THE NILSSON POLL

Nilsson Schmilsson vs Pussycats.... hmmm

might vote Nilsson Sings Newman

actually haven't heard a lot of the post-Pussy Cats records ...

Since I can't vote for my Pandemonium Aerial Ballet LP (honestly I don't know which songs are from which original album), I'll go with Pussy Cats. Haven't heard a lot of this, admittedly (just those albums, Newman, Sandman and the first Schmilsson - which I actually don't care much for beyond the well-known highlights).

woulda voted for Aerial Pandemonium Ballet but in lieu of that...dunno! gotta think on it.

I have probably listened to "Nilsson Schmilsson" the most times out of any album. But I have no fucking idea what to vote for. Like five of these are just perfect fucking glorious gems.

Aerial Pandemonium Ballet

honestly I hate this material, was very disappointed when I heard the majority of it

I don't know Flash Harry & the Son of Dracula soundtrack but o/w I bought all of these on reissue a few years back. Nothing after Pussy Cats is essential but ...That's The Way It Is is the best of them I think; opening "That Is All", the "Just One Look" and especially "I Need You" covers are great. "Salmon Falls" on Duit on Mon Dei is pretty nice too.

Have you guys ever seen this invaluable blog:
http://fortheloveofharry.blogspot.com

honestly I hate this material, was very disappointed when I heard the majority of it

In the form it's in on APB, or just the songs themselves?

I hear a drop in quality and consistency on Son of Schmilsson, but "Spaceman" might have my favorite of his vocals, and it's a better song about space than Bowie or Elton's.

Still voted for Nilsson Schmilsson. As much as I love Zevon and Newman, nobody mixes the sweet and the rancid like Harry.

I only have two of his albums, so I'm not sure if I should vote, but I've loved "Without You" and "Coconut" since they were on the radio in 1972. I feel like that warrants an old-guy's pass. So: Nilsson Schmilsson.

Both takes on "River Deep, Mountain High" are my favorite Nilsson moments: an of-the-moment, instantly-dated "great" idea, with a totally absurd vocal. Listen to the line about being faithful to the puppy and how it sounds like the universe is imploding because of his faithfulness. I get swept up in the cataclysmic emotion while simultaneously grasping that he's comparing himself to a puppy. It's pop that understands that it's just pop & yet the most important thing in the world at the same time, like that puppy, I guess.

well put -- i like his "river deep" a lot. always thought it was kind of ballsy of nilsson to try to out-spector phil spector. wonder what phil thought of it?

I forgot about "Everybody's Talkin'," an all-time favorite--almost enough for me to vote for Aerial Ballet (the other Nilsson album I own), even though truthfully I can't remember another song on it. I'm walkin' here! I'm walkin' here!

Voting "The Point" because of "Everything's Got Em", "Me and My Arrow", "Think About Your Troubles" and the jaw dropping bonus tracks. "Down to the Valley" is probably favorite single Nilsson recording.

THE POINT

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Newman

Did harry sing on the "Popeye" film?

Because in my memory, the song "I am what I am" is Harry, and his "bad throat" isn't massivly in evidence...

Nilsson Sings Newman

"Aerial Ballet". I prefer pretty much everything he did before "Nilsson Schmilsson" (OK, not "Skidoo") to everything he did after and including it.

How much Nilsson is on Spotify?

the point, due to childhood fondnesses

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Nilsson

This has an excellent overview.

How much Nilsson is on Spotify?

All of the albums in this poll except Spotlight on Nilsson, Son of Dracula & Flash Harry

... no great loss there then

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

people must be riding the nostalgia tip pretty hard to think the point is actually one of his best, imo - me & my arrow, poli high, the town are the only songs that made any impression for me

The one of his I've always had a challenge getting into is Pussy Cats – even Knilsson has more standout songs for me (I will list them: Blanket for a Sail, Lean ON Me, and the gorgeous All I Think About Is You...can't name even one song of PC off the top of my head).

The Point! is the one out of the top five that I've never heard...will check out ASAP!

I've recently been recording "Switched On"-style Minimoog covers of Nilsson songs -- so I've been listening to these records incessantly.

Honestly, I couldn't pick one. The graceful, Tin Pan Alley two step of the first two records makes a lot of this material my favorite—it doesn't hurt that he was kind of the greatest male singer alive at that point—but their whimsy almost carries them away at times. Harry belongs in this batch, but it's transitional -- similar to PSS and AB but with maybe a bit more grit, variety and humor (the shout of "Guam!" in "Marchin' Down Broadway" is aces) that makes it a bit more consistently listenable.

Nilsson Sings Newman isn't a record I can put on everyday—the piano and vocal is often too emotionally naked—but when I do, it's often amazing. I tend to prefer the emotional ones—outtake "Snow" is probably my favorite thing on here—but the whole thing is wonderful (cover art with Harry chauffeuring Randy included).

