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Nilsson Schmilsson

Harry Nilsson - Nilsson Schmilsson Audio CD

A fair review of the Harry Nilsson "Nilsson Schmilsson" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Harry Nilsson reviews here, or go back to the Harry Nilsson tabs.

Band: Harry Nilsson
Title: Nilsson Schmilsson
Rating:

Release Date: 1990-10-25
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Gotta Get Up 2: Driving Along 3: Early in the Morning 4: Moonbeam Song 5: Down 6: Without You 7: Coconut 8: Let the Good Times Roll 9: Jump into the Fire 10: I'll Never Leave You

Harry's best is one of rock's best ever
It's not that this album contains all of his best stuff from a songwriting standpoint, but the performance of the session players, particularly Herbie Flowers on bass and Jim Gordon on drums, the production of the record by Richard Perry, the awesome vocal performance by Nilsson, and the interesting selection of songs combine to make one of rock's greatest moments. I'm a huge Nilsson fan, so take this with a grain of salt, but this is one of the best rock records ever made. Gotta Get Up deftly mixes a rocking chorus lamenting the rat-race with an old-timey sounding plea for romance. Driving Along picks up the same modern times, hustle-and bustle thread with an acoustic-based rocker that sports the kind of melody that Nilsson seems so good at and comfortable in. Nilsson then loops back to longing with Early in the Morning. With just voice over organ, this minimalist and intimate take on Louis Jordan's bluesy number exquisitely captures the song's lonely lyrics and then gives way to Nilsson's Moonbeam Song, which echoes the house-that-jack-built lyrics of the Point's Think About Your Troubles, converting the loneliness of Early into a solitary contemplation on one's place in the universe (comprised of fences, weathervanes, railroads, wind, windows, and of course the moon). Nilsson then drops into a Fats Domino via John Lennon rocking rave on being "Down" about as far as you can go--but, with what was originally the opener on the second side of the LP, Without You manages to take the listener down even more, to the farthest reaches of heartache. Nilsson's cover of the Badfingers Ham and Evans tune is the embodiment of sorrow, one of rock's best vocal performances of all time, mixing a soft melancholy with Roy Orbison-like melodramatic anguish. In typical Nilsson fashion, he immediately follows up with the comical Coconut, which comes across as a novelty song, but is in fact an intricate one-chord rocker which sets the stage for the ultimate rock song, Jump Into the Fire. The playing and production on Coconut, along with Nilsson's characteristic playful yet urgent vocal and the appeal of the humor, make this one of the most listenable singles you'll ever hear. Before climaxing with the rock masterpiece Jump however, Nilsson echoes the past, tying in the album's earlier nostalgia, with Leonard Lee's Let the Good Times Roll, made famous by, among others, Fats Domino. What might seem like a throwaway is as good a performance as any on the album. The record then explodes with Jump, a simple shouter made complex by the interplay of the instruments, punchy with the coolest bass line ever (Klaus Voormann), and the insistent drums which themselves climax into an extended primal drum solo before the bass and guitars slink back into the outro. The drumming is complex and over-thetop and highlights Nilsson's penchant for the unexpected, which continues with the closer, I'll Never Leave You, a lonely romantic tune with lush strings that was originally intended for The Point and echoes that album's sweetness, but with the strong current of melancholy that lurks under all of Nilsson Schmilsson. Like all great records, this one has a timeless quality making you feel comfortable with its familiarity and common themes, but surprising you at every turn. It's a once-in-a-lifetime record.

