Nina Simone

[Ted O'Reilly]

Nina at Town Hall is the shit:

Is the left-handed piano Town Hall's, or Nina's own?

[Teasing the Korean]

For some reason, Nina's Colpix albums are always trashed when I find them, like Ahmad Jamal albums. Don't know what's up with that.

Anyway, I found the 2-disc Rhino anthology of her Colpix years for cheap recently, and it's nice to finally hear this stuff without the surface noise.

[JSngry]

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"?

The remix project that came out of this material is fairly splendid, at times brilliant. I've A-B-ed the remixes to the originals, and truthfully the remixes are just better music than the originals. Simone's vocals regain their sharp edge with the new contexts.

A lot/many/most of these type things are at best "interesting", at worst just stupid. But this one works as a standalone new Nina Simone album.

Note the title is Remixed & Reimagined. The emphasis is on the reimagining part, and nobody involved halfasses it.

[mjzee]

Nina Simone documentary What Happened, Miss Simone? released a first trailer Wednesday.

The film is directed by Liz Garbus, and will premiere on Netflix and in select theaters June 26.

You can see the trailer here:

http://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/Movies/2015/04/30/Nina-Simone-documentary-releases-first-trailer/5791430400673/

[mjzee]

Nina Simone, the Mayor of Jerusalem and Me - forward.com

 

[JSngry]

Apparently not.

[mjzee]

Two interesting releases coming out.  Release date February 9:

Release date February 23 (released by Rhino):

[JSngry]

Who is the Stateside label, and why are the using the Atlantic graphic for their "mono" blurb? Never mind the Colpix graphic for her name, that's legit-ish. But why Atlantic, what does that have to do with anything?

Also, are the Bethlehem singles any different than the album versions?

[mjzee]

50 minutes ago, JSngry said:

Who is the Stateside label, and why are the using the Atlantic graphic for their "mono" blurb? Never mind the Colpix graphic for her name, that's legit-ish. But why Atlantic, what does that have to do with anything?

“Stateside” seems to be Warner’s “label” for the jazz titles (Roulette, etc.) they acquired from Universal when Uni was forced to divest them when they acquired EMI.  The 10” reissue of Lee Morgan - The Roulette Sides was on “Stateside.”  It’s a legit reissue.

As for the Bethlehem, Dusty Groove’s description explains it all for you.

Edited February 10, 2018 by mjzee

[mikeweil]

On 9.2.2018 at 0:34 AM, JSngry said:

Also, are the Bethlehem singles any different than the album versions?

As far as the Colpix singles are concerned, I'd say no. Some of them were 45 rpm only, others were included on the LPs released later. All of the singles only tracks were added as bonus tracks to the Colpix/Roulette CD reissues from 2004-2005. If you want them all in place in the order they were released, it might be interesting, in conjunction with reading her biography. 

As I understand it one of the Bethlehem tracks is a previously unreleased alternate ("He's Got The Whole World In His Hands"), and all are the original mono mixes - that makes me curious, as I tend to prefer those. When I compare the timings of the singles and the LP versions as listed in the Nina Simone database, there might be minor edits of maybe two tracks, but nothing substantial 

As I'm preparing an evening for our friends, reading from her autobiography and playing some of her music and some videos, I'll get them to complete my picture. Few of those singles were minor hits but played a role in pushing her career, most of them flopped, among them the response to Ray Charles' "Hit The Road, Jack" - "Come On Back, Jack" - Nadine Cohodas' book tracks the chronology pretty well.

 

Edited February 17, 2018 by mikeweil

[mikeweil]

Just had a closer look at the Colpix Singles reissue - all mono mixes as well, and a double CD. It is on Parlophone in Europe, an EMI label - one of the Colpix Roulette CDs was on that imprint, too.

FWIW, I just ordered both, and hope they arrive in time for my Nina Simone evening.

[mikeweil]

On 9.3.2013 at 4:46 PM, Teasing the Korean said:

For some reason, Nina's Colpix albums are always trashed when I find them, like Ahmad Jamal albums. Don't know what's up with that.

