NINA SIMONE SINGLES
Nina Simone - Complete 1957-62 Singles [2020] + Let It All Out, Selected Singles 1961-1978 [2025] (4 x CDs)
Nina Simone’s story is often told through albums, but her singles reveal something different, a musician shaping her identity one recording at a time, responding to the world with clarity, courage and emotional truth. These two collections, the early Complete 1957–62 Singles and the expansive Let It All Out set, trace her evolution from a young pianist‑singer finding her voice to a fully formed artist whose work carried political weight, cultural pride and deep personal resonance.
The first set captures Simone before fame hardened into expectation. The singles from Bethlehem, Colpix and early Philips sessions show her balancing jazz phrasing, classical discipline and a quiet intensity that made even small songs feel significant. I Loves You, Porgy, He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands, Will I Find My Love Today, each track carries a sense of discovery. Her piano lines are crisp, her vocals poised, and the arrangements leave space for her to shape mood with subtle shifts in tone. These recordings feel close, almost intimate, as if she is still deciding how much of herself to reveal.
The second collection widens the frame. By the early sixties Simone had become a force, and the singles from 1961 to 1978 show her pushing outward, emotionally, politically, musically. Mississippi Goddam, To Be Young, Gifted and Black, Backlash Blues, Four Women, songs that confront injustice with precision and fire. Alongside them sit ballads, folk interpretations, soul‑leaning arrangements and late‑period tracks shaped by exile and reflection. Her voice grows darker, richer, more deliberate. The piano becomes a weapon, the phrasing sharper, the emotional stakes higher. These singles document an artist who refused to soften her truth for commercial comfort. (B)
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Track lists
Nina Simone - Complete 1957-62 Singles [2020]
CD1
01 Nina Simone - Chilly Winds Don't Blow 2:47
02 Nina Simone - Solitaire 3:24
03 Nina Simone - I Loves You Porgy 4:09
04 Nina Simone - Love Me Or Leave Me 3:22
05 Nina Simone - Little Girl Blue 4:18
06 Nina Simone - He Needs Me 2:30
07 Nina Simone - Children Go Where I Send You 2:52
08 Nina Simone - Willow Weep for Me 3:13
09 Nina Simone - Don't Smoke in Bed 3:12
10 Nina Simone - African Mailman 3:10
11 Nina Simone - The Other Woman 2:57
12 Nina Simone - It Might as Well Be Spring 3:56
13 Nina Simone - Mood Indigo 4:03
14 Nina Simone - Central Park Blues 6:50
15 Nina Simone - For All We Know 4:02
16 Nina Simone - Good Bait 5:29
17 Nina Simone - Summertime 5:40
18 Nina Simone - Fine and Mellow 3:30
19 Nina Simone - You'll Never Walk Alone 3:47
20 Nina Simone - Plain Gold Ring 3:52
CD2
01 Nina Simone - Since My Lover Has Gone 2:49
02 Nina Simone - Tomorrow (We Will Meet Once More) 3:02
03 Nina Simone - He's Got The Whole World in His Hands 3:10
04 Nina Simone - If Only for Tonight 3:02
05 Nina Simone - Under The Lowest 5:26
06 Nina Simone - Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out 2:42
07 Nina Simone - Black is The Color of My True Love's Hai 3:32
08 Nina Simone - Trouble in Mind 5:44
09 Nina Simone - Cotton-Eyed Joe 2:56
10 Nina Simone - Work Song 2:35
11 Nina Simone - Memphis in June 2:38
12 Nina Simone - Gin House Blues 3:03
13 Nina Simone - Come on Back, Jack 2:17
14 Nina Simone - You've Been Gone Too Long 2:11
15 Nina Simone - In The Evening By The Moonlight 6:15
16 Nina Simone - You Can Have Him 5:53
17 Nina Simone - I Got it Bad (And That Ain't Good) 4:07
18 Nina Simone - I Want A Little Sugar in My Bowl 2:45
19 Nina Simone - Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me 2:50
20 Nina Simone - My Baby Just Cares for Me 3:36
CD3
01 Nina Simone - Hey, Buddy Bolden 2:27
02 Nina Simone - Exactly Like You 3:11
03 Nina Simone - Merry Mending 2:35
04 Nina Simone - Something to Live For 2:56
05 Nina Simone - You Better Know It 2:25
06 Nina Simone - I Like The Sunrise (From The Liberian Suite) 3:01
07 Nina Simone - It Don't Mean A Thing (If it Ain't Got That Swing) 2:33
08 Nina Simone - The Gal From Joe's 2:14
09 Nina Simone - I Can't Get Out of This Mood 2:33
10 Nina Simone - Wild is The Wind 3:33
11 Nina Simone - That's Him Over There 2:32
12 Nina Simone - Where Can I Go Without You 2:51
13 Nina Simone - You've Been Gone Too Long (nº2) 2:11
14 Nina Simone - Stompin' at The Savoy 2:09
15 Nina Simone - Little Liza Jane 4:36
