Harry is the fourth studio album by Harry Nilsson, released August 1969 on RCA. It was his first album to get onto Billboard Magazine's Billboard 200 chart, remaining there for 15 weeks and reaching #120.[5]
The album does not have a distinctive style but ranges over ballads, show tunes, nostalgic Americana, and tin pan alley-like soft shoe numbers.[1]
William E. Martin, who wrote the songs "Fairfax Rag" and "City Life" that Harry covered on Harry, and who collaborated with Nilsson on the song "Rainmaker," appears in a picture inside the gatefold version of the album wearing a bear suit that was made of an actual bear.[6]
Songs
The Puppy Song
Nilsson wrote this song at Paul McCartney's request for Mary Hopkin, an 18-year-old singer that McCartney had signed to Apple records and whose first album, Post Card, would feature her version of Nilsson's song. Nora Ephron would use Harry's own version for the opening credits of her 1998 film, You've Got Mail. Kenny Loggins covered it on his 2009 album All Join In.
Others have covered "The Puppy Song" as well: David Cassidy sang a cover of it and took it to a UK #1 as a double A-side single with the song "Daydreamer"; Victoria Williams covered it on For the Love of Harry: Everybody Sings Nilsson – a tribute album released in 1995; Astrud Gilberto performed a bossa nova lounge version on 2001's The Girl from Ipanema; and 70's Australian pop group New World released their cover on their Best of... album in 2002.
Open Your Window
Ella Fitzgerald covered this song on her album Ella, released in 1969, the same year as Harry. She also performed it live on Ella in Budapest, recorded in May 1970. Louis Bellson recorded a cover for his 1975 album, The Louis Bellson Explosion. In 1973, The 5th Dimension recorded the song for their album Living Together, Growing Together.
Mother Nature's Son
The Beatles once referred to this recording as their favorite Beatles cover song.[citation needed]
Barbra Streisand covered this song on her 1971 album Stoney End. Karen Akers recorded a medley of "Maybe" and "Nevertheless, I'm in Love With You" on her 1990 album, In a Very Unusual Way. Richard Barnes recorded a cover for his only album, Richard Barnes, released in 1970.
Marchin' Down Broadway
This song is based on a song written by Bette Nilsson, Harry's mother.
I Guess the Lord Must Be in New York City
Nilsson wrote this song for the film Midnight Cowboy. Director John Schlesinger had been using Nilsson's cover of Fred Neil's "Everybody's Talkin'" as an example of the kind of song he wanted on the final soundtrack but then decided not to replace it. If "I Guess the Lord..." had been included, it would have been eligible for an Oscar, as it was an original song. Harry Nilsson did win a Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "Everybody's Talkin'", however. "I Guess the Lord..." was used in a film – 1971's La Mortadella (US title: Lady Liberty), starring Sophia Loren.
In 1969 a popular cover version of the song was released in UK by Eternal Triangle on the Decca Label.
Sinéad O'Connor recorded a cover of the song for the film You've Got Mail, but director Nora Ephron decided to use Nilsson's original. O'Connor's version appears on the soundtrack album.
Mac DeMarco also recorded a cover of this song for the debut Makeout Videotape EP 'Heat Wave!'.
Nilsson was impressed by Newman's talents and his next album was Nilsson Sings Newman, ten covers of songs by Newman, with Newman on piano and Nilsson doing vocals.
In 2000, BMG released a combined CD of Harry and Nilsson Sings Newman.
Track listing
All tracks composed by Harry Nilsson, except where noted. All tracks arranged and conducted by George Tipton (* = produced by Rick Jarrard)
↑ Strong, Martin C. (2006). The Essential Rock Discography. Edinburgh, UK: Canongate. p.758. ISBN978-1-84195-827-9.
↑ Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel (eds) (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Farmington Hills, MI: Visible Ink Press. p. 815. ISBN1-57859-061-2.
Harry Edward Nilsson III, sometimes credited as Nilsson, was an American singer-songwriter who reached the peak of his success in the early 1970s. His work is characterized by pioneering vocal overdub experiments, a return to the Great American Songbook, and fusions of Caribbean sounds. Nilsson was one of the few major pop-rock recording artists to achieve significant commercial success without performing major public concerts or touring regularly.
Christopher John Spedding is an English guitarist and record producer. In a career spanning more than 50 years, Spedding is best known for his studio session work. By the early 1970s, he had become one of the most sought-after session guitarists in England. Spedding has played on and produced many albums and singles. He has also been a member of eleven rock bands: the Battered Ornaments, Frank Ricotti Quartet, King Mob, Mike Batt and Friends, Necessaries, Nucleus, Ricky Norton, Sharks, Trigger, and the Wombles. In May 1976, Spedding also produced the very first Sex Pistols recordings.
Aerial Ballet is the third studio album by American musician Harry Nilsson, released in July 1968.
Ringo is the third studio album by English musician Ringo Starr, released in 1973 on Apple Records. It peaked at No. 7 on the UK Albums Chart and No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and has been certified platinum by the RIAA. In Canada, it reached No. 1 on the RPM national albums chart.
