In 1969, Harry Nilsson and Randy Newman joined forces to record "Nilsson Sings Newman," a gorgeous, minimalist collection of Newman songs sung by Nilsson (obviously).
In 2001, as his band, Harvey Danger, broke up, Sean Nelson became deeply enamored of "Nilsson Sings Newman," and considered that "Nelson Sings Nilsson" would be a funny title for a record.
In 2002, Nelson went deep into Nilssoniana, immersing himself in the two-disc import reissues of the early records "Pandemonium Shadow Show" and "Aerial Ballet" (not to mention "Aerial Pandemonium Ballet") in particular, and "Harry," "Nilsson Schmilsson," and "Pussy Cats," as well. He now thought that "Nelson Sings Nilsson" was not only a funny idea for a record title, but a brilliant idea that would constitute his first solo album.
From 2002-2006, Nelson looked for people to work with him on this record, to little avail, though there were a few takers: Johnny Sangster and Rob Knop helped out with a batch of demos at the then-Hall of Justice. Steve Fisk took a swipe at recording some basics for a couple of songs, but nothing really came of either session. For years the project would threaten to come together then fizzle, leading Nelson to give up several times, but never all the way. It turned out to be easier for Harvey Danger to reunite (2004) and make a new record than it was to get NSN all the way off the ground. HOWEVER.
In 2006, from the depths of despair, Nelson asked producer/arranger/composer/mentalist Mark Nichols if he might be interested in taking the project on. According to reports, Nichols literally leapt at the opportunity. A couple of months later, an album of 14 Nilsson songs--some hits, some deep cuts, some unreleased gems--plus an 8-minute medley (very much in the style of the Beatles pastiche from Harry's debut LP) was born. Elaborately arranged with strings, brass, guitar, bass, drums, and a kids choir, the album weaves a rich, theatrical musical tapestry to wrap around Nelson's full-throated vocal stylings. With influences ranging from rock to Vauedville, from music hall to Broadway, from Tin Pan Alley to Erik Satie, "Nelson Sings Nilsson" offers an idiosyncratic showcase for one of the late-20th century's most idiosyncratic composer/arrangers. If you only know Harry Nilsson as that guy who sings the Coconut song (or even "Everybody's Talkin'"), here's a sampler of the broad array of styles he tackled in his curious career--from the comical to the dire, from the sneer to the sincere, from the Monkees to the Beatles, here was an artist equally comfortable laying his emotions bare or glossing over his heartache with savage irreverence. "Nelson Sings Nilsson" is an homage to a great pop figure who slips beautifully between the cracks of the '60s and '70s, and whose music remains captivating (and deeply catchy) decades hence.
And the singing is nice, too.
