Nilsson Album-by-Album Thread*

Too many drugs and too much drinking, imo.

 

This isn't unlistenable...but Harry's assuredly not in particularly good voice. The range is gone and even the pitch is wobbly.

With the right sweetening, I am sure you could make something of some of these tracks. But it's still sad.

That said, I think that generally this material is better than that on Flash Harry.

As for why the modest vocal comeback on Knnillssonn didn't last...Harry didn't quit his bad habits, particularly smoking...That couldn't have helped.

Artistically, I think the commercial failure of Knnillssonn, the tidal change in the musical landscape in the late '70s, and the inability to get another substantial recording contract probably killed Harry's drive.

 

I'm speaking about after Knnillssonn.
It's insane to lose his voice again after it just came back.

Maybe he was disapointed to the commercial failure of that album that was very good, one of his best, as he used to say.
So he went on drinking and everything.

Did he stop after John's death? Early 80's ?
I remember he did a campaign against drinking with Ringo, I don't remember when.

Right. Maybe all those things together. What a pity.
I thought that Knnillssonn would reboost his career and he would reborn as the great Harry we all love. Great writing, great arrangements, great voice... great Harry, you know?

I thing that this album was this album that could have saved him. Everytime, I hear somme of those songs, it almost make me cry. It's one of my favorite for sure. My Top 5 maybe. So it's really a pity.

Filou

 

Can't edit. Error occurs.
So I correct here:

Everytime I hear some of those songs, it almost makes me cry.

 

The thing about Knnillssonn:

1) Harry had squandered all the good will and commercial momentum he had generated up through Son of Schmillson with a series of oddball unfocused releases and the tragic voice destruction during the Pussycats sessions. By the time Knnillssonn came out, outside of a severely diminished hardcore fanbase, no one else cared at all. Even if it had been his best, most commercial album of all time, it was going to be a tough slog to get it on the radio and to make it a hit.

2) Knnillssonn came out in July. Elvis Presley died in August. Whatever interest RCA had in promoting the record evaporated when Elvis died and they chose to focus ALL their efforts on meeting the incredible demand for Elvis. Knnillssonn was never going to be a barn burner out of the box, it was going to need to be built to a slow burn--if they were going to be able to successfully market it at all. When promo plans essentially got shifted less than a month after it was released, it was all over.

3) And since Knnillssonn was Harry's last new album for RCA, there wasn't even a chance to back promote it with the next release. There was no next release (other than a quietly-released best of, which Harry refused to help promote).

So the failure of the album can be seen as a combination of an artist who had self sabotaged his career for some time prior, bad timing with respect to Elvis Presley, and bad timing with regard to his tenure arc with the label.

 

I agree.
I can understand that that album had no chance of success ...whatever he did.
And when you listen to this, that makes a true promess.



Even as a demo, Harry's voice is good and he sings so well this kind of blues song with Dr. John.

 

If we're gonna be exhaustive, we should mention the Every Man Has A Woman compilation - a 1984 tribute album to Yoko Ono featuring three Nilsson cuts. Ever wondered what Nilsson would have sounded like with an eighties sound?

 

Didn't want to start a new thread but wanted to say a couple of things about The Point!

Firstly the songs, few as they are, are among my all-time favourite Nilsson tunes and I've often wondered if there are "clean" mixes out there anywhere, i.e. rather than the sometimes abrupt beginnings and endings on some tracks as a result of the album segues...

Also, if you were to ditch the narration parts, could you flesh the remainder into a "proper" Nilsson album? What would you add? Most likely contenders seem to be "Down to the Valley," "Blanket for a Sail" and "Here's Why I Didn't Go to Work Today" (which I think were added to one of the CD versions)... anything else?

 

Amazingly talented singer, but from all accounts I've seen, an awful human being. Sometimes hard to separate the two...but that voice during his early career was glorious!

 

For someone so awful, he sure had a lot of friends

 

True. Everyone loves a partier until it gets old. From what I've read, his antics eventually got old for all his friends.

