Nina Simone - I put a spell on you
Nina Simone - vocals, piano [click here to see more vinyl featuring Nina Simone]
Rudy Stevenson (Guitar),
Arranged by & Conductor : Hal Mooney (A1, A3-5, B1-2, B4), Horace Ott (A2, A6, B5-6)
Written by Jalacy Hawkins (A1), Screamin' Jay Hawkins (A1), Charles Aznavour (A2, B5), Marcel Stellman (A2), Yves Stephane (A2), Jacques Brel (A3), Leon Carr (A4), Earl Shulman (A4), Irma Jurist (A5), Eve Merriam (A5), Andy Stroud (A6, B6), Leslie Bricusse (B1), Anthony Newley (B1), Rudy Stevenson (B2), udy Stevenson (B3), Leslie Bricusse (B4), Anthony Newley (B4), Marcel Stellman (B5)
1 LP, Stoughton Printing gatefold old-style tip-on jackets
Original analog Master tape : YES
Record color : black
Speed : 33 RPM
Size : 12'’
Stereo
Studio
Record Press : Quality Record Pressings
Label : Acoustic Sounds Series
Original Label : Philips
Recorded January 1965
Mastered by Ryan K. Smith at Sterling Sound, Nashville
Tracks :
Side A :
- I Put A Spell On You
- Tomorrow Is My Turn
- Ne Me Quitte Pas
- Marriage Is For Old Folks
- July Tree
- Gimme Some
Side B :
- Feeling Good
- One September Day
- Blues On Purpose
- Beautiful Land
- You've Got To Learn
- Take Care Of Business
Reviews :
"I Put a Spell On You is a thoughtful, often joyful sophisticated set of well-chosen, popular songs (pop of that era is unlike today’s pop) that Nina Simone delivers with unerring charm and warmth. It’s her most consistently excellent Philips era album and it and Pastel Blues, both released in 1965, are ideal showcases for both Simone’s enduring artistry and for what made her Philips era records special. The sound of both of these records is the best that’s been produced from these tapes and both records are well worth owning." Michael Fremer, AnalogPlanet.com
« One of her most pop-oriented albums, but also one of her best and most consistent. Most of the songs feature dramatic, swinging large-band orchestration, with the accent on the brass and strings. Simone didn't write any of the material, turning to popular European songsmiths Charles Aznavour, Jacques Brel, and Anthony Newley, as well as her husband, Andy Stroud, and her guitarist, Rudy Stevenson, for bluesier fare. There are really fine tunes and interpretations, on which Simone gives an edge to the potentially fey pop songs, taking a sudden (but not uncharacteristic) break for a straight jazz instrumental with "Blues on Purpose." The title track, a jazzy string ballad version of the Screamin' Jay Hawkins classic, gave the Beatles the inspiration for the phrasing on the bridge of "Michelle." » AllMusic Review by Richie Unterberger
I Put a Spell on You is the 1965 album by Nina Simone, and features some of her best known songs. "I Put a Spell on You" is a song originally by Screamin' Jay Hawkins. The original version gave the song an ironic theme, but Simone transformed it into a thrilling love song, complete with horns and strings. It had become one of her most well-known songs. She used the title for her autobiography I Put A Spell On You (1992).
Ratings :
AllMusic : 3 / 5 , Discogs : 4.45 / 5 , Rate your Music : 3.8 / 5
Michael Fremer : Music = 9/11; Sound = 9/11