Nils (album)

Last updated
Nils
Nilsalbumcover.jpg
Studio album by
Nils Lofgren
ReleasedJune 1979
Studio
Genre Rock [1]
Length39:11
Label A&M
Producer Bob Ezrin
Nils Lofgren chronology
Night After Night
(1977)		Nils
(1979)		 Night Fades Away
(1981)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Christgau's Record Guide C+ [2]
Music Week Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [3]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [4]

Nils is the fourth solo studio album by Nils Lofgren, released in June 1979 by A&M Records.

Contents

Background

With mainstream success continuing to elude Lofgren, A&M brought in Bob Ezrin in 1979, to oversee Nils. Ezrin was known for his successes with Alice Cooper, Pink Floyd, Lou Reed, and Kiss. Lofgren: "The label said they wanted to bring in co-writers, and I said that I didn't do that. Ezrin said, 'What about Lou Reed?' And I said, 'Well, yeah, okay. That would be cool.'" Lofgren watched a football game at Reed's Greenwich Village apartment and the two struck up a friendship. In the middle of the night Reed would call Lofgren and dictate lyrics over the phone. Their collaborations appeared across Nils and Reed's The Bells , also released in 1979. Ezrin also brought in contributions from Dick Wagner, who'd worked with Reed, Kiss, and Cooper ("Only Women Bleed" and "You And Me"). Wagner and Reed co-wrote "I'll Cry Tomorrow" a sequel of sorts to "I Never Cry" (1976) by Wagner and Cooper. [1] With such hit makers at his side, Lofgren felt certain that Nils would be his breakthrough and that songs like "Shine Silently" would be hits. [5]

Reception

Before performing an extended version of "Shine Silently" on Dutch TV show 2 Meter Session  [ nl ] Lofgren noted that it was a personal favorite and the single a moderate hit in Holland. [6]

Track listing

All tracks composed by Nils Lofgren, except where indicated.

  1. "No Mercy" – 4:06
  2. "I'll Cry Tomorrow" (Dick Wagner, Lou Reed) – 4:28
  3. "Baltimore" (Randy Newman) – 6:43
  4. "Shine Silently" (Lofgren, Dick Wagner) – 3:48
  5. "Steal Away" – 4:08
  6. "Kool Skool" – 3:17
  7. "A Fool Like Me" (Lofgren, Lou Reed) – 3:11
  8. "I Found Her" (Lofgren, Lou Reed) – 3:36
  9. "You're So Easy" (Lofgren, Bob Ezrin, Dick Wagner) – 5:54

Personnel

Technical

Special effects on "No Mercy" recorded at Madison Square Garden

Charts

Chart performance for Nils
Chart (1979)Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report) [7] 96
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [8] 50
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [9] 21
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [10] 35
US Billboard 200 [11] 54

References

  1. 1 2 3 Viglione, Joe. Nils at AllMusic
  2. ↑ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: L". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies . Ticknor & Fields. ISBN   089919026X . Retrieved March 1, 2019– via robertchristgau.com.
  3. ↑ "Album Reviews: Nils Lofgren — Nils" (PDF). Music Week . Gwent: Pensord Press Ltd. June 23, 1979. p. 40. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 20, 2024. Retrieved March 28, 2025– via WorldRadioHistory.com.
  4. ↑ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 432.
  5. ↑ Woodbury, Jason P. (July 30, 2014). "Scottsdale's Nils Lofgren Became Famous as a Member of the E Street Band; Now He Gets the Spotlight with New Box Set". Phoenix New Times . Retrieved February 8, 2018.
  6. ↑ Nils Lofgren - Shine Silently | 2 Meter Session #525 on YouTube (November 1, 1995)
  7. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 180. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  8. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Nils Lofgren – Nils" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Nils Lofgren – Nils" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Nils Lofgren – Nils". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Nils Lofgren Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
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