Redux Nation

New Then, New Again

originally published July 12, 2006

Harry Nilsson

Son of Schmilsson

A Little Touch of Schmilsson In the Night

Everybody's Talkin': The Very Best

RCA/ Legacy

Musically if not also personally, Harry Nilsson was a walking contradiction, an American performer with a Brit-baited sound and an adventurous studio musician who truly feared performing live. Fitting, then, that two of Nilsson's most at-odds releases - the cheeky, often lowbrow Son of Schmilsson and the influential standards album A Little Touch of Schmilsson In the Night - have been brought back into scope along with Everybody's Talkin', a new "best of" collection.

Filled with back-room rockers, Monty Python-esque comic interludes and nonchalant debauchery (the flubbed intro and improvised belch that precede "At My Front Door," the singing of his "balls off" in “Take 54”), Nilsson created a most glorious mess with Son of Schmilsson, the manic follow-up to his surprise 1971 hit Nilsson Schmilsson.

Tracks like “Remember Christmas” point toward his forthcoming trip through the Great American Songbook, but still aren't out of place bumping uglies with the album's many attitude-driven rave-ups. Riding on the combination of Nilsson's genuine sentimentality and the carousing "Schmilsson" persona, this one remains a highly enjoyable, highly unpredictable mix of the romantic and the profane. Four bonus tracks round out the reissue, including the hilariously machismo "What's Your Sign" and a cover of Jimmy Webb's "Campo de Encino."

Instead of continuing his jolly trip off the deep end, A Little Touch of Schmilsson found Nilsson reworking a set of reliable standards, complete with a hired orchestra. Now a routine format that often spells "career stopgap," Nilsson's Songbook-tackling album arrived at the peak of his popularity.

The orchestra, conducted by Sinatra arranger Gordon Jenkins, proves a very fitting foil, while the mic sounds as if it could've been doused with half a pint just to keep the unusually sedate Schmilsson in character. While not necessarily possessing the best set of pipes for such stuff, Nilsson's amiable charm and obvious affection for the material ("Makin' Whoopee," "Lazy Moon," etc.) go a long way. Five bonus tracks are seamless add-ons, providing a more complete document of the sessions, plus the misty closer "As Time Goes By," after which Nilsson causally requests "some scotch, some water, some matches and some heroin." One can only assume he was kidding.

Everybody's Talkin' is the latest in a long line of Nilsson collections and is neither the best nor the worst. Its lineup is solid with "One," "Coconut," "Spaceman” and "Without You" leading the charge ahead of a few less familiar album cuts. Other arguable "bests" such as "1941" and the lecherous kiss-off "You're Breaking My Heart" are absent, however. Had his creative gears not begun to slow as the '80s approached, Nilsson's high spots might've been best captured on two discs rather than with this condensed version. Still, much of the cut is "essential" making it a suitable primer on both the inviting torch singer and wild-eyed madcap that was Nilsson/ Schmilsson.

T. Bone Burnett

Twenty Twenty: The Essential T Bone Burnett

Columbia/ DMZ/ Legacy

T. Bone Burnett: a tough nut to crack, or just a nut? He's an artist with a bluesman’s handle who has recorded everything from old-time waltzes to melodic college pop. The first project to compile selections from his catalog, Twenty Twenty is a bumpy but eye-opening ride through J. Henry Burnett's unique brand of musicology.

The fact that it's arranged non-chronologically makes it even tougher to predict what's around the corner. Beginning with messed-up blues like "Humans From Earth" and "Born in Captivity," Burnett later tears through jittery guitar pop ("Monkey Dance"), sarcastic '50s nostalgia ("Hula Hoop"), and some of the most understated love songs around ("Kill Zone," "I'm Coming Home").

With 20 tracks on each disc and informal guests like Elvis Costello and Van Dyke Parks, Twenty Twenty is a great addition to both Legacy's Essentials series and Burnett's catalog. After all, ever since he started concentrating on movie soundtracks, most of his albums have gone out of print or are simply impossible to find. Also featuring a color 50-page booklet with song-by-song commentary from Burnett, Twenty Twenty offers plenty to savor, especially if your palette is a little on the unpredictable side.

Various Artists

Eccentric Soul: The Big Mack Label

Numero Group

Despite sharing similar beginnings, Detroit's late, not-so-great Big Mack label couldn't have been further removed from Motown's long-standing Midas touch. Instead, the fly-by-night imprint - run by neighborhood entrepreneur Ed "Big Mack" McCoy out of a warehouse that doubled as a travel agency, linen outlet and other various means of income - reached a demographic comprising the city blocks surrounding Big Mack's 7018 West Warren headquarters, and no farther.

No surprise, then, that the Numero Group has selected Big Mack for the latest entry in its far-reaching Eccentric Soul series. Many of the acts featured here are so undoubtedly obscure that it's amazing enough material was found to actually piece the thing together.

Nothing that revelatory really stands out, but there are still plenty of attention-worthy misses. If there's anything resembling a standalone act here, it's the sultry femme trio Essence, whose clavinet-driven take on Peggy Lee's "Fever," along with Ms. Tyree "Sugar" Jones' "If You Feel It," offers up some steamy suggestive slow jams rather than attempting to recreate what more established Detroit acts did better the first time around. Maybe not a great label (and one with less-than-iconic performers), but still, Big Mack's story makes for a very interesting ride on a sinking ship that was never quite able to stay on course.

Michael Andrews Redux Nation is a monthly column focusing on album reissues, repackagings and box sets.

Michael Andrews

Redux Nation is a monthly column focusing on album reissues, repackagings and box sets.