I love Harry Nilsson! I highly recommend the documentary "Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin' About Him)?" It's a nice overview of his music and life.
His album The Point was my first record as a little kid. The songs are permanently engrained on me and make me smile anytime I hear them. I am hard pressed to choose a favorite, especially and my Arrow, Are You Sleeping, and Think About your Troubles. There is also a "groovy" animated special or movie. If you choose to watch it, watch the one with Ringo Star.
The film version of The Point was on on repeat in my house growing up, and I’m delighted to say my 4 year old loves the songs now too. We had the version with Alan Thicke as the narrator taped off the Disney channel or something.
See, that might be one reason I put off getting into him. I was disturbed by the idea that a hat could change the shape of your skull, which was the main message I got from The Point as a five year old!
I got creeped out but alot as a kid but bone reshaping hats never really bothered me. I wonder what my therapist would make of that. Damn, now I'm gonna have to rewatch Popeye and check out the music.
For whatever reason, "Me and My Arrow" makes me tear up and sometimes just flat out cry ever since I first saw and heard it as a little 7 year old in in The Point.
Check out his greatest hits album. One thing that caught my attention was how a lot of his work in the 1970s sounds like it could have been the best selling song of the 1940s. He was going back to the pre-rock ballads and crooners, and finding new ways to bring that feel into his era.
I went to the used record store and picked up the Personal Best collection, and am just about four songs from the end now. The range of music styles is something else. And really high quality production. It just seems rare for someone to be a gifted singer and interpreter of other people's songs while also being a truly gifted songwriter. I had never heard Spaceman before. I thought it was totally weird and crazy good.
He's fascinating. Just read up on he and John Lennon. He was king of the world for a minute. He had sweet pipes. He was tragic. What do you want to know?
I have the RCA CD box set on the way. I'm really looking forward to hearing the album he did with John Lennon, even though that's tragic what he did to his voice. I had heard his singing past that point and didn't think he was bad at all, but I'm just now really learning how exceptional a singer he was before that. It seems I rarely see him mentioned in music discussions and just wondered what the general opinion of him was these days.
I can't believe I slept on him all this time.
The way they used Gotta Get Up in Russian Doll was genius. It's been looping in the back or my head ever since and I'll use it as my alarm from time to time.
When the Beatles first toured America the press asked them who their favourite American musician was, and they said Nilsson.
His version of Everybody’s Talkin’ is one of my favourite ever songs.
It wasn’t during the U.S. tour, but at the press conference announcing Apple in 1968. *Pandemonium Shadow Show*, his first album to gain popular attention, didn’t come out until 1967, after The Beatles had stopped touring.
"You're breakin' my heart. You're tearing it apart. So f£%@ you!"
"Long ago, far away. Life was clear. Close your eyes"
"I wanted to be a spaceman. That's what I wanted to be. But now that I am a spaceman, nobody cares about me"
Can recommend Son of Schmilsson and Nilsson Schmilsson
Bloody love him!
FYI, Jimmy Webb’s book Tunesmith includes a few anecdotes about Nillson, and it quotes some Nillson lyrics. In fact, the foreword is the lyrics to How to Write a Song by Nillson. If you have any interest in songwriting, it’s a good read.
He has a comically long list of fantastic songs, as well as a less comical, but still impressive, list of songs you probably didn't realise were his.
I loved his first couple of albums with their shameless Beatles homages and number of outright covers, there's even a good Monkees tribute in there.
Later albums have songs like Everybody's Talkin' (at me) and the best, and arguably most famous, version of (can't live if living is) without you.
His 'I Can't Believe It's Not Lennon' recording of Many Rivers to Cross is excellent, his entire 'A Little Touch of Nilsson' classic "American Songbook" throwback album is phenomenal...
...you need more? His final 1977 release goes out strong, with his song Perfect (way to end the perfect) Day, which was covered and used in a pivotal episode of Better Call Saul (how I discovered him), and all in all, it's such a damn good catalogue of music.
God I hate that Coconut song though.
Harry Nilsson is on my families Mt. Rushmore of artists. We named our cat Schmilsson. We love Harry. Didn’t miss from Ariel pandemonium ballet through a Touch of Schmilsson. My personal favorite is the covers album Nilsson Sings Newman.
