Harry Nilsson

[Smilin Ed H]

20 years since he passed...

http://fridaynightboys300.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/harry-nilsson-20-years.html

[Mr. Wilson]

Thank you for the link.. Harry is still missed.. BTW I hadn't realized Harry Died around the time of the last great earth quake in California.. Boy was that something to live thru.. 1st lp's of Harry's I ever bought were Sings Newman + Harry.. Back in the day when they 1st came out.. Plus his hit singles.. Back in those days everyone had heard of Nilsson  but No one knew what to make of him.... What was he pop or rock .? Counter culture or mainstream.. ?  ETC.. Well I bet Harry enjoyed the confusion. He was everything they said + nothing they said... What he was is pure Harry Nilsson.. That's enough for me..!

[feelsflow]

We keep posting these birthdays and death anniversaries.  Shows how old we are, and how long we have been fans of all these folks.  Not too many respond, but I will.

I still enjoy listening to Harry.  Even though I have gotten many of his releases on CD over the years, and have everything on vinyl except Flash Harry, I fit the new box set into my budget.  I called it a Christmas gift to myself, but would have got it anyway sooner or later.  It sure is worth what I paid.  In fact I thought this was the "box thread" when I saw it.  I'm still working my way through it, it's so massive...All of his albums and three "sessions" discs.  Except Flash Harry, you have to buy that as a stand alone.  So still haven't heard that one yet. 

Thanks for posting Ed.  I notice a lot of people post links from that site.  I read there every once in awhile.

I miss Harry

[pixletwin]

My wife used to listen to the Air Supply version of "Without You" constantly until I showed her Harry's version. After than she couldn't stand the AS version and she has dipped deeper and deeper into Harry's catalog. So much good stuff. I hope his last album gets a CD release soon. The box set is wonderful.

[feelsflow]

pixletwin,  What last album are you referring to?  Flash Harry was released on CD last year in the UK.

[pixletwin]

pixletwin,  What last album are you referring to?  Flash Harry was released on CD last year in the UK.

I am not sure FLash Harry has been released in the states yet... but in any case I was referring to the album he was recording right up until the day he died.

[alf wiedersehen]

I love Harry very much.

I watched that documentary that was recently made about him and it was wonderful.
The story of him and his friend sitting in a car together and chronologically listening to all of Harry's albums really got to me. They sat together all day, just listening to his music. When the last album finished, Harry said "Well, that's my life. Thanks for listening." That was the last time those two saw each other.
 

Anyway, they actually have released Flash Harry in the states. It was released as a CD and LP around the time the box set was also released.

[pixletwin]

Thanks bubbly, I had no idea. I need to do some shopping come Saturday. 

[Alan Smith]

1st lp's of Harry's I ever bought were Sings Newman...

Man, that record kicks my ass everytime I hear it - those last couple of tracks on side 2 

My first Harry record was (relatively recently) Shmillson - love the sound and atmosphere on that disk, Early in the Morning sounds like it was actually recorded at 4am or something.

Gonna be 44 degrees here today (111 fahrenheit); think I'll hide indoors and give 'em both a spin.

[feelsflow]

Sorry about that pixletwin.  I have not heard much about those final sessions.  Just that he was working on finishing tracks close to the day he died.  What I did not know was he had enough put together for a whole album. neat.

I picked up on Nilsson pretty quickly.  The Beatles were raving about him, that always helped get the word out.  I had not heard of Randy Newman much when he made ...Sings Newman.  Randy had written a couple of tracks done by Eric Burdon, on his Eric Is Here (1967), Judy Collins put one on the In My Life album, but that was about it.  Now I'm a big Newman fan.

I love all of Harry's early albums the best, thru 1970.  If I had to pick just one favorite, it would be Harry.  "Simon Smith and His Amazing Dancing Bear," "Open your Window," "Rainmaker" (although Michael Nesmith does it better, Nilsson wrote it with Bill Martin), "I Guess The Lord Must Be In New York City," "Mournin' Glory Story," Love every track on it.  Also have to add the Midnight Cowboy track "Everybody's Talking"(1969).  His version of "Mr. Bojangles" is my favorite version.  As we all know, he was very good at covers - even by The Beatles.  He does a knock-out version of "Blackbird" on one of the sessions discs and "Marry Me A Little" is now my favorite version of that.  I'm not saying it's better, but this box set is as Important to me as MIC.  Every album he ever made, save one, and the Three sessions discs for much less $$ than MIC holds weight.  

[mtaber]

Just bought p*ssy Cats this week...

