there are a ton of vocal overdubs!but sure whatever
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 23 May 2018 23:06 (five years ago) link
when rehearsing in a group you can sit around with 3-4 other guys who all know their parts and rehearse that stuff simultaneously, continuously, tape rolling or not. you can rehearse in the back of the car on the way to the studio.
as a solo performer, i guess you can rehearse with a tape of yourself and build it track by track. you don't see how this is more painstaking than working out harmonies all-at-once with a bunch of singers who have been singing together since they were teenagers? no room for on the spot adjustments of "oh, how about you go low here and i'll go high".
― Hazy Maze Cave (Adam Bruneau), Wednesday, 23 May 2018 23:10 (five years ago) link
I've done both and they're both a pain in the ass (ok granted I don't have the blood harmony thing at my disposal, that's a pretty big differentiator)
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 23 May 2018 23:19 (five years ago) link
but like I said, the solo recording only has to get each part right once. The group has to rehearse for hundreds of hours.
the solo performer has to rehearse and arrange for hundreds of hours as well. think about how much time Brian Wilson spent arranging that material. we are talking a lot of long days with no breaks. it's not like the singer 1 can go take a break and drink some honey tea while singer 2 does some overdubs. if you are a solo performer you kind of have to be on all the time. this is hard on your throat (keep in mind Nilsson did blow out his voice pushing it too hard).
imo Harry was exceptional because doing this was (seemingly) easy for him. part long hours of hard work part the natural talents of having an incredible singing voice. he can be very smooth, controlled, and on-key, but also really rock n roll, really drunk, loose, silly. his range is vast yet in a real pleasing, pop way. he has powerful command of his own voice. he's a great songwriter as well which always helps.
fwiw he doesn't have to be the sole pioneer of a style or anything, he is just fantastic, his music speaks for itself. it takes a big talent to be able to do this with your voice. i see him as in line with people like Buddy Holly or Brian Eno, the avant pop studio experimenalist. he excels at using overdubs to create a layered voice-as-instrument effect. in the spirit of something like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcuojSU_hOY
― Hazy Maze Cave (Adam Bruneau), Wednesday, 23 May 2018 23:39 (five years ago) link
I've been non stop listening to Knillssonn for the last week. Arguably one of his best albums.
― stranded, Thursday, 24 May 2018 08:33 (five years ago) link
yeah that all makes sense. Nilsson def had a better, more versatile voice than any of the Boys
Well, I don't know, Brian and Carl are pretty good singers! I get a strong Bobby Darin vibe off (in particular, but not exclusively) Nilsson's first album.
― Poisoned by Johan's pea soup. (Tom D.), Thursday, 24 May 2018 17:41 (five years ago) link
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/pop-genius-harry-nilsson-left-an-unreleased-record-behind-now-you-can-finally-hear-the-completed-version/2019/09/24/0ae20126-dec7-11e9-b199-f638bf2c340f_story.html
― a bevy of supermodels, musicians and Lena Dunham (C. Grisso/McCain), Wednesday, 25 September 2019 17:07 (four years ago) link
wow, almost didnt recognize his voice on that sample track
― “Hakuna Matata,” a nihilist philosophy (One Eye Open), Thursday, 26 September 2019 12:17 (four years ago) link
UCLA sounds completely in keeping with latter day Nilsson. Title track, agree, sounds like nothing else he did. I would love to hear the demos as well.
― Naive Teen Idol, Friday, 27 September 2019 19:23 (four years ago) link
https://i.imgur.com/Boy1C5O.png
dude was ahead of his time...
https://open.spotify.com/track/6fvIzrJ6boUDFF19fH4S2s?si=a48JN0ddSVeLd89E0LCCDQ
― corrs unplugged, Monday, 14 October 2019 07:28 (four years ago) link
There are some days where I think that Pussy Cats may be his best album.
― Mr. Cacciatore (Moodles), Wednesday, 21 October 2020 23:36 (three years ago) link
It's been reported that Zak Nilsson (Harry's son) has passed away after a long struggle with colon cancer.
I didn't know this, but when Paul McCartney heard he was starting chemo, he sent him this letter.
― birdistheword, Friday, 5 March 2021 02:07 (three years ago) link
Confirmed on the Nilsson FB page.e
He appears w/Mom & Dad in the upper corner of the Son of... gatefold.
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2176/9085/products/R-682504-1350386714-1971_jpeg_1024x1024.jpg?v=1598380339
― "what are you DOING to fleetwood mac??" (C. Grisso/McCain), Friday, 5 March 2021 02:24 (three years ago) link
Just saw this. RIP.
― The Ballad of Mel Cooley (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 5 March 2021 04:15 (three years ago) link
Recently picked up ... That's the Way it Is as I continue very slowly filling in his post-Pussy Cats records. It's good! STE at Allmusic always gave me the sense this was the nadir of his recorded output, but it's feeling very consistent with Knnillssonn and Sandman, just wayyy more reliant on covers and therefore less compositionally or melodically surprising. If you like 50% or more of those records, you'd probably like 50% or more of this one.
― Bobo Honk, real name, no gimmicks (Doctor Casino), Friday, 2 July 2021 14:11 (two years ago) link
That run of three albums: "Duit on Mon Dei", "Sandman" and "...That's the Way It Is", is pretty dire compared to the rest of his discography, although there's definitely good (even great) stuff on all those albums. "Knnillsson" is different beast entirely.
― Are Animated Dads Getting Hotter? (Tom D.), Friday, 2 July 2021 14:22 (two years ago) link
i hardly ever put them on individually, but there are enough good tracks across all of them to put together a pretty good album-length playlist imo
― nobody like my rap (One Eye Open), Friday, 2 July 2021 15:36 (two years ago) link
Yes, you could get one very good album out of the three, shorn of dross like "How to Write a Song" et al.
― Are Animated Dads Getting Hotter? (Tom D.), Friday, 2 July 2021 16:11 (two years ago) link
https://i.imgur.com/utaGNbW.jpgThis came on and I was like “how did I not know that Lennon covered this?”
― calstars, Thursday, 10 August 2023 00:54 (eight months ago) link
Interesting to compare Nilsson's "Vine Street" to Van Dyke Parks' version starting off "Song Cycle"...
Or Harpers Bizarre's version.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEkbPrsoX_c
― Hunky Tory (Tom D.), Saturday, 6 April 2024 15:55 (three weeks ago) link
... and Lulu's version!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epxh3CetPo8
that Harpers Bizarre version is nice
― Muad'Doob (Moodles), Monday, 8 April 2024 13:31 (three weeks ago) link
This came on and I was like “how did I not know that Lennon covered this?”
Because he didn't? Lennon used the same string arrangement for "#9 Dream."
Nilsson's version is a cover tho ... of a Jimmy Cliff song.
― Naive Teen Idol, Monday, 8 April 2024 15:44 (three weeks ago) link
Lennon freely admitted he copped it too.
― poppers fueled buttsex crescendo (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 8 April 2024 15:46 (three weeks ago) link