Album of the Day #122: NILSSON SCHMILSSON - Harry Nilsson

Title: Nilsson Schmilsson
Artist: Harry Nilsson
Label: RCA
Year: 1971
Songs: Gotta Get Up/Driving Along/Early In The Morning*/The Moonbeam Song/Down/Without You**/Coconut/Let The Good Times Roll***/Jump Into The Fire/I'll Never Leave You
Written by: Harry Nilsson, except *Dallas Bartley, Leo Hickman & Louis Jordan, **Tom Evans & Pete Ham and ***Leonard Lee & Shirley Goodman
Produced by: Richard Perry
Thoughts: This is a fun album. That's really the main point of it, especially with a title that makes fun of the artist's name. I think this is one album that really revolves around the artwork. Nilsson is featured on the cover in his bathrobe, and you get the feeling that every song was recorded the second he got up. It kicks off with the great "Gotta Get Up", signifying the simple fact that there are some great album tracks here. There's more than just "Coconut" (which is a little overrated I think; it feels like a throwaway, especially since there are too many better songs here) and "Without You". If there is one little, tiny complaint it might be that "Jump Into The Fire" is way too long. Nilsson only plays the piano on the record, so it is kind of weird that he lets his backing group (with good ol' Klaus Voormann on bass!) explode into a jam session that lasts seven minutes. Still, if you can get beyond that, the album's great.