This unique, stunning compilation brings together 11 tracks that represent Nina Simone's commitment to equality, justice, and political and social change. Bookended by two versions of "To Be Young, Gifted and Black," the set also includes full-length selections from Simone's "Martin Luther King Suite," including "Mississippi Goddam" and "Why? (The King of Love is Dead)," written after King's assassination.
More than most performers, Nina Simone fit into her own category. Trained as a classical pianist, in her career she explored folk music, jazz, blues, soul, R&B, pop and spirituals, and sang lyrics that were both topical (often connected with the civil rights movement) and timeless. While some of her recordings were projects that emphasized a particular idiom or theme, much of the time she mixed together different styles, playing whatever came to mind and most interested her at the moment. While she originally worked to become a classical pianist, Nina Simone soon found that in the mid-1950s there was no great need for black classical performers (a slight she never forgot). Needing to make a living while a student at Juilliard, she gained a job playing piano in a nightclub on the condition that she also sing. Soon her classical studies stopped and, after making her first album (which had a hit recording of "I Loves You Porgy"), she was on her way to becoming famous. Rather than playing it safe and raking in money, Nina Simone included groundbreaking songs in her repertoire that protested the racial situation including "Mississippi Goddam" and "Old Jim Crow." However, she was never just a protest singer although that gained her the most notoriety. During the 1960s, which were really her prime years, she made many memorable sessions in a wide variety of idioms while always sounding like herself. Forever Young, Gifted & Black: Songs of Freedom and Spirit is a collection of some of Simone's most significant civil rights and anti-racism songs of 1967-69. Highlights include two versions of "To Be Young, Gifted and Black," an emotional tribute to the recently slain Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., "Mississippi Goddam," Billy Taylor's "I Wish I Knew How it Would Feel to Be Free" and "The Times They Are A-Changin'." Some of these rare recordings are heard in their unedited form for the first time. This CD shows today's listeners just how powerful and influential Nina Simone was during her career. The spirit of the late '60s is alive in Simone's covers of "Ain't Got No--I Got Life" from HAIR, and her take on Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are A-Changin'." But the real revolutionary fervor can be heard in the singer's delivery, which conveys deep emotion and fierce conviction at every turn. Liner notes by the likes of Tracy Chapman, Lauryn Hill, and Alicia Keys attest to Simone's influence and legacy, so that the set feels less like a standard compilation than a monument to what the artist represented.
Review: Forever Young, Gifted & Black: Songs of Freedom and Spirit is a textbook case for preparing a compilation by a single artist, thematically. These 11 tracks were recorded between 1967 and 1969, at the split seam in cultural and political history, where the African-American civil rights movement ceded its popularity -- among young people -- to the more visceral and visual Black Power movement. As an artist, Nina Simone was a presence and participant in both. Her influence continues to be an anchor and an inspiration to songwriters and singers from Alicia Keys (who wrote a short liner essay here) to Tracy Chapman, Robinella, {Me'Shell NdegéOcello}, and Lauryn Hill, to name a few. The compilation contains a smattering of her many songs that deal with struggle, equality, and perseverance. It opens with "To Be Young, Gifted and Black," issued as a single in 1969 (the CD is bookended by this version and a live one at the end). The song itself is timeless; it rings with assertiveness and conviction nearly four decades later. But this is merely the beginning. There are three unedited performances here, all of which were originally cut and reshaped by producers for various recordings. The first of these, {"Why (The King of Love Is Dead),"} was written by her bassist, Gene Taylor, after hearing that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. The previously issued version was part of the "Martin Luther King Suite." Here, it contains full spoken and sung sections and is nearly 13 minutes long. To call it stunning and revelatory would be an understatement. Ditto the full version of "Mississippi Goddam," which was also part of the aforementioned suite. This is the first time either of these recordings have appeared on CD in full unedited versions. Likewise, {"Revolution (Pts. 1-2)"} is restored as one tune instead of two as it appeared on To Love Somebody in 1969. A couple of unreleased alternates are fine touches and offer different shadings, colors, and interpretive gestures to their album-issued counterparts: Simone's wonderful read of "Turn! Turn! Turn!," stripped to her voice, piano, and a pair of backing vocalists; and "Ain't Got No/I Got Life," cut for 'Nuff Said!, which contains a horn section. Other tracks here, such as Simone's reading of Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are A-Changin'" and "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free," are strident, forceful, soulful, and deeply moving. Fans will want this comp for the unreleased material and for its thematic slant. Those seeking out Simone for the first time may look to other sources, but this is a side of the artist that was present in everything she ever recorded, and deserves the focus it receives here. In these dark times in the early 21st century, these are songs of hope delivered by a true American original. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
01 - To Be Young, Gifted & Black - 2:51
02 - Backlash Blues (Live) - 3:34
03 - I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free - 3:10
04 - Why? (The King Of Love Is Dead) (Live) - 12:56
05 - Mississippi Goddam (Live) - 6:55
06 - Revolution (Parts 1 & 2) - 4:35
07 - Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is A Season) - 2:26
08 - Ain't Got No - I Got Life - 3:17
09 - Westwind - 8:49
10 - The Times They Are A-Changin' - 5:57
11 - To Be Young, Gifted & Black (Live) - 9:36
Al Schackman - Guitar
Bernard "Pretty" Purdie - Drums
Buck Clarke - Drums
Carl Lynch - Guitar
Don Alias - Percussion
Emile Latimer - Guitar
Eric Gale - Guitar
Ernie Calabria - Guitar
Ernie Hayes - Organ
Everett Barksdale - Guitar
Gene Perla - Bass
Gene Taylor - Bass
George Devens - Percussion
Gordon "Specs" Powell - Percussion
Henry Young - Guitar
Jerry Jemmott - Bass
Jumma Santos - Conga
Montego Joe - Percussion
Nina Simone - Piano
Paul Griffin - Guitar
Richard Tee - Organ
Rudy Stevenson - Guitar
Samuel Wayman - Organ
Stuart Scharf - Guitar
Tom L. Smith - Guitar
Weldon Irvine - Organ
