Nilsson Schmilsson is the seventh studio album by American singer Harry Nilsson, released by RCA Records on November 11, 1971. It was Nilsson's most commercially successful work, producing three of his best-known songs. Among these was the number 1 hit "Without You", written by Pete Ham and Tom Evans of the group Badfinger. The album was the first of two Nilsson albums recorded in London and produced by Richard Perry.
| Nilsson Schmilsson | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 11, 1971 | |||
| Recorded | January–June 1971 | |||
| Studio | ||||
| Genre | Rock, pop[2] | |||
| Length | 35:17 | |||
| Label | RCA Victor | |||
| Producer | Richard Perry | |||
| Nilsson chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Nilsson Schmilsson | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Blender |  [3] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | A[4] |
| The Essential Rock Discography | 8/10[6] |
| MusicHound | 4/5[7] |
| Pitchfork | 9.4/10[8] |
| Rolling Stone | [9] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [10] |
| The Village Voice | A−[5] |
"Jump into the Fire" and "Coconut", both written by Nilsson, also became hits. The album performed well at the 1973 Grammy Awards, earning a nomination for Album of the Year, while "Without You" won the Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. In 2006, Nilsson Schmilsson was ranked number 84 on Pitchfork's "Top 100 Albums of the 1970s".[11] The album was ranked #281 in the 2020 revision of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list.[12]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Harry Nilsson, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Gotta Get Up" | 2:24 | |
| 2. | "Driving Along" | 2:02 | |
| 3. | "Early in the Morning" | Leo Hickman, Louis Jordan, Dallas Bartley | 2:48 |
| 4. | "The Moonbeam Song" | 3:18 | |
| 5. | "Down" | 3:24 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Without You" | Pete Ham, Tom Evans | 3:17 |
| 2. | "Coconut" | 3:48 | |
| 3. | "Let the Good Times Roll" | Shirley Goodman, Leonard Lee | 2:42 |
| 4. | "Jump into the Fire" | 6:54 | |
| 5. | "I'll Never Leave You" | 4:11 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Si No Estás Tú" (Spanish version of "Without You") | 3:14 |
| 12. | "How Can I Be Sure of You" | 3:04 |
| 13. | "The Moonbeam Song" (Demo version) | 3:30 |
| 14. | "Lamaze" | 1:44 |
| 15. | "Old Forgotten Soldier" (Demo version) | 2:41 |
| 16. | "Gotta Get Up" (Demo version) | 2:25 |
| 17. | "Interview with Richard Perry" (Hidden track) | 2:41 |
Personnel
editAccording to the 1971 LP credits:[1]
- Harry Nilsson – vocals; piano on 1, 5, 8, 10; Mellotron on 2, 4; organ on 3; harmonica on 8; electric piano on 9
- Jim Gordon – drums on 1, 2, 5, 7, 9; percussion on 7, 9
- Klaus Voormann – bass guitar on 1, 5, 6, 8; rhythm guitar on 2, 9; acoustic guitar on 4
- Chris Spedding – guitar on 1, 5, 8, 9
- Herbie Flowers – bass guitar on 2, 4, 7, 9
- John Uribe – acoustic guitar on 2, 4, 6; lead guitar on 2, 9
Additional personnel
- Henry Krein – accordion on 1
- Richard Perry – percussion on 1, Mellotron on 2
- Jim Price – trumpet on 1, 5; trombone on 1, 5; horn arrangements on 1, 5
- Jim Keltner – drums on 5, 6, 8
- Roger Coulam – organ on 5
- Bobby Keys – saxophone on 5
- Gary Wright – piano on 6, organ on 8
- Paul Buckmaster – string and horn arrangements on 6
- Roger Pope – drums on 7
- Caleb Quaye – guitar on 7
- Ian Duck – acoustic guitar on 7
- Jim Webb – piano on 9
- George Tipton – string and horn arrangements on 10
Technical
- Robin Geoffrey Cable – engineer (Trident Studios)
- Richie Schmitt – engineer (RCA Studios)
- Phil Brown – additional engineer (Island Studios)
- Acy Lehman – graphics
- Dean Torrence – photography
Charts
edit| Chart (1972) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[13] | 2 |
| United States (Billboard 200) | 3 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[14] | Gold | 20,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[15] | Gold | 500,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
Awards
edit| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 Grammy Awards | "Without You" | Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance | Won |
| "Without You" | Grammy Award for Record of the Year | Nominated | |
| "Nilsson Schmilsson" | Grammy Award for Album of the Year | Nominated | |
| "Nilsson Schmilsson" | Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical | Nominated |
References
edit- ^ a b Nilsson Schmilsson (CD booklet: reproduced 1971 LP sleeve). Harry Nilsson. BMG Entertainment. 2000.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ a b "Nilsson Schmilsson - Harry Nilsson | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: N". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (December 30, 1971). "Consumer Guide (22)". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
- ^ Strong, Martin C. (2006). The Essential Rock Discography. Edinburgh, UK: Canongate. p. 758. ISBN 978-1-84195-827-9.
- ^ Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel (eds) (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Farmington Hills, MI: Visible Ink Press. p. 815. ISBN 1-57859-061-2.
- ^ Beta, Andy (February 11, 2004). "Harry Nilsson: Nilsson Schmilsson | Album Reviews". Pitchfork.com. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
- ^ [2] Archived December 11, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Brackett, Nathan; with Hoard, Christian (eds) (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th edn). New York, NY: Simon & Schuster. p. 586. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ^ "Top 100 Albums of the 1970s" from Pitchfork
- ^ "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rollingstone.com. September 22, 2020. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 218. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "International News: Australian Gold" (PDF). Cash Box. November 2, 1974. p. 36. Retrieved November 15, 2021 – via World Radio History.
- ^ "American album certifications – Nilsson – Nilsson Schmilsson". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 24, 2023.