Harry Nilsson

[.:.impossible]

A recent friend of mine through the local record store is a DJ at a neighborhood bar. He was crazy about Nilsson. I haven't knowingly heard much of his music, and couldn't find a thread here. My impression/assumption is apparently very different from my friend's.

What was his deal? Recommendations?

[JSngry]

Interesting guy & songwriter, tragic story in many ways...my preference is for his earlier stuff, when the quirkiness had more lightness than darkness, but that's relative,

If you've got a Netflix thing going on, check out a documentary called Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin' About Him?) for the life story.

As far as songs go, this has always been a favorite:

For albums, the first one, Pandemonium Shadow Show, remains a favorite.

[J.A.W.]

And he's famous for his hit version of Fred Neil's "Everybody's Talkin'", of course. It was featured in the Dustin Hoffman/Jon Voight movie Midnight Cowboy.

[Stereojack]

I saw the documentary recently, and recommend it highly. An ultimately tragic story about a very talented dude.

[Joe]

A third recommendation for the recent Nilsson documentary.

Things get a bit too boozily self-indulgent for my tastes after SON OF SCHMILSSON (Cee-Lo Green has nothing on Harry's FU anthem), but the earlier, frankly "Beatles-esque" / false naif material is almost uniformly wonderful, and I do like his take on the Great American Songbook.

[Chuck Nessa]

Jim said what I was about to type. "Morning Glory Story" is one of my favorite Nilsson songs.

[medjuck]

I'd get Nilsson sings Newman just for Vine Street. He wrote a lot of great songs but seem to have done best with other people's.

Edited April 25, 2011 by medjuck

[GA Russell]

I've added this to my wish list:

Harry Nilsson - Original Album Classics (5 CDs) - $19.87

http://www.amazon.com/Original-Album-Classics-Harry-Nilsson/dp/B002JI8MNI/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=IS1P6EXICWDP7&colid=RVSBV717YT9

[.:.impossible]

Since opening this thread, I have fallen in love with Harry Nilsson. His music too. The documentary was great, and led me to find his BBC stuff on youtube. This guy seems to have had an unusual charm that is so much more rare than talent. Plus he had the talent in spades. And creativity! What a story. A sad story with, what seemed to be, some truly happy moments.

What gets me most is how I had only associated his name with a few songs. I had no idea how deep the well was. It makes me wonder how many more Schmilssons there are out there that have been marginalized with time.

My opinion is that Harry Nilsson is a national treasure. Brilliant. Beautiful. Backed by the story of the tragic american dream.

Thanks fellows.

[umum_cypher]

Alyn Shipton is finishing a Nilsson biography at the moment.

[.:.impossible]

Great news! Any details?

[GA Russell]

  On 4/25/2011 at 4:08 PM, medjuck said:

I'd get Nilsson sings Newman just for Vine Street. He wrote a lot of great songs but seem to have done best with other people's.

Nilsson Sings Newman is now to be had for $2.49.

http://www.amazon.com/Nilsson-Sings-Newman-Anniversary-Deluxe/dp/B0012GN2YW/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1308273168&sr=1-1

[.:.impossible]

Yeah, I've been listening to that one quite a bit since opening this topic. Great album for me.

[umum_cypher]

  On 6/17/2011 at 12:36 AM, .:.impossible said:

Great news! Any details?

Fraid not.

[.:.impossible]

Hard to believe I hadn't known Harry's music two years ago. I play A Little Schmilsson In The Night daily.

Nilsson: The Life of a Singer-Songwriter http://amzn.com/0199756570 is available for pre-order.

[sgcim]

I loved his earlier shit- the first two or three LPs + Nilsson Sings Newman, and the standards LP with great Gordon Jenkins arr.

After that, it was all downhill...

i thought his best stuff was with Geo. Tipton as his arranger/conductor.

If you saw the doc., Tipton didn't even appear in it, and was only mentioned once. I researched that, and it turned out HN tried to stiff him on some of the writing credits for "The Point". Tipton was also reportedly upset about his escalating drug and alcohol use.

HN had intense stagefright; never toured and only did one concert (in the UK), though he did appear on TV a few times.

"Arial Ballet" was my fave.

[JSngry]

Here's an early Nilsson song, covered by the Ronettes in 1965 but not released until somewhere in the 70s. I think it's a minor miracle as a record (not so much as a song) and would have been a major miracle (as a record and as a teen-fantasy-song) if there would have been a third verse to tie it all together after the bridge.

But that bridge...whoa.

[.:.impossible]

That song would have been a great opportunity for a Nilsson/Hazlewood collaboration.

[Quasimado]

You guys are serious, right?

Q

and Chuck?

Edited April 30, 2013 by Quasimado

[JSngry]

I am serious, yes.

[.:.impossible]

You not feeling it Quas?

[Quasimado]

  On 4/30/2013 at 3:45 PM, .:.impossible said:

You not feeling it Quas?

You got it baby ... you know - 1,2,3,4 ... No bombs ... you cats should know this shit...

Q

[JSngry]

"It's all music" is accurate, but really too easy...nevertheless, I can't help but be interested in the way some people do some things...Phil Spector as "music" is not really that important to me, but Phil Spector as "creator of sound" and "sociological phenomenon" definitely is. Important and interesting.

As for Nilson, hey, as long as you have "songs", then the door is open for anybody/anything. Who comes through it and what they bring is liable to be any damn thing. It's always fun when somebody who's a little unique comes in with something that is also a little unique.

Life is a parade that is fun to both march in and spectate. And, if you can find the right wormhole, to do both at the same time. But sometimes, doing that makes your head explode from trying to find room for it all.

[robertoart]

Fuck You

Edited April 30, 2013 by freelancer

[.:.impossible]

You're breaking my heart