Maps of Music

Silk & Soul (1967)

Where the lyrics of Silk & Soul take you, and where it was really made.

A 1968 Grammy nomination for "Go to Hell" from this album ended in a loss to Aretha Franklin.

Key places

RCA Studio B, New York City (1967)

Recording site RCA Studio B — Discogs lists the recording session for Silk & Soul at RCA Studio B in New York City. Recording dates are given as June 1967. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Silk & Soul: thirteenth studio album by American musician Nina Simone
• Released October 1967 by RCA Victor
• Features "Go to Hell" and a cover of "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free"
• Label RCA, 1967; catalog numbers LMP-3837 / LSP-3837
• Side A five tracks, side B five tracks

Background

• "It Be's That Way Sometime" was written by Nina's brother Sam Waymon
• "The Look of Love" by Burt Bacharach, originally written for the movie Casino Royale (1967)
• "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free" written by Billy Taylor; later recorded by Solomon Burke and Levon Helm
• "Turning Point" starts as a child's song about making a new friend, then questions the origins of racism; lyrics by Martha Holmes
• "Consummation" is a love song written by Nina Simone that uses the melody of "For All We Know", a song she originally recorded in the late 50s

Recording

• Recording dates listed between 13 and 29 June 1967 in New York City
• Recording session: New York City, RCA Studio B
• Sammy Lowe handled arrangements and conducting
• Ray Hall was the engineer
• Danny Davis is credited as producer
• Musicians: Nina Simone (vocals, piano), Gene Taylor (bass), Eric Gale and Rudy Stevenson (guitar), Ernie Hayes (piano, harpsichord), Bernard Purdie (drums)

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com · it.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Born Eunice Kathleen Waymon on February 21, 1933, in Tryon, North Carolina; the sixth of eight children.
• Began playing piano at age three or four and gave a classical debut recital at age 12.
• Failed to gain admission to the Curtis Institute of Music, which she attributed to racism.
• Played piano at a nightclub in Atlantic City and adopted the stage name "Nina Simone" in 1954, after which she began singing as well.

Career

• Debut album Little Girl Blue (1958) included "I Loves You, Porgy", her only Billboard top 20 single in the US.
• Recorded more than 40 albums up to 1974; her 1960s protest songs such as "Mississippi Goddam" tied her to the civil rights movement.
• Left the US in 1970 and settled in Europe, later living in Liberia, Barbados, the Netherlands, and France.
• Autobiography I Put a Spell on You was published in 1991; she continued performing until her death on April 21, 2003.
• Known as the "High Priestess of Soul"; Rolling Stone ranked her No. 21 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.

Members

• Solo artist; she was accompanied by percussionist Leopoldo Fleming and guitarist Al Schackman throughout most of her career.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Released October 1967 by RCA Victor
• Label RCA, 1967
• Side A total running time 16:24, side B total 13:45
• Track list of ten songs, including "Go to Hell" and "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free"

Records

• 1968 Grammy nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, for "Go to Hell" from this album
• Lost the award to Aretha Franklin
• Catalog numbers LMP-3837 / LSP-3837
• Recording session in New York City at RCA Studio B
• Recording dates listed between 13 and 29 June 1967

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Simone's 1968 Grammy nomination for "Go to Hell" lost to Aretha Franklin.
• "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free" was later recorded by Solomon Burke and Levon Helm and is regarded as a civil rights anthem.
• "Turning Point" begins like a child's song about a new friend and later turns into a question about the origins of racism.
• "Consummation" reuses the melody of "For All We Know", a song Simone recorded in the late 1950s.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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