"More Than a New Discovery" is the debut album by Bronx-born singer, songwriter, and pianist Laura Nyro. It was recorded in 1966 and released early the following year on the Verve Folkways imprint of Verve Records. The label was later renamed Verve Forecast, and the album was reissued in 1969 under the title The First Songs, which had a different track order and revised cover design. The album peaked at #97 on the Billboard 200, at the time known as the Pop Albums chart. With the reissue, the track "Hands Off the Man" was retitled as "Flim Flam Man (Hands Off the Man)".
In 1973, The First Songs was reissued again by Columbia Records with new cover art featuring a rose illustration. This album's original version, More Than a New Discovery, was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. In 2008, Rev-Ola Records released a remastered version of the original album on CD, restoring the original track order and cover art.
Nyro signed with Verve Folkways after achieving recognition when Peter, Paul and Mary recorded her song "And When I Die" in 1966. The album was recorded that fall, with Herb Bernstein serving as the arranger and Milton Okun as the producer. There was some initial uncertainty about Nyro's ability to lead the session on piano, so the producers hired pianist Stan Free to play the piano, while Nyro was encouraged to play guitar, a suggestion she rejected.
Wedding Bell Blues was released as a single in September 1966 and spent 12 weeks on the "Bubbling Under" segment of the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #103. The song would later become a hit for the 5th Dimension. For the single version of Stoney End, Nyro had to alter some lyrics that referenced the Bible because Verve felt they would be too controversial.
The album featured several songs that would go on to become hits for other artists. Blood, Sweat & Tears had a #2 hit with "And When I Die", while the 5th Dimension scored a #1 hit with Wedding Bell Blues and a #21 hit with Blowin' Away. Barbra Streisand had hits with Stoney End (which peaked at #6) and Flim Flam Man (which reached #82).
