#271: Nina Simone - Wild is the Wind (1966)

Zack: I could talk about the epic title track here, but I won’t. Instead, I’m going to focus in on Lilac Wine, a song we saw a couple hundred albums ago on Grace by Jeff Buckley that I had, at the time, no idea was a cover. I’ve listened to Grace roughly a billion times since then and Lilac Wine remains a song that I sort of like. It’s part of a three-track break between the powerful intro of Mojo Pin and Grace and the mid-album tear-makers of Hallelujah and Lover, You Should’ve Come Over that lulls you into just the right headspace. On Grace, it’s more a placeholder than a powerful, album-defining song. Not here. Not for Nina Simone. Lilac Wine was the first song that made my brain draw parallels to Jeff Buckley. But once I had finally made the connection, I just couldn’t stop hearing it. Honestly, I’m kind of disappointed it took me so long. They have almost identical singing voices (gender be damned!) and the music is almost identical in composition. I’ll admit to liking Grace more. But it was still cool to hear where that all came from and it was fantastic hearing someone perform Lilac Wine in such a way that was so similar, and yet so different, from the way I had initially heard it.

Favorite Tracks: Lilac Wine; Wild is the Wind; If I Should Lose You

Emily: What's crazy to me about this album is that it's made up of leftover songs from previous recording sessions. If these are the leftovers, the choice cuts must be absolutely amazing. Wild is the Wind is excellent exhibition of Nina Simone's talents. Her voice combines the musicality of jazz with the heart-wrenching emotion of soul and blues, creating music that pulls in both the listener's mind and heart. Some of the tracks have an upbeat Motown feel as well, adding in another element to reflect the music of the times but which didn't really fit in with the rest of the album. Where the album really shines is on the ballads. With a little bit of music and a lot of Simone's voice, these songs will fill a room with emotion and soul.
Favorite Tracks: Four Women; Either Way I Lose; I Love Your Lovin' Ways

#270: Buffalo Springfield - Buffalo Springfield Again (1967)

Zack: Guess what guys! We found a way to shoehorn more Neil Young in without waiting another 400 albums! Buffalo Springfield was the band that launched the careers of Stephen Stills and, much more importantly, Neil Young. Buffalo Springfield Again is their second and penultimate album. And that should catch you up on all the basic facts. Young wrote three of the 10 tracks, but surprisingly only one of them appears below in my favorite tracks. Why is that? Because he decided to run off and produce two “orchestral experiments” with one of Phil Spector’s lackeys (Wikipedia describes him as an associate, so I don’t know if he assisted in producing music or just held Phil’s guns when not in use…..too soon?). While I found both Expecting to Fly and Broken Arrow to be interesting and good songs in their own right, they pretty clearly stood out like a sore thumb when put in the context of an album of psychedelic folk rock. No, the four songs written by Stills are clearly the backbone of this album, and it would be disingenuous of me not to give him credit for shaping what this album is. Buffalo Springfield Again is a solid, breezy folk album from the 60s. If you like folk and haven’t listened to it yet, you pretty much have in spirit anyway. Which isn’t to say that it isn’t good. It’s a fine album, but all the credit for that has to go to Stills’s writing on Bluebird, Rock & Roll Woman, and Hung Upside Down. That said, Young’s Mr. Soul was still my favorite song on the whole damn thing.

Favorite Tracks: Mr. Soul; Rock & Roll Woman; Bluebird

Emily: Since one of my classes was cancelled today, I've had the whole morning ahead of me to get some stuff done. Chores, TV catch-up, homework, and Buffalo Springfield were all on the agenda. I got through the first two items, and then decided to combine homework with my blogging pursuits and play Buffalo Springfield Again. I'm only working on background research for an upcoming assignment, so I figured I could easily pay attention to both the album in my ears and the cases on my screen. However, it turns out my multitasking wasn't quite on point today. While I could focus quite well on the myriad Westlaw cases I had to read, Buffalo Springfield kind of went in one ear and out the other. At a few points, I checked iTunes and realized a whole song had passed and I hadn't even realized it. I went back and relistened to those, but I still don't feel like I got a good grasp on the album. It's folk-rock, but a fairly quiet brand of folk-rock. Beyond the excellent Neil Young-penned first track, nothing really stood out and grabbed my attention. Perhaps Buffalo Springfield Again requires me to listen again, but even then I'm not too sure I'll be hooked in.

Favorite Tracks: Mr. Soul; Sad Memory; Everydays