Nilsson Schmilsson
1971 studio album by Nilsson
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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 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 11, 1971 | |||
| Recorded | January–June 1971 | |||
| Studios | ||||
| Genres | Rock, pop[2] | |||
| Length | 34:48 | |||
| Label | RCA Victor | |||
| Producer | Richard Perry | |||
| Nilsson chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Nilsson Schmilsson | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Blender |  [3] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | A[4] |
| The Essential Rock Discography | 8/10[5] |
| MusicHound | 4/5[6] |
| Pitchfork | 9.4/10[7] |
| Rolling Stone | [8] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [9] |
| The Village Voice | A−[10] |
"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
All 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Without You" | Pete Ham, Tom Evans | 3:17 |
| 7. | "Coconut" | 3:48 | |
| 8. | "Let the Good Times Roll" | Shirley Goodman, Leonard Lee | 2:42 |
| 9. | "Jump into the Fire" | 6:54 | |
| 10. | "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
According to the 1971 LP credits:[1]
- Harry Nilsson – vocals, piano (1, 5, 8, 10), Mellotron (2, 4), organ (3), electric piano (9), harmonica (8)
- Gary Wright – piano (6), organ (8)
- Henry Krein – accordion (1)
- Richard Perry – Mellotron (2), percussion (1)
- Roger Coulam – organ (5)
- Jim Webb – piano (9)
- Chris Spedding – guitar (1, 5, 8, 9)
- John Uribe – lead guitar (2, 9), acoustic guitar (2, 4, 6)
- Caleb Quaye – guitar (7)
- Ian Duck – acoustic guitar (7)
- Klaus Voormann – bass guitar (1, 5, 6, 8), rhythm guitar (2, 9), acoustic guitar (4)
- Herbie Flowers – bass guitar (2, 4, 7, 9)
- Jim Gordon – drums (1, 2, 4, 7, 9), percussion (7, 9)
- Jim Keltner – drums (5, 6, 8)
- Roger Pope – drums (7)
- Bobby Keys – saxophone (5)
- Jim Price – trumpet (1, 5), trombone (1, 5), horn arrangements (1, 5)
- Paul Buckmaster – string and horn arrangements (6)
- George Tipton – string and horn arrangements (10)
Technical
- Robin Geoffrey Cable – engineer (Trident Studios)
- Richie Schmitt – engineer (RCA Studios)
- Phill Brown – additional engineer (Island Studios)
- Acy Lehman – graphics
- Dean Torrence – photography
Charts
| Chart (1972) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[13] | 2 |
| United States (Billboard 200) | 3 |
Certifications
| 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
| 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 |