Harry Nilsson - in memoriam.

Last month it was twenty years since the passing of one Harry Edward Nilsson - often referred to as simply Nilsson, a singer-songwriter extraordinaire.
Over the past couple of years a renewed interest in the man and his music has resulted in a feature length documentary, a book, as well as a boxed CD set containing his complete RCA catalogue.
Although most fondly remembered as an excellent songwriter, it is all the more ironic that Nilsson's greatest successes as a performer came with songs written by other people, namely Fred Neil's "Everybody's Talkin'" and Badfinger's "Without You".  A number of artists also covered Nilsson's songs and it is my intention with this little tribute to highlight the best of those...in no particular order.

One of Nilsson's earliest admirers in the mid '60s was producer Phil Spector, who placed at least three of Nilsson's songs with artists he produced - although said songs were to remain unissued for 25 years.  Here are a couple of those:



Brian Wilson also loved this song and recorded his own version for a Harry Nilsson tribute album issued shortly after Harry's death in the mid '90s.

 

The Monkees were also early Nilsson fans via their then-producer Chip Douglas who had been a member of the Modern Folk Quartet before joining the Turtles for a short stint.  These couple of songs also appeared on Nilsson's first two solo albums for RCA:

 

British girl singers Lulu and Sandie Shaw also seem to have been listening to the first two proper Nilsson albums since each of them covered songs from those albums.  Unfortunately Lulu's excellent cover of "Without Her" (Renamed "Without Him" for the obvious reasons) is not available on YouTube. 

 

 



And Three Dog Night had a monster hit with Nilsson's "One" in 1969.  Undervalued Motown chanteuse Chris Clark covered it later that same year.  Aimee Mann also did a passable cover in the '90s.

 





Originally written for Welsh songstress Mary Hopkin in 1968, '70s teen idol David Cassidy took "The Puppy Song" all the way to number one in the U.K. in 1973, as a double A-sided single coupled with "Daydreamer".  Cassidy, clearly a massive Nilsson fan, also covered "This Could Be the Night" a couple of years later, and "The Story of Rock & Roll" a year or two after that.

 

Even Sinéad O'Connor has tackled Nilsson.  Her fine cover of "The Lord Must Be in New York City" popped up on the "You've Got Mail" soundtrack, which was a lot better than the movie itself.

 



 

"The Story of Rock & Roll" was, apparently, first offered to The Monkees although The Turtles ended up recording it - undoubtedly thanks to Chip Douglas.  Harry is rumoured to have played piano on The Turtles' studio version.

 

 

 

The Ronettes, The Shangri-Las and The Supremes all recorded a version of Nilsson's Girl Group opus "Paradise".  I have a tremendous difficulty picking one version in favour of the other two.  However, The Supremes' 1972 Jimmy Webb-produced possesses a certain understated charm...

 



 

In spite of all of the excellence entered above, it is better to start the excursion into all things Nilsson with the original source.  And as previously mentioned there are currently avenues aplenty to begin the journey.  Enjoy it.

 

Recommended listening: "Nilsson: The RCA Albums Collection" (17 CD's) (Sony Music/RCA/Legacy, 2013)

 

Recommended reading: "Nilsson: The Life of a Singer-Songwriter" by Alyn Shipton (Oxford University Press, 2013)

 

Recommended viewing: "Who is Harry Nilsson (And Why is Everybody Talkin' About Him)?" (Lorber Films, 2006)  Directed by John Scheinfeld.  DVD issued in 2010. 

  

 

The ABC's of Motown.

In spite of the massive commercial success the Motown record label enjoyed during the '60s, there's an argument to be made for the early '70s as being its most creatively successful era ever.  And I am not just talking about Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder here.
After gradually starting to move their main operation from Detroit to Los Angeles in 1969 (to be completed in 1972), there just was no way turning back.



Evidence A: The Four Tops.

Commercially on an undeserved downhill slide, the Four Tops issued their most artistically accomplished album to date in 1970.  Peaking just outside the U.S. Top 10, its title track "Still Waters" was a 2 minute and 41 second triumph.
Even better still was the Tops' cover of Tommy Edwards' late '50s standard "It's All in the Game", which became their biggest '70s hits for Motown, excluding a collaboration with the Supremes, before they left the company for greener pastures at ABC-Dunhill a couple of years later.
But perhaps the strongest cut on the album was a love song (of sorts) to Motown's new hometown, the gorgeous "L.A. (My Town)".

