The Amazing Nina Simone is the second studio album by Nina Simone, released in July 1959.[1] It was her second album, and her first recording for Colpix Records. The album contains a variety of material, including jazz, gospel, and folk songs. Compared to her debut, which showcased Simone's piano playing ability in addition to her singing, the piano was downplayed on Amazing in favor of string arrangements.[2]
| The Amazing Nina Simone | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 1959 | |||
| Recorded | April 1959 | |||
| Studio | Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey | |||
| Genre | Vocal jazz, jazz, blues, gospel | |||
| Length | 33:31 | |||
| Label | Colpix | |||
| Producer | Hecky Krasnow | |||
| Nina Simone chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |  [1] |
Overview
editRecording
editSimone's first album Little Girl Blue had been released by Bethlehem Records in February 1959.[3][4][5] However, the tracks for that album had been recorded way back in late 1957, and Simone was dissatisfied by the time it took for Bethlehem to release the album as well as the lack of effort the record company took in promoting her. Soon after Little Girl Blue was released she was talking to Colpix Records about a new contract. As Nadine Cohodas puts it in Princess Noire: The Tumultuous Reign of Nina Simone (2010): 'Unbeknownst to Nina, discussions about her career were going forward on two fronts'.[6] On the one hand, at Bethlehem, Simone's contract was approaching its option. New owner Syd Nathan, who ran King Records and who had recently bailed out the ailing Bethlehem, did not want to renew. 'We don't need the broad' he told Gus Wildi, Bethlehem's founder.[6] On the other hand, Joyce Selznick (niece of the producer David O. Selznick and East Coast talent scout for Columbia Pictures) wanted Simone at Colpix - Columbia's record division. Selznick arranged an audition, and Simone was signed immediately.[6]
The album was recorded in April 1959, and - according to Cohodas - 14 tracks were cut.[6]
Release
editThe album was released in July 1959. In a review dated 25 July 1959 in Cash Box, the premier American music industry trade magazine of the time, the reviewer wrote: 'Emerging as one of the bright new singing talents of the year, Nina Simone makes her Colpix LP debut [...] Her deep-toned expressive voice and exquisite phrasing are a listening delight. Outstanding album.'[7] The album featured 12 tracks.
The Amazing Nina Simone Track list
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Blue Prelude" | Joe Bishop (m), Gordon Jenkins (l) | 3:15 |
| 2. | "Children Go Where I Send You" | Simone, Traditional | 2:45 |
| 3. | "Tomorrow (We Will Meet Once More)" | Jerry Silverman, Stephen Gale | 2:56 |
| 4. | "Stompin' at the Savoy" | Benny Goodman (m), Chick Webb (m), Edgar Sampson (m), Andy Razaf (l) | 2:05 |
| 5. | "It Might as Well Be Spring" | Richard Rodgers (m), Oscar Hammerstein II (l) | 3:50 |
| 6. | "You've Been Gone Too Long" | Brother John Sellers | 2:08 |
| 7. | "That's Him Over There" | Lew Spence (m), Marilyn Keith (l) | 2:28 |
| 8. | "Chilly Winds Don't Blow" | William Lovelock, Hecky Krasnow | 2:40 |
| 9. | "Theme From Middle of the Night" | George Bassman (m), Paddy Chayefsky (l) | 2:25 |
| 10. | "Can't Get Out of This Mood" | Jimmy McHugh (m), Frank Loesser (l) | 2:30 |
| 11. | "Willow Weep for Me" | Ann Ronell | 3:10 |
| 12. | "Solitaire" | King Guion (m), Carl Nutter (l), Renee Borek (l) | 3:20 |
Personnel
edit- Nina Simone – vocals, piano
- Bob Mersey – arrangement, conductor
Contemporary Singles from the album
editThis is a list of contemporary singles with tracks from The Amazing Nina Simone as an A Side.[8][9]
| Year | Month | Title: A Side / B Side | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | June | 'Chilly Winds Don't Blow' / 'Solitaire' | Both tracks from The Amazing Nina Simone |
| 1959 | September | 'Children Go Where I Send You' / 'Willow Weep For Me' | Both tracks from The Amazing Nina Simone |
Between 1959 and 1963, Colpix issued 14 Nina Simone singles. The first two are listed above, with A Sides from The Amazing Nina Simone. A number of subsequent singles which had A Sides taken from later albums or were non-album tracks would feature some cuts from The Amazing Nina Simone as B Sides. These are her third, fifth, eleventh, and twelfth Colpix singles.[8][9]
| Year | Month | Title: A Side / B Side | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | November | 'The Other Woman' / 'It Might As Well Be Spring' | A: At Town Hall (1959) / B: The Amazing Nina Simone |
| 1960 | May | 'Since My Love Has Gone' / 'Tomorrow (We Shall Meet Once More)' | A: Non-album track / B: The Amazing Nina Simone |
| 1961 | December | 'Come On Back, Jack' / 'You've Been Gone Too Long' | A: Non-album track / B: The Amazing Nina Simone |
| 1962 | March | 'In The Evening By The Moonlight' / 'Chilly Winds Don't Blow' | A: At Newport (1960) / B: The Amazing Nina Simone and already appeared on single as an A-Side |
Reissues
editThe Amazing Nina Simone was reissued in 2005 with the same track listing but with four additional songs ('I Loves You Porgy', 'Falling In Love Again (I Can't Help It)', 'That's All', and 'The Man With A Horn'). All these songs were originally issued on Nina Simone with Strings (1966).[10]
References
edit- ^ a b Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 7. MUZE. p. 470.
- ^ a b Scott Yanow. "The Amazing Nina Simone – Nina Simone | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2017-04-01.
- ^ "February Album Releases" (PDF). The Cash Box. The Cash Box Publishing Co. Inc., NY. 14 February 1959. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
- ^ Callahan, Mike; Edwards, David. "The Bethlehem Records Story". Both Sides Now Publications. Archived from the original on 27 July 2018. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
- ^ Popoff, Martin (2009). Goldmine Record Album Price Guide (6th ed.). London: Penguin. p. 2123. ISBN 9781440229169.
- ^ a b c d Cohodas, Nadine (2010). Princess Noire: The Tumultuous Reign of Nina Simone. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press. p. 83.
- ^ "Album: Popular Picks of the Week" (PDF). Cash Box. World Radio History. 25 July 1959. pp. 42–43. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
- ^ a b "Nina Simone". Discogs. 1 December 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
- ^ a b "Nina Simone". 45cat. 1 December 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
- ^ "Nina Simone – The Amazing Nina Simone (2005 - EMI – 724347320620)". Discogs. Retrieved 19 December 2022.