Nina Simone
Sings Billie Holiday / The Gospel According To… 

Sings Billie Holiday / The Gospel According To… 

Click here to buy

SNAp288CD

Two original Nina Simone albums on one CD. Simone’s tribute to the jazz great from 1972 including her versions of Fine And Mellow and Strange Fruit alongside her 1973 part gospel-tinged album.

Nina Simone was undisputedly one of the 20th century’s most significant popular singers – her music has always defied categorisation ; during her long recording career she encompassed just about every popular music style, from soul to jazz, from folk to R&B and from gospel to Broadway hits.

This is a long overdue CD re-issue of two of her long out-of-print concept albums which were originally released on her then husband/producer/mentor’s Stroud label in the early Seventies, at a time when she was very much at the peak of her considerable powers.

‘NINA SIMONE SINGS BILLIE HOLIDAY’ is Simone’s 1972 homage to the legendary jazz singer whose work provided such inspiration to her throughout her career. Made up her own unique interpretations of eight of Holiday’s best-known songs, they include an eight-minute version of Fine And Mellow and the controversial and truly-harrowing Strange Fruit.

‘GOSPEL ACCORDING TO NINA SIMONE’ was described by producer Andy Stroud in the original 1973 album’s sleeve notes both as being “the first Nina Simone Gospel album” and “a collection of religious songs of spiritual inspiration and hymns projecting racial pride and Black dignity.”

As well as including a remake her 1969 hit To Be Young Gifted And Black and which quickly became an anthem of the civil rights movement, the album features a twelve minute version of Sinnerman.

TRACK LIST:

  1. Tell Me More And More And Then Some
  2. This Year’s Kisses
  3. Strange Fruit
  4. Fine And Mellow
  5. Don’t Explain
  6. Just In Time
  7. Gimme A pigfoot (And A Bottle Of Beer)
  8. Love Me Or Leave Me
  9. Anytime, Anywhere
  10. Sunday In Savannah
  11. You Can’t Hide
  12. Nobody’s Fault But Mine
  13. To Be Young, Gifted And Black
  14. Brown Baby
  1. Sinnerman

Sings Billie Holiday / The Gospel According To… 

Click here to buy

Store

Special Offers