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Nilsson Schmilsson
Harry Nilsson
Nilsson Schmilsson
Genres: Folk, Pop, Rock, Classic Rock
 
  •  Track Listings (16) - Disc #1

The late Harry Nilsson's creative and commercial peak, this LP showcases the singer-songwriter's lighthearted worldview to best advantage. It remains one of the best, most consistent, and least dated albums from an early-'...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Harry Nilsson
Title: Nilsson Schmilsson
Members Wishing: 4
Total Copies: 0
Label: RCA
Original Release Date: 1/1/2000
Re-Release Date: 1/13/2004
Album Type: Extra tracks, Original recording remastered
Genres: Folk, Pop, Rock, Classic Rock
Styles: Easy Listening, Singer-Songwriters, Soft Rock, Oldies, Album-Oriented Rock (AOR)
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 828765726528

Synopsis

Amazon.com essential recording
The late Harry Nilsson's creative and commercial peak, this LP showcases the singer-songwriter's lighthearted worldview to best advantage. It remains one of the best, most consistent, and least dated albums from an early-'70s era not known for underplayed, unpretentious subtlety. Here you get strong interpretive singing (how ironic that this tunesmith's biggest hits were covers, such as Badfinger's "Without You"), inventive arranging (the hilarious, marble-mouthed "Coconut"), and distinctive melodicism (check out that lovely paean to the stars, "The Moonbeam Song"). In keeping with the domesticated figure on the cover--complete with housecoat, cigarette, and waiting refrigerator--the mood is laidback and homey, and there's a palpable feeling of comfort in both the production and the material. Nilsson's multi-octave voice was never so full of life. Other albums (like the John Lennon-produced Pussy Cats and the essential Nilsson Sings Newman) have their moments, but this is where to begin any Nilsson collection. (The 2004 reissue boasts superb remastering and six bonus cuts: one unreleased original tune, three demos, a Spanish version of "Without You," and a true oddity called "Lamaze.") --Don Harrison

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CD Reviews

Finally, a definitive version!
Jamie | Franklin, Tunisia | 09/01/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)

"This beautiful album has not recieved the love and affection it deserves throughout the years. There have been numerous CD releases and all (except for the $30 Mobile Fidelity gold CD) have woefully inadequate fidelity due to incompetent mastering jobs and/or poor source material.



The Camden import CD series were taken from cassette quality tape dubs and mastered for that "You aren't there" sound. The recent Japan remasters sound fine but have that very annoying digital hiss removal which destroyed the transients and made things sound like MP3's. Grrrrr!



This CD version was mastered from the original tapes by Vic Anesini. Vic's name is usually the mark of quality. You can buy with confindence when you see his name. He's made this album sound right... finally. It's not as top ended as the MFSL gold CD but that disc was sourced from Richard Perry's personal tapes and not the original masters. Vic has made some wise EQ choices and things sound smooth, natural and pleasing.



The bonus tracks are nice although all have been released before on various discs.



Again, buy with confidence. This is a wonderful album needing a place in everyone's music library."
Harry Nilsson's Classic Finally Gets Remastered!
highway_star | Hallandale, Florida United States | 01/19/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)

"In 1971, singer/songwriter Harry Nilsson released the album entitled "Nilsson Schmilsson", and what many consider to be his best work. The smash hit "Without You" (written by Pete Ham & Tom Evans of Badfinger) was the album's first hit and it went straight to number one on the pop and adult contemperary charts. But the album also spawned several other hits as well with the reggaeish tune "Coconut" and the frantic rocker "Jump Into The Fire". The musicians on "Nilsson Schmilsson" are first rate with artists such as Jim Gordon (drummer for Derek & The Dominos), Klaus Voorman (played bass guitar on John Lennon's "Imagine" album), Chris Spedding (an accomplished guitarist) and Gary Wright (keyboardist for Spooky Tooth) all adding their two bits on this excellent album. The songs are full of pop tunes such as "Gotta Get Up", "Driving Along", "Coconut" and the seven minute rock classic "Jump Into The Fire". You've got ballads here such as the above mentioned "Without You" and "I'll Never Leave You". There are also six bonus tracks included in this newly remastered version such as "Si No Estas Tu" (Spanish Version Of "Without You"), "How Can I Be Sure", "The Moonbeam Song (Demo Version)", "Lamaze", "Old Forgotten Soldier (Demo Version" and "Gotta Get Up (Demo Version)". The remastering is excellent and certainly surpasses the non-remastered version with increased mid-range, bass and extended output. Ranked in the Top 100 albums of all time, "Nilsson Schmilsson" certainly has earned it's rightful place and is an album all lovers of seventies music should have in their collection."
Nilsson's Best Get's the Deluxe Treatment
Roger Smith | Oviedo, FL USA | 01/13/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Harry Nilsson's best-selling album has been remastered and includes extensive liner notes and a number of bonus tracks.
The bonus tracks on the CD are:"Si No Estas Tu" - Nilsson's version of "Without You" in Spanish."How Can I Be Sure of You" - This original Nilsson song has never been released before. Harry never finished "How Can I Be Sure of You", but reused some of the song's lyrics for "Good For God". "The Moonbeam Song" - An early, alternative version of the song, with Harry on piano. Curtis describes this as "a lovely band arrangement, with some surprisingly agile piano work from Harry." "Lamaze" - "Lamaze" is another unreleased Nilsson original. Apparently done as a joke during the sessions for The Story of Eric, this "theme" has a dissonant piano counterpoint and very funny fake French lyrics. Brief but memorable. "Old Forgotten Soldier" - This version of Harry's song uses the same basic tracks as the recent Camden release, but incorporates highly complex multi-tracked backing vocals that no one knew were there before. "Gotta Get Up" - This is Harry's original version of the song with a George Tipton arrangement. In addition to the above songs, the CD contains three unlisted radio spots, two of which feature brief comments from Richard Perry about the album and Harry. For the liner notes, Curtis Armstrong conducted lengthy interviews with Richard Perry, Paul Buckmaster, George Tipton, Chris Spedding, Herbie Flowers, Dean Torrence, and Gary Wright."