HARRY NILSSON – NILSON SCHMILSSON

It’s really weird. I’ve always had Nilsson in my collection, primarily because in his early days he was heavily associated with the Monkees, and because I have always loved “Without You.” My collection of music includes a compilation that I purchased quite a number of years ago with the rather unwieldy title “Simply the Best: Without You: His Greatest Hits.”

But a few months ago, I was wandering around on Amazon’s Instant Videos looking for something to watch and saw “Who Is Harry Nilsson and Why Is Everybody Talkin’ ‘Bout Him? I’ve always enjoyed documentaries about singers, so I downloaded it up and watched it. By the time I finished watching it, I had resolved to buy all of Harry’s available albums. This is not one of the ones I bought, because I had found a copy of Nilsson Schmilsson at the local thrift store many years ago for 50 cents, and had transferred the vinyl to CD.  But it was quite a ways down my playlist, so I pulled it up and listened, then listened again. Why had I not fallen in love with it the first time I listened? I guess I wasn’t paying that much attention.  Because this album is phenomenal.

NILSON SCHMILSSON  by Harry Nilsson, produced by Richard Perry, featuring Jim Gordon, Klaus Voorman, Chris Spedding, Herbie Flowers and John Uribe as his backing band.  The album reached number 3 on Billboard’s Top 200 Albums chart. Three singles were released: “Jump Into the Fire” reached #27 on the Top Pop Singles chart, “Coconut” reached #8 and “Without You” reached #1 on both the Pop Chart and the Adult Contemporary Chart. Nilsson won a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance Male (for “Without You”,) and was nominated for Record of the Year (“Without You”) Album of the Year & Best Engineered Album (for the full album.) The album was released in 1971.

Gotta Get Up (Harry Nilsson) – Great opening song, all about a need to get up and get going. Haven’t we all had days like this?

Driving Along (Harry Nilsson) – A song of observation: “Driving along you can see all the people who seem to have nothing to say to each other. Each day they grow farther and farther away from each other.“ Are we sure that this was written in 1971 and not in 2014?

Early In the Morning (Leo Hickman, Louis Jordan, Dallas Bartley) – Even on the songs Harry didn’t write, he always seemed to find a way to personalize them and make them his own. “I went to Dooby Chase to get something to eat” (I assume a restaurant in L.A. at the time?) “Waitress looked at me and said ‘Harry you sure look beat!’”

The Moonbeam Song (Harry Nilsson) Micky Dolenz re-did this a couple of decades later as a lullaby, and that is certainly appropriate. Harry’s song were frequently a slice of life about what goes on in a day.  “Have you ever watched a moonbeam As it slid across your windowpane Or struggled with a bit of rain Or danced about the weathervane Or sat along a moving train And wondered where the train has been” I mean, I’ve been there, haven’t you?

Down (Harry Nilsson) – I have to admit that this is not one of the most eloquent lyrics. Basically the entire song is “I’m going down to the bottom of a hole” and variations on the phrase. But it is wonderful to listen to because Harry takes that phrase and rocks it!

Without You (Pete Ham, Tom Evans) – The hit. The hit beyond hits. Technically, Harry’s version was a cover, but how many times has the song been covered by other artists. I must have fifteen or twenty versions in my own collection by everyone from Andy Williams and Johnny Mathis to Clay Aiken and Joshua Ledet. The song isn’t so much about the lyrics as it is about showing off one’s voice. I used to love the fact that I could sing it – and hit those notes!  Note the words “used to”.

Coconut (Harry Nilsson) Pure fun. “Put the lime in the coconut and drink them both up.” A woman does this and calls her doctor “Ain’t there nothing I can take to relieve this belly ache?” His solution? “Put the lime in the coconut and call me in the morning!” Love it!

Let the Good Times Roll (Shirley Goodman, Leonard Lee) – Harry’s version of Shirley & Lee’s 1956 song, with Harry multi-tracking his vocals and turning himself into a trio! The video below combines "Let the Good Times Roll" with the Everly Brothers "Walk Right Back"

Jump Into the Fire (Harry Nilsson) – Fantastic rocker!  “You can climb a mountain, You can swim the sea, You can jump into the fire, But you'll never be free” Lots of echo and lots of blues shouting.

