Nina Simone with Strings is an album by Nina Simone

Nina Simone

Eunice Kathleen Waymon , better known by her stage name Nina Simone , was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, and civil rights activist widely associated with jazz music...

. The album was released without her knowing after she had left Colpix Records

Colpix Records

Colpix Records was the first recording company for Columbia Pictures–Screen Gems. Colpix got its name from combining Columbia and Pictures . It was founded by Jonie Taps and Harry Cohn in 1958, and was based in New York City. Paul Wexler headed the label. Stu Phillips was in charge of A&R...

, and had already made albums for Philips Records

Philips Records

Philips Records is a record label that was founded by Dutch electronics company Philips. It was started by "Philips Phonographische Industrie" in 1950. Recordings were made with popular artists of various nationalities and also with classical artists from Germany, France and Holland. Philips also...

. To make the tracks on the album (a hodgepodge of live and studio recordings left over from previous recording sessions) more commercial, strings were added on some of the tracks, occasionally burying Simone's vocals under a wall of sound.

Despite (or perhaps: because of) the post-production efforts the album remains one of Simone's least accomplished works, mainly a collection of different songs in terms of subject, style and quality. On later releases of Simone's Colpix years, some of the tracks on this album were remastered (without the strings) and different takes were released attached to the albums that the songs were actually intended for.

Information about songs on this album

• "Baubles Bangles and Beads", a song originally intended for the studio album Forbidden Fruit (1961).
• "Work Song", throughout her career Simone did several versions of this prison-song. The original track listing also falsely named this song, "Chain Gang".
• "The Man with a Horn", Simone recorded this song later for Nina Simone and Piano
  Nina Simone and Piano
  Nina Simone And Piano is an album by American jazz singer-songwriter and pianist Nina Simone.On this concept album we only hear Simone's voice accompanied by her own piano playing. The album was critically acclaimed, but sold badly...
  
  (1969), bit it did not make it onto the album.
• "Porgy I Is Your Woman Now", from George Gershwin
  George Gershwin
  George Gershwin was an American composer and pianist. Gershwin's compositions spanned both popular and classical genres, and his most popular melodies are widely known...
  
  's opera Porgy & Bess.
• "Gimme a Pigfoot (And a Bottle of Beer)", originally a song by Bessie Smith
  Bessie Smith
  Bessie Smith was an American blues singer.Sometimes referred to as The Empress of the Blues, Smith was the most popular female blues singer of the 1920s and 1930s...
  
  .

About the cover

The cover photo was used out of a photo shoot for the earlier album Nina Simone Sings Ellington

Nina Simone Sings Ellington

Nina Simone Sings Ellington is an album by American singer and pianist Nina Simone. The album contains songs that were originally composed and recorded by Duke Ellington.- About the cover :...

(1962). See details in the article about that album.

Track listing

1. "I Loves You Porgy
   I Loves You Porgy
   "I Loves You, Porgy" is a duet from the opera Porgy and Bess with music by George Gershwin and lyrics by Ira Gershwin. It was published in 1935....
   
   "
2. "Blackbird"
3. "Falling in Love Again (Can't Help It)
   Falling in Love Again (Can't Help It)
   "Falling in Love Again " is the English language name for a 1930 German song composed by Friedrich Hollaender as Ich bin von Kopf bis Fuß auf Liebe eingestellt...
   
   "
4. "Baubles Bangles and Beads"
5. "Spring Is Here
   Spring Is Here
   "Spring is Here" is a 1938 popular song composed by Richard Rodgers, with lyrics by Lorenz Hart for the musical I Married an Angel , where it was introduced by Dennis King and Vivienne Segal.-Notable recordings:...
   
   "
6. "That's All"
7. "Work Song"
8. "The Man with a Horn"
9. "Porgy I Is Your Woman Now"
10. "Gimme a Pigfoot (And a Bottle of Beer)"