During lockdown, when we weren’t able to go to work, I used to put together playlists to keep the team engaged. A colleague and great friend called Leslie contacted me and we chatted about two singers, Harry Nilsson and Jim Croce. I hadn’t listened to either of them for quite a while so it was nice to get my ears around some things I had neglected for far too long. I feel like they would make an interesting Blog article so here it is.

******************************************

Harry Nilsson

Harry Edward Nilsson III (June 15, 1941 – January 15, 1994), known professionally as Nilsson, was an American singer-songwriter who achieved the peak of his commercial success in the early 1970s. His work is characterised by pioneering vocal overdub experiments, returns to the Great American Songbook, and fusions of Caribbean sounds. A tenor with a 3½ octave range, Nilsson was one of the few major pop-rock recording artists of his era to achieve significant commercial success without ever performing major public concerts or undertaking regular tours. The craft of his songs and the defiant attitude he projected remains a touchstone for later generations of indie rock musicians.

Born in Brooklyn, Nilsson moved to Los Angeles as a teenager to escape his family’s poor financial situation. While working as a computer programmer at a bank, he grew interested in musical composition and close-harmony singing, and was successful in having some of his songs recorded by various artists such as the Monkees. In 1967, he debuted on RCA Victor with the LP Pandemonium Shadow Show, followed by a variety of releases that include a collaboration with Randy Newman (Nilsson Sings Newman, 1970) and the original children’s story The Point! (1971). His most commercially successful album, Nilsson Schmilsson (1971), produced the international top 10 singles “Without You” and “Coconut”. His other top 10 hit, “Everybody’s Talkin'” (1968), was featured prominently in the 1969 film Midnight Cowboy. A version of Nilsson’s “One”, released by Three Dog Night in 1969, also reached the U.S. top 10.

During a 1968 press conference, the Beatles were asked what their favourite American group was and they answered “Nilsson”. Sometimes called “the American Beatle”, he soon formed close friendships with John Lennon and Ringo Starr. In the 1970s, Nilsson and Lennon were members of the Hollywood Vampires drinking club, embroiling themselves in a number of widely publicised, alcohol-fuelled incidents. They produced one collaborative album, Pussy Cats (1974). After 1977, Nilsson left RCA, and his record output diminished. In response to Lennon’s 1980 murder, he took a hiatus from the music industry to campaign for gun control. For the rest of his life, he recorded only sporadically. In 1994, Nilsson died of a heart attack while in the midst of recording what became his last album, Losst and Founnd which wasn’t released until 2019.

Jim Croce

James Joseph Croce (10th January 1943 – 20th September 1973) was an American folk and rock singer-songwriter. Between 1966 and 1973, Croce released five studio albums and numerous singles.

His first two albums were commercially unsuccessful, failing to chart or produce any hit singles. During this period, Croce took a series of odd jobs to pay bills while he continued to write, record, and perform concerts. After forming a partnership with songwriter and guitarist Maury Muehleisen, his fortunes turned in the early 1970s. His breakthrough came in 1972; his third album You Don’t Mess Around with Jim produced three charting singles, including “Time in a Bottle”, which was a posthumous No. 1. The follow-up album, Life and Times contained the song “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown”, which was the only No. 1 hit he had during his lifetime.

On September 20, 1973, the day before the lead single to his fifth album, I Got a Name, was released, Croce, along with five others, was killed in a plane crash, at the height of his popularity. Croce’s music continued to chart throughout the 1970s following his death and a greatest hits album entitled Photographs & Memories was released in 1974. Later posthumous releases have included Home Recordings: Americana, The Faces I’ve Been, Jim Croce: Classic Hits, Down the Highway, and DVD and CD releases of Croce’s television performances, Have You Heard: Jim Croce Live. In 1990, Croce was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

******************************************

Nilsson Live at The BBC.

1. Mr. Richland’s Favorite Song (from: Aerial Ballet)

2. Gotta Get Up (from: Nilsson Schmilsson)

3. Walk Right Back (by: The Everly Brothers – no album version)

4. Let The Good Times Roll (by: Shirley & Lee – from: Nilsson Schmilsson)

5. Life Line (from: The Point!)

6. Joy (from: Son Of Schmilsson)

7. Are You Sleeping? (from: The Point!)

8. Without Her (from: Pandemonium Shadow Show)

9. Coconut (from: Nilsson Schmilsson)

10. 1941 (from: Pandemonium Shadow Show)

Jim Croce’s Greatest Hits

Georgia Girl

Cheap Hotel

Too Much, Too Late

Everybody’s Trying To Hide

Diesel

Hurry Please

Working On The Chain