 

Never a proper single in its own right though, it belatedly appeared as the B-side to "A Simple Game" (1972), one of the Tops' last Motown singles until their return to the label in the late '80s.  

 

   

At ABC-Dunhill from 1972 to 1978, the Four Tops produced a fine body of work, especially during the first half of that period under the firm guidance of producers/songwriters Dennis Lambert & Brian Potter.
Arguably the greatest Motown vocal group of all time, The Four Tops' name will, as it should be, always be synonymous with Motown.

 

Evidence B: The Supremes.

 

After parting company with their charismatic leader - one Diana Ross - in early 1970, the Supremes' future prospects were somewhat in doubt.  Especially after Motown boss Berry Gordy had vetoed Ross' successor Jean Terrell and "washed his hands" of the group altogether. 

Nonetheless, the aptly named "Right On" L.P. appeared in the spring of 1970, its lead-off single "Up the Ladder to the Roof" having just previously hit the U.S. Top 10.

 

  

In hindsight at least the change was all good.  Prior to Ms. Ross' departure the Supremes sound had become stale and, notwithstanding the fact that their records did not always feature all of the Supremes, somewhat soulless.  Surely Las Vegas boomed, but at what cost? 

Further Jean Terrell-led albums followed: "New Ways, But Love Stays" (1970), "Touch" (1971), "Floy Joy" (1972), as well as an Jimmy Webb (mostly)written & produced album (all of which were collected on the marvellous "This is the Story - The '70s Albums, Vol. 1, 1970-1973 - The Jean Terrell Years" Hip-O-Select CD set from a few years back), not to mention several albums' worth of collaborations with the almighty and previously praised Four Tops.

 

 

And although the hits became fewer and appeared further in between than in their '60s Ross-led heyday, the excellence of said material is indisputable.  "Stoned Love", "Nathan Jones" and "Floy Joy", to name but few, all became size able hits in their own right.

To make a long story short, The Supremes continued to record for Motown well into the disco era, although with diminishing commercial returns.  But one of their most rewarding recordings appeared on their self-titled 1975 album and, as far as I know, wasn't even issued as a single: Lambert & Potter's perhaps aptly named disco-lite opus "It's All Been Said Before"...

 

 

 

Evidence C: The Miracles.

 

Another Motown vocal group left in the lurch by its fearless leader at the turn of the '70s, although Smokey postponed his amicable departure from the group after the then three year old Stevie Wonder catchy co-write "Tears of a Clown" surprisingly hit #1 hit on both sides of the Atlantic in 1970.

 





Three years later though, the inevitable could no longer be postponed.  A position as the vice-president of Motown awaited Smokey, as well as a looming lucrative solo career.

His replacement Billy Griffin made his recording debut as a Miracle on the "Renaissance" album in 1973.

A great yet unfairly overlooked album at the time, and so was its follow up "Do it Baby" (1974), although its funky title track became a Top 20 U.S. hit - the Miracles' first in three years.

 

 

But, as often is the case, the best was yet to come.

The Miracles' next album, 1975's "City of Angels" (Yet another Motown love letter to L.A.), is undoubtedly their strongest and also yielded their biggest post-Smokey hit in the disco stomper "Love Machine" - a U.S. #1.

 

 



Other highlights included the unintentionally hilarious early pro-gay paean "Ain't Nobody Straight in L.A.", which contains this unforgettable nugget: "Homosexuality is a part of society, I guess that we need some more variety..."   

 

 

In spite of having a number 1 single and a Top 30 album on their hands their next album, "The Power of Music" (1976), failed to follow up its predecessor's success and became the Miracles' swansong for Motown.  A move to Columbia proved to be a failure as well and by the late '70s this legendary act had pretty much fallen off the radar.

Nonetheless, their legacy remains undisputed and although their '73-'76 Motown tenure isn't as universally lauded as their late '50s - 'early '70s work with Smokey Robinson, it certainly deserves a reappraisal.