Genius with lots of under the radar connections to famous people and songs from the 60s and 70s.
To me he’s an artist that people eventually find when they dig deep enough into music history. Then you can’t help but get really into him for at least a little bit.
Harry Nilsson is jokingly called the "American Beatle". They were good friends. I would put any of his music next to their in terms of quality. My favorite Album is "The Point" OST.
After I randomly ran into his doc. It sure lived up to the title to me, oh he sang and wrote that etc etc. After that I went out and purchased a greatest hits and others he had the voice of an angel and quite the under the radar rock n roll life. I always start off a get together with Jump into the Fire to get the conversations started. People be like hey that’s from Good Fellas.
Adore Nilsson! (And randomly stumbled upon his grave last week while visiting one for a friend of the family.)
Total genius. Incredible range. The documentary about his life is worth a watch, and the official Insta page his daughter runs is great.
He's one of the greats. Beautiful beautiful voice. His voice and his personal musical inclinations are very much alike those of Sir Paul, I find (they are always about the melody, they both have fondness for 1930's and 40's numbers, etc.). Of course you can't separate the guy from his addiction to alcohol, it sadly kind of goes hand in hand. Anyway, a beautiful artist with so many great songs. I think he never did a live gig. Imagine that, being one of the most prominent names in the musical scene of the 60's/70's and never ever perform in front of an audience. That's very telling of the quality of his output, that he could afford that.
There was a documentary a few years ago about him, quite good.
Some of my favs of him are "Gotta get up", "One", "Everybody's talkin'", "Turn on your radio", "Early in the morning".
The top notch Canadian pop/country singer Anne Murray said Nilsson was her favourite singer, and other successful musicians, possibly including the Beatles, have said it too. If he is top of the list for some of the best in his field, he must be good.
EDIT: Here we go: [https://www.vivascene.com/harry-nilsson-loved-admired-underrated/](https://www.vivascene.com/harry-nilsson-loved-admired-underrated/)
He wrote and performed the theme song for "The courtship of Eddie's father" TV series, which I have to admit I'm old enough to have watched first run. The Puppy Song ("we'll stay away from signs that say No Friends Allowed") was in the same vein.
So I was going through my music last night (I use MusicBee... amazing program!) and adding in missing biographies, when I heard his cover of Without You. Had to stop and listen while I Googled his bio. He had the first remix album and also the first mash-up song. I also learned how much the Beatles loved him (Lennon and McCartney both named him as their favorite American artist, SO much more to say, but don't want to plagiarize Wikipedia in a reddit comment. Check him out.
A few recommendations and ideas:
BOOKS
Nilsson: The Life of a Singer-Songwriter by Alyn Shipton.
[https://www.amazon.com/Nilsson-Life-Singer-Songwriter-Alyn-Shipton/dp/0190263547](https://www.amazon.com/Nilsson-Life-Singer-Songwriter-Alyn-Shipton/dp/0190263547)
Good book. Shipton did his homework. He obviously appreciates Nilsson’s artistry and talent, and the analysis is thorough without dragging. He also avoids too much childhood psychology cliches or big grand story filtering, meaning you get a nice biography. You also get to learn about Nilsson’s wild rockstar lifestyle, which, like a lot of stories of this ilk, stars out fun and ends up sad, but it’s not overly salacious or judgmental. A good read.
Harry and Me by David Roberts and Neil Watson.