I’ll Never Leave You (Harry Nilsson) A quiet and calm follow up to the album’s heavy rocker. “Some nights I go to sleep without you, The river's far too deep without you. I can't make it alone, I need you by my side.”

Harry had one of the most phenomenal voices in rock history. From a perfect falsetto to early metal screams, he could do it all – until he ruined his voice through the constant cigarettes, booze & drugs. But when Nilsson Schmilsson came out, he was at his vocal peak. A perfect album.

JUDY COLLINS – TIMES OF OUR LIVES

Once upon a time, just short of 30 years ago, a family lost its home in a fire. Well that can be said of lots of familes every day, but in this case, it was my wife, myself and our daughter, who was then 13. None of us was physically injured in any way, we even got our cat out. The only loss of life was a goldfish.  But we lost almost everything we owned.

I say almost, because I had just married my wife a few months before and was in the process of adopting our daughter.  I moved in with them, and the home did not have room for all of my stuff, so a lot of it got put in storage. About half of my records had moved in with me, about half had been stored, so after the fire, we still had the rest of my stuff, and most importantly, the music. As we both had copies of almost all Judy Collins' albums, my copies of those had been in storage. 

One album that helped get me through that period was the then-newest album by the phenomenal Judy Collins – Times of Our Lives.

Great Expectations (Hugh Prestwood) - One of those songs that I just needed then.  This is a song that fits in with many self-help programs. Including lyrics like “Down has never been a place I care to stay”, “I believe in beginning again, I expect to be winning again. I intend to have love in my life.” Hugh Prestwood is primarily known as a country songwriter, but Collins fell in love with his work and she recorded quite a number of his songs over the years, starting with “Hard Times for Lovers” in 1979

The Rest of Your Life (Judy Collins)  - A song about motherhood, and how it never ends. “Every mother has to let her child go, even though it may tear her apart. I can hear the lullabies I sang you – now you stand taller than my heart.” “Whatever you’re doing for the rest of your life, I’m here to tell you you can count on me.” I believe that Judy wrote this for her son, discussing how a mother has to let go – and yet never can.

Granddaddy (Judy Collins) – A song reminiscent of the Irish jigs that Judy heard from her father in her childhood, morphed into a tale of a child and her grandfather “Wrap me up in your winter coat, wrap me up so tight. I never will feel the cold, I’ll be safe tonight.” Astonishingly beautiful.

It’s Gonna Be One of Those Nights (Hugh Prestwood) – Another love song about a happy couple! “I think we’re gonna have one tonight, we’re gonna have one of those nights, we’re gonna have one of those star-spangled nights, one of those times of our lives. Tonight in this world, there’s gonna be just you and me, we’re gonna be falling in love – darling, just you wait and see. Again, a song that is uplifting and empowering.

Memory (T.S. Eliot, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Trevor Nunn) – From “Cats”, the ballad of Grizabella sung by one of the most beautiful voices on the face of the earth. Perfection – what else can I say?

Sun Son (Anna McGarrigle) – the magnificent McGarrigle sisters will be getting more than one entry on this blog, but Anna wrote this wonderful homecoming tune “It’s the sun, son, shining on the water – it’s not Cairo, New York or Rome. It’s a matter of hours before you see your Mama, waiting for you back at home.”  Another magnificently uplifting tune (are we beginning to see a pattern in this album?)

Mama, Mama (Judy Collins) – Well, not every song has to be happy, and this song takes a very different tack. This is the story of a single mother who already has several children, “trying to raise a bunch of kids on nothing but love and guts.”  “Five kids are gonna drive me crazy, Lord, I can’t have another baby.” Suddenly you realize that she is making a night-time trip while her kids are sleeping to have an abortion. “Mama, mama you know how it feels, love never knows a season. Mama tell me you understand – the heart always has a reason.” A heartbreaking song.

