1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die - #75. Nina Simone - Wild Is The Wind (1966)

Nina Simone - Wild Is The Wind (1966)

Label – Phillips
Producer – Various
Art Direction – Uncredited
Nationality – USA
Running Time – 39:07

Track Listing (standout tracks listed in bold)

1. I Love Your Lovin' Ways
2. Four Women
3. What More Can I Say
4. Lilac Wine
5. That's All I Ask
6. Break Down And Let It All Out
7. Why Keep On Breaking My Heart
8. Wild Is The Wind
9. Black Is The Colour Of My True Love's Hair
10. If I Should Lose You
11. Either Way I Lose

This is one of those artists that I had heard of but never heard their music, nor did I know anything about. As I looked her and this record up I found out that this album was apparently leftovers from sessions for Nina Simone's four previous albums on the Philips record label. I haven’t heard those records, but this one isn’t very good – so maybe these tracks should have been left unreleased. The selections are diverse, ranging from jazz ballads to traditional folk tunes to calypso.
To me – the problem isn’t the songs themselves – it is her voice. It is just terrible – and actually became quite aggravating by the time I finished the record. As always – perhaps it’s just me and my own personal tastes, as every article I read touted her with the ‘best and most expressive voices in the history of the 20th century’. Again – perhaps that’s on her other records – but not this one!
This is the one and only Nina Simone record on the 1001 list so I won’t judge her entire career based on this one record. Perhaps someday I should seek out a ‘best of’ compilation and see how that stacks up against these recordings.
The only song I was familiar with was “Wild is The Wind” as David Bowie did a cover version of it in the 70’s. A GREAT version I might ad.
It is not recommended.


You can purchase the CD here.

ABSOLUTE BIRTHDAYS FOR MARCH 5
Alan Clark from Dire Straits is 57; John Frusciante from the Red Hot Chili Peppers is 39;

ON THIS DATE
1960 Elvis Presley is discharged from the Army
1963 The Beatles record "From Me To You"
1977 The Rolling Stones perform in a nightclub in Toronto, and some of those tracks ended up on Love You Live
2002 The Osbournes premieres on MTV

CONCERT NEWS
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