Customer Reviews

Little Girl Blue [Vinyl]

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you're checking this out- Good! You've got taste, obviously, or you wouldn't be here. Pick Up a used copy of this little sweetheart- you won't be let down!

For me, the original record, "Jazz As Played In An Exclusive Side Street Club" (US, 1958, BETHLEHEM BCP 6028), was one of those vinyl finds that diggers hope for but RARELY ever get. After a couple hours of grimy fingered flipping through some stacks of old Gospel records in this rundown flea-market in Hinton, WV- I unearthed the title above. Old as hell and grimy, some rain damage- but still... made my week!

That record consisted of the following tracks: "Mood Indigo," "Don't Smoke In Bed," "He Needs Me," "Little Girl Blue," "Love Me Or Leave Me," "My Baby Just Cares For Me," Good Bait" (a nice long tempestuous instrumental), "Plain Gold Ring," "You'll Never Walk Alone" (another great instrumental), "I Loves You Porgy," and "Central Park Blues" (a nice pensive instrumental). The versions of I loves you Porgy was the tune that got her signed. Little Girl Blue gets her standard 'Good King Wenceslaws' treatment- that fusion blew me away the first time I heard it! He Needs Me is a sweet sad, poignant short little tune!

Soooooooo... this CD is the Import version of that first album by Nina, plus the second (which was "Nina Simone And Her Friends" (US, 1959, BETHLEHEM BCP 6041: only four tracks: "He's Got The Whole World In His Hands," "I Loves You Porgy" (reprise from the previous album), "For All We Know," and another instrumental- "African Mailman.")). The sound is cleaned up a little. No remastering but the sound was pretty good to begin with. Whoever NEON is- they added four pretty rollicking live tracks at the end to flesh this out. The live tracks are B+, A- quality. I'm not sure where they come from- what show...

I love the style of Nina's piano playing and her original takes on arrangements. That's another reason to get this- her piano playing isn't hampered/over encumbered by a loud band.... Her classical training is showcased all over this! Nina was an imaginative player and this is perhaps the best demonstration of her incredible talent as a pianist (she trained at Juilliard in the 50's to be a classical pianist, if ya didn't know), she rises to the occasion and takes the weight, deftly. This is before she had legions of backup players aiding her- Sometimes it's just a young Nina, her piano and a drum or bass. Excellent! The stripped down atmosphere really suited her!

My only beef with this is that whoever put it out (Neon?) messed with the original track listing. They mixed songs from the two releases together- not that you'd know if you'd never have heard the original. The vinyl was well put together in terms of how the tracks flowed into each other. Here: there's no real continuity, thematically or stylewise. But once you get this you can play with it to your heart's content- on your PC, IPOD or whathaveyou...

Honestly- you can't go wrong with this CD and you definitely can't go wrong with Nina, may her soul rest in peace.

Everyone knows that Nina's first album is 5-star and then some, being one of the finest debuts ever recorded (IMHO). Piano trio with a gospel twist, it features two of her biggest hits, My Baby Just Cares For Me and I Loves You Porgy, as well as other gems like Plain Gold Ring, Mood Indigo, and the gorgeous, melancholy title track (for me, her finest moment) that so remarkably interpolates Good King Wenceslas. The Fuel remastering is crisp (if indistinguishable from the 2003 Metro reissue) and includes the long version of My Baby Just Cares For Me as a bonus track. The sequence may disappoint some, as it's not the better-known playing order that puts My Baby... at the start and Little Girl Blue at the end. Instead, Fuel went back and shifted tracks around to recreate the album's original release as Jazz Played In An Exclusive Side Street Club, with the tracks from Nina Simone and Her Friends added at the end, including her amazing rendition of He's Got The Whole World In His Hands. It's still a great listening experience, if less familiar that way. Cool artwork, too, with Joseph Muranyi's original LP liner notes, a brief new essay, and both versions of the cover art (same photo, different title and layout). These songs have been reissued in so many formats, some rather shoddy, that people have a right to wary about how they buy them now. Happily, the Fuel disc gives you the goods.

