Customer Rating: 
Summary: A Joy Ride
Comment: Harry Nilsson wrote so many great songs, and this just includes songs that are not on the `Popeye' movie soundtrack. Harry's version of `Remember' is longer than the 2:21 version by Randy Newman that is at the beginning of this album, but few people would know what notes Randy Newman leaves out. `Turn On Your Radio' is a great song, telling everyone to listen. `One' was a popular rock hit for Three Dog Night, but Aimee Mann gives it a Jon Brion production. `Coconut' is comic by the time the doctor in the middle of the night is singing "You're such a silly woman" or is that crazy? Joe Ely sounds convincing on "Joy to the world was a beautiful girl, but to me Joy only meant sorrow." Ringo Starr and Stevie Nicks sing together on "Lay Down Your Arms." Maybe you never heard that song. `Without Her' is vintage Harry Nilsson, but `Without You' by Pete Ham was more famous when Harry sang it. He is also known for singing the `Everybody's Talkin'' song, the version which was featured in the `Midnight Cowboy' soundtrack. `Jump Into the Fire' has a lot of energy.
Perfect images abound in `The Moonbeam Song'. Party? `You're Breaking My Heart' sounds like a party with Peter Wolf. The sweet songs are `Mournin' Glory Story,' `Salmon Falls,' `The Puppy Song' as sung by Victoria Williams, `Think About Your Troubles', `Good Old Desk,' and `I Guess the Lord Must Be In New York City.' "Keep Your powder dry" and "I'll miss the alimony, too" are some great lines from `Don't Forget Me,' which also includes the dire insight, "When we're older, full of cancer."
Modern excitement gets its kicks in `The Lottery Song' and`Spaceman.' You couldn't possibly appreciate `Me and My Arrow' like a kid would unless you've seen the video, `The Point,' which has a few great songs like `Down' that are not on this album, but I remember it from the `Nilsson Schmilsson' LP.
`Life Line' at the end of this album is a song from `The Point.' That soundtrack has a `Down in the Valley' which might be a different song with a theme similar to the `Down' on `Nilsson Schmilsson.' When I think of Harry Nilsson, the plea "Send me down a life line" is so close to my thoughts that I am easily confused about where I heard that before.
This tribute was recorded in 1995 to generate donations to the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. If you buy a used copy, the artists' royalties have already been paid by someone else, but there aren't any new copies for anything which is so ad hoc, as they say in Latin.
Customer Rating:
Summary: NILSSON FAN
Comment: THIS IS BY FAR ONE OF THE BEST TRIBUTE ALBUMS. THE VARIETY OF ARTISTS AND THE QUALITY OF THEIR PERFORMANCE IS GREAT. NOT EVERY ARTIST DOES JUSTICE TO THE SONG BUT I DONT THINK ANY ALBUM CAN MATCH THAT STANDARD. MY FAVORITE, SALMON FALLS AND TURN ON THE RADIO, BOTTOM DWELLER IS WITHOUT HER. I AM SORRY THEY DIDNOT COME OUT WITH A TWO VOLUME SET FEATURING SONGS LIKE, TOGETHER, I GUESS THE LORD MUST BE IN NEW YORK CITY, MAYBE. ETC.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: A labor of love.
Comment: Tribute albums are notoriously a mixed bag. Often, they fall into two categories: big names stars making mincemeat of classic songs, or unknown artists living up to their well-deserved status. This, however, is a very, very pleasant exception to these rules. Even the very annoying Randy Newman acquits himself well with a truly moving rendition of "Remember." All of which serves as a reminder of just how good Nilsson really was, both in terms of lyrics and melodies. Sure, there are duds here, like the goddawful trashing of "Coconut" by the semi-talented B-52's frontman Fred Schneider (it's almost too painful to listen to), but there are real gems, too, like Adrien Belew's playful version of "Me and My Arrow," Marc Cohn's "Turn on Your Radio," and a version of "Spaceman" by the Roches which bests the original. "Jump Into the Fire" becomes a Gospel classic, too, at the hands of LaVern Baker.What shines through most of all is the deep affection these performers, by and large, have for the music and for Harry. The liner notes are wonderful, too. For me, it reopened the door to Harry that had been closed for so long.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Not as good as Harry, but what is?
Comment: You must be a bit of a fan to even consider this album. It's not awful, and there are some great performances. Randy Newman's 'Remember' is very moving. It's great to see Randy returning the respect that Harry clearly had for him. Another standout moment is 'This Could Be The Night' by Brian Wilson. One of Brian's favourite Spector productions. It's also worth noting Jellyfish show us their final ever performance 'Think abnout Your Troubles' which has always been an amazing song, and Jellyfish's treatment, although not lavish, is wonderful.Two other standout tracks are 'Mournin' Glory Story' which is very heavy. And I'd say 'Coconut' is fantastic. Forget the subtle original version. This is a truly manic crazed version, and I'm sure Harry would have laughed louder than any of us. Despite the odd flourish from Ringo Starr, Carl Wilson, and Ron Sexsmith, there are some fairly dodgy moments. I found it really made me want to listen to the original stuff again. And anything that prompts a re-evaluation of how great Harry was is a good thing.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A fun tribute, filled with genuine love
Comment: As with most tribute albums, about half of the tracks here are people trying their best to sound like the artist...which in Harry's case is just not possible...and the rest are 'rethinkings' of the songs. It's hit-and-miss, with some wonderful performances (Ringo, Adrian Belew, Marshall Crenshaw) some inspired contributions (Victoria Williams, Randy Newman) and some real duds (Fred Schneider's "Coconut" is just awful). But it doesn't really matter, because everyone here genuinely loves Nilsson, and it shows.
|
