Nilsson Schmilsson

Harry Nilsson was many things in life - revered songwriter, razor-sharp wit, gifted singer, studio pioneer, daring poet, cult icon, creative maverick, fearless interpreter, larger-than-life inspiration, man of mystery and intrigue. All these hallmark facets come together in a resplendent symphony on Nilsson Schmilsson, a go-to standout in the beloved artist's vaunted canon and most commercially successful release. For the first time in decades, it features audiophile sonics that bring the record's brilliant melodicism, sophisticated soulfulness, subtle shading, and sure-handed production into full view.

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.

Emboldened by a huge hit and hanging with Lennon and Ringo, Harry Nilsson was ready to let it all go when it came time to record a follow-up to Nilsson Schmilsson. The very title of Son of Schmilsson implies that it's a de facto sequel to its smash predecessor but, as always with Nilsson, don't take everything at face value. Yes, he's back with producer Richard Perry and he's working from the same gleefully melodic, polished pop/rock territory as before, but this is an incredibly schizoid record, an album by an enormously gifted musician deciding that, since he's already going unhinged, he might as well indulge himself while he's at it. And, wow, are the results ever worth it.

Harry, a fitting title. Although stylistically it’s considered a bit of a transitional album, Harry established or reaffirmed most of the fan-endearing attributes that would characterize the best of Nilsson’s future work. There’s gorgeous song craft, expressive covers, orchestration, soundtrack residue, off-beat humor and tin pan hokum. There’s even a preview of his next album as Harry covers Randy Newman’s “Simon Smith And The Amazing Dancing Bear.” Nilsson’s never-ending Beatles fixation produced “Mournin’ Glory Story,” a grim outcome/sequel to Paul McCartney’s “She’s Leaving Home,” and he even took a stab at Monkee money with “The Puppy Song,” a track originally written for Mary Hopkin, at McCartney’s behest.

Well, what do you expect from an artist who's reading Penthouse, surrounded by liquor bottles and cigarettes, on the cover of his album? Perfection? Accessibility? Sanity? Well, you ain't gonna get that from Nilsson, a man who left sanity behind shortly after he entered the mainstream with Nilsson Schmilsson. Instead, you get a record from an artist who's just at the fringe of popular culture, not really caring if he has a hit, but not really wanting to be so weird that he's just a cult.

In the early '70s rock stars did not make standards albums, but that's what Nilsson did with this 1973 LP. He nearly cracked the Top 40, too, backed by Gordon Jenkins' orchestra as he sets that beautiful voice free on As Time Goes By; It Had to Be You; Always ; six bonus outtakes unissued in the U.S., and more!