicates or perhaps the master tape, and changed all the fine print to be in line with release date ©2008 Sony Japan.
• All of her Sony titles are still on the label, and not licensed out.
• There was a complete limited edition box of all her Sony recordings, remastered, in paper LP sleeves at a high price, but it is sold out.

References

Allmusic

Michele Kort's biography Soul Picnic: The Music and Passion of Laura Nyro (ISBN 0-312-20941-X)