Why do I do just as you say?

Continuing my trip back in time through the album charts

22/07/73 : A Little Touch Of Schmilsson In The Night - Harry Nilsson

Our previous visit with Harry was an odd one with me declaring the album was both interesting and boring at the same time.  How can I not hope for more of the same?  However, before we do that, I have some sad news to impart...

For the first time ever, I'm missing an album out because I can't find it.  At #14 this week we have the OST to A Clockwork Orange which, given that it features a few pre-existing tracks and some classical music, wouldn't generally get a look-in.  But - the classical stuff is arranged by Wendy Carlos and for those in the know, this makes it really rather special.  My dad had a copy of Switched-on Bach (by Walter Carlos, as she was back then) on 8 track back in the day and there are some fabulous arrangements on there and its follow-up, the fantastically titled The Well-Tempered Synthesiser, is supposed to be even better.  But - as Wikipedia tells us "much of Carlos's discography is out of print, and has not been licensed for digital distribution to streaming or download platforms" - which is a proper shame.  I couldn't even find a rubbish copy on YouTube to listen to (although I suspect the sound quality would have super annoyed me) - somebody needs to sort this out RIGHT NOW.  So unfortunately, instead, we have to move on to Harry...

Hmmm.  Well this one manages to be both perfectly fine and boring at the same time.  He has a nice voice and these are all fine orchestral arrangements of schmaltzy classics, but it's hard to know who this album was supposed to appeal to.  It feels like he's going for the early Bublé thang, but with that scruffy look it's hard to imagine he drew the housewives in - I feel Frank must have already done most of these songs and he seems more of an obvious draw.  But who knows what 70s housewives went for?

We're at an all-time low of #21 in the charts this week - I told you that lack of albums was going to get us.  It's a new entry at the start of a 14 week run, somewhat remarkable for spending all of that time in the 20s and 30s, peaking at #20 for four weeks.  The top five this week were That'll Be The Day, Peters & Lee, Cat, Perry Como and Bowie (what?  only one Bowie album?!?).  Carlos and John were the highest new entry this week (#7), Harry was the next and the one after was Alan Hull at #29 (a founder member of Lindisfarne, apparently).  There are, of course, no new women in the charts (we had one last week) but I do also have to mention the album at #18 - Bridge Over Troubled Water, which is another one we've got a copy of somewhere upstairs (that's two so far, this year!).

Wikipedia doesn't have an awful lot on the album but does manage to come up with two surprising points.  The first tells me that I'm being harsh writing this off as "an early Bublé thang" because people didn't do this sort of thing at the time and apparently wouldn't do so for another decade or so - in which case its popularity is completely understandable because they're all fine songs (but he's still a scruffy bastard though).  And the other surprisingly point is that the title is a reference to Shakespeare - Henry V, don't you know, dah-ling?  There's no mention of critical reception and it didn't exactly set the world alight - but it did OK, getting to #46 in the US.

"Customers also listened to" Paul Williams, Alan Price and Leon Redbone - ah yes, them.  These days, this album feels very "ten a penny" - the songs are well done, but they're so well known that you struggle to get excited about them.  But, I can believe it was a different matter at the time (and he was possibly unfortunate for being ahead of his time) so I'm happy to give him his dues - he has a nice voice and he was certainly a fascinating character.

15/07/73 - Not as bad as I feared
29/07/73 - Yeah.  Fine.  Whatever.