The problem I sense with almost everybody criticizing Nina Simone for anything is that they always are missing something they expect from her, and see/hear other things that do not fit into their picture of her. When you see her as a jazz singer, you won't get too far. She didn't view herself as a jazz artist but one who used jazz stylistics or whatever aspect of that music. She truly was beyond any musical category. Reading her autobiography helped me a lot to understand that. She had a reason for chosing these pop tunes, even those that were suggested to her, but never would have sung one that she didn't like. Just as she hated to sing "My Baby Just Cares For Me" at the end of her career as she was mad about the way she had been take advantage of with it. The audience didn't know about that, and wondered about her reaction. You really have to know a lot about her and invest a lot of empathy to understand her. 

For an artist in her situation at that time, the Colpix albums are all major achievements. You have to listen to them in chronology and inform yourself about the time and her biography to fully get this. If you take them as just music, you'll always find something that you do not like or understand. This was before there was anything like "soul music" - and I'm sure she would have resented that category as well. 

[JSngry]

14 hours ago, mjzee said:

“Stateside” seems to be Warner’s “label” for the jazz titles (Roulette, etc.) they acquired from Universal when Uni was forced to divest them when they acquired EMI.  The 10” reissue of Lee Morgan - The Roulette Sides was on “Stateside.”  It’s a legit reissue.

No doubt it's legit, I just wonder why they use that "Mono" graphic in the lower left corner? That's a cop of the old 60s Atlantic graphic. What does that have to do with Colpix or Nina Simone?

[Teasing the Korean]

2 hours ago, mikeweil said:

The problem I sense with almost everybody criticizing Nina Simone for anything is that they always are missing something they expect from her, and see/hear other things that do not fit into their picture of her. When you see her as a jazz singer, you won't get too far. She didn't view herself as a jazz artist but one who used jazz stylistics or whatever aspect of that music. She truly was beyond any musical category. Reading her autobiography helped me a lot to understand that. She had a reason for chosing these pop tunes, even those that were suggested to her, but never would have sung one that she didn't like. Just as she hated to sing "My Baby Just Cares For Me" at the end of her career as she was mad about the way she had been take advantage of with it. The audience didn't know about that, and wondered about her reaction. You really have to know a lot about her and invest a lot of empathy to understand her. 

For an artist in her situation at that time, the Colpix albums are all major achievements. You have to listen to them in chronology and inform yourself about the time and her biography to fully get this. If you take them as just music, you'll always find something that you do not like or understand. This was before there was anything like "soul music" - and I'm sure she would have resented that category as well. 

I'm talking about the condition of the LPs, not the content.  

[mikeweil]

Sorry for the misunderstanding - I do not have any used Nina Simone LPs, but several Jamal albums I bought in Paris - and they were all played, for sure! Maybe just not handled carefully, but played, and often?

Edited February 10, 2018 by mikeweil

[Teasing the Korean]

1 hour ago, mikeweil said:

Sorry for the misunderstanding - I do not have any used Nina Simone LPs, but several Jamal albums I bought in Paris - and they were all played, for sure! Maybe just not handled carefully, but played, and often?

S'all good, man.  In the US, I've found that Latin LPs, Ahmad Jamal LPs, and Nina Simone Colpix albums are usually beat.  I guess they were party records.  Not saying that you can't find them in good shape, but it is tough.  

On the other hand, LPs of 20th Century "classical" music are almost always pristine.  The previous owner either hated the music, or knew enough to take good care of it!

Edited February 10, 2018 by Teasing the Korean

[mjzee]

2 hours ago, JSngry said:

No doubt it's legit, I just wonder why they use that "Mono" graphic in the lower left corner? That's a cop of the old 60s Atlantic graphic. What does that have to do with Colpix or Nina Simone?

Because it's fun?  Because they have limited financial resources to design something new, and this is a design they already own?

[JSngry]

Nah.

[mikeweil]

Back to Nina: I succumbed to buying used copies of all the UK Roulette/Parlophone reissues of the Colpix CDs, as they complement the original albums with bonus material wherever possible, and in the proper places. The lack of discographical information on these reissues partly is due to the lack of information of the label's side - I think they did their best to clear recording dates and personnel and add tracks that were only on singles or remained unissued in the appropriate places. Some unreleased tracks had been issued on "Nina With Strings" after she had left the label, but the CD bonus tracks are the original versions without the strings, in (most) cases, whenever these had been overdubbed. 

