EMERGENCY WARD/VINYLE NOIR AUDIOPHILE 180GR/INCLUS INSERT

Description

'Emergency Ward' (1972) is Nina Simone's statement on the Vietnam War, and by dealing with spiritual rather than political themes, this album very much reflects the events of the day. The entire first side consists of an 18-minute medley of George Harrison's "My Sweet Lord" and a David Nelson poem called "Today Is a Killer," set to music by Simone. This is a very strong gospel performance, at times resembling The Capitols' "Cool Jerk" with a call-and-response vocal arrangement - one of Simone's best moments. It was performed in collaboration with the Bethany Baptist Church Junior Choir of South Jamaica, New York. The second side consists of Lennie Bleecher's Jeremy Wind song "Poppies" and George Harrison's "Isn't It A Pity." Tracks 1 and 3 were recorded on November 18, 1971, at Fort Dix, and track 2 was recorded at RCA Studio in New York.