Who Did It Better? Stone Soul Picnic

Who Did It Better? 

Stone Soul Picnic

Who truly owns a song and can be said to have done that song justice? The person who gave birth to it and knows it inside and out? Or the artist who takes that song and popularizes it, making it part of the public consciousness? That would seem to be at the crux of our choices when considering today's Who Did It Better? selection, a classic slice of 1968 pop history.

Stoned Soul Picnic was written by Laura Nyro in 1968.

She recorded it as part of her second album, Eli And The Thirteenth Confession which came out in March of that year. The album, released on Columbia Records, was something of an underground hit, thanks to the buzz surrounding the native New Yorker which had remained quite high ever since her appearance at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival.

Primarily a songwriter and pianist, Nyro was something of a rarity for a female artist at the time; she called all the shots. Not only did she write every song for the album, she also co-produced it (with Charlie Calello.) She even demanded that a lyric sheet, another rarity for the time, be included in the album and that it be scented with her favorite perfume. 

Fun Fact: The song, Soul Stone Picnic, contains a word; surry (e.g. "Surry down to a stoned soul picnic.") When her co-producer, Calello asked her what they word meant, Nyro shrugged her shoulders and told him "Oh, it's just a nice word." No, its not surrey (a horse carriage), for it's spelled differently and used as a verb. One theory? It's a shortened version of 'let's hurry.' 

Stone Soul Picnic would serve as the B-side of Nyro's single, Sweet Blindness.

But that was hardly the be all and end all for this particular song.

5th Dimension member, Marilyn McCoo recalls that producer Bones Howe first brought the song to the group's attention, telling them that it would be a great song for the quintet to sing. 

Later, Howe, when interviewed, shared, "Laura was a good friend and I used to visit her in New York whenever I was there and she made me tuna fish sandwiches. She was great and I was a huge fan and I recorded enough of her songs so that there could be a 5th Dimension album of all Laura Nyro songs. I believe she was really an important songwriter and brought poetry to her work that kept it from being just pop."

Listening to the song for the first time, the five members immediately fell in love with it and were shocked to find out it was written by a Caucasian 20-year-old girl from New York City. The group was in the process of putting together it's third album and there was no doubt that Stone Soul Picnic was going to play a part of that project. Not only would the song be chosen as the lead single for the album, but it would also be used as the album's title.

The song clicked with the public big time, climbing all the way to #3 on Billboard's Pop Chart (now known as The Hot 100) and #2 on the R&B chart. In the end, it was certified as a Platinum single - as in, one million copies sold!

It would not be the last time the group would dip into Nyro's song catalog. They would take Sweet Blindness, which also appeared on their 1968 album, to #13 and have huge hits with Wedding Bell Blues (#1), Blowin' Away (#21), and Save The Country (#27) - all Nyro penned songs.  

And that's the whole story.

Now? On to the competition!

The Song: Stone Soul Picnic

The Competitors: Nyro vs. The 5th Dimension

Stone Soul Picnic - Laura Nyro

Stone Soul Picnic - The 5th Dimension

Laura Nyro

When I think of Laura Nyro, I think of all the artists who came after her who owe her a debt of gratitude. Fiona Apple, Tori Amos, and Alanis Morrissette are only a few who spring to mind. Nyro was a groundbreaker.  She is also an acquired taste. 

Back in the day, singer/songwriter albums were always a bit of a gamble. Frequently, you came for the songs and put up with the less than stellar vocals. Sometimes the idiosyncrasies of the artist's vocal tics clicked with an audience, but, more frequently than not, the opposite was true. 

Great piano intro with an acoustic guitar which almost sounds like a violin. Nice accent touch. Creates an interesting tension. So far? This sounds like Carol King. Very clean production work. And Nyro's voice is nice and strong. She must have had a ball in the studio layering those backing vocals. Great arrangement. 

The song strikes me as a bit simplistic, but that could be deceptive, given the environment it is being presented in. 

Stupid flute.

The strings are a bit much, but rather standard for the time period. 

At the 2:11 mark, Nyro moves into the range above her natural voice break. I would call this her head voice, but it's being pushed from her throat. It's not a good sound. Not stable. Not strong. In fact, it reminds me of a 50 year-old housewife entertaining her guests with a living room concert as she wails popular songs of the day. I guarantee you, her insistence on using this voice is the reason she never broke through commercially. The opening? It has that wonderful, focused near-sneer that Carole King's voice possesses. But this? No.

Thankfully, we return to that previous voice. But the damage is done. That other voice? It's uncontrolled and therefore comes across as a tad pitchy. It also hints at a wide vibrato that will become more uncontrollable as the singer ages. 

I have to say, three-quarters of this song is dynamite. It's a pity about that bridge. Compositionally, it is an integral part of what takes this song to the next level, but Nyro is vocally incapable of carrying it. I have no quibbles with the other parts of the song - she sounds great on those. The backing vocals are pristine and the blend is gorgeous. 

The 5th Dimension

So, on the intro here, the piano serves the same purpose as that acoustic guitar in the Nyro version. That organ creating a bed of sound to dance upon is a bit mummified for my taste.

Florence LaRue and Marilyn McCoo always blended so well, with McCoo's distinct voice dominating just slightly. It's a very appealing, easy-listening sound. The vocal arrangement by Bob Alcivar is so smoothly melded. When all five voices join the mix, it is like delicious water filling a glass in slow motion. 

That said, this feels very tame. There's a sharpness lacking, as if all the corners have been rounded off so as not to alarm anyone. The vocal interplay between the group members is entertaining and beyond reproach, however... it also strikes me as bit homogenized. 

Where's the soul?

This is laidback and a bit too tame for me. 

Only McCoo's voice breaks through, giving this any personality. 

At the 1:38 mark we start digging a bit more. I love all the little solos. Billy Davis, Jr. delivers.

Huh. That same horrible 50 year-old housewife sound is employed by the ladies on the climax of that bridge. 

Man, this goes by fast. Things become a bit shrill once the group starts competing with the brass section. 

Still. Meh.

The Verdict

When it came to The 5th Dimension's version, I found myself missing the harder-edged soul vibe Nyro brings to the sound. I also prefer the clean crispness of the production work on Nyro's version.   

The C-section/bridge is problematic in both versions. That is not a pleasant sound. It's employed less on The 5th Dimension's version, but then, while I am impressed by the vocal arrangements, the interplay, and the solo breaks - I am less impressed with the overall sound of the recording. 

I much prefer Nyro's nakedness - her relatively raw, organic approach. The 5th Dimension's version is too variety-show sounding for me. 

So, for me... despite her lack of control when utilizing her head voice, Nyro's version is the one I want to listen to again. So for me... this belongs to her.

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And that's enough of me.

Okay, your turn. Leave your comments and thoughts in the comments section. Always love to hear a differing point of view. 

That's all for now.

Until next time...

Thanks for reading... and listening!

Stone Soul Picnic - The 5th Dimension