king ubu Posted October 20, 2008 Report Posted October 20, 2008 I am in the process of discovering the music of Nina Simone, and again and again I'm almost overwhelmed by her sheer power, her full emotionality, her musicality. I used to have a cheapo sampler when in high school, containing some crap, but also some of her most well known songs (Mississippi Godamn for instance), but it was the Philips box that won me over. Now I also got two of those EMI reissues (see this thread for a listing - the two I have, Forbidden Fruit & Village Gate, are normal non-CC CDs), as well as her first RCA album, Sings the Blues. Here's a more or less helpful discography (failing to list those EMI UK reissues, alas): http://boscarol.com/nina/html/album/albums_orig.html Both Forbidden Fruit and At the Village Gate contain quite a few bonus tracks btw, which certainly aren't on the Collectables twofers (and I still have a hard time accepting their crappy design and lack of information... though they do put out some wonderful music). Now where should I look next? There's a CTI CD that pops up now and then (can't imagine that coupling, though), there are those other early Colpix albums, more RCA... Quote
king ubu Posted October 20, 2008 Author Report Posted October 20, 2008 (edited) and here are some earlier threads: R.i.p. thread Four Women (The Philips box) Universal's Philips reissues RCA reissues (and related Night Lights thread) (edited for typo) Edited October 20, 2008 by king ubu Quote
king ubu Posted October 20, 2008 Author Report Posted October 20, 2008 Get the Bethlehem! Is there a legit edition with the bonus tracks? Which edition would you go for? Quite a chaos with Bethlehem albums... Quote
mikeweil Posted October 20, 2008 Report Posted October 20, 2008 Get the Bethlehem! Is there a legit edition with the bonus tracks? Which edition would you go for? Quite a chaos with Bethlehem albums... I'm afraid not. There's a CD on Gambit with the complete session ... Quote
mikeweil Posted October 20, 2008 Report Posted October 20, 2008 (edited) ..... as well as her first RCA album, Sings the Blues. That's an album that gives me chills every time I put it on!!! Edited October 20, 2008 by mikeweil Quote
jazzbo Posted October 20, 2008 Report Posted October 20, 2008 Get the Bethlehem! Is there a legit edition with the bonus tracks? Which edition would you go for? Quite a chaos with Bethlehem albums... I'd say go for the Gambit that Mike mentions. I just have the material on two Bethlehem lps. Quote
Teasing the Korean Posted October 21, 2008 Report Posted October 21, 2008 There is a nice 2-disc RCA sampler covering that period. Quote
king ubu Posted October 21, 2008 Author Report Posted October 21, 2008 There is a nice 2-disc RCA sampler covering that period. Would that be enough for covering those albums? I see there have been no replies at all in the RCA reissues thread (see link in post #3)... The AMG review of the compilation (assuming this is the one) states that those weren't her best records: Nina Simone recorded for RCA Records between 1967 and 1972. While she was in fine form during those years, she didn't make her best records there, and sounded particularly ill at ease whenever she did pop-rock covers, which was more often than she should. However, these songs are selling points for a certain audience, namely the audience RCA is targeting with their generous 40-track collection, The Very Best of Nina Simone. True, her recordings during these five years were a little inconsistent, as she covered the classics, performed new songs, and tackled contemporary material, so perhaps it's fitting that this compilation is also a little schizophrenic. Nevertheless, that doesn't make the compilation much more than an interesting summation of a conflicted, occasionally rewarding, era of Simone's career that will be useful for already-dedicated fans that want to explore a little deeper than just her classic recordings. -- Stephen Thomas Erlewine Now this review seems to imply the compilation contains many of those pop covers where she was "ill at ease"? Quote
king ubu Posted October 21, 2008 Author Report Posted October 21, 2008 RCA also had a 2CD set covering her whole career (Bethlehem, Colpix, Philips, RCA etc), and now an expanded one with three discs + DVD, "To Be Free: The Nina Simone Story" - here's an AAJ review of that one: http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=30269 Anyway, as an x-mas gift for my mother I ordered another Philips set (available cheaply from Caiman via various amazon sites - ordered mine from amazon.fr, but for those in the US, amazon.com would be cheaper, I'm sure). Those albums to me are close to perfect in the moods they cover, in how they're sequenced etc. Quote