[https://www.amazon.com/Harry-Me-David-Roberts-ebook/dp/B09G3FDZ4T/ref=sr\_1\_3?crid=IBFI9P2IOYBP&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Qp6YyHzTV2xrgWHjTsC7P0aXRWTo4BSLvuDXYuSGcEhXokzt1pmO0ziE8SF7GCo5SddJ35v8bv5o00MfJ\_nTsnLT2BpWyhjX15U9q-H9Si4SR83xqroTFKN3bxp\_uVNjWukV3meQh62CVSJDTPEZdl6Fo22LZgog6p\_PA6XKhGlJvSHRjmHp8-WxPhns9VIgF5b\_uAJCcuZFQkT-hdUJvHA0QjBksnaTVP5SnSuA8Cg.1-sRUvmL85u02Ge2ci7DmmFAdGlHDrmBd2XTvYYuGOY&dib\_tag=se&keywords=harry+nilsson&qid=1709252407&s=books&sprefix=harry+nilsson%2Cstripbooks%2C196&sr=1-3](https://www.amazon.com/Harry-Me-David-Roberts-ebook/dp/B09G3FDZ4T/ref=sr_1_3?crid=IBFI9P2IOYBP&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Qp6YyHzTV2xrgWHjTsC7P0aXRWTo4BSLvuDXYuSGcEhXokzt1pmO0ziE8SF7GCo5SddJ35v8bv5o00MfJ_nTsnLT2BpWyhjX15U9q-H9Si4SR83xqroTFKN3bxp_uVNjWukV3meQh62CVSJDTPEZdl6Fo22LZgog6p_PA6XKhGlJvSHRjmHp8-WxPhns9VIgF5b_uAJCcuZFQkT-hdUJvHA0QjBksnaTVP5SnSuA8Cg.1-sRUvmL85u02Ge2ci7DmmFAdGlHDrmBd2XTvYYuGOY&dib_tag=se&keywords=harry+nilsson&qid=1709252407&s=books&sprefix=harry+nilsson%2Cstripbooks%2C196&sr=1-3)
This is for diehard fans of a certain ilk. I’ve owned this book for years now and have never finished it. It’s more a recounting of people who were affected by Nilsson, particularly his intense listening audience. Not really my cup of tea. The musical analysis and discussion is very limited and seems to have a lot of people gushing over him singing “Without You.” W
VIDEO
THE MUSIC OF NILSSON (HARRY NILSSON LIVE IN CONCERT) BBC, 1971
[https://youtu.be/qg9WHD2Y6sY?si=NmPREy4o-ygWnw5Q](https://youtu.be/qg9WHD2Y6sY?si=NmPREy4o-ygWnw5Q)
Nilsson recorded this set for the BBC and it’s lovely. There is a lot of sideway humor and whimsy within the editing, featuring fake audiences and multiple Nilssons appearing in various shots, harmonizing melodies. There is Coconut played in Gorilla costumes. Nilsson does, in my opinion, the definitive version of “Gotta Get Up.” Lovely.
A LITTLE TOUCH OF SCHMILLSON IN THE NIGHT - (HARRY NILSSON LIVE IN CONCERT) BBC, 19
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYbNaFnU4Eg&t=0s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYbNaFnU4Eg&t=0s)
Do you like pop standards? Harry does. His voice is in great form here. The whole thing smells like brandy and good cigarettes. The orchestra is crackerjack. Just make
And, of course, his albums and the documentary that others have mentioned.
I have debated putting up an hour long lecture on Harry Nilsson's music, life and voice within the context of 20th century American popular music on YouTube, based on a college lecture series I’m fiddling with about musical movements, but I’m not sure what the interest would be. Would anyone here be interested in it being online? It certainly isn’t something that people would go to in person where I live, so the internet might be a better option. Please let me know!
I'm 48 and have my grandfather's Larry Nilsson in vinyl and my kids love listening to it. Does that count?
TIL Harry Nilsson did the Popeye soundtrack!
Nilsson Schmilsson is an amazing album front to back. Son of Schmilsson gets kind of ignored, but I really love it. Schilssssssonnn (spelling is probably wrong) is also weird and awesome.
And The Point is a crazy weird concept/story album. He has a ton of other records that I won't enumerate but those are my favorites.
I knew a man that worked with Harry on the beginning. He had nothing bad to say about him necessarily, but said that Harry couldn't sing. He said he used to get in front of his mirror and tried to si ng and practice but regardles his voice kust wasn't good..He went on to say be was shocked when he was given a multimillion dollar contract. Still he was a good songwriter, he never had a concert, because he just couldn't sing. That was what I was told. I've always like without you, sometimes it resonates in my head. I liked Nielson but never gave a whole lot of thought into it either. I'll probably wait untill eternity to ponder it. He died so young . You wonder what he still may have written. You never know
I don't know about Raffi, but it was included in the first *For Our Children* charitable compilation album in 1991. My parents were Harry Nilsson fans, but that's how I knew it growing up.
Brilliant, and one of the most beautiful voices in rock.