The Point is fairly wonderful -- "Me and My Arrow" is classic, obv, but it's not alone. No song better captures how drugs can turn the mundane into the cosmically planned than "Think About Your Troubles." "Life Line" has been haunting me of late.

Then comes the Schmilsson era (tho in truth, his gruffer, "mature" voice is ushered in with Aeriel Pandemonium Ballet -- rendering the version of "Daddy's Song" definitive). Nilsson Schmilsson is, some revisionism notwithstanding, pretty outstanding -- tho its pleasures tend to run more mountain high than river deep. Still, in addition to the hits, "Gotta Get Up" is undeniable, trombone slides and all. The "bits of crap" line in "Moonbeam" renders it a quintessential Nilsson song. Closer "I'll Never Leave You" is a sort of haunting return to the style of his first records that he would ironically leave with these records.

I just dl'd Son Of Schmilsson more recently...there's a case to be made that this record is no sillier than Nilsson Schmillson and in some ways, a more profound artistic statement. "Spaceman," as noted by others, is epic and awesome -- as is "Turn On Your Radio" but in a completely different way. "Remember (Christmas)" is one of his best ballads. Even though producer Richard Perry was supremely disappointed by Nilsson's refusing to take the sessions seriously—and songs like "I'd Rather Be Dead" don't exactly weaken his case—I think the record reveals itself on repeated plays and is the dark horse in his catalog in a lot of ways.

Far more than Walls n' Bridges, Pussycats is the soundtrack to Lennon's Lost Weekend. In addition to the hooligans tracks with the likes of Keith Moon and children singing ("Subterranean Homesick Blues," "Loop-de-Loop"), there are some outstanding entries into the catalog here. "Save the Last Dance for Me"—destroyed larynx and all—is one of the best things the man ever committed to vinyl -- I never get sick of it. "Don't Forget Me" is one of the all time great divorce songs (the "I'll miss you when I'm lonely/I'll miss the alimony too" couplet is gold). I particularly like the boozy "Mucho Mongo/Mt. Elga."

Duit on Mon Dei and Sandman are definitely of a piece -- these were the records that came after Lennon got RCA to agree to pick up the recording costs (read: full bar spread) of Harry's records. The knock on a lot of these tracks is that he was slumming by writing "novelty songs." That seems to miss the point a bit -- these records are straight up piss takes on the pop music industry (right down to the full bar spread) by a guy who was considered a major star (right up until he recorded these records). For a dude who made partying some kind of art form, the two-drunks-walk-into-a-bar story of "Flying Saucer Song" reveals the guy to be pretty self-aware (maligned or not, I love it). Besides, there are a few things here that rank among his best tunes anyway (certainly, the cosmic "Salmon Falls" and ghostly "Easier For Me"). Van Dyke Parks' arrangements are stunning and central to the, ahem, festive atmosphere of both, importing into Duit Mon... the steel drum sound he featured on his own Discover America/Clang of the Yankee Reaper albums. Essential to understanding the man's genius.

...That's the Way It Is is a covers album and...fine for what it is, tho his cover of George Harrison's "That Is All" not only redeems Harrison's histrionic original -- it reveals the song to be among his best.

After pissing his stardom away over the previous five years, Knnillssonn is understandably cited as some kind of return to form. I like it. All the tracks are good -- and some ("All I think About Is You," "Perfect Day," "Blanket For a Sail") are among the best. But in some ways the chorale string arrangements play it all a bit too straight, depriving the material of the spark that gave his best records an edge. Still, a poignant close to his RCA years.

All in all, an amazing, amazing catalog.

nicely put -- and yeah, i sorta agree about Knnillssonn, some really great material, but something missing in the arrangements? Wish that Van Dyke Parks had worked on that one, come to think of it. (He didn't did he? Can't remember)

[also -- minimoog covers? intriguing ...]

"Blanket For a Sail" is awesome.

To my ears it sounds like what Beck attempted and failed to get on Sea Change -- the mixture of grandeur and self-parody.

Great writeup!

"Save the Last Dance for Me" really is a stunner, isn't it?

The opening "Many Rivers To Cross" is another ace moment, with its plastic Ono vocal at the end, lonely & lost.

"Son Of" is Harry's "White Album", esp. with the jaw-dropping Hollywood Strings ending of "The Most Beautiful World in the World". <3 x 1000 Harry & Ringo's silly banter at the end.

