Nina Simone - Pastel Blues [180g, Black] (LP) Vinyl

Pastel Blues was originally released in 1965 on Philips, catalogued PHS 600-187 in stereo and PHM 200-187 in mono. Its nine performances run from the near unaccompanied "Be My Husband" to the ten minute "Sinnerman", taking in "Strange Fruit" along the way. This Music On Vinyl edition presses the album on a single 180 gram audiophile black disc.

The Album

Pastel Blues was produced by Hal Mooney, with Simone accompanied by a small group: Lisle Atkinson on bass, Bobby Hamilton on drums, Al Schackman on guitar and harmonica, and Rudy Stevenson on guitar and flute. Maurice Seymour took the cover photograph, and Doug McClelland, then editor of Record World, wrote the sleeve notes printed on the rear.

Side one opens with "Be My Husband", written by Andy Stroud and delivered stripped down in the manner of a field holler; it later caught the imagination of Jeff Buckley. "Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out" is the Jimmy Cox standard first sung by Bessie Smith, and "Tell Me More And More And Then Some" was written by Billie Holiday.

Side two carries "Strange Fruit", written by Lewis Allan and long identified with Billie Holiday, and closes with "Sinnerman". Arranged by Simone and running past ten minutes, it is a chase of a song about a man trying to outrun the Devil. It was used in a key scene of The Thomas Crown Affair and has since been sampled by Kanye West, Talib Kweli and Felix da Housecat.

This Pressing

Music On Vinyl's edition is a single 180 gram audiophile disc in standard black vinyl, carrying catalogue number MOVLP543 on the sleeve and labels. It was manufactured and distributed by Music On Vinyl B.V. for Universal Music B.V. and pressed by Record Industry in the Netherlands. The sleeve reproduces the original Philips artwork.

Tracklist

Side One
1. Be My Husband (3:19)
2. Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out (2:35)
3. End Of The Line (2:51)
4. Trouble In Mind (2:37)
5. Tell Me More And More And Then Some (3:05)
6. Chilly Winds Don't Blow (3:59)

Side Two
1. Ain't No Use (2:55)
2. Strange Fruit (3:26)
3. Sinnerman (10:14)