I have a "best of" on CD and this one vinyl album by Harry Nilsson. My understanding that "Aerial Pandemonium Ballet" is an odd one by Harry. With the success of "The Point" RCA wanted to re-release Nilsson's first two out-of-print albums: "Pandemonium Shadow Show" and "Aerial Ballet." Nilsson thought else wise and decided to make a new album from songs from the early albums, but remixed and re-recorded in some cases. So depends on how one looks at the original recordings and this updated collection. I, on the other hand, can't make the comparison due that I only have this album, and never heard the first two albums by Harry.
"Aerial Pandemonium Ballet" is an album full of promise but touches on heartache. Nilsson knows how to walk the balance between observational narratives ("Good Old Desk") and painful past ("1941"). An incredible vocalist, while obviously a student/fan of The Beatles as well as an understanding of the Brill Building aesthetic; he's the bridge between those two worlds. For me, I never followed his career after this album. I think he evolved or moved on, and I pretty much stayed with this one album.
No comments:
Post a Comment