Teenbeat XXX - Nilsson Schmilsson

 When this series of features within the Blog was established perhaps only a few had any idea of what the inspiration for them was.

One thing I loved as a kid was going around jumble sales in those pre-ebay days buying things that interested me and short pop music annuals that had features on top artists which might include pictures from tv shows we never saw in colour was one.

I had a small collection of annuals from the sixties and Teen Beat was my favourite as in just two words it seemed to sum up the appeal of such publications and in many ways what I try to write here is of that nature written from the headspace of young person of the era who liked the artists of the day and those of the immediate past.

Recorded in England in 1971 and produced by Richard Perry, Harry Nilsson an American singer of Swedish family origins recorded Nilsson Schmilsson that went on to be his most successful album ever with three hits singles of differing styles.

Jump Into The Fire its third single was a more out and out raucous rock and roll number that included a drum solo by Jim Gordon of Derek and the Dominoes and a detuned bass part by Herbie Flowers.

The first was a smash hit cover of Pete Ham and Tom Evans of Badfinger's Without You given an emotional searing vocal delivery that was reputably recorded in a single take that garnered his second Grammy award.

Every time I hear it it casts me back to hearing on the radio as a kid, blown over by the vocal.

For the second single "Coconut", a novelty calypso number featuring four characters (the narrator, the brother, the sister, and the doctor) all sung at producer Richard Perry's suggestion in different voices by Nilsson and is also notable for the whole song being played in a single chord, C7.

It is often remember by the chorus refrain "Put de lime in de coconut, and drink 'em both up"

This was the form some of us remember this album in played at home and in the car's 8 Track tape player.

Like a  good number of albums of this era it was also mixed and issued in Quadraphonic surround sound on both tape (four track open reel at 19.1 cms (7 1/2 i.p.s) and Q8 Quad Eight Track which we had) and CD-4 discrete quad record.

This album in stereo was issued on Super Audio cd on October 6th 2020 by Mobile Fidelity using the original analogue masters with the mastering being done by Rob LoVerde using a very high quality tape replay system and sounds breathtaking.