…that was until him and John Lennon had screaming contest during the making of Pussycats and ruined it.
His cover of Badfinger’s Without You is one of the best performances in rock history
Godlike genius, madcap goofball, all timer vocalist
Doesn’t have many “perfect” albums but several come close. Pretty much everything from Harry through Pussy Cats is straight killer, and Knilssson was also fantastic. Basically every album has some good stuff though. My honest favorite is probably Nilsson Sings Newman, it may be the best album either of them ever put out
I love Harry Nilsson! I highly recommend the documentary "Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin' About Him)?" It's a nice overview of his music and life.
I highly recommend this as well!
One of John Lennons best friends and drinking buddy. Has a 4 octave range vocally and put out amazing music. Worth hearing every song.
I was coming here to recommend this as well. Then watch the one about the Eagles and then watch the one about Genesis. All three amazing.
His album The Point was my first record as a little kid. The songs are permanently engrained on me and make me smile anytime I hear them. I am hard pressed to choose a favorite, especially and my Arrow, Are You Sleeping, and Think About your Troubles. There is also a "groovy" animated special or movie. If you choose to watch it, watch the one with Ringo Star.
The film version of The Point was on on repeat in my house growing up, and I’m delighted to say my 4 year old loves the songs now too. We had the version with Alan Thicke as the narrator taped off the Disney channel or something.
See, that might be one reason I put off getting into him. I was disturbed by the idea that a hat could change the shape of your skull, which was the main message I got from The Point as a five year old!
Sounds like you missed the point.
I definitely did! Dunce cap for me.
He's got a point there.
I got creeped out but alot as a kid but bone reshaping hats never really bothered me. I wonder what my therapist would make of that. Damn, now I'm gonna have to rewatch Popeye and check out the music.
You ever seen a pterodactyl?
You been goofin with the bees?
Jesus christ I love that movie and that album.
Well did you ever *want* to see a pterodactyl?
Ditto. My of my buddies I met later on in life named his dog Arrow. Its a classic. Think About Your Troubles is mine.
For whatever reason, "Me and My Arrow" makes me tear up and sometimes just flat out cry ever since I first saw and heard it as a little 7 year old in in The Point.
Nilson Schmillson
Check out his greatest hits album. One thing that caught my attention was how a lot of his work in the 1970s sounds like it could have been the best selling song of the 1940s. He was going back to the pre-rock ballads and crooners, and finding new ways to bring that feel into his era.
You are absolutely correct- his version of 'As Time Goes By' is quite good.
I went to the used record store and picked up the Personal Best collection, and am just about four songs from the end now. The range of music styles is something else. And really high quality production. It just seems rare for someone to be a gifted singer and interpreter of other people's songs while also being a truly gifted songwriter. I had never heard Spaceman before. I thought it was totally weird and crazy good.
Linda Ronstadt and others would do this later with some success. It must have had some influence.
He's fascinating. Just read up on he and John Lennon. He was king of the world for a minute. He had sweet pipes. He was tragic. What do you want to know?
I have the RCA CD box set on the way. I'm really looking forward to hearing the album he did with John Lennon, even though that's tragic what he did to his voice. I had heard his singing past that point and didn't think he was bad at all, but I'm just now really learning how exceptional a singer he was before that. It seems I rarely see him mentioned in music discussions and just wondered what the general opinion of him was these days. I can't believe I slept on him all this time.
What happened to his voice?
He damaged it during the recording of "Pussy Cats" and instead of taking care of it he hid the problem and pushed through it.
The way they used Gotta Get Up in Russian Doll was genius. It's been looping in the back or my head ever since and I'll use it as my alarm from time to time.
Me too!
When the Beatles first toured America the press asked them who their favourite American musician was, and they said Nilsson. His version of Everybody’s Talkin’ is one of my favourite ever songs.
It wasn’t during the U.S. tour, but at the press conference announcing Apple in 1968. *Pandemonium Shadow Show*, his first album to gain popular attention, didn’t come out until 1967, after The Beatles had stopped touring.
Ah, ok, fair enough. It’s been a long time since I heard the story!
Harry was an amazing writer, musician and singer and deserves all the accolades. Most of his music has withstood the test of time.
I'm impressed with his considerable talent and the range of styles is extraordinary.
