Harry Nilsson: Listener's Guide

I began listening to Harry Nilsson in December 2022.

Spotlight on Nilsson (1966): B
Pandemonium Shadow Show (1967): B-
Aerial Ballet (1968): B-
Harry (1969): B+
Nilsson Sings Newman (1970): C
The Point (1970): B
Nilsson Schmilsson (1972): B+
Son of Schmilsson (1972): C+


Spotlight on Nilsson (1966):
Like Randy Newman's debut three years later, Nilsson's debut doesn't descend from any music I know. It only pulls minimal influence from rock music while horns, female backing vocalists, and his keyboard dominate the tracks. Although highly original, in the end, the hilarious "So You Think You've Got Troubles" is about all that's worth going back to. Nevertheless, I expect his interesting songwriting and his impressive voice to produce a large body of exciting recordings very soon. B

Pandemonium Shadow Show (1967):
"You Can't Do That" has so many Beatles references it gets annoying and Nilsson brings much too much attention to the thin lyrics of "She's Leaving Home." Side two doesn't offer a lot either but his unique voice continues to solidify and most of the time, he adds just enough of his own quirky personality to pull off the Beatlesque songwriting and production. B-

Aerial Ballet (1968):
When a songwriter writes lyrics about his old desk or that "one is the loneliest number," there are three possibilities, two of which are good. The first is the songwriter is simply that weird (forgive the future reference, but someone like David Byrne). Nilsson might not be the most normal guy but in this case he doesn't fit the bill. The second possibility is he's doing it tongue-in-cheek. This might be true for Nilsson but he certainly doesn't make it very obvious and the lyrics on their own aren't very funny. Alas, I think in Nilsson's case it has to be the third possibility: he's just a dumb kid inauthentically trying to be alt. He's not pretentious about it and he still has a lot of good things going for him but even without the lyrical issues, the best song is a cover and his significant Beatles' influence is boring me: I mean, talk about setting yourself up for failure. B-

Harry (1969):
Just when I was about to let my expectations go, everything aligns. The many strings and silly lyrics do fatigue me but it works on a song by song basis. If I dare say it, he's better at this schmaltz than much of solo McCartney. Major highlight: "I Guess the Lord Must Be in New York City." B+ 

Nilsson Sings Newman (1970):
Although I thought Nilsson was a singer songwriter when I started him, I'm now very confident that he is not. His talents are in lush arrangements, many vocal overdubs, and pop music. Despite this, he tries to thin the music for an album consisting only of Randy Newman songs. When he layers on the vocals, it's an awkward pairing with the unadorned music. When he does a naked vocal, he's totally unconvincing. C

The Point (1970):
The music is fine but what really makes this so enjoyable is the funny fable that Nilsson narrates in between songs. B

Nilsson Schmilsson (1972):
I'm glad Nilsson has found a compelling cross between the lush McCartney melodies and chill vibes of bedroom pop. Besides "Without You," nothing is over-embellished and, unlike on Nilsson Sings Newman, the unadorned music is strong. In conclusion, meh. Nilsson has only put his name to a few songs I love and the rest of the time, he's been able to keep my hopes up and keep my enjoyment more or less at bay. B+

Son of Schmilsson (1972):
Nilsson can stack his albums with all his big name friends, he can be as funny as he wants, and he can sing his balls off too. I hardly take notice. It'd be nice if I liked him as much as I probably should but I find his ballads as sleep-inducing as James Taylor and his rockers as second-rate as Deep Purple. C+