Harry Nilsson
Pandemonium Shadow Show

We are in 1967, a golden year for popular music; it is the year where the boundaries between musical genres are blurred by albums like "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band."

In that year, a young Harry Nilsson, a brilliant composer and performer with an extraordinary voice, will produce his second work: "Pandemonium Shadow Show."
Nilsson's art is exquisite, his melodies are often a delightful infusion of Beatles-influenced British pop blended with a style closer to old American musicals and country.
His voice has a soft and at the same time intense timbre that boasts a great tenor range, making Nilsson one of the most valid and eclectic performers of his generation.

"Pandemonium Shadow Show" (1967) is equally divided between covers and pieces composed by Nilsson himself.
The energetic, tight, and martial rhythm of "Ten Little Indians" opens the album, followed by the disenchanted "1941," with the typical Nilssonesque warbles and well-arranged brass, continuing with the very "British" pop of "Cuddly Toy."
The other three original compositions on the album are led by the splendid "Without Her," which is perhaps the best piece, supported by an intriguing arrangement (electric bass as a backdrop to a string quartet); not surprisingly, the song will be reinterpreted by some artists in the years to come. The Beatles' influence is felt even in "It's been so long," while "Sleep Late, My Lady Friend" is a more traditional piece, in which Nilsson momentarily dons the mantle of the American crooner.
The other tracks are covers, from the circus waltz of "She Sang Hymns Out of Tune," to the pop-swing of "There Will Never Be" and "Freckles," to "River Deep - Mountain High," a piece by Phil Spector brought to success by the Turner couple, up to 2 Beatles songs: "You Can't Do That," a softer version of the original and stuffed with references from the Beatles repertoire (so much so that it transforms into a sort of collage) and "She's Leaving Home." In "She's Leaving Home," Nilsson's skill as an interpreter emerges in all its evidence; his personal imprint on the song is faithful, passionate, and elegant.

"Pandemonium Shadow Show" is already an emblem of what will characterize the future career of Harry Nilsson, which will always focus on a delightful and original quality pop and on masterful covers.

Rating: 8/10