Pandemonium Shadow Show

Pandemonium Shadow Show
Studio album by
Nilsson
ReleasedDecember 1967
StudioRCA's Music Center of the World, Hollywood, California
Genre
Length31:14
LabelRCA Victor
ProducerRick Jarrard
Nilsson chronology
Spotlight on Nilsson
(1966) 		Pandemonium Shadow Show
(1967) 		Aerial Ballet
(1968)
Singles from Pandemonium Shadow Show
  1. "Without Her" / "Freckles"
    Released: May 1967
  2. "You Can't Do That" / "Ten Little Indians"
    Released: August 1967
  3. "River Deep – Mountain High" / "She Sang Hymns Out of Tune"
    Released: November 1967
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
The Essential Rock Discography6/10[4]

Pandemonium Shadow Show is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson, released in December 1967 on RCA Victor.

Background

The album was the first product of Nilsson's three-year, $50,000 recording contract with RCA Victor, and was recorded in their Hollywood studio. Unlike virtually all his earlier records, Show employed the full potential of Nilsson's voice in the recording studio, turning him into what was described as a "chorus of ninety-eight voices".[citation needed]

Nilsson had hoped to use the title Something Wicked This Way Comes, and had asked sci-fi author Ray Bradbury for permission. But approval hadn't come by the release date, so the lesser-known title was chosen (of a circus sideshow appearing in Bradbury's novel) instead.[citation needed]

As well as original songs by Nilsson, a number of covers were included on the album, including one by Phil Spector (who had earlier co-written a song with Nilsson), Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich, "River Deep - Mountain High", and two by The Beatles; "She's Leaving Home" and "You Can't Do That", the latter in an arrangement that quoted lyrics from 17 other Beatles songs. Three other songs were written by Jesse Lee Kincaid, Botkin and Garfield, and Cliff Hess, Howard Johnson and Milton Ager.[citation needed]

The album debuted to little public attention in the US or the UK, although it was an immediate hit in Canada, where "You Can't Do That" was a top 10 hit. Beatles publicist Derek Taylor heard "1941" on his car radio waiting for his wife at the supermarket and, enjoying the track, ordered a case of copies, sending them out to various industry people he believed would be interested, including The Beatles, who later invited Nilsson to London and helped further his career.[citation needed]

A cover of "1941" by Canadian folk/rock artist Tom Northcott charted in both Canada and the US in 1968; in the same period the singer-songwriter Edoardo Bennato also covered it, with text translated into Italian.[citation needed]

Fellow musician and earlier collaborator Chip Douglas introduced Nilsson to The Monkees whom he was producing. Nilsson gave an impromptu audition of his latest songs. The Monkees covered two of his songs -"Cuddly Toy" (which appeared on their fourth album), and later "Daddy's Song" (which appeared on Head) - as well as becoming friends.[citation needed]

"Without Her" was covered by Blood, Sweat and Tears on Child Is Father to the Man, by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass on the album Warm, and by the supergroup Beckley-Lamm-Wilson on their album Like a Brother.[citation needed]

His early work sold better after Nilsson had become better established through hits like "Without You" and albums like Nilsson Schmilsson. Nilsson revamped several tracks from his first two albums to produce one of the first remix albums, Aerial Pandemonium Ballet, in 1971.[citation needed]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Harry Nilsson; except where indicated

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Ten Little Indians" 2:13
2."1941" 2:36
3."Cuddly Toy" 2:45
4."She Sang Hymns Out of Tune"Jesse Lee Kincaid2:19
5."You Can't Do That"John Lennon, Paul McCartney2:16
6."Sleep Late, My Lady Friend" 2:41
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."She's Leaving Home"Lennon, McCartney3:16
2."There Will Never Be"Perry Botkin, Jr., Gil Garfield2:27
3."Without Her" 2:18
4."Freckles"Cliff Hess, Howard Johnson, Milton Ager2:21
5."It's Been So Long" 2:09
6."River Deep – Mountain High"Phil Spector, Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich3:53
Total length:31:14

Personnel

Technical
  • Dick Bogert - engineer
  • Jeff Gold - photography
  • Donald Burgess - photography montage

References

  1. ^ Stanley, Bob (13 September 2013). "Pop Gets Sophisticated: Soft Rock". Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Story of Modern Pop. Faber & Faber. p. 240. ISBN 978-0-571-28198-5.
  2. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Harry Nilsson - Pandemonium Shadow Show (1967) Review at AllMusic. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
  3. ^ Unterberger, Richie (January 1, 1997). "Harry Nilsson". In Bogdanov, Vladimir; Erlewine, Michael; Erlewine, Stephen Thomas; Unterberger, Richie; Woodstra, Chris (eds.). AllMusic Guide to Rock. San Francisco: Miller Freeman, Inc. p. 658.
  4. ^ Strong, Martin C. (2006). The Essential Rock Discography. Edinburgh, UK: Canongate. p. 758. ISBN 978-1-84195-827-9.