.:.impossible Posted April 24, 2011 Report Share Posted April 24, 2011 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? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted April 24, 2011 Report Share Posted April 24, 2011 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.A.W. Posted April 24, 2011 Report Share Posted April 24, 2011 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stereojack Posted April 25, 2011 Report Share Posted April 25, 2011 I saw the documentary recently, and recommend it highly. An ultimately tragic story about a very talented dude. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Posted April 25, 2011 Report Share Posted April 25, 2011 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Nessa Posted April 25, 2011 Report Share Posted April 25, 2011 Jim said what I was about to type. "Morning Glory Story" is one of my favorite Nilsson songs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medjuck Posted April 25, 2011 Report Share Posted April 25, 2011 (edited) 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GA Russell Posted April 25, 2011 Report Share Posted April 25, 2011 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.:.impossible Posted June 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 16, 2011 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umum_cypher Posted June 16, 2011 Report Share Posted June 16, 2011 Alyn Shipton is finishing a Nilsson biography at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.:.impossible Posted June 17, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2011 Great news! Any details? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GA Russell Posted June 17, 2011 Report Share Posted June 17, 2011 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.:.impossible Posted June 17, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2011 Yeah, I've been listening to that one quite a bit since opening this topic. Great album for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umum_cypher Posted June 17, 2011 Report Share Posted June 17, 2011 Great news! Any details? Fraid not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.:.impossible Posted April 26, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 26, 2013 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgcim Posted April 26, 2013 Report Share Posted April 26, 2013 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted April 30, 2013 Report Share Posted April 30, 2013 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.:.impossible Posted April 30, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2013 That song would have been a great opportunity for a Nilsson/Hazlewood collaboration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quasimado Posted April 30, 2013 Report Share Posted April 30, 2013 (edited) You guys are serious, right? Q and Chuck? Edited April 30, 2013 by Quasimado Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted April 30, 2013 Report Share Posted April 30, 2013 I am serious, yes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.:.impossible Posted April 30, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2013 You not feeling it Quas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quasimado Posted April 30, 2013 Report Share Posted April 30, 2013 You not feeling it Quas? You got it baby ... you know - 1,2,3,4 ... No bombs ... you cats should know this shit... Q Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted April 30, 2013 Report Share Posted April 30, 2013 "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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertoart Posted April 30, 2013 Report Share Posted April 30, 2013 (edited) Fuck You Edited April 30, 2013 by freelancer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.:.impossible Posted April 30, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2013 You're breaking my heart Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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