Some good Harry...
"
Produced by Richard Perry who firmly put Nilsson into the pop world after Harry's earlier unfocused lightweight works. "Nilsson Schmilsson" is a fine disc by Harry Nilsson, one of the better singer/songwriters of the 70's, who ironically, did not pen his own 2 biggest hits, "Everybody's Talkin'" and "Without You. Released in 1971, "Nilsson Schmilsson" was the biggest critical and commercial success for Nilsson in his checkered career, and deservedly so.
Side one begins with the chunky "Gotta Get Up" in which whose lyrics Hary can't resist throwing in his bawdy sense of humor. Most people either like or hate his humor. Personally, I like it and have looked for it throughout his career. "Driving Along" is more of a filler than actual good song on this disc. "Early in the Morning" features Harry's superb voice weaving in and out of this song making you forget how little there really is to it. Harry onces again kicks it up a notch with "The Moonbeam Song. " His sense of humor and unparelled voice are quite a combination. At first you don't believe a voice so pure is singing those words. But that's the essence of the true Harry Nilsson. The uptempo piano based rocker "Down" is up next carried along by a barrage of horns that flesh out the tune beautifully. The classic, "Without You," is up next. Written by Badfinger the previous year, Nilsson saw the potential in the song and created the definitive version by layering his amazing voice on top of orchestration that seems to marry the melancholy of the words to the desperation in the music. "Coconut" also seems to work because Nilsson wills it to. He keeps on harping this coconut mantra over and over until we submit, and since it's not a bad little tune, it's succesful. "Let the Good Times Roll" is interesting but doesn't seem to reach the standards set by the other songs on this set. With its bass de-tunning start "Jump into the Fire" is known by many people before they even hear the words. This version isn't the radio version however, and features a drum break that hurts the effectiveness of the song. "Ill Never Leave You" is probably the only real mis-fire on this disc. This slow, overly dramatic song really isn't any good. It just doesn't do anything for me.
"Nilsson Schmilsson" is a fine album and a good starting point if you've just discovered Harry Nilsson. However, I feel that because Nilsson is on the "quirky" side, this production is just a little too slick to present Nilsson as he truly is. .

Some very good stuff plus one real stinker
It was one of my very favorites back in college. I want to like this album more than I do. I have fond memories of buying the 45 version of "Jump Into The Fire. " I literally wore the record out. I recently dug the LP out of my collection and gave it a new listen. I didn't like it as much as I remembered.

First, this is a collection of fun, rocking songs -- mostly. The good stuff is very, very good. "Jump Into The Fire" is easily the catchiest bass groove since The Beatles' "Drive My Car. " The opening number, "Gotta Get Up" and the closing number of Side 1 (well, it used to be Side 1 when it was an LP), "Down," are bouncy, lively -- and fun. "Coconut" is silly - and fun. "Without You" is still one of the most moving sad songs in rock history. It's been overplayed to death, but that's not Nilsson's fault. It's still a great record.

But there's bad stuff, too. "Jump Into The Fire" goes on way too long with a pointless drum solo. "Early In The Morning" is simply OK. Not good, just OK. And worst of all, the closing song "I'll Never Leave You" is possibly the lamest, slowest, drag-assiest song ever recorded. It's not the worst rock song ever - that would be "Revolution 9" on The Beatles' White Album. But it's close.

Now, "Revolution 9" is not enough to ruin The White Album because that album is simply the best rock record ever made. But Nilsson Schmilsson isn't nearly in the same category. It's not a very long album. There are only 10 songs. When one is God-awful, the rest have a hard time standing.

Nilsson Schmilsson is good. Parts of it are very good. But the parts that are bad drag down the better sections.

The Other One With A thousand Voices
As usual it's a NILSSON HOUSE product. In my opinion the cover of the album really says a lot about this
guy. The singer really blends throughout this recording. The thing with Harry was that he
on one hand could sing as a crooner and next moment being super-
-crazy both with lyrics,arrangments and in his singing. I love him for that,you were never sure what to expect on the first
hearing of his records. If I had a million I would gladly pay the
guy that amount to see him work with John Lennon on the "Pussy
Cats" session - what a craziness!
Well,my mom,my girlfriends all liked Nilsson. I think it must
be his voice(s). You might wonder who I mean also have a thousand
voices? Then I can recommend P. J. Proby,he's even more far-out
when vocalizing.
Now, Nilsson Schmilsson is Harry at his best BUT I rate all his records as interresting material to listen and study. He had
real talent,a true genius so I understand he was rated very high
by The Beatles and became a friend to them.

Put This Lime In Your Coconut
"Have you ever watched a moonbeam, as it slips across your windowpane?" From the odd-ball cover, to the melodious treasures within, he accentuates the various emotions we all have: from love, to desire, to downright wastedness (lol). I'll tell ya, harry cranks on this one. This album is comical, mainly because he never really pursued his career. It sort of went nowhere, and he didn't seem to care one way or another. I admire that. Very good album, despite it's weirdness. 3 1/2 stars.

You can see a complete list of all Harry Nilsson discography, or go back to the Harry Nilsson tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.