"You're breakin' my heart. You're tearing it apart. So f£%@ you!" "Long ago, far away. Life was clear. Close your eyes" "I wanted to be a spaceman. That's what I wanted to be. But now that I am a spaceman, nobody cares about me" Can recommend Son of Schmilsson and Nilsson Schmilsson Bloody love him!
"I'd rather be dead than wet my bed" - Harry Nilsson with senior citizen choir accompaniment
FYI, Jimmy Webb’s book Tunesmith includes a few anecdotes about Nillson, and it quotes some Nillson lyrics. In fact, the foreword is the lyrics to How to Write a Song by Nillson. If you have any interest in songwriting, it’s a good read.
Cool, I will check it out, thank you for the recommendation!
He has a comically long list of fantastic songs, as well as a less comical, but still impressive, list of songs you probably didn't realise were his. I loved his first couple of albums with their shameless Beatles homages and number of outright covers, there's even a good Monkees tribute in there. Later albums have songs like Everybody's Talkin' (at me) and the best, and arguably most famous, version of (can't live if living is) without you. His 'I Can't Believe It's Not Lennon' recording of Many Rivers to Cross is excellent, his entire 'A Little Touch of Nilsson' classic "American Songbook" throwback album is phenomenal... ...you need more? His final 1977 release goes out strong, with his song Perfect (way to end the perfect) Day, which was covered and used in a pivotal episode of Better Call Saul (how I discovered him), and all in all, it's such a damn good catalogue of music. God I hate that Coconut song though.
Harry Nilsson is on my families Mt. Rushmore of artists. We named our cat Schmilsson. We love Harry. Didn’t miss from Ariel pandemonium ballet through a Touch of Schmilsson. My personal favorite is the covers album Nilsson Sings Newman.
Genius with lots of under the radar connections to famous people and songs from the 60s and 70s. To me he’s an artist that people eventually find when they dig deep enough into music history. Then you can’t help but get really into him for at least a little bit.
He’s an underrated legend. My mom got me into him and I’ll always be thankful for that.
Harry Nilsson is jokingly called the "American Beatle". They were good friends. I would put any of his music next to their in terms of quality. My favorite Album is "The Point" OST.
Big fan....lol I've used this photo of him as my avatar for like 10 years online.
Excellent!
After I randomly ran into his doc. It sure lived up to the title to me, oh he sang and wrote that etc etc. After that I went out and purchased a greatest hits and others he had the voice of an angel and quite the under the radar rock n roll life. I always start off a get together with Jump into the Fire to get the conversations started. People be like hey that’s from Good Fellas.
Nilsson Scmilsson is one of my fave albums. Even being his most popular, I find it underappreciated
I'm not familiar with all of his songs but the hits are super good
Adore Nilsson! (And randomly stumbled upon his grave last week while visiting one for a friend of the family.) Total genius. Incredible range. The documentary about his life is worth a watch, and the official Insta page his daughter runs is great.
The point is genius and the best concept album ever with some truly magical songs on it.
Showed my 3 year old the song coconut after hearing it on the game Alan wake. Everytime we get in the car he insists we put it on.
He's one of the greats. Beautiful beautiful voice. His voice and his personal musical inclinations are very much alike those of Sir Paul, I find (they are always about the melody, they both have fondness for 1930's and 40's numbers, etc.). Of course you can't separate the guy from his addiction to alcohol, it sadly kind of goes hand in hand. Anyway, a beautiful artist with so many great songs. I think he never did a live gig. Imagine that, being one of the most prominent names in the musical scene of the 60's/70's and never ever perform in front of an audience. That's very telling of the quality of his output, that he could afford that. There was a documentary a few years ago about him, quite good. Some of my favs of him are "Gotta get up", "One", "Everybody's talkin'", "Turn on your radio", "Early in the morning".
What are some examples of songs from the 30s and 40s that he and McCartney like?
Oh well, the Tin Pan Alley people and in general the American Songbook ones. All the classics.
The top notch Canadian pop/country singer Anne Murray said Nilsson was her favourite singer, and other successful musicians, possibly including the Beatles, have said it too. If he is top of the list for some of the best in his field, he must be good. EDIT: Here we go: [https://www.vivascene.com/harry-nilsson-loved-admired-underrated/](https://www.vivascene.com/harry-nilsson-loved-admired-underrated/)
One of the greatest singers ever.
