Skin OBE, the lead singer of incendiary British rock band Skunk Anansie, is the latest guest to take part in the Classic Album Sundays interview video stream & podcast series, unpacking her life-long love of two of the world’s most brilliant artists, Nina Simone and Etta James, and their stunning recordings on the new The Montreux Years compilation albums.
From listening to her first-ever Simone record to meeting the legendary singer at Nelson Mandela’s 80th birthday party, Skin takes a fascinating deep dive into the profound impact and influence that both Nina Simone and Etta James had on her as an artist and Skunk Anansie’s pioneering recordings.
Speaking with Classic Album Sundays host Colleen ‘Cosmo’ Murphy, Skin discusses highlights from the forthcoming compilation series The Montreux Years, which brings together breath-taking performances by the world’s greatest artists recorded at the legendary Montreux Jazz Festival, including Nina Simone and Etta James.
During the interview, Skin picks three tracks from each album including Etta James’ incendiary performance of ‘I’ve Got The Will’, taken from her festival appearance at the Casino Montreux on 12 July 1989, and Nina Simone’s spine-tingling rendition of Janis Ian’s ‘Stars’, which Simone covered for the very first time during her 1976 Montreux performance, illustrating the pair’s unparalleled skill and flair for showmanship.
Skin’s Classic Album Sundays – The Montreux Years interview will be available to watch and listen here on Tuesday June 22nd at 8pm BST.
‘Nina Simone: The Montreux Years’ and ‘Etta James: The Montreux Years’ will be released Friday 25 June 2021. The live albums, which will be available in multiple-format configurations, including double LP and two-disc CD editions, feature sublime collections of the musical icon’s finest Montreux Jazz Festival performances, including previously unreleased material, all restored to their full glory and more, incorporating MQA to capture the original sound of these special live performances.