Drink a Round To Ireland (Hugh Prestwood) – I can’t think of this song without thinking of a dear friend who passed away a few months ago, who once wrote a story inspired by the lyrics of this song. The song makes me cry, both for what it says and how it makes me feel.

DRINK A ROUND TO IRELAND

Music and lyrics by Hugh Prestwood

Father was a singing man, most of what he sang

Had to do with Ireland, the place from where he came.

Ireland of his childhood, Ireland of his spring

To return to Ireland was his dream.

Drink a round to Ireland boys, I’m home again.

Drink a round to Jesus Christ, who died for Irishmen.

I guess he left his dreams to me after he was gone

And there were many years to come when I sang my father’s song.

And so I came to Ireland, here I live today,

Lately I’ve been wondering why I stay.

Drink a round to Ireland boys, I’m home again.

Drink a round to Jesus Christ who died for Irishmen.

Dad, I think you’re fortunate your dreams did not come true.

I know that it would break your heart to see the things we do.

If you could see the murder here, if you could feel the pain

To see the way we live would bring you shame.

Drink a round to Ireland boys, I’m home again.

Drink a round to Jesus Christ who died for Irishmen.

Drink a round to Ireland boys, I’m home again.

Drink a round to Jesus Christ, who died for Irishmen.

Angel On My Side (Judy Collins) – Picking us back up, a song about how down times are followed by better times “Somewhere down the line I found myself upon that road, where the devil led me I would go. Lost, I was lost like a child in the dark drifting away with the tide. God only knows how I made it back home – I must have an angel on my side.”

Don’t Say Goodbye, Love (Judy Collins) – What it says – a woman begging her lover not to leave her. An odd place to close the album, (I think “Angel On My Side” would have been a better ending) but nevertheless a beautiful song. “Don’t Say Goodbye love, I couldn’t bear to hear it.”

For 30 years, I have turned to this album - and to Judy’s astonishing voice - in my times of need. As long as I live, I will love this collection of songs. Thank you, Judy.

HEY, HEY, IT’S THE RIDICULOUS CLICHÉ!

I mean how many articles, blog posts, etc. etc. etc. can we take titled "Hey, Hey, They're The Monkees!"

As I mentioned in my last post, I fell in love with the music of the Monkees from the very beginning. Before the TV show ever started, as a matter of fact. Our local top 40 radio station started playing “Last Train To Clarksville” three or four weeks before the show premiered on September 12, 1966, so when that first episode showed up, I had already learned the song.

Since the Monkees were such an influence on my love of music, rather than just doing one blog post about them, I have decided to do several – starting out with one per album, and probably at least one for each of the members and a few more for the 70s, 80s, 90s, and even 21^st century activities of the group. (But not all at once. There will be lots of other subjects in between.)

So to begin at the beginning (as they say)

THE MONKEES

Peter Tork

Michael Nesmith

Davy Jones

Micky Dolenz

As I’ve already said at least once in this blog, and will probably say dozens more times, I love albums. When I was a kid, if I found a new artist I liked, I would frequently buy a single, mostly so that I could listen to the “B” side and see if I really liked them. But once I knew, I went straight for albums. And more often than not, my favorite songs weren’t the ones released as singles. My mother was disabled, so we kids did most of the work around the house, and were well compensated for it. So albums were not out of my price range, and I bought my first album (the soundtrack from the movie “Bambi”) when I was only 7. Consequently, when the Monkees first album came out, I had it quickly. And I loved it.

So here we go, song by song

Theme from The Monkees (Tommy Boyce/Bobby Hart) – The show, of course, needed a theme song and Boyce & Hart came up with a great one. The Monkees were designed to be young and hip, but at the same time, safe. So that was how they started each show “We’re too busy singing to put anybody down. We’re just trying to be friendly.”  Micky’s vocals were on the money and he did a great job on a song that would be played every day for the next forty-eight years.

