Nilsson Schmilsson
The late Harry Nilsson's creative and commercial peak, this LP showcases the singer/songwriter's lighthearted worldview to best advantage. It remains one of the best, most consistent, and least dated albums from an early-'70s era not known for underplayed, unpretentious subtlety. Here you get strong interpretive singing (how ironic that this tunesmith's biggest hits werecovers, such as Badfinger's "Without You"), inventive arranging (the hilarious, marble-mouthed "Coconut"), and distinctive melodicism (check out that lovely paean to the stars, "The Moonbeam Song"). In keeping with the domesticated figure on the cover--complete with housecoat, cigarette, and waiting refrigerator--the mood is laidback and homey, Nilsson's multi-octave voice was never so full of life, and there's a palpable feeling of comfort in both the production and the material. Other LPs (like the John Lennon-producedPussy Catsand the essentialNilsson Sings Newman) have their moments, but this is where to begin any Nilsson collection.--Don Harrison