Nilsson Sings Newman is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson, released in February 1970 on RCA Victor. It features songs written by Randy Newman. Recorded over six weeks in late 1969, the album showcases Nilsson's voice multi-tracked in layers of tone and harmony. Its arrangements are otherwise sparse, with most of the instrumentation provided by Newman on piano. The record was not a great commercial success, but won a 1970 "Record of the Year" award from Stereo Review magazine. The LP record cover art was illustrated by Dean Torrence.
Son of Schmilsson is the eighth album by American singer Harry Nilsson.
A Little Touch of Schmilsson in the Night is a 1973 album of classic 20th-century standards sung by American singer Harry Nilsson. The album was arranged by Frank Sinatra's arranger Gordon Jenkins, and produced by Derek Taylor. This album is notable in being a standards album produced a decade before such works started to become popular again.
Pussy Cats is the tenth album by American singer Harry Nilsson, released by RCA Records in 1974. It was produced by John Lennon during his "Lost Weekend" period. The album title was inspired by the bad press Nilsson and Lennon were getting at the time for being drunk and rowdy in Los Angeles. They also included an inside joke on the cover – children's letter blocks "D" and "S" on either side of a rug under a table − to spell out "drugs under the table" as a rebus.
Sail Away is the third studio album by Randy Newman, released on May 23, 1972. It was produced by Lenny Waronker and Russ Titelman and issued on Reprise Records. While all of its songs were written and composed by Newman, several had already been recorded by other artists.
"Mother Nature's Son" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1968 double album The Beatles. The song was written primarily by Paul McCartney, and credited to Lennon–McCartney. It was inspired by a lecture given by the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi while the Beatles were in India. The same lecture inspired Lennon's song "Child of Nature", the tune of which he later re-used for "Jealous Guy". Although credited to the group, the song was performed by McCartney alone, while the other Beatles were working on other "White Album" songs.
Ella is a 1969 studio album by the American jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald and the first of two albums she recorded for the Warner Bros. owned Reprise label. This album continues the theme set on Fitzgerald's previous album, consisting in the main part of cover versions of popular songs from the late 1960s. The production of this recording was in the hands of Richard Perry, who had joined the Reprise label in 1967. Perry later went on the produce albums by Barbra Streisand and Diana Ross. The album was re-issued on CD with alternative artwork, in 1989. Released together on one CD with Ella's final album recorded for Reprise label, Things Ain't What They Used to Be .
Love's Lines, Angles and Rhymes is the sixth album by American pop group The 5th Dimension, released in 1971. The title song had been recorded originally by Diana Ross the previous year. It reached #17 on Billboard's Top 200 Album Chart and became the band's third consecutive album to be certified Gold.
William E. Martin was an American musician, screenwriter, songwriter and voice actor.
"Simon Smith and the Amazing Dancing Bear" is a song written by Randy Newman, about a young man of modest means who entertains affluent diners with his dancing bear. A recording by the Alan Price Set reached number four on the UK Singles Chart in April 1967. The success brought Newman to public attention as a songwriter; he recorded the song himself for his 1972 album Sail Away.
"Everybody's Talkin' (Echoes)" is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Fred Neil in 1966 and released two years later. A version of the song performed by American singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson became a hit in 1969, reaching No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and winning a Grammy Award after it was featured in the film Midnight Cowboy. The song, which describes the singer's desire to retreat from the harshness of the city to a more peaceful place and an easier life, is among the most famous works of both artists, and has been covered by many other notable performers.
"One" is a song by American singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson from his 1968 album Aerial Ballet. It is known for its opening line "One is the loneliest number that you'll ever do". Nilsson wrote the song after calling someone and getting a busy signal. He stayed on the line listening to the "beep, beep, beep, beep..." tone, writing the song. The busy signal became the opening notes.
"The Puppy Song" is a Harry Nilsson song that appeared on his album Harry released in August 1969. Nilsson originally wrote this song at Paul McCartney's request for Mary Hopkin, an 18-year-old singer that McCartney had signed to Apple Records and whose first album, Post Card would feature her version of Nilsson's song. David Cassidy released his version as a double A-side single with "Daydreamer", which reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart in 1973.
For the Love of Harry: Everybody Sings Nilsson, released on 9 May 1995 by Musicmasters, is a tribute album by various artists and dedicated to the songs of American musician Harry Nilsson. The album was released the year after Nilsson's death. Proceeds went to the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence.
Everybody's Talkin' is the second album and the first live album by the 11-piece Tedeschi Trucks Band and was released in 2012 by Sony Masterworks. It's been released as a 2-CD and 3-CD set as well as a three disc vinyl set. The title comes from the song carrying the same name, formerly a hit for Harry Nilsson. The band's cover is a hybrid of the Nilsson and Bill Withers versions.
"Jump into the Fire" is a song by American singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson from his 1971 album Nilsson Schmilsson. It was also issued as the album's second single, after "Without You", and peaked at number 27 on America's Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 16 in Canada.
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