Laura Nyro's 1966 auditon tape to be released in September

Omnivore is putting out Go Find The Moon – including Laura's early version of "And When I Die" – on vinyl September 10th. 

Here's the scoop from Omnivore...

In the summer of 1966, an 18-year-old Laura Nyro had the chance to audition for Milt Okun, one of the most respected music producers of the day, and Artie Mogull, a noted A&R man. After the session, Mogull became her manager, and Okun signed on to produce her debut record, More Than Just A Discovery. One of the songs she performed, “And When I Die” became the opening track to Peter, Paul, And Mary’s hit The Peter, Paul, And Mary Album – reaching even bigger heights with a cover from Blood, Sweat, & Tears, reaching #2 on the Billboard Charts in 1969.

It’s not that she didn’t write other future smashes performed by Three Dog Night (“Eli’s Coming”), The 5th Dimension (“Stoned Soul Picnic,” “Save The Country,” and “Wedding Bell Blues”), Barbra Streisand (“Stoney End”), but it was Nyro’s heart and soul that drove others to cover her work. And, this is the fist look into the legend she would become.

Go Find The Moon: The Audition Tape is the beginning of the future Rock and Roll and Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee. It was natural. It was organic. It was Laura Nyro. Available now, for the first time, it includes “And When I Die,” as well as songs she never officially released, and versions of classics, delivered with Nyro’s deft and distinctive touch.

Mastered by Grammy-winning engineer Michael Graves, and Produced for release by Grammy-winner Cheryl Pawelski and George Gilbert of the Laura Nyro Trust, Go Find The Moon is available on CD, Digital, and on LP, cut at 45 rpm, all with liner notes from renowned journalist Jim Farber.

From Farber’s notes – “Here, Laura Nyro led the way, with a performance that captured an artist who, however young, was, at root, already fully formed.”

You can pre-order a copy of Go Find The Moon: The Audition Tape from Omnivore Recordings  right here. Nyro fans should note that Omnivore is also digitally reissuing her Live In Japan album (recorded in 1994 and originally released in 2003) with five bonus tracks as Trees Of The Ages: Laura Nyro Live In Japan on July 16 which is available here. 

Check the track list for Go Find The Moon below. Listen to a version Laura's demo of "And When I Die" which has been circulating online for years. 

 

Laura Nyro – Go Find The Moon: The Audition Tape

And When I Die

Lazy Susan (false start)

Enough Of You

In and Out

Go Find The Moon

Luckie / studio talk

When Sunny Gets Blue (fragment) / Kansas City (fragment) / I Only Want To Be With You (fragment) 

Lazy Susan