A Little Touch Of Schmilsson In The Night And More [CD]

This album, as issued here, is the same as the previously-available "As Time Goes By: The Complete Schmilsson in the Night" disc. That compilation grouped together all the songs recorded in the Schmilsson in the Night sessions, which produced the 1973 album and the 1988 posthumous Touch More album, As far as I can tell, the audio has not been remastered since that release, and it still sounds quite hissy. However, the sleeve notes comprise all that was issued with the original albums in 1973 and 1988, and include an interesting commentary.

The goal of this album was to take pre-war standards and give them a new, and well-deserved, lease of life. It's strange to hear Nilsson's vulnerable-sounding voice set against some very adventurous Gordon Jenkins arrangements of the songs (which are all prefaced with extracts from other songs on the album). Arguably, Jenkins steals the show.

Nilsson always gives an involving, thoughtful and above all, human, rendition of each song (a quality which can sometimes be lacking in Sinatra's Gordon Jenkins collaborations).

This is a delightful album without a dud track, and the songs progress at quite a pace. A unique, relaxing and moving experience, and years ahead of Robbie Williams' Swing when you're Winning, in every sense.

Running time 53:43.

"Standards" albums by established stars are frequently a sign that they've run out of ideas, that whatever creativity they once had has long gone, or that they're simply after some easy money - Rod Stewarts's "Great American Songbook" albums being a case in point.

But when Nilsson teamed up with veteran arranger Gordon Jenkins (who wrote the scores for Frank Sinatra's "September of my Years") to make "A Little Touch of Schmilsson in the Night" his career was still at its peak. He'd recently become an international star following the success of "Without You", and the albums "Nilsson Schmilsson" and "Son of Schmilsson" had both gone gold.

His voice had never sounded better - in the liner notes to this album its producer, former Beatles publicist Derek Taylor, called him "the best contemporary singer in the world" - and his songwriting was as prolific as ever ("Son of Schmilsson" containing only one song not written by him.) So in order to make an album of standards it had to be something he genuinely wanted to do, and whose end result would stand comparison with any of his other records. He exceeded expectations, as "A Little Touch..." is, in my opinion, not only Nilsson's best album, but as good as anything else in popular music.

Jenkins's string arrangements never quite fit with Sinatra's voice - whose breezy punch found its perfect foil with the brassy swing of Nelson Riddle - but in Nilsson he found his perfect match. By turns soaring then subdued, original, daring, even witty, the arrangements to these tunes would be worth listening to on their own, but the addition of Nilsson's voice makes for a sublime listening experience. Nilsson's control on this album is astonishing, and his diction ranges, as the songs demand, from the languid, almost slurred croon on "Lullaby in Ragtime" to the almost choirboy like purity of "Nevertheless (I'm In Love With You)".

The songs themselves were all perfect choices, and even the most familiar - "Makin' Whoopee", "It Had to be You", "As Time Goes By" - sound fresh and original here. Each segues into the next in an order that seems perfectly natural and logical, as those these songs had always existed in this order, even though the order itself was chosen to illustrate the story of a relationship from start to finish: hence the opening track "Lazy Moon" has Nilsson "watching, waiting, heart a-palpitating" as he waits to meet his beloved, followed by their marriage in "For Me and my Gal", his infidelity in "Makin' Whoopee", the self-explanatory "I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now", then finally the self-reflection and resignation of "This Is All I Ask" and "As Time Goes By".

The running order is altered slightly on the repackaged version of the album which comes with 6 additional tracks: "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows", "Make Believe", "Trust In Me", "It's Only a Paper Moon", "Thanks for the Memory" and "Over the Rainbow". Of these, the vocal performance on "Over the Rainbow" equals anything on the original release, while "Thanks for the Memory" is a brilliant encapsulation of the spirit of the whole album, Jenkins's erudite score perfectly complemented by the waspish, resigned lyrics: "We said goodbye with a highball, and I got as high as a steeple. But we were intelligent people. No tears, no fuss", sings Nilsson, before sourly adding: "Hooray for us". Either version of the album is, of course, worth your money.

Perhaps understandably, on its release in 1973 the album had a mixed reception. Some listeners even thought it was an elaborate joke. But Nilsson had never been solely a "rock" performer. Of their earlier collaboration, "Nilsson Sings Newman", Randy Newman once said "we wanted to make music as though rock 'n' roll didn't exist". "A Little Touch..." manages to make rock 'n' roll irrelevant, and 35 years on it remains as sophisticated and elegant, yet supremely enjoyable, accessible and rewarding, as ever. Too many "classic" albums turn out to be more ordeal than pleasure for the listener. "A Little Touch of Schmilsson in the Night" is pure pleasure.

This 1973 album is a collaboration between singer Harry Nilsson, legendary publicist Derek Taylor (in the producer's chair) and veteran arranger Gordon Jenkins. The songs are chestnuts from the pre Rock'n'Roll era and the shared love of these songs is immediately evident.
The overall feel of the album is one of intimacy. Nilsson's voice -recorded live with orchestra -is gentle, tentative, almost conversational ( though still able to soar at the right moments). This approach suits the material admirably. Listen to 'Makin Whoopee' if you want to know what I mean. That track also illustrates another aspect of the recording: Gordon Jenkins' arrangements, witty and eloquent are as impotant as the vocals.
The album begins with a perfect 'Lazy Moon' as performed by Oliver Hardy in 'Pardon Us' and ends (as did the original vinyl version) with Nilsson's reading of 'As Time Goes By'. In between we have a comic version of 'It Had To Be You', a heartfelt 'Nevertheless (I'm In Love With You) and perhaps best of all Jenkins' own 'This Is All I Ask' (a song I had never heard before Nilsson's version) a wise and beautiful song judged perfectly.
The bonus tracks are fine and fit seamlessly with the originals.
Definitely a treat for the small hours