1966 · Album
Wild Is the Wind
Recorded Sessions from previous Philips recording dates (original session years unknown) · Philips Records
Leftovers That Didn't Quite Land
Wild Is the Wind shows Simone working through material that didn't fit elsewhere, competent but not urgent.
Wild Is the Wind arrived in 1966 as a collection of leftovers—recordings from earlier Philips sessions that hadn't made it onto previous albums. This is not an insult exactly, but it explains what you're hearing: Simone going through the motions on material that the label had sitting around. She was a restless artist, always moving forward, so hearing her revisit old sessions feels a bit like catching someone at a rehearsal rather than a performance.
The album didn't make much noise when it came out, and it hasn't aged into a rediscovered classic either. AllMusic gave it three stars, which is honest—there's nothing wrong here, but there's nothing that grabs you either. Simone's voice and piano are professional and assured, as they always were, but you sense her attention was elsewhere. By 1966 she was deeper into her political engagement, her anger at injustice sharpening her focus. An album of assembly-line material couldn't compete with where her head actually was.
If you're already familiar with Simone's stronger work—say, I Put a Spell on You (1965) or her earlier career—you can skip this one without missing anything essential. It's the kind of record that exists because record companies needed product, not because the artist had something urgent to say. For completists only, and even then, not urgent.
Who's playing
Lisle Atkinsondouble bass
Nina Simonepiano
Rudy Stevensonguitar
Bobby Hamiltondrums
Al Schackmanharmonica