16 Nina Simone - Return Home 5:25
17 Nina Simone - Rags and Old Iron 4:09
18 Nina Simone - No Good Man 3:39
19 Nina Simone - I'll Look Around 5:05
20 Nina Simone - I Love to Love 3:22
Nina Simone - Let It All Out, Selected Singles 1961-1978 [2025]
01 Nina Simone - Work Song 2:35
02 Nina Simone - Gin House Blues 3:02
03 Nina Simone - Come on Back, Jack 2:16
04 Nina Simone - My Baby Just Cares for Me 3:42
05 Nina Simone - I Put A Spell on You 2:35
06 Nina Simone - Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood 2:45
07 Nina Simone - Either Way I Lose 2:46
08 Nina Simone - Break Down and Let it All Out 2:38
09 Nina Simone - Don't You Pay Them No Mind 3:04
10 Nina Simone - Do I Move You 2:45
11 Nina Simone - It Be's That Way Sometime 2:56
12 Nina Simone - To Love Somebody 2:39
13 Nina Simone - Why? (The King of Love is Dead) (Pts 1 & 2) 5:33
14 Nina Simone - Do What You Gotta Do 3:35
15 Nina Simone - Ain't Got No;I Got Life (US single version) 2:53
16 Nina Simone - Real Real 2:20
17 Nina Simone - Suzanne 4:19
18 Nina Simone - Revolution (Pt 1) 2:50
19 Nina Simone - To Be Young, Gifted and Black 2:48
20 Nina Simone - Save Me 3:24
21 Nina Simone - Whatever I Am (You Made Me) 3:04
22 Nina Simone - Ooh Child 3:16
23 Nina Simone - Baltimore 4:38
24 Nina Simone - Ain't Go No; I Got Life (UK single version) 2:05
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Music weaves itself into the fabric of our emotions, dances through the corridors of memory, and whispers to the soul of who we are. Sharing these stories deepens the connection, turning the experience into something timeless and profound.
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Merci beaucoup, BB!!! I hope someone who has never heard Nina discovers her because of this fantastic post!!! She is absolutely one of the best to ever do it. She and Ray Charles are (imho) the clearest examples of "musical artists" that I've seen: they both had no limit to what they could do, stylistically - jazz, blues, soul, gospel, rock, classical, easy listening. Just the penthouse suite, the apex...the most versatile and gifted these ears have ever heard.
ReplyDelete(But, please: if anyone has an artist they feel the way I feel about Nina and Ray, please share and recommend!!!).
And thanks again, BB...this blog just keeps getting better!!!
Hi Etienne,
DeleteI share your hope, that someone wandering in for the first time might discover Nina here and suddenly realise just how extraordinary she was. Your description captures her perfectly, limitless, fearless, and able to inhabit any style with total authority. And yes, she is an artist who carries an entire musical history within.
I love your invitation for others to share the artists who move them in that same way. Those kinds of exchanges are what keep this place alive and growing.
Thank you again for the warmth and enthusiasm, it is appreciated.
Cheers.
Obrigado pelo incentivo. Fiz o download da 2ª coletânea que me pareceu o "Crème de la Crème" e gostei muito!!
DeleteThanks for the great Nina BB - I have so many from her but I could not resist to this as well.
ReplyDeleteHi Little Bill,
DeleteEven when you already have a lot of Nina, there’s something irresistible about a set that gathers her singles in one long, clear line. Each track feels like another facet turning in the light.
I’m glad you couldn’t resist.
Cheers.
Thank you again BB. I already have a good amount of Nina recordings, but it's always a pleasure to get some more to enjoy 😁🫢🤭
ReplyDeleteHi AyreEspañol,
DeleteThank you, even when you already have a good amount of Nina, there’s always room for more. Her singles tell the story in such a direct, distilled way, each one a little world of its own. I’m glad this set adds a few more treasures to enjoy.
Cheers.
I have always enjoyed Nina. Her song choices were impeccable. Thanks
ReplyDeleteHi lemonflag,
DeleteAbsolutely, Nina always chose her material with such care. Whether she was reshaping a standard, lifting a folk tune into something fierce, or turning a pop song into a statement, her instincts were impeccable. I’m glad this set gives you more of those moments to enjoy.
Cheers.
Thank you.
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure, copacetic.
DeleteCheers.
Fabulous post. Many thanks.
ReplyDeleteHi nwt679,
DeleteThank you. Nina’s singles tell such a rich, shifting story across the years, and it’s a pleasure bringing sets like this together. Great to know it added some joy to your listening.
Cheers.