Who is Harry Nillson -and why is everybody talkin about him?

[Zvon]

When I moved from NYC my friends and I used to keep in touch by sending nutty cassette recordings back and forth a few times a year during the late '70s early '80s. We did music and comedy bits. My buddy Mike did a sketch that was supposed to be a typical day in his life and its classic funny. 90 minutes long. He played all parts. Himself, his boss, fellow workers, his g/f, his mom. My brothers and I did comedy sketches of made up or spoofed TV shows complete with a hand drawn TV guide one time.

We did crazy stuff like this. I've boxes and boxes of old cassettes with wacky stuff and I don't even know whats on half of em yet. I even recorded most practice sessions to see how some songs were sounding. Always recorded a jam. Many times on a cheap mono cassette recorder. Its nice to have these recordings still. Some of this I have uploaded to Reverbnation.com.

Think About Your Troubles- This was recorded on a karaoke tape machine- double track player/recorder- through the built in condenser mics. I recorded the basic track and then played it back and sang/played along with it. Bounced it this way three times. The recording was made in the mid 90s.

I got it off the cassette and on to the PC many years ago and added the little crowd bit at the end of the digital version. I just took it into CEpro the other day and tried to make it sound like it wasn't recorded in a bathroom, which it was(yep, thats a toilet flushing at the start), and I couldn't really do that. Gave up on it but did make it sound better. Edited it down from five to three minutes.

When I recorded this I liked how it came out. But it fell far short from how I wanted it to come out quality wise. Timing was off here and there. A few distorted loud peaks. I'd share this with my NY buddies but on the innerwebs I thought no, it might be embarrassing, because there are quite a few flaws and the quality is not all that good. I was able to make it sound better with this recent remix.

I'm no pro, but there are Harry fans here! And it don't suck!
_________________________________________________
Below is a link to a blog where I'll share my recordings stored on Reverb Nation. Reverb is a great place for musicians to get exposure. I kind of mis-use the place and I appreciate that they allow me to do that for free. I'm not looking for exposure or PR, gettin signed or gig dates or anything. I'm there cause its a great place to store my recordings and share them online.

THINK ABOUT YOUR TROUBLES is the first song on the player. As far as I know the player will continue to play thru the whole collection of my recordings stored there. There is over 2 hours of crap there if you're looking for a time sink. There's some good stuff there. Some really old stuff. Some original stuff. And some pretty awful stuff too:) Sounds like a lot of stuff.
To me they're all just little slices of life.
After the song plays you have to click to stop the player. Or leave the thread/page.

http://thezvoncollection.blogspot.com/
OE: Had to remove TAYT as my home page song. It will no longer top the player( Its still in there, somewhere).

[Guest cooby]

Did not see documentary. Do like Harry Nillson (sp) Courtship of Eddie's Father, Everybody's Talkin", I Can't Live, Lime in the Coconout, etc, etc etc.

I'll vote high for him.

[batmagadanleadoff]

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/9529179/the-legacy-harry-nilsson

For all you Nilsson heads, Grantland covers Harry's career in a lengthy piece: Deconstructing Harry. Lotsa footnotes, links and videos. It comes on the heels of last month's releases of a Nilsson biography and a comprehensive box set of virtually every Nilsson recording.

[Zvon]

Wow. Great article. I'll have that boxed set soon and I'll be back with a review.

[Zvon]

From that article: There are recordings called - The Popeye Demos. These are of Harry singing (I assume) the songs he wrote for the Popeye flick in 1980. I always thought these were good Harry type songs and to hear him sing them should either back that up or shoot it down. I am trying to track these tracks down because they are not included in the box set. No luck so far.

I did run into a nice copy of the Popeye movie. I'm going to burn that and re-watch it. Havent seen it since I did in the theater in '80. I remember I thought this movie was totally dismal in every way. I also remember thinking that Robin Williams and Ray Walston really had Popeye and Pappy down pat and I thought their performances were wasted. Duval was born to play Olive Oil, lol. Harrys musical soundtrack was very good, but all the songs seemed as dismal as the movie.

