USM are pleased to announce the release of Nina Simone: The Philips Years, a collection of seven albums released during her time with the label. Nina Simone in Concert was Simone’s first album for Philips and was made up of three live recordings in Carnegie Hall, New York City in March and April 1964. This album marks the beginning of “Nina Simone, the Civil Rights singer” in her recording career. Included on the album are politically laden songs, most notably the self-written “Mississippi Goddam”, released as a single at the time. But also “Old Jim Crow”, “Go Limp” and the haunting “Pirate Jenny” contributed to the message in a covert or metaphorical way. In contrast to her first Philips album which was politically laden with civil rights motifs, Broadway-Blues-Ballads is more playful. I Put a Spell on You is the 1965 album by Nina Simone, and features some of her best known songs. Pastel Blues features covers of Billie Holiday songs. Let It All Out features “Images”, an a cappella performance by Simone, based on a poem by Waring Cuney. Wild Is the Wind was compiled from several recordings that were left over from sessions for previous Philips albums. High Priestess of Soul is the last album Simone released under Philips Records. The songs are accompanied by a large band directed by Hal Mooney. After this album title –an attempt to broaden her appeal by management execs– Nina Simone was sometimes referred to as “the high priestess of soul”.