Harry Nilsson - Nilsson Schmilsson (1971/2017) [Official Digital Download 24/96]

Harry Nilsson could be one of the more neglected but great singer-songwriters of the 20th century. John Lennon & Paul McCartney both named him as their favourite American singer in a 1968 press conference. The Monkees, Fred Astaire, the Yardbirds, and later artists such as Aimee Mann and Mariah Carey recorded his songs. But ask the average Joe about him, and they probably won't know that he was the man behind classics such as 'Everybody's Talkin', 'One' and 'Without You'. Harry had a taste for Tin Pan Alley songs & McCartney-esque melodies, but his impish wit and impressive vocal range give his songs an extra dimension. Nilsson Schmilsson was his third album and contains his biggest hit 'Without You', along with other classics such as the faux-tropical song 'Coconut' and the bluesy 'Early In The Morning'. This album is more accessible and cohesive than any of his other albums and received a number of Grammy nominations on its 1971 release, yet it still manages to keep the mischievous and slightly off-kilter humour.

Harry Nilsson had a hit, a Grammy, and critical success, yet he still didn't have a genuine blockbuster to his name when it came time to finally deliver a full-fledged follow-up to Nilsson Sings Newman, so he decided it was time to make that unabashed, mainstream pop/rock album. Hiring Barbra Streisand producer Richard Perry as a collaborator, Nilsson made a streamlined, slightly domesticated, unashamed set of mature pop/rock, with a slight twist. This is an album, after all, that begins by pining for the reckless days of youth, then segues into a snapshot of suburban disconnectedness before winding through a salute to and covers of old R&B tunes ("Early in the Morning" and "Let the Good Times Roll," respectively), druggie humor ("Coconut"), and surging hard rock ("Jump Into the Fire"). There are certainly hints of the Nilsson of old, particularly in his fondness for Tin Pan Alley and McCartney melodicism as well as his impish wit yet he hadn't made a record as cohesive as this since his first time out, nor had he ever made something as shiny and appealing as this. It may be more accessible than before, yet it's anchored by his mischievous humor and wonderful idiosyncrasies. Chances are that those lured in by the grandly melodramatic "Without You" will not be prepared for either the subtle charms of "The Moonbeam Song" or the off-kilter sensibility that makes even his breeziest pop slightly strange. In short, it's a near-perfect summary of everything Nilsson could do; he could be craftier and stranger, but never did he achieve the perfect balance as he did here.

Tracklist:

01. Gotta Get Up
02. Driving Along
03. Early in the Morning
04. The Moonbeam Song
05. Down
06. Without You
07. Coconut
08. Let The Good Times Roll
09. Jump Into The Fire
10. I'll Never Leave You

Personnel:

Harry Nilsson - vocals, piano, Mellotron, organ, harmonica, electric piano
Jim Gordon - drums, percussion
Klaus Voormann - bass, guitars
Chris Spedding - guitar
Herbie Flowers - bass
John Uribe - acoustic guitar, lead guitar
Henry Krein - accordion
Richard Perry - percussion, Mellotron
Jim Price - trumpet, trombone, horn arrangements
Jim Keltner - drums
Roger Coulam - organ
Bobby Keys - saxophone
Gary Wright - piano, organ
Roger Pope - drums
Caleb Quaye - guitar
Ian Duck - acoustic guitar
Jim Webb - piano



All thanks go to the original releaser