First time I heard a Harry album, it really was like falling in love with someone. And pretty much every new album by him that I discover is the same way.

pussycats is very unfairly derided. but then I love walls and bridges and alcoholics too.

also, the strings sound just like number 9 dream.

just found out he recorded a bunch of yoko ono covers. kinda excited to listen

Odds you will have that opportunity: not good.

why not? they're available. i've got 'em anyway. i assume they're up on the for the love of harry blog. not life changing stuff, but pretty cool.

ya, already downloaded. listened to 2 clips and was really feeling them. loose demo jammy quality. but fun skanky reggae

yeah, not sure of the story behind the yoko covers -- were they demos? or was that an album that was never released? it's a cool concept, for sure -- wish that it had been fleshed out a bit more.

ah ok
From what we understand, Harry toyed with the idea of recording an album of Yoko Ono covers himself, before the idea would eventually morph into the various artists project, Every Man Has A Woman. The 1984 album included three Nilsson interpretations of Yoko's songs, "Silver Horse," "Dream Love" and "Loneliness." And, while the idea of a popster like Nilsson covering the sometimes difficult music of Yoko Ono was daring (to say the least), Harry's desire seemed to be a sincere notion, not necessarily designed to curry favor with Lennon - as might be suggested by some. In fact, many of Harry's demo arrangements seem like natural extensions of Yoko's (and/or John's) ideas. Perhaps Harry was attracted to Mrs. L's simplistic song craft (as it happens, a Nilsson trademark) or maybe he just enjoyed a challenge. Regardless, Nilsson did seem inspired by Ms. Ono's music. Four of the tracks posted here are Harry's raw, unreleased demos, including a just surfaced version of "Listen, The Snow Is Falling," that's far superior to any other available version. We've also included an edited, 4 minute rehearsal of Harry (and band) working on Yoko's "Yang Yang," at A&R Studios in NYC (listen to the entire 14 minute live session here). Harry's rare version of "Never Say Goodbye" is a fully formed studio recording that was officially issued in 1995 (the year after he died) on the 4-track promo CD, New York Rock - Never Say Goodbye. Which is, no doubt, a return tribute from Yoko. Harry's official contributions to Every Man Has A Woman are posted over here. Download all six of the project's "demos" HERE.

http://fortheloveofharry.blogspot.com/2010/09/yoko-ono-demos-1984-updated.html

Consider me schooled.

Every Man Has A Woman is out of print, but you can find stray tracks on YouTube. Rosanne Cash recorded a shattering cover of "Nobody Sees Me Like You Do."

[also -- minimoog covers? intriguing ...]

Just realized I never did link these. I lovingly called them Switched On Schmilsson:

https://soundcloud.com/the-me/daddys-song

https://soundcloud.com/the-me/jump-into-the-fire

https://soundcloud.com/the-me/without-her

BTW, that "For the Love of Harry" site has the quad mix of Pussy Cats -- not something I normally care about that much, but it has a version of "Don't Forget Me" with a vocal that was recorded before he blew out his voice. It's awesome -- the other mixes are really great, too:

http://fortheloveofharry.blogspot.com/2007/04/pussy-cats-1974.html

I don't see the quad mix for anything but "Old Forgotten Soldier", and a dead link to a mediafire rip of the whole album. I'd love to hear that early mix of "Don't Forget Me", probably the last great Nilsson song.

The Mediafire link isn't dead.

In that I pulled it down last night.

I can access and download the familiar stereo mix, but the quad mix comes back with "permission denied". Maybe i'll have to try a different ISP or spoof accessing it from a different country?

Minimoog versions?

Bumping this for later...

They're cool! Bravo to Naive Teen Idol. Funny how this version somehow brings out "Jump Into the Fire's" basic "Land of 1,000 Dances" DNA, which Nilsson's version absorbs in shrieks and dementia.

Haha love those switched on versions

Thanks, guys! After these, I started doing Switched On covers came of songs I played for my kids that they liked -- so I did a few Beach Boys and Tommy Roe songs before I moved on to sad robot covers using vocoder. But that's probably for another (shamelessly promotional) thread ...

At any rate, I realized I forgot to upload to Soundcloud some very important artwork that I commissioned for this Nilsson songs:

https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B05GDdyTvGVRClI;21DA3FDD-CD73-46E1-8262-9B14C6B60285

Fucking iCloud:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/c3xri6x4hxudb6o/Switched%20On%20Schmilsson.001.jpg?dl=0

Fucking Dropbox:

http://i.imgur.com/Tw1LiB3.jpg

Yay!

hahah, nice

poking around in your soundcloud, cool stuff overall for the record

Belated thanks, Doc C -- it's not quite a career but probably more than a hobby.

So, is the "For the love of Harry" totally gone now?

its right here no? http://fortheloveofharrynilsson.tumblr.com/

son of schmilsson is way better than it's predecessor. this poll is junk!

Well, as that page says, there was a blogspot..

But, that's nice too.

Yeah I like Son Of the best nowadays. Really feels like a second White Album, esp with Ringo saying goodbye at the end and all.

What a buncha good albums.

Re 1: True

Glad The Point managed to get in under the wire.