...and I am an ethereal girl

About ten years ago, I first heard the Canadian a cappella group The Nylons. After catching them by chance on a television show, I spent the next several years utterly infatuated with these singers, discovering them anew with each album I bought and waiting eagerly to see them in concert. I was drawn to the concept of harmony they embodied. Here were four disparate men, four singular voices, creating cohesion out of differences. Plus the songs were great. Listening to The Nylons was a good time.

Then Marc Connors, who to me was the heart and soul of The Nylons, died suddenly in 1991. I was never as completely sold on The Nylons after this, but I continue to buy their CDs and see them in concerts when I can. The group has weathered many rough times now to reach elder statesman status (though they'd gag at the term) in the a cappella community. (In fact, such a community-scores of groups taking a vocals-only approach to contemporary sound-owes its existence in no small part to trailblazers like The Nylons.) 1999 marks twenty years since four Toronto actors started harmonizing together for fun. Twenty years, thousands of tour dates, and millions of album sales are commemorated with the first ever Nylons anthology- "Lost and Found." It was worth the wait. High tenor Claude Morrison explains in the liner notes, "There have been numerous recordings which, for some reason or other, have never made it to the final cut of any Nylons album. While looking through the archives "I came across a number of selections which could, it seemed to me, be of interest to people who have been following our career, or even to those who may be new to the Nylons 'experience'."

This recording could be quite intriguing to Nylons 'virgins', but it's a godsend to longtime fans like me. Over the years I'd heard rumors of songs-Bruce Springsteen's "Fire," a recording of "Human Family" featuring Marc Connors-that were not to be found anywhere. Both of these are featured on "Lost and Found." "Fire" is notable as it commemorates a bit of history-when the baton was passed from one bass singer to another, Denis Simpson to Ralph Cole, and both are on the live recording of this song. (And neither had been heard on any album until now. All Nylons albums feature Arnold Robinson, who joined the group in 1981, as bass.) "Human Family" is a Canadian who's who-with Lorraine Segato, later Nylon Billy Newton-Davis, and Shania Twain all contributing to a track meant to raise money for charities dealing with AIDS. It is also Connors' last recording project, made in January of 1991 (he died in March).

As excited as I was to hear more songs featuring Connors, I have to confess-the real treasure of this collection is "Kiss Him Goodbye," with lead vocals by Arnold Robinson. The version released as a single in 1987 featured a lead by Paul Cooper, Nylon from 1979-89. The decision to use his version, Cooper said recently, surprised him: "I never thought I would sing the lead on 'Kiss Him Goodbye.' I just said, 'I know it would be a good crowd pleaser' and then [the producers] said 'Paul should sing this.' I happened to think Arnold had one of the greatest lead voices anywhere." Robinson's reading of the song gives it a darker edge. He toys with the melody, leaning out of the expected notes just far enough to lend a bluesier feel to it. And because this is a demo, when he and the background singers exceed the studio tape's limits, the result has not been cleaned up. The listener can feel the result-it's a literal blast having these four powerful voices pound through the speakers.

A dream come true is the inclusion of tracks minus the lead vocal. This is useful for karaoke excursions, sure, as one of the delights of Nylons fandom is singing along. But even more compelling is hearing just how complex those backup arrangements are. Not an inch of sonic space wasted on, for instance, "Grown Man Cry." Itís a valuable primer for anyone interested in learning the fine art of a cappella arranging and singing.

The Nylons are first and foremost a live band. They are in their element cracking jokes with an audience or silencing 2000 people with a single, awe-inspiring note or executing a nifty Temptations-esque twirl. This anthology features a couple of live tracks-one recorded in Australia, one in Toronto. The band also released a full-length live album, "Four on the Floor," back in 1991, which whetted the appetite of Nylons fans for live recordings. Now that we know there are more live tracks in the archives, we can only hope "Lost and Found II", if and when it comes (are you listening, boys?), will feature more of this material.

"The Nylons-Lost and Found" is only available at concerts and by mail order-call 1-800-827-2936 or visit www.a-cappella.com .