I have very few memories regarding Popeye The Movie. I'm curious to find out what I think of it in retrospect after viewing it now, over 30 years later.

[Guest cooby]

Dismal....do you mean depressing? Cause we watched it on HBO in 1980 or so and I was depressed for days and couldn't shake it...there was just something dragging me down about that movie. Never could put a finger on it.

[Edgy MD]

Pretty dismal source material if you ask me.

Robin Williams once had a routine where he relected on his newborn baby Christian and the bitter fights that they would have when Christian became a young adult (a stage I assume he's now well past).

>> "What's the matter, Son?"! 'Ninny-ninny' wasn't good enough for you? Garp wasn't good enough for you? Popeye wasn't good enough for you?!"

>> "Who you kidding, Pop? Popeye wasn't good enough for anybody!"

[Zvon]

cooby wrote: Dismal....do you mean depressing? Cause we watched it on HBO in 1980 or so and I was depressed for days and couldn't shake it...there was just something dragging me down about that movie. Never could put a finger on it.

It was dismal with a chance of depression. Like todays weather.

Seriously. It was like the movie was a ball and chain that dragged me down as well. I think because back then I was expecting so much more, like an up, bright, cartoony thing. Ive always been a Williams fan (and Walston fan from MFMartian) and they did their jobs very well. The sets were expansive yet as drudgy as the mood they create. I think it's failure has to be pinned to Robert Altman (Im a fan of his work, usually) and the direction he chose to take it. As well as directing, he wrote the story.

I really think I'll appreciate it now more than I did then when I re-watch it. In a nostalgic sense. Or I could be setting myself up for the same disappointment I experienced back in 80.

[Guest cooby]

Let us know! I've often thought about watching it again, but I'm afraid of how it will affect me

[Zvon]

Don't watch it again. Erase the fact this movie was ever made from your memory.It started well with the 1930's Popeye cartoon intro with the sliding doors. He's my favorite Popeye, the one that always said stuff under his breath. And thats the way Williams played him, which was great. But not for two hours. It would have made a great SNL short skit. Shelly Duval played Olive Oil so well that she gets on your nerves pretty quick. Two hours in a room with Olive Oil? Not good.
The story had to make use of the Popeye/Olive/Bluto relationship somehow. The way they did left alot to be desired. I forgot Sweet Pea was in it. Kid took up some screen time. Made me nervous when he was hanging from hooks and being left on a hammock and stuff like that. He just was abandoned behind Popeye and Olive while they were chatting by who for all I know was the sea hag.

The script and plot simply sucked. Harrys songs were nice melodies for the most part, but sung by the characters (supposedly live on film) pretty badly. Pappy sang a song about how he hated raising children that was just barf awful. Nilsson sang many depressing songs in his life but his voice made them beautiful. He couldn't save that one even if he sang it. The anthem and the song Olive sings were well done. The rest garbage.

Not one laugh.

In review:
1. Should have been a short SNL skit
2. The story & script was blah
3. Probably should not have been a musical
4. Why could it be depressing?
a. Two hours shot
b. Money was spent making it
c. Songs are bleak
d. Back then money was spent to see it.
e. It was just so disappointing. It could have been great. The ingredients were there.

I read that the set they built for the movie in Malta is still there and now a tourist attraction called Popeyes Village. I'd like to check that out some day. Sleep in a hammock.

[Guest cooby]

I watched the "trailer" the other day to see what I thought. Again with the dark depressing feelings. Maybe I was just going through a bad time in my life at the time and it invoked that feeling. I just don't know. But I'm running the other way and not watching it again.

I do remember Sweetpea was an adorable child. (in the movie). And I remember as well, not one laugh when I watched it back in 1980....

[Zvon]

I found the Popeye Demos where Nilsson sings the songs. He doesnt sing them all. Duval sings one. Looks like some are in Spanish. Ive only listened to 3 of 13 tracks. Its kind of odd hearing Harry sing the Popeye the Sailor Man theme. You can tell these were Nilssons arrangements. So far nothing great but a great addition to my Nilsson collection.