These days RCA published a box-set with 17 CD's from Harry Nilsson. Nilsson, was famous not only for his music but also for his excesses. Especially in the biography of his friend John Lennon Nilsson left a trail of destruction. As "The Lost Weekend" a total of 18 months-long, launched in 1973 by Nilsson and Lennon and notorious safe-drugs-vandal self-destruct orgy has gone down in pop history, "Harry supplied John always so long with drinks until all was too late, "says John Lennon's life affair May Pang recalled in her memoirs. Nilsson moved excesses probably magically, after all, died in his London flat "Mama" Cass Elliot and later Who drummer Keith Moon, and it surprised few, as Nilsson's overused body twenty years ago also failed the service. Since he was 52 years old.
Nilsson was primarily for hits such as "Everybody's Talkin'" and "Without You" - two famous songs he did not write. What is a sad joke eventually. Because Nilsson is before all things, a brilliant songwriter that never was the proper fame part. The best way to get to Nilsson's music is his 1971 album 'Nilsson Schmilsson' where todays song where published. It's not that baroque pop that he also did (this is more for late night with a glass of scotch to listen to).
Through his worldwide hit 'Without You', there is a sad story because it cost the lives of two musicians. The two composer / lyricist of this song Pete Ham and Tom Evans of BADFINGER had the years of nagging by the royalties of their hit not survive. At a distance of 8 years, the two hanged without ever having seen a penny.
Sometimes you vanish like you lived: quick and fast. It's a story I read a longer time ago: Marianne Faithfull, who was invited to his funeral on 18 January 1994, said in an interview the following: Harry's coffin lay with the undertaker in a hall near Los Angeles. On 17 January there were an earthquake around LA, with high damage and many deaths. The house where Harry lay in his coffin, was torn apart and Harry disappeared along with the coffin in a crevice.