MartyJazz Posted October 21, 2008 Report Posted October 21, 2008 I am enjoying this wonderful DVD of two concerts performed in Europe in the mid and late '60s: Quote
Christiern Posted October 21, 2008 Report Posted October 21, 2008 A 1977 review from Stereo Review: Quote
king ubu Posted October 21, 2008 Author Report Posted October 21, 2008 Thanks for posting that review, Chris! I guess I'll steer cleer of the later RCAs ("Silk & Soul" is on its way already though), and rather look for more of the british EMI reissues (including At Town Hall!) and mainly get the Bethlehem next! Quote
WorldB3 Posted October 21, 2008 Report Posted October 21, 2008 The 2006 re-issues of "Nina Simone Sings the Blues" and "Forever Young Gifted and Black: Songs of Freedom and Spirit" are both excellent. Was just playing them again over the weekend. Quote
king ubu Posted October 21, 2008 Author Report Posted October 21, 2008 The 2006 re-issues of "Nina Simone Sings the Blues" and "Forever Young Gifted and Black: Songs of Freedom and Spirit" are both excellent. Was just playing them again over the weekend. The later of these is a compilation, right? Quote
WorldB3 Posted October 21, 2008 Report Posted October 21, 2008 (edited) The 2006 re-issues of "Nina Simone Sings the Blues" and "Forever Young Gifted and Black: Songs of Freedom and Spirit" are both excellent. Was just playing them again over the weekend. The later of these is a compilation, right? yes, but the songs Why (The King of Love Is Dead), Mississippi Goddam, Revolution (Pts. 1-2) are unedited versions and are must haves. Edited October 21, 2008 by WorldB3 Quote
mikeweil Posted October 21, 2008 Report Posted October 21, 2008 While we're at it: Isn't there a solo album, i.e. just Nina and her piano? If so, what'sthe title and label? Thanks! Quote
mikeweil Posted October 21, 2008 Report Posted October 21, 2008 Nina at Town Hall is the shit: Is this one the solo album, or does she have a band with her? Quote
jazzbo Posted October 21, 2008 Report Posted October 21, 2008 You're thinking of "Nina Simone and Piano" on RCA, 1970 Quote
medjuck Posted October 21, 2008 Report Posted October 21, 2008 (edited) I haven't watched the Jazz Icons DVD devoted to her yet but Mississippi God Damn on the bonus disc is amazing. I gotta admit I never dug her in her heyday-- thought she was a lounge act--- but have recently started to like her. The unmixed version of Sinner Man is way better than the Verve Remix. Edited October 21, 2008 by medjuck Quote
king ubu Posted October 21, 2008 Author Report Posted October 21, 2008 The 2006 re-issues of "Nina Simone Sings the Blues" and "Forever Young Gifted and Black: Songs of Freedom and Spirit" are both excellent. Was just playing them again over the weekend. The later of these is a compilation, right? yes, but the songs Why (The King of Love Is Dead), Mississippi Goddam, Revolution (Pts. 1-2) are unedited versions and are must haves. Thanks! I read that up on AMG in the meantime - sounds indeed like a good way to get some RCA bits! There's another compilation, "Just Like a Woman: Sings Classic Songs of the 1960s" - anyone has that one? Doesn't sound quite like a must-have if AMG is to be believed. Quote
king ubu Posted October 21, 2008 Author Report Posted October 21, 2008 Nina at Town Hall is the shit: Is this one the solo album, or does she have a band with her? w/Jimmy Bond and Tootie Heath, it seems... and getting difficult to find (unless you'll want the Collectables twofer pairing it with The Amazing - the single disc of the later contains four bonus tracks though, but all of At Town Hall seems to be on the twofer, no bonus tracks on the 2005 EMI reissue in that case). Quote
MartyJazz Posted October 22, 2008 Report Posted October 22, 2008 Nina at Town Hall is the shit: The very first Simone LP that I purchased some 40+ years ago which I still have. It remains my favorite of her many recordings. Got to see her at the Newport JF back in '64 as well. Quote
king ubu Posted October 22, 2008 Author Report Posted October 22, 2008 Nina at Town Hall is the shit: The very first Simone LP that I purchased some 40+ years ago which I still have. It remains my favorite of her many recordings. Got to see her at the Newport JF back in '64 as well. Gee, you must be old! I bet back then she must have been a class act on stage! Around the time the first Philips album was done, wow! Quote
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