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Baker's Dozen

This Is My Music: Dean Wareham's Favourite Albums
April Clare Welsh , May 12th, 2014 08:06

April Clare Welsh gets a rundown of the former Galaxie 500 frontman's all-time top 13 LPs before he comes to the UK to tour in support of his debut solo album next week

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Nina Simone - Here Comes The Sun
I stole this from my parents' collection. It's probably not an album for Nina Simone purists as it's a collection of pop songs, but it features my favourite versions of 'My Way', 'Angel Of The Morning' and 'Just Like A Woman'. Every time I listen to this record I want to cry... maybe I need to talk to a shrink about this! Here Comes the Sun is not the typical Nina Simone jazz or blues; it's all covers of pop songs by the Bee Gees, Dylan, Beatles, Sinatra, etc, but radically rearranged. The production is huge, it's recorded at RCA with a full orchestra. Her phrasing is beautiful - on piano and on vocals. To hear her sing, "It's been a long cold and lonely winter", in 'Here Comes The Sun' - well, you actually believe that she has suffered and this is what the best singers can do. Closing with a dazzling rendition of 'My Way' - with a new section added to the end - it just takes me back to happy days, to my ten-year-old self.