 

I have a CD of this album, though it took me a while to find it. Great liuner notes as well.

Nilsson Has been one my favorite singers for at least 25 years, but I always get the feeling (other than this forum of course!) that very few people are familiar with him.

Ironically, this is the last album I have gotten from him, being the hardest to find at the time, so it is my most recent one. A great debut album if I ever heard one. All the things that I like about him (early Nilsson) are on PSS. Got it a long time ago though, so I don't remember where I got it.

 

I think he did "River Deep..." to show that he could rock, as well as do his neo-circus routine. That is sort of what it says in the CD liner notes.

 

I got the Camden double cd set of pandemonium shadow aerial ballet, and.more recently the box set.

I'll do the "Flash Harry," cdr when I get round to it, along with the Yoko tracks.

I saw the DJM album of early tracks, are they worth the effort? I guess I should read this thread really!

 

I can be of help/insight, having been on the engineering side of both 'Nilsson Sings Newman' and 'The Point'. I also hung out with him during that era and urged him to go to England where I thought the studios were better. He was a hell of a guy, and what a joy to be connected with his artistry!

 

Ahh, now were talking! The debut (PSS) was a good start, but Aerial Ballet (and the next 2 albums) is one of my favorite albums of all time, definitely falls into the "Short but sweet" category. One of the greatest cover designs as well. Within the course of maybe 25 minutes, it manages to be funny, sad, whimsical, and original all at the same time. If it was a little longer it could easily be one of the Beatles classic albums I think, though he definitely leans toward the Paul side musically.

 

His original version of "One" I think is the definitive version, just him and a lonely piano, perfect for the sad lyrics. It Really is a lonely sounding song. THis is the right way to do it, not screaming and pounding piano chords like the Three Dog Night version

 

It def. is smoother than the first album. Just listen to the super-smooth vocals on "Wailing of the Willow", which shows he had been listening to some Brazilian songs such as Sergio Mendes and/or "The Girl From Ipanema".
One great song that has not been mentioned yet is "Mr. Tinker", a sad song about a lonely tailor that's jealous of all the happy people all around him. It would def. fit into the "saddest songs" thread on this forum.
"Together" def. shows a Beatles influence with the horn solos, etc.
Only problem I have with this album is that both the album many songs on it is too short, otherwise it is a true original.

 

This is the album that got me into Nilsson, after hearing "I Guess The Lord..." on the radio and thinking "I have to hear more of this guy", turned into almost 30 years of listening to him! My 2nd favorite album of his after Aerial Ballet, much longer and meatier album, def. has more substance. The bonus song "I Will Take You There" is the theme song from a movie called "Jenny", or is it from "Skidoo"? Can't remember what the liner notes said, but it is a great song either way.

 

I think that's correct. All his albums from this time say "A Nilsson House Production" with a little house drwawing, presumably meaning that it was a group job?

 

I got this on vinyl from the dollar bins at the used record show, it's OK but nothing particularly memorable. He definitely improved later

 

THis is a really unique album that shows that what sounds like a bad idea (just voice and piano sounds like it will get monotonous quickly) can turn into a very good one if done properly. Another super-short album that covers a wide range of emotions, from funny and whimsical ("Yellow Man" and "Love Story") to hearbreaking and sad ("Cowboy"). Amazing arrangements especially the vocals and overdubs.

Kind of reminds me of the Beach Boys "Friends", the same kind of "25 minute oasis of tranquility" feeling

 

Skidoo.

 

Those are two of my favorite Nilsson albums considering the engineering side of it. Nothing else really sounds like The Point... ever. It has it's own little landscape to it due to how it was recorded. If you ever want to give a track-by-track rundown of what you remember from the sessions, I'm sure we would all welcome your memories.

 

I made a cdr (with sleeve) of "Son of Dracula" for inclusion in the box set. Do you think they plain forgot to include the "LP version" of Daybreak?