As a child; I used to awake to the sound of the music from this album accompanied by the drone of the vacuum cleaner as my mom began her chores on Saturday morning. My mother, who is a listener to all things musical, played this album so often (along with other artists which include Ray Charles, Etta James, Jimmy Smith, Ella Fitzgerald, Gloria Lynne, John Gary and even Chopin) that she literally played the grooves off the record! Eventually my sister had my mom's copy of the original LP (recorded on the Bethlehem label) made into a clock in my mother's honor and as an award (as it were) to recognize her appreciation of great music. I searched for years afterward trying to find the album exactly as it had been with the songs in their original playing order and finally did many years later as a re-issue on a newer version of the Bethlehem label but with more modern cover art (a slight disappointment) in the late 70's. I bought two; one for myself and one for my mom and then I was also lucky enough to run across it yet again some years later on the Salsoul label with the original album photo on the front cover still in tact. To date; I have so many copies and re-incarnations of this music that I could open up my own Nina Simone - "Little Girl Blue" music store! It was years before I knew that songs like "Mood Indigo", "Little Girl Blue", "Love Me or Leave Me" and "I Loves You, Porgy" didn't sound anywhere near as fine as Ms. Simone's renditions of these great songs. I recently had the pleasure of performing in a production of "Sophisticated Ladies" which contained a version of "Mood Indigo". My mom and sister were completely taken aback to hear the song as it was originally written by Duke Ellington; having become so predestined to Nina's treatment. Nina Simone has the most uncanny ability to mix her classical piano training w/her incomparable feel for jazz to create some of the most moving and original sounding music (I think) ever recorded on this; her debut recording. Her trio swings with wild abandon on the opening track of "Mood Indigo" and again on "Love Me or Leave Me" before Nina seamlessly transitions into swingin' classical intervals mid-song and then back into the original groove of the song w/o ever sounding jarring or overdone. It's like magic; amazing! Her soulful contralto sounds like the feel of brushed satin on ballads like "Don't Smoke in Bed", "He Needs Me" and "Plain Gold Ring". When she attacks her dramatic rendition of "He Got the Whole World in His Hands" which builds and builds to such a dramatic climax that one is not quite sure whether she's aware of just how greatly she is moving her listeners, it almost moves one to tears. Then there is her swinging original composition of "Central Park Blues" which evokes the feeling of the infamous plot of land located in center of NYC with surprising reality; expressing all the joy and the caution. Last but by no stretch of the imagination least is the lively, happy-go-lucky treatment of "My Baby Just Cares for Me" which to my delight re-surfaced a decade or so ago as the musical backdrop on a commercial for a product about which I don't even remember nor care. It bought the song and the artistry of Ms. Simone back to the forefront for many and introduced her for the very first time to many more. The song is nothing less than infectious given that Simone treatment. If you have ever considered yourself a Nina Simone fan and have by any chance not had the experience of enjoying this collection of recorded music then you should re-think your personal definition of what a fan truly is. This album is a gem from start to finish; starting with the photo of Nina sitting on a park bench somewhere in Central Park in her red checked poncho looking ever so forlorn and lonely, right down to the very last note of the very last song. The re-issued CD does include other songs recorded by Nina for the Bethlehem label not included on the original vinyl release but the additions fit right in with the jazzy, soulful feel of the musical landscape and their inclusion was a wise choice indeed. "Little Girl Blue" was not only a groundbreaking musical treasure; it's quite simply the eight wonder of the world!

Amazon claims that this Fuel 2000 edition of Jazz as Played in an Exclusive Side Street Club, aka Little Girl Blue, the essential debut album by Nina Simone, is remastered -- but I beg to differ. I'd heard a better sounding version of these songs from a different CD, and I bought this edition thinking it was the one I was looking for. However, the sound quality is pretty terrible. It's not the worst I have heard, but it really doesn't do justice to Nina's beautiful voice and her piano playing, both of which should envelope the listener and not let go until the album is finished. I sold the Fuel CD and purchased the 2004 import CD by Snapper, offered here: Jazz as Played in an Exclusive Side Street Club. It is slightly more expensive, but it was remastered from the original session tapes (and sounds like it). You can get it from the marketplace for much cheaper than the list price, so I highly recommend that you skip buying this edition and get the Snapper one instead.

As for the album itself, I shouldn't have to say anything about it to convince you to buy a copy, but I will say this: It is perhaps the most perfect, mind-blowing album I have ever heard in my life.