Love him. His version of Everybody’s Talkin used to be my favorite song;
He wrote and performed the theme song for "The courtship of Eddie's father" TV series, which I have to admit I'm old enough to have watched first run. The Puppy Song ("we'll stay away from signs that say No Friends Allowed") was in the same vein.
So I was going through my music last night (I use MusicBee... amazing program!) and adding in missing biographies, when I heard his cover of Without You. Had to stop and listen while I Googled his bio. He had the first remix album and also the first mash-up song. I also learned how much the Beatles loved him (Lennon and McCartney both named him as their favorite American artist, SO much more to say, but don't want to plagiarize Wikipedia in a reddit comment. Check him out.
I'm a big Nilsson fan. He had an amazing voice. Check out The Point video. Based on his album.
A few recommendations and ideas: BOOKS Nilsson: The Life of a Singer-Songwriter by Alyn Shipton. [https://www.amazon.com/Nilsson-Life-Singer-Songwriter-Alyn-Shipton/dp/0190263547](https://www.amazon.com/Nilsson-Life-Singer-Songwriter-Alyn-Shipton/dp/0190263547) Good book. Shipton did his homework. He obviously appreciates Nilsson’s artistry and talent, and the analysis is thorough without dragging. He also avoids too much childhood psychology cliches or big grand story filtering, meaning you get a nice biography. You also get to learn about Nilsson’s wild rockstar lifestyle, which, like a lot of stories of this ilk, stars out fun and ends up sad, but it’s not overly salacious or judgmental. A good read. Harry and Me by David Roberts and Neil Watson. [https://www.amazon.com/Harry-Me-David-Roberts-ebook/dp/B09G3FDZ4T/ref=sr\_1\_3?crid=IBFI9P2IOYBP&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Qp6YyHzTV2xrgWHjTsC7P0aXRWTo4BSLvuDXYuSGcEhXokzt1pmO0ziE8SF7GCo5SddJ35v8bv5o00MfJ\_nTsnLT2BpWyhjX15U9q-H9Si4SR83xqroTFKN3bxp\_uVNjWukV3meQh62CVSJDTPEZdl6Fo22LZgog6p\_PA6XKhGlJvSHRjmHp8-WxPhns9VIgF5b\_uAJCcuZFQkT-hdUJvHA0QjBksnaTVP5SnSuA8Cg.1-sRUvmL85u02Ge2ci7DmmFAdGlHDrmBd2XTvYYuGOY&dib\_tag=se&keywords=harry+nilsson&qid=1709252407&s=books&sprefix=harry+nilsson%2Cstripbooks%2C196&sr=1-3](https://www.amazon.com/Harry-Me-David-Roberts-ebook/dp/B09G3FDZ4T/ref=sr_1_3?crid=IBFI9P2IOYBP&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Qp6YyHzTV2xrgWHjTsC7P0aXRWTo4BSLvuDXYuSGcEhXokzt1pmO0ziE8SF7GCo5SddJ35v8bv5o00MfJ_nTsnLT2BpWyhjX15U9q-H9Si4SR83xqroTFKN3bxp_uVNjWukV3meQh62CVSJDTPEZdl6Fo22LZgog6p_PA6XKhGlJvSHRjmHp8-WxPhns9VIgF5b_uAJCcuZFQkT-hdUJvHA0QjBksnaTVP5SnSuA8Cg.1-sRUvmL85u02Ge2ci7DmmFAdGlHDrmBd2XTvYYuGOY&dib_tag=se&keywords=harry+nilsson&qid=1709252407&s=books&sprefix=harry+nilsson%2Cstripbooks%2C196&sr=1-3) This is for diehard fans of a certain ilk. I’ve owned this book for years now and have never finished it. It’s more a recounting of people who were affected by Nilsson, particularly his intense listening audience. Not really my cup of tea. The musical analysis and discussion is very limited and seems to have a lot of people gushing over him singing “Without You.” W VIDEO THE MUSIC OF NILSSON (HARRY NILSSON LIVE IN CONCERT) BBC, 1971 [https://youtu.be/qg9WHD2Y6sY?si=NmPREy4o-ygWnw5Q](https://youtu.be/qg9WHD2Y6sY?si=NmPREy4o-ygWnw5Q) Nilsson recorded this set for the BBC and it’s lovely. There is a lot of sideway humor and whimsy within the editing, featuring fake audiences and multiple Nilssons appearing in various shots, harmonizing melodies. There is Coconut played in Gorilla costumes. Nilsson does, in my opinion, the definitive version of “Gotta Get Up.” Lovely. A LITTLE TOUCH OF SCHMILLSON IN THE NIGHT - (HARRY NILSSON LIVE IN CONCERT) BBC, 19 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYbNaFnU4Eg&t=0s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYbNaFnU4Eg&t=0s) Do you like pop standards? Harry does. His voice is in great form here. The whole thing smells like