I first heard Laura Nyro when I was in my second year of high school. I was listening to an AM station and they were playing Laura's single "Up On The Roof." I thought it was wonderful. I knew of her for a couple of years as a songwriter for selections of the 5th Dimension and other artists but this was the first time that I had heard her sing.
Someone that I knew told me that she had this album so I borrowed it. I loved it from the first time I listened to it. It also became the first of Laura's albums that I would buy.
My favorite selections are "Upstairs by a Chinese Lamp" and "Map to the Treasure." The lyric to "Upstairs" give you such detail of what is going on and it makes you feel as if you are right in the scene. The vocals are perfect for the song and the instrumentation flows beautifully throughout the song. The wondrous moment comes when Alice Coltrane comes in with the harp and you are now transformed into the song "Map to the Treasure." It is not something you can stop. You have to stay for "Map" and hear it out. It starts slowly with two short verses and then Laura's piano work begins to take you on a journey as it starts slowly and begins to pick up the tempo as it goes until the crescendo where she starts singing again and you are totally hooked to it. The tempo has become very fast as you feel as though she is singing to you saying "Take my hand now." You can't let go and then the tempo slows and she repeats the first verse and close with the fading piano. You think you hear the last note and then there a few addtional short notes that close the song.
"Up on The Roof" is a fresh version from the faster paced versions of the early Sixties. Carole King did a slower version on her album "Writer" and maybe Laura heard this version and used it as a basis for the slower tempo. This was the only Laura Nyro song that I ever heard on AM radio at the time and I never have heard it on FM stations.
The song "Christmas in My Soul" is a beautiful tribute to some of the troubles of the time. Unfortunately it also dates the album but it is a strong testament of the times.
"Brown Earth" is a great opener and then "Freeport" and "Blackpatch" come in followed by the haunting "Been on a Train." "Train" was also a testament of the times as deaths from heroin use were becoming epidemic.
"Beads of Sweat" is a rocket paced tune not unlike "Eli's Comin'" from her earlier album. Like "Eli" it starts off slowly and then picks up a very fast pace with a great electric guitar along with Laura's piano playing.
I highly recommend this recording to any fan of Laura Nyro. Laura has stood the test of time and never received the recognition that she deserved but maybe her songs by other artists that were played on the radio then and now gave her enough satsisfaction since recording a song written by someone else is a great reward in itself.
Thank you Laura, you were a great writer and you are missed.

I got this CD to replace my original vinyl album, for which I no longer have a turntable. I had forgotten how beautiful this album is... Between the haunting poetic lyrics and Laura Nyro's truly incredible soprano (which frequently soars so high in this collection that your dog may be the only one who will be able to make out some of the lyrics), you may feel as though you're listening to an angel--and you are! If you like Joni Mitchell, you're going to love Laura! Be sure to read the lyrics in the liner notes. She's not just an accomplished singer--this girl can WRITE.

In 1974 I hung out in dingy smoke filled bistros absorbing atmosphere and jazz. I bought a record for the title! Christmas and the Beads of Sweat.
My friends loved it too! We created our own bistro in my flat with Laura's haunting presence of voice and words transporting us to heights of relief. Rhubarb pie was the climax with "Christmas in my Soul".
A timeless escape from beginning to end, "Christmas and the Beads of Sweat" is a must-have for anyone who wanted to climb up on the roof!

The CD cover unfolds and there in beautiful handwriting are all the words.
What a fantastic bonus!

I remember it well: my big sister and I went to Tower Records on Sunset Blvd. the day after Christmas 1980 to buy Laura Nyro's "Christmas and the Beads of Sweat." And who was there in the store but Peter Bogdonavich and Cybill Shepherd! I was very young at the time but I still rememeber that day well. And it wasn't because of Peter and Cybill. It's because this music is still so vibrant, vulnerable and magical. "Freeport," "Blackpatch," "Brown earth," "Up on the Roof" and on and on...songs of love, songs of despair, songs of protest.
What people don't know is that Laura Nyro was the consummate musician: she wrote, she played piano, she sang, of course, she produced most of her albums and she wrote the arrangements.
To appreciate Laura is to appreciate New York, Spanish Harlem and the music of the streets. It has been rumored that when Laura was directing back up orchestras at her recording sessions, she would say things like: "play it bluer," "play it like you are sad and crying..." If you really really listen to her albums...you know that this is true.
She is gone now but she is certainly not forgotten. Rest in peace, Laura.
When is someone at Columbia/Sony going to realize how important an artist Laura Nyro was and digitally re-master complete versions of "Christmas" and "Smile." It is long over do.

A word that is overused and cheapened is "Genius." If you look in the dictionary for a definition of that word, you may find a picture of Laura Nyro with a link to her best music. This album was one of her very best. As late as 1991 Rolling Stone defined this album as the "worst" of her career. Doesn't take a genius to understand the quality of that review. Listen to this CD in the dark. Be alone with "Christmas and the Beads of Sweat." After it has seeped into your soul, invite a friend to join you in the darkness and listen again. Close your eyes and bathe in the luminescence of Ms. Nyro. Genius.