Nina Simone: Wild Is The Wind (180g, Verve Acoustic Sounds series) [VERVE]

Why you'll love it

This pressing is part of the Verve Acoustic Sounds series, remastered on 180g vinyl in a gatefold jacket. Rolling Stone ranks the album among the 500 greatest of all time, and Pitchfork named it the fifth best album of the 1960s.

This edition

• Verve Acoustic Sounds series
• 180g vinyl
• Remastered
• Gatefold jacket
• Stereo mix
• Pressed in the USA

About the album

Leftovers don't usually sound like this. Wild Is the Wind was pieced together from songs Nina Simone cut in 1964 and 1965 for her other Philips albums, and yet it plays like one of the most complete statements she ever made, moving from love songs to protest and back with total command.

"Four Women" is her unflinching portrait of four Black women, sung over a slow, insistent groove. "Black Is The Color Of My True Love's Hair" is stripped to her piano and a bowed bass drone, just as she wanted it, "Lilac Wine" is hushed and devastating, and the title song stretches out over seven minutes. "I Love Your Lovin' Ways" and "Break Down And Let It All Out" bring the soul. Hal Mooney produced, and her band keeps everything spare so that voice and piano can do the heavy lifting, which they do, beautifully.

Billboard made it a special merit pick on arrival. David Bowie later covered the title song and Jeff Buckley took "Lilac Wine," which is about as good a reference as a songbook can get.

Also at Kops: more Nina Simone on vinyl · browse Vocal Jazz

Tracklist

Listen

On Philips / Verve (cat# B0036752-01), a reissue of the 1966 album.