Saturday’s Child (David Gates) Micky doing lead again on a great song, probably my favorite on the album (Well, depending on my mood – my favorites everywhere change frequently.) This was before Gates got to be a big name himself, but a magnificent song that could easily bring to mind his later work with Bread.

I Wanna Be Free (Tommy Boyce/Bobby Hart) Davy’s first lead vocal, and one of his better ones. Don Kirshner, producer of this album and their next, definitely had his legendary “golden ear”  – up to a point. He focused all his energies on Micky and Davy, believing that neither Nesmith nor Tork had a voice worth pursuing. Davy tended to get relegated to love ballads, and yes, he did them well – although I think that if he had been pushed into a slightly earthier style, he might have learned.  When I first got the album, I liked this song quite a bit, but both on the series and radio, this song tended to get overplayed. Consequently, I have been known in later years to hit the “skip” button when this track comes on.

Tomorrow’s Gonna Be Another Day (Tommy Boyce / Steve Venet) Micky back on leads, and another great song from Tommy Boyce with a different partner this time. Your basic “she done me wrong” song, expressing the attitude “I’m gonna be a lot better off without you, bitch. (Okay they didn’t sing “bitch”, but if the song were written now, it would be there.)

Papa Gene’s Blues (Michael Nesmith) - The song that vies with “Saturday’s Child” for my favorite on the album.  “I have no more than I did before, but now I’ve got all that I need – For I love you and I know that you love me.” What a perfect lyric.  With lines like “Happiness is all rolled up in you” and “Free from all the helpless worry that besets a man when he’s alone” – what can I say? Magnificent. Getting to see this done live last spring when Nesmith did his solo tour was one of the great experiences of my life.

Take a Giant Step (Gerry Goffin/Carole King)  Micky’s fourth lead on the six songs of Side “A”, both the tune and lyrics here are, well, Goffin & King. What more needs to be said?  In later years, this song has become more known by Peter than Micky, but Micky’s version is terrific as well. Probably also one of the best cover versions of any Monkees song was Taj Mahal’s version of this track.

Last Train To Clarksville  (Tommy Boyce/Bobby Hart) The first single issued by the Monkees, and with good reason. Very commercial, very well sung, and a subtle, anti-war lyric.

This Just Doesn’t Seem To Be My Day (Tommy Boyce / Bobby Hart) I get the feeling that this was written by Tommy & Bobby specifically to be sung by Davy – it has a very music hall feel, the standard British style that Davy seemed to lean toward so often.

Let’s Dance On (Tommy Boyce/Bobby Hart) Your basic “let’s thrown in the names of every dance we can think of” song. By far the weakest track on the album.

I’ll Be True To You (Gerry Goffin/Russ Titelman)  Although this is a close second for the “weakest track” title. Another Davy ballad that sounds like a 14 year old’s love note. Goffin without King is like toast without butter. Dry and tasteless.

Sweet Young Thing (Gerry Goffin/Carole King/Michael Nesmith) I’ve heard that this was an attempt to get Nesmith to write something that didn’t sound quite so country, and that the songwriters did not get on well together. If so, it’s hard to tell by listening to the track, because it is strong and very well written. “I know that something very strange is happening to my brain, I’m either feeling very good or else I am insane.” Fantastic lyrics, fantastic tune. I have no idea who contributed what, but the blending of these three talents, however difficult it might have been, turned out a superior song.

Gonna Buy Me A Dog (Tommy Boyce/Bobby Hart) A rather feeble attempt at transferring the zaniness of the TV show to the record. I liked it when I was 10, but it doesn’t hold up over the years. “I wish I had a glass of water.” “Why, are you thirsty?” “No, I want to see if my neck leaks.” Yawn.

All in all, a mixed bag of an album – I have always wondered what it would have been like if the group had been given at least partial control from the start. First, I doubt that we would have had seven songs by Micky, three by Davy, two by Nez and Peter represented on the album only on indistinguishable backup guitar on two tracks. Sadly, that will always be speculation, since they didn’t gain that control until the third album.