SE 2, EP 21: Harry Nilsson - Aerial Ballet

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On this episode, we look at Harry Nilsson’s 2nd album for RCA, 1968’s Aerial Ballet.  After signing with RCA, he received adulation from many of popular music's most notable figures, including the Beatles who called him their “favorite band” during a press conference. The man never toured or even really played in front of a live audience. Instead, he found solace in the studio where he could rely on his real strength: his 3 and 1/2 octave voice and his ability to create what was at the time, pioneering vocal overdub experiments.

Nilsson was a bit of an anomaly in that he found greater success with other people’s songs, while he watched other artists’ versions of his tunes sore up the charts.  . This album is a prime example. It features one of his biggest hits, a cover of Fred Neal's "Everybody's  Talking" (used in the movie, Midnight Cowboy), and his own song “One,” which became a huge hit for Three Dog Night just a year later. 

Musically, Aerial Ballet draws on several influences, including jazz, 60s pop, and the Great American Songbook tradition. Yet it is a deeply personal and confessional album, with songs about his estranged father, the longing for permanence in a changing world, and love's pitfalls.

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