This one got by me, and it's already out. This was her "comeback" album after a few years off, and I've always liked it a lot. Iconoclassic has already released Season of Lights and Nested, the two that followed this, so I'm not surprised to see this one get the same treatment. Both of those sound clearly better than the Japanese remasters of the same albums, which were a big improvement over the dismal US discs. I'm hoping the same is true here.

Product Description
Digitally remastered and expanded edition of this 1976 album. Laura Nyro returned to the studio after a four year hiatus with this completely fresh sounding album. Laura was reunited with her Eli producer Charlie Calello and a very impressive line-up of New York session cats, which led the album in a much more Jazz-tinged direction than her previous releases. She had moved to a more serene environ and the music that was created for this album is certainly influenced by that move away from the city. Liner notes are provided by Laura biographer Michele Kort, who points out that "Smile still stands as a transition for Laura Nyro between her highly emotional early albums and her mellower later work". All new mastering is provided by Vic Anesini who has brilliantly captured what was going down in the studio back in the day on Iconoclassic's other later Nyro releases. The release is fleshed out by a series of demos that were most likely recorded early in the album sessions that produced this special album.

1. Sexy Mama
2. Children Of The Junks
3. Money
4. I Am The Blues
5. Stormy Love
6. The Cat-Song
7. Midnight Blue
8. Smile

Bonus Tracks:
9. Someone Loves You (Demo)
10. Get Me My Cap (Demo)
11. Coffee Morning (Demo)

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EZP9RZK/?tag=imwan-20

Good catch! My first Iconoclassic was Laura's Nested (have the others too) and I was hooked with the label at that point. I'd always loved the album and their work on it was excellent. Happy to see Smile on their label now as well. I have a (I think) domestic CBS release -- it was kind of hard to find at one time.

Yes, I think the domestic release was only in print for a short time. I agree, they did a great job with Nested. Looking forward to this one a lot.

This arrived today (happy Black Friday to me!) and it sounds great, as I expected. Vic Anesini did the remastering, and did his usual outstanding job. The Japanese remaster is good, but this is sounds like a distinct improvement to me.

It occured to me while I was listening that this might be a good place for someone to begin with Laura Nyro. The production is more lush that her earlier work, the sound is very inviting, and the extremes of her songwriting, like the abrupt tempo changes and vocal extremes of New York Tendaberry and Eli and the Thirteenth Confession, are reigned in a bit. This could have easily been a big record in an era when Carole King, Carly Simon, and Joni Mitchell were selling a lot of records. I have no explanation why it wasn't. Borderline great record, and Iconoclassic has done very well by it.