Two more tracks were recorded at Newport, but remain unissued. The discography is a real mess - the Nina Simone Database helps but is not the optimum way to present all the information - in way it reflects the confusion in her recording career, with countless bootlegs and reissues that were carelessly made and that she was never paid for.

I can see why she was mad at the record business - still, most reissues are made in a rather disrespectful fashion, or are presenting the image the compilers have of Nina Simone. She was extremely versatile and never cared about musical categories, so you have to listen to practically everything to get the complete picture. I have listened to all the Bethlehem, Colpix, Philips, and RCA recordings over the last few months, have read her autobiography as well as three other books about her, seen the documentation and several live videos, and have the feeling that I'm only scratching the surface. Respect - that was most important to her.

As far as the Philips recordings are concerned, the 4 CD box "Four Women" or its recent counterpart with seven LPs are okay - there is some unreleased mateial, but I have no idea whether that is releasable. It certainly would shed a light on her approach to the music, since I got the impression she treated each song individually and had less of an album approach. 

Same goes for her RCA albums, which had been collected in a big box with nine CDs, adding bonus tracks, most of the live album recorded in Munich that Gene Perla had released on his own label, and full discographical information as well as commentary - but it is already out of print. I got it at bargain price - SONY BMG could have imagined it would be a good seller. It now goes for crazy prices. If you can find it, go for it.

Edited February 17, 2018 by mikeweil

[mikeweil]

Received both singles reissues.

- Bethlehem singles: As I presumed some of the single issues were edits of the LP tracks, like on Mood Indogo, where they cut off the instrumental intro at the break before the vocal starts. As there are no timings on the CD or booklet it is a bit cumbersome to find out details. The mono sound is very good, much more dynamic than the stereo version. She uses the full expressive piano range from pianissimo to smashing chords. As the CD runs only for 46 minutes, they could have added the unedited tracks for completeness, and in mono as well, to do her full justice. The single issue of "He's Got The Whole Wolrd" indeed is an alternate take. Anyway it's nice to hear these tracks in the order the single buying public got to hear them - especially when listened to while reading the corresponding chapters in her biography.

- Colpix singles: All mono mixes just as well, and again more direct and dynamic than the stereo CDs issued 2004/05. Again, edits on some tracks, but no alternate takes. Two discs, 81+ minutes of music. "Summertime" had to be dubbed from an LP - clearly audible. If she had any input in the choice of tracks for the singles issues, it clearly shows her preference to be viewed as a folk singer in the first place. There is one mistake: They credit "I Want A Little Sugar In My Bowl" to Nina ! Since some of these tracks never made it to the original LPs, maybe a gap-filler for some, but all were added as bonus tracks to the Colpix/Parlophone/Roulette CD reissues. Cardboard slipcase without inner sleeves .... 

p,s, why did they use a photo from the Colpix release "The Amazing N.S." for the back cover of the Bethlehem singles CD?

Edited February 25, 2018 by mikeweil

[Teasing the Korean]

Nina Simone's live album on RCA must be one of the worst recorded concerts ever issued by a major label.  It sounds it was recorded from the balcony on a Panasonic cassette recorder.  How did this get released? 

[gvopedz]

21 hours ago, Teasing the Korean said:

Nina Simone's live album on RCA must be one of the worst recorded concerts ever issued by a major label.  It sounds it was recorded from the balcony on a Panasonic cassette recorder.  How did this get released? 

If you know where we can find another live recording of Nina SImone singing the George Harrison songs, please let us know.

Edited February 26, 2018 by gvopedz

[mjzee]

22 hours ago, Teasing the Korean said:

Nina Simone's live album on RCA must be one of the worst recorded concerts ever issued by a major label.  It sounds it was recorded from the balcony on a Panasonic cassette recorder.  How did this get released? 

Which live album?  There were several:

[Teasing the Korean]

On February 26, 2018 at 9:57 AM, mjzee said:

Which live album?  There were several:

Black Gold.