I first heard this album in the late 1950's. My brother-in-law loaned it to me and I liked it so much he let me have it. I was struck by the title song, Little Girl Blue, the innovation on the piano is astounding, the way she intertwines Good King Winceslas with the main melody, but then there's her extraordinary voice. Everyone I played it for couldn't believe it. I took it to college, expecting to hear more and more about her, but never did. I forgot about it until one day I was listening to a Thistle and Shamrock on Public Radio showcase a classic pipe player who mentioned that this song by Nina Simone that she heard on one of her parents albums had a great influence on her. I started hunting for it again, I bought a half dozen of her CDs, but never found the clean versions of the songs on this disc. Evidently it made it to the surface again following her death. This collection really is definitive. There's a flow to this album. It's a classic, like Charlie Byrd and Stan Getz on Jazz Samba.

Nina Simone has been called the high priestess of soul, but the Nina Simone on this album should be called the high priestess of jazz piano. Her playing here is as good as that of any jazz pianist ever. "My Baby Just Cares for Me," "Mood Indigo," and "Love Me or Leave Me" are among the highlights. Simone's unique style blends elements of classical music (she studied piano at Julliard) and jazz, to stunning effect. This is a brilliant and powerful album.

I absolutely love Nina Simone's first album LITTLE GIRL BLUE (JAZZ AS PLAYED IN AN EXCLUSIVE SIDE STREET CLUB). I'm really not too familiar with Simone's work and my introduction was in the American remake of the movie "La Femme Nikita," Point of No Return (Keepcase) and in the CD Verve Remixed, which features two of her songs, "Feelin' Good" and "See Line Woman" with an electronica type remix.

Recently I bought To Be Free: The Nina Simone Story (W/Dvd), which covers her career from 1957-1993, and I loved the earlier tracks, and that led me to this album.

LITTLE GIRL BLUE is sublime. From the first catchy beats of "Mood Indigo" to the last bonus track, the extended "My Baby Just Cares For Me," you're in for a real treat. Simone's vocals are smoky and deep, at times almost sounding male, and her voice carries in it such melancholy -- maybe melancholy isn't the right word -- but there's a likability factor that cannot be denied. Perhaps it's in her phrasing or in its sincerity, but whatever it is, it sounds comforting and familiar.

And then there's her grand mastery at the piano and her arrangements that takes songs and makes them her own. Listen to the swinging arrangement on "Love Me Or Leave Me," and the interpolation of "Good King Wenceslas" into "Little Girl Blue." You might not recognize the name but you'll know it when you hear that little melody.

There are four tracks that are just instrumentals "Good Bait," "You'll Never Walk Alone," "Central Park (Blues)," and "African Mailman." These four tracks show off Simone's talent as a pianist. They're gorgeous, too.

I think the sound is fantastic, the remastering is great, and it doesn't sound dated even though this album is from 1957. I don't have any thing to compare it to other than the box set listed above and it sounds just as good as that release.

A foldout cover with updated liner notes by Scott Yanow and original liner notes by Joseph Muranyi are also included. Such a fantastic CD that I can't recommend it more! It's perfect for listening to at work, over dinner, for a party, or for just relaxing. I see why Simone is such a cult figure and that her legacy has lived on.

I received this CD as a gift in my early 20s and 25 years later, i am still listening to it. Her rendition of "I Love you Porgy" continues to break my heart. The recordings are perfect.

This CD is a copy of a 331/2 rpm album I had years ago. I completely wore the album out and was thrilled to get it now on CD. Nina's compelling voice and choice of songs as well as her skill as a jazz pianist makes for enjoyable listening. I absolutely recommend it.

The first thing I thought when I heard this album was: "Wow."

Nina Simone was only 25 when this album was recorded, but her distinctive style is already apparent. It's clear that she is a huge, irreplaceable talent, even at that young age.

This record grabs you from the first moment and doesn't let go until the very end. It's an appealing mixture of bluesy pop, classically-tinged jazz, and churchy, gospel-infused folk. All in that unique style that can only be Nina Simone.

It's best to listen to the whole thing, start to finish, in order, to get the full effect. The set starts with Mood Indigo, then slides right into the triptych of "Don't Smoke In Bed," "He Needs Me," and "Little Girl Blue." These three songs are all on a similar theme of lost love, desperate love, and loneliness and they work well together. I had goosebumps the entire time.

"Love me or Leave Me" and "My Baby Just Cares for Me" bring it uptempo a little, and the rest of the album slides down so smoothly, so masterfully, that you're just grateful to have experienced something so perfect. Buy it for yourself, and buy another for a friend. Your life will be fuller for it.