[Peadar 'Big Dinner' O'Driscoll]

The Shipton book is great. Really packs in a load of detail and concentrates largely on the music. I think Son of Schmilsson might be my favorite Nilsson album so found it a bit frustrating that it was kinda put down (Perry) in comparison to Nilsson Schmilsson in the documentary.

[Dudd]

Harry's great. Everything on the Newman album is wonderful, especially Love Story.

[Peadar 'Big Dinner' O'Driscoll]

Harry's great. Everything on the Newman album is wonderful, especially Love Story.

oh yeah, I should have said the Newman album is my fav Harry album but I was thinking original album. Its also my fav Newman album if that makes any sense, love both Randy and Harry but am still a bigger Newman fan overall.

[feelsflow]

Harry's great. Everything on the Newman album is wonderful, especially Love Story.

oh yeah, I should have said the Newman album is my fav Harry album but I was thinking original album. Its also my fav Newman album if that makes any sense, love both Randy and Harry but am still a bigger Newman fan overall.

Nice to see this turning into a Harry Appreciation thread.

As I work my way through the box some reassessment is happening, but for now I will stick with ...sings Newman as the one he could not top going on.  Every track is done about the best it has ever been done.  Except one, nobody can touch Chuck's (Three Dog Night) take on "Cowboy."  My favorites:  "Dayton, Ohio 1903," "The Beehive State," "Vine St.," and yes "Love Story."  "So Long Dad" holds a very special place in my heart, as it reminds me of leaving home that first time.  Randy was very good on this theme, "Old Man" is another.  I first heard it on Garfunkel's first album and didn't think it stood out much, until my Dad died when I was only 27, then it took on a very different meaning.  It can make me cry to this day. 

Woody, haven't had a chance yet to read the book.  Looking forward to what it has to say about his friendship with Jimmy Webb.  I think Perry comes across sorta bitter in the documentary, as does a couple of other folks left behind as Harry did what He Wanted.  A Touch of... is not one of my favorite Nilsson albums, but Perry should have supported it.  It's a hard call on which of the two other Schmilsson records are the best.  Both have very strong tracks.  "Gotta Get Up" and the in-genius follow "Driving Along" were two I often put on back then first thing in the morning.  Might be the way I see them, first one more of a morning album, the second one for the night.  I was a big fan of country rock back then.  It was nice to see him getting into that.  So in between his usual rockers ("Take 54" / "You're Breakin' My Heart") he threw in "Joy," "Turn On Your Radio" and "The Most Beautiful World In The World."  "Remember (Christmas)" should have been a much bigger hit than it was. 

I am going to add some thoughts later in the Nilsson Box Tread.  Got a long way to go...I've only had it since December. 

On a side-note...All the talk here on Randy.  Have you heard and seen (it comes with a DVD) Newman's Live in London 22 June 2008?  He's holding up very well.  He's playing some tracks not played often, with a big Concert Orchestra.

[Peadar 'Big Dinner' O'Driscoll]

Woody, haven't had a chance yet to read the book.  Looking forward to what it has to say about his friendship with Jimmy Webb.  I think Perry comes across sorta bitter in the documentary, as does a couple of other folks left behind as Harry did what He Wanted.  A Touch of... is not one of my favorite Nilsson albums, but Perry should have supported it.  It's a hard call on which of the two other Schmilsson records are the best.  Both have very strong tracks.  "Gotta Get Up" and the in-genius follow "Driving Along" were two I often put on back then first thing in the morning.  Might be the way I see them, first one more of a morning album, the second one for the night.  I was a big fan of country rock back then.  It was nice to see him getting into that.  So in between his usual rockers ("Take 54" / "You're Breakin' My Heart") he threw in "Joy," "Turn On Your Radio" and "The Most Beautiful World In The World."  "Remember (Christmas)" should have been a much bigger hit than it was.  [/left]

I am going to add some thoughts later in the Nilsson Box Tread.  Got a long way to go...I've only had it since December. 

On a side-note...All the talk here on Randy.  Have you heard and seen (it comes with a DVD) Newman's Live in London 22 June 2008?  He's holding up very well.  He's playing some tracks not played often, with a big Concert Orchestra.

Yep, I have that Newman live release. Its great! very jealous of the those in the intimate audience. I guess Perry had a set idea in his mind of what "son of" would be and when it didn't happen he kind of dismissed it out of hurt. I know Nilsson Schmillson was the one that hit but I find I don't come back to it very much for whatever reason. Knnillssonn is an album I only started listening to recently, some incredible tracks on that, that deserved much more exposure. Plenty of Jimmy Webb stuff in the book. Its like a study manual at times as in you keep reading bits in the book and then refreshing your memory again with certain songs you may not have heard in a while.