Laura Nyro - More Than a New Discovery (1967)
Tracklist front / back album covers
Side one
1. "Goodbye Joe" 2:38
2. "Billy's Blues" 3:20
3. "And When I Die" 2:40
4. "Stoney End" 2:46
5. "Lazy Susan" 3:53
6. "Hands Off the Man" (later known as "Flim Flam Man") 2:29
Side two
1. "Wedding Bell Blues" 2:44
2. "Buy and Sell" 3:38
3. "He's a Runner" 3:40
4. "Blowin' Away" 2:23
5. "I Never Meant to Hurt You" 2:52
6. "California Shoeshine Boys" 2:45
The First Songs Album Version
Side one
1. "Wedding Bell Blues" 2:44
2. "Billy's Blues" 3:20
3. "California Shoeshine Boys" 2:45
4. "Blowin' Away" 2:23
5. "Lazy Susan" 3:53
6. "Goodbye Joe" 2:38
Side two
1. "Flim Flam Man" 2:29
2. "Stoney End" 2:46
3. "I Never Meant to Hurt You" 2:56
4. "He's a Runner" 3:40
5. "Buy and Sell" 3:38
6. "And When I Die" 2:40
Laura Nyro Band Members / Musicians
Laura Nyro - guitar, keyboards, vocals, songwriter
Jay Berliner - guitar
Stan Free - piano
Bill LaVorgna - drums
Buddy Lucas - harmonica
Lou Mauro - double bass
James Sedlar - French horn
Herb Bernstein - arranger, conductor, flugelhorn
Milton Okun - producer
Jean Goldhirsch - assistant producer
Jerry Schoenbaum - production supervision
Val Valentin - director of engineering
Harry Yarmark - engineer
More Than a New Discovery is the debut album by Bronx-born singer, songwriter, and pianist Laura Nyro. It was recorded during 1966 and released early in following year on the Verve Folkways imprint of the Verve Records label.
The name of the label was later changed to Verve Forecast and the album was re-issued on that label as The First Songs in 1969. This re-issue has a different track order and revised cover design. It peaked at #97 on the Billboard 200, then known as the Pop Albums chart. Starting with this release the song "Hands Off the Man" was retitled "Flim Flam Man (Hands Off the Man)".
Columbia Records re-issued The First Songs with all-new cover art (featuring a rose illustration) in 1973.
In 1999, the album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 2008, Rev-Ola Records released a remastered version of the original album on Compact Disc with the original song order and the original cover art.
