Maps of Music

Knnillssonn (1977)

Where the lyrics of Knnillssonn take you, and where it was really made.

Elvis Presley died suddenly in August 1977, shortly after this album came out, and RCA moved its promotion and resources from Knnillssonn to Presley's releases.

Key places

Recorded at Audio International, London (1977)

Recording site Wild Bunch Studios (London) — The source lists Audio International in London, England as the recording location for this album. Only the city is given, so this point sits at the city center rather than at a building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Knnillssonn is the fourteenth studio album by the American musician Harry Nilsson
• Released in 1977
• The final album Nilsson made for RCA Records
• Robin Geoffrey Cable is credited as engineer and co-producer
• Klaus Voormann is billed on the album as Mara Gibb, a guest mystery singer

Background

• Nilsson considered it his personal favorite album to record
• His voice had recovered from the damage done during the 1974 Pussy Cats sessions
• The songs were more developed and his singing was in top form
• His last several albums had been released with little advance notice and promotion and were mostly overlooked by the public
• RCA management agreed to promote the album heavily as his comeback album
• Elvis Presley died suddenly on August 16, 1977, at age 42, shortly after this album was released
• Presley and Nilsson were both RCA recording artists, so the death overhauled RCA's release schedules and promotion plans
• Money and resources meant for Knnillssonn were redirected to Presley's album Moody Blue and to his back catalog

Recording

• Credits list Robin Geoffrey Cable as engineer and co-producer
• Voormann sang as guest on "Perfect Day"
• The St. Paul's Cathedral Choir Boys sang on "Perfect Day" and "All I Think About Is You"
• The recording location is listed as Audio International in London, England

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Harold Edward Nilsson III, born June 15, 1941 in Brooklyn, New York; known as Harry Nilsson.
• Moved to Los Angeles as a teenager; worked as a bank computer programmer while pursuing songwriting from 1962.
• Debuted on RCA Victor with Pandemonium Shadow Show (1967); collaborated with arranger George Tipton until 1971.

Career

• Known for a versatile tenor range, pioneering vocal overdubbing, Great American Songbook explorations, and Caribbean fusion sounds.
• Nine singles reached the US or UK top 40 between 1968 and 1974, including top 10 hits "Everybody's Talkin'", "Without You", and "Coconut".
• Won two Grammy Awards, for "Everybody's Talkin'" and "Without You".
• Nilsson Schmilsson and Son of Schmilsson were certified gold by the RIAA.
• Close friendships with John Lennon and Ringo Starr; Lennon produced Pussy Cats.
• Largely avoided touring and live concerts, a rarity among major pop-rock artists.
• Died of heart failure on January 15, 1994 in Agoura Hills, California, aged 52.
• Ranked 62nd in Rolling Stone's 2015 list of the 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• The Los Angeles Times dismissed the album as "a bland, weak collection that doesn't even make very good Muzak."
• Nilsson's last several albums had been released with little advance notice and promotion, so they were mostly overlooked by the public
• RCA had prepared to promote Knnillssonn heavily as his comeback album
• Presley's sudden death in August 1977, shortly after release, changed RCA's release schedules and promotion plans
• Demand for Presley's recordings was so high that stores could not keep them in stock, and RCA's pressing plants ran 24-hour shifts

Reappraisal

• In 1995, the Chicago Tribune labeled Knnillssonn an "obscure near-masterpiece."
• Nilsson himself regarded it as his personal favorite album to record

Records

• The source gives no chart positions, sales figures, certifications or awards for this album

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Klaus Voormann, billed on the album as Mara Gibb, was the guest mystery singer on "Perfect Day".
• The St. Paul's Cathedral Choir Boys choir sang on "Perfect Day" and "All I Think About Is You".
• Money and resources meant for this album were redirected to Elvis Presley's Moody Blue after his death in August 1977.
• Nilsson's voice had recovered from damage done during the 1974 Pussy Cats sessions by the time of this album.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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