The Blues

Nina Simone

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 5, 1991)
• Original Release Date: December 19, 1966
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: RCA
• ASIN: B0000004XU
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #14,431 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Some Strong Points--Some Weak Points!, June 24, 2002

By	deepbluereview "deepbluereview" (SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Eunice Waymon (aka Nina Simone) has reportedly been playing piano since she was four years old and recorded her first album in the late 1950's. This CD was originally recorded at various locations between 1966 and 1971 and features a variety of musicians anchored by Nina playing piano and handling all vocal duties. The CD contains approximately 54 minutes of music. Approximately 32 of those minutes feature a rather sultry, sometimes dark, stand out performance by Simone. The remaining 22 minutes of the CD seems somewhat dated, commercialized and do not adequately represent the true vocal capabilities and range of this great singer. For example, "Do I Move You", "In The Dark", "I Want A Little Sugar" and "My Man's Gone Now" are excellent jazz flavored blues tunes that you will want to listen to over and over again. While, "Day And Night", "Real, Real", "House Of The Rising Son" and "The Pusher" you might listen to once and then program the player to pass them by the next time around. There are some exceptional tunes here well worth a listen.

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ferocious and moving, April 21, 2003

By	C. Heinrich "wsidechris" (Oyster Bay, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Today we lost one of the greatest musical artists that ever existed. This has been one of my favorite albums since I got it 3 years ago. I wanted to write this review to encourage those researching Nina (now that she's gone) to get this album! It will knock you out flat on the floor. "Do I Move You" is down-and-dirty blues (a real eye-opener to those who peg Nina as a jazz singer), as is "Blues For Mama" (probably the first song that turned me on to Nina). "My Man's Gone Now" is downright hair-raising, topped off with a chilling vibrato that only Nina could deliver. Nina's take on Dylan's "I Shall Be Released" reveals a sharp pain to the song that Rick Danko and The Band came very close to in their brilliant version.

The whole album is great, including the rousing live version of "Gin House Blues" at the end. Nina has a great body of work, and these songs are as good as anything else she has done. Put it at or very near the top of your "must-have" list for Nina recordings. Thanks for the great music, Nina.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Why isn't EVERYONE a Nina Simone fan?, July 4, 2001

By	"bluemamma" (San Luis Obispo, CA USA) - See all my reviews

Nina Simone SHOULD have been the biggest star of the past forty years, and this album is one of her very best. She does it all - sexy, funky R&B (Do I Move You? Day and Night, In The Dark, Buck), social commentary that makes you feel as angry as she is (The Pusher, Blues for Mama, Backlash Blues) and songs of deep spirituality to inspire you (even without her astounding voice, the piano on "Nobody's Fault But Mine" all by itself could break your heart, and her version of Dylan's "I Shall Be Released," which EVERYBODY has recorded is beyond a doubt the best ever.) Nina Simone isn't one-tenth as well known as she ought to be, and anybody who has never heard her has missed a lot.