Nina, Dinah (Washington) and others on vinyl

[Bill Hart]

Ok, so i dig female vocals of any genre, but the older jazz stuff really rocks my boat. I've got piles of Ella, Etta, Sarah and I forget who else. I'm digging Nina Simone. I have that first album, mono, on Bethelem, which is fantastic. The "Blues" album (mine is a Speaker's Corner reissue with the good ol DynaGroove logo on it) is groovy musically, but sounds like other RCA DynaGrooves, do others agree? It's borderline nasty sounding, and I'm not sure why if the tape was not processed using DynaGroove- if it was, that explains it. So there's a question.
Second, looking for Nina's album "I Put a Spell on You" which has 'Feelin Good.' This doesn't seem to be an audiophile 'hottie' but it just doesn't seem to be available from the usual out of print sources. Any tips on that front, and any thoughts on how that record sounds. (I thought twice about asking, because suddenly there will be 15 others looking for it, but ...)
Then, other Nina tips on vinyl, please?
Finally, Dinah Washington- don't know much about her, or her body of work.
Any recommendations?
Original pressings are fine as long as I don't have to pay hundreds of dollars for them, otherwise, a good reissue is Ok.
TIA.

 

[LL21]

sorry - digital only...own the The Very Best of Nina Simone myself on CD (Sony) which is excellent has I put a Spell on you and may have been remastered. Own MFSL What a Difference a Day Makes...good not great.

 

[Gregadd]

Now that we have the internet I do record searches like this:
Google the artist for a discography.
Cross reference to best of lists for the particular music genre.
Then you can do a specific search for the tile you like.
Odds are you can actually get a sample online.
If you are looking for hard to find vinyl, iI think you should act like a collector.
Find a used record dealer and tell him what you want. They are more likely to look for/stock it if they have a potential buyer. Nothing builds a customer base like tracking down hard to find items, Except maybe low prices.
Finally, if you are really motivated, estate and yard sales, thrift stores and dusty record bins might turn up a gem.

 

[Bill Hart]

Now that we have the internet I do record searches like this:
Google the artist for a discography.
Cross reference to best of lists for the particular music genre.
Then you can do a specific search for the tile you like.
Odds are you can actually get a sample online.
If you are looking for hard to find vinyl, iI think you should act like a collector.
Find a used record dealer and tell him what you want. They are more likely to look for/stock it if they have a potential buyer. Nothing builds a customer base like tracking down hard to find items, Except maybe low prices.
Finally, if you are really motivated, estate and yard sales, thrift stores and dusty record bins might turn up a gem.

All good advice, however, I have more faith in recommendations re sonic quality from folks here than just about anywhere else. I've been drilling down on that one Nina record, and it's just not around, maybe a fluke that will change, i don't think it is a real collectible record, which may be the reason.
I'd also like to know what others thought of the sonics of the Spkr's Crnr reissue of 'Blues.'
Thanks, Greg.

 

[Gregadd]

Certainly for sound quality you are right. If you have noticed I've posted some top 25 lists and am working on more. I find the advice to be damn good. OTOH I'll overlook poor sound quality fpr good musical content. That's a must if you like early Blues. I tried to locate the Nina Simone record for you. The most I could find is a 45 rpm doughnut. My guess is it's in a used record bin somewhere.

 

[Bill Hart]

thanks greg.