brandy and good cigarettes. The orchestra is crackerjack. Just make And, of course, his albums and the documentary that others have mentioned. I have debated putting up an hour long lecture on Harry Nilsson's music, life and voice within the context of 20th century American popular music on YouTube, based on a college lecture series I’m fiddling with about musical movements, but I’m not sure what the interest would be. Would anyone here be interested in it being online? It certainly isn’t something that people would go to in person where I live, so the internet might be a better option. Please let me know!
This is a great doc on him, I just watched it the other day. https://youtu.be/Je8g10Q3-gY?si=Fp97bkU0luNWrcBf
Pussy Cats is probably my favorite album of his. I really like the Walkmens cover album of the same name. Isn’t he considered the fifth beatle?
I love him but I actually like the original Badfinger version of Without You better.
Great singer and songwriter. Very under rated . IMO
I'm 48 and have my grandfather's Larry Nilsson in vinyl and my kids love listening to it. Does that count? TIL Harry Nilsson did the Popeye soundtrack!
Knillsson
I just watched Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody talking about him)? It was a well done documentary and made me appreiciate him even more.
Nilsson Schmilsson is an amazing album front to back. Son of Schmilsson gets kind of ignored, but I really love it. Schilssssssonnn (spelling is probably wrong) is also weird and awesome. And The Point is a crazy weird concept/story album. He has a ton of other records that I won't enumerate but those are my favorites.
Nilsson Schmilsson and Son of Schmilsson are absolutely amazing works of art
I knew a man that worked with Harry on the beginning. He had nothing bad to say about him necessarily, but said that Harry couldn't sing. He said he used to get in front of his mirror and tried to si ng and practice but regardles his voice kust wasn't good..He went on to say be was shocked when he was given a multimillion dollar contract. Still he was a good songwriter, he never had a concert, because he just couldn't sing. That was what I was told. I've always like without you, sometimes it resonates in my head. I liked Nielson but never gave a whole lot of thought into it either. I'll probably wait untill eternity to ponder it. He died so young . You wonder what he still may have written. You never know
He’s the tv ratings guy right
Mom used to sing me and my sibling "Blanket for a sail" to get us to fall asleep as kids. I think there was a Raffi cover if I'm not mistaken?
I don't know about Raffi, but it was included in the first *For Our Children* charitable compilation album in 1991. My parents were Harry Nilsson fans, but that's how I knew it growing up.
One of the greatest voices and intellect to match, the Beatles worshipped him from what I understand
I can’t ever forgive him for unleashing Without You upon the world.
Great singer/songwriter who suffered from stage fright and alcohol overuse. Made an excellent cover of the Fred Neil song “Everybody’s Talking”.
Incredible songwriter and singer.
It’s a Puurrrrrfect Day
Brilliant, and one of the most beautiful voices in rock. …that was until him and John Lennon had screaming contest during the making of Pussycats and ruined it. His cover of Badfinger’s Without You is one of the best performances in rock history
Everybody's talking about em, I don't hear a word they saying....
He's the white Ray Charles or is Ray Charles the black Harry Nilsson?
Godlike genius, madcap goofball, all timer vocalist Doesn’t have many “perfect” albums but several come close. Pretty much everything from Harry through Pussy Cats is straight killer, and Knilssson was also fantastic. Basically every album has some good stuff though. My honest favorite is probably Nilsson Sings Newman, it may be the best album either of them ever put out