When the Beatles called Harry Nilsson their favorite American performer, he immediately received a ton of press that kick started his career to a place it had never before been (namely, success), which eventually led to the creation of a very successful album called Nilsson Schmilsson. It had a few big hits (Without You and Coconut being the most prominent), and his follow up, Son of Schmilsson (later followed by the equally silly-named A Little Touch of Schmilsson in the Night and Knnillssonn) allowed Nilsson to explore the eclectic, bizarre, and funny sides of his musical nature.
Son Of Schmilsson opens with a rowdy ode to a groupie, corny sound effects, and a ballad, and the album gets stranger from there. His legendary voice in full power, Nilsson sings brilliantly on the serious songs yet engages his classic wit as well (one great moment on Ambush, while the band vamps he yells, “now on this time through, we want everyone to listen to the punchline!” before restarting the second verse)
It’s a wild ride; false starts, body noises, and mock country permeate different areas of the album, but it’s got enough musicality in its tracks to stay well out of the borders of a novelty album. No matter what the style Harry is attempting or how ridiculous his lyrics are, he sings them like an opera star fallen from grace.
That is the beauty of Harry Nilsson; only he could make such a revered album with so much silliness on it. There is no album that I’ve ever heard that has such tight instrumentation as Son of Schmilsson, yet sounds incredibly laid back and random. The best example of this are the final two tracks; the first of which features a chorus of half-drunk elderly people singing “I’d Rather Be Dead Than Wet The Bed” (the story of the recording session for this track is very interesting, and part of it can be viewed on YouTube by searching for Nilsson). The latter track goes from mock-calypso to mock-orchestra, with Harry’s brilliant voice dispensing wisdom and a hilarious last line that reminds us why Nilsson was such a fantastic and unique voice in music.
On “You’re Breaking My Heart,” Nilsson rocks harder than anywhere in his career, and sings the vulgar chorus of the song (which had an awful lot of F-words for a mainstream record at the time) with zest and a touch of animosity. It sounds fresh on the remastered version, and Nilsson’s voice is crisp and clean as he gives vulgarity new beauty. Other rock tracks (for instance At My Front Door) revisit some of the balls-out, horn-rich Lennonesque territory he conquered on Nilsson Schmilsson, but this record is a whole lot more random and a lot more fun than its predecessor.
Nowhere else in Nilsson’s career did he appear to have as much fun with himself as he did on Son of Schmilsson, and that’s why the album works; he’s really Harry here, and personality oozes out of each song with a vibrancy that’s addictive and entertaining. The superb musicianship (including a few Beatles, one of whom is referred to in the liner notes as George Harry-son) and Harry’s voice ensure a snapshot of Nilsson’s genius in full color. This is the real Nilsson, with a touch of rock and roll and a whole lot of love for the world he was living in.
The additional tracks added on this remastered addition are a fun extra, but the main course is a funny, classic album that ranks among Nilsson’s best-and if you know anything about the legend of Harry Nilsson, that’s saying a lot.
