I've thought this was brilliant since I heard it a few years ago, when a friend gave me his Nilsson compilation. It's like an uncontrolled burst from a slightly disturbed Beatles-obsessed mind. Although obviously it can't really be uncontrolled.
The Beatles thought it was genius too. Both Lennon and McCartney became big Nilsson fans. As far as I know only Lennon worked with him, although you could definitely see him and Paul collaborating.
The Beatles thought it was genius too. Both Lennon and McCartney became big Nilsson fans. As far as I know only Lennon worked with him, although you could definitely see him and Paul collaborating.
2 comments:
Not just a Beatles cover, eh? It's an amazing tribute and according to him pretty easily done. No wonder John and Paul both loved him.
"One time I was just toying with my guitar. I struck this chord and it seemed to lend itself to a million different songs. I noticed how many Beatles songs could be played on this one chord, so I run down to Wallach's Music City on Sunset, at about midnight, just before it closed, bought the Beatle songbook, and finished the song that night."
Probably the first time I heard Nilsson was the song Everybody's Talkin in Midnight Cowboy (they don't make many movies like that anymore). It was much later I found out he'd been a well known songwriter for years.
The album (and short movie) that really got me was The Point released in 1970 and was special to me for many reasons. Me and My Arrow was wonderful but so were all of them - this one is a particular favorite.
It's pretty amazing that he noticed, plopped right in the middle of these songs, that chord and had the idea to run them all together. I sometimes notice similar melodies in different songs, but it's a borderline unconscious thing for me. I could barely tell you what I'm hearing.
(On that thought, I've been watching the third season of The Sopranos, and the first episode features a mashup of the Police's "Every Breath You Take" with the "Peter Gunn Theme", which I believe is composed by Henry Mancini. There's a similarity between those two pieces that I had never even thought of.)
Midnight Cowboy is a one-of-a-kind movie. I don't think it's too controversial to say that Dustin Hoffman as Ratso Rizzo ("In my own goddamn place I ain't Ratso!"), but it also benefits from having Nilsson's music in it.
The Point was a lovely story too. I saw it when I was little. Think it was the only time it was broadcast with Hoffman as the father (guess that agreement was how they could afford him.) Later it was redubbed with Ringo Starr's voice.
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