You know the gist at this point - Nilsson, pop genius, was dominating the artform by 1971. Starting in '67 with the critically lauded Pandemonium Shadow Show, and then continuously laying down stepping stones on a seemingly never-ending path of greatness - the baroque pop brilliance of Aerial Ballet, the vaudevillian Harry, the gentle and gorgeous Nilsson Sings Newman, and the charming storybook album of The Point! all steadily built up Nilsson as what he was - a vanguard figure in pop music, and one that was almost immediately on par with the Lennon/McCartney name (hell, John Lennon called Nilsson his favorite musician). In 1971, however, Nilsson made the biggest steps toward his ascension to the pop-rock throne - the aforementioned release of The Point! in January of that year was the first, as well as the album's subsequent TV movie. This album was the second one. In comparison to previous albums from Harry, this one showcases nearly every side of Nilsson's talents - the pop mastermind, the rocker, and the wacky song-smith. In many ways, Nilsson Schmilsson is the most complete portrait of Harry Nilsson and his abilities, and all but assured him to be within the rock pantheon.
Every facet of Nilsson's songwriting on Nilsson Schmilsson is put on proud, bold display. From the get-go, Nilsson demonstrates his seemingly god-given ability to compose a pop song, easily seen with moments like the energetic opening of "Gotta Get Up" and the laid-back energy of "Moonbeam Song," backed up with beautifully overlaid guitar and Nilsson's moving vocals. We also get the lighthearted, zany side of Nilsson, most apparent with the novelty "Coconut," which also manages to rock towards the latter half of the song - a surprisingly entertaining moment. The final side of Nilsson we get is one that has remained largely hidden until this album - Nilsson as a rocker. Throughout the album, we get Harry's hardest hitting numbers, most notably the 7-minute roaring power of "Jump Into the Fire," as well as the bluesy belting of "Down" at the end of the album's first half. Nilsson's energy is palpable from start to finish on this album, and is by a wide margin his most thumping, powerful record.
Of course, one of Nilsson's most powerful tricks is his ability to reinvent existing songs - he is a singular artist when it comes to covering material, to an impressive resolve. "Everybody's Talkin'" was an existing Fred Neil tune that Harry was able to reinvent into a powerful, soaring ballad - it was a hit, and it has the Grammy to boot. Throughout his career, he demonstrated this still, as he brought fresh new takes on artists that ranged from Randy Newman to The Beatles. Nilsson expands on this skill here, taking already great moments like the R&B "Let the Good Times Roll" or the power-pop excellence of "Without You" is morphed into a powerhouse rocker with the former and a harrowing ballad complete with one of Nilsson's best vocal performances for the latter - "Without You" netted Nilsson yet another Grammy, might I add. Yet again on this album, Nilsson is able to transform songs to suit his own style and vision, and he does so effortlessly.
An unbelievable creative streak - five albums in four years, all of which established Nilsson as one of the brightest minds in popular music. Not only does Nilsson Schmilsson showcase every individual talent of Nilsson's songwriting and vocal ability, but also his ability to reshape and recontextualize existing songs to suit his creative vision. Out of every album he's made up to this point, Nilsson Schmilsson is by far the most complete picture of Nilsson as an artist, and it's easily one of his finest for it.
RATING: ✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯
Listen to Nilsson Schmilsson.
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