Pandemonium Shadow Show
Encyclopedia
Pandemonium Shadow Show is the second album by Harry Nilsson
. It was the first product of his three-year, $50,000 recording contract with RCA Records
, and was recorded in their Hollywood studio. Unlike virtually all his earlier records, Show employed the full potential of Nilsson's three-octave singing voice in the recording studio
, turning him into what was described as a "chorus of ninety-eight voices".
Among the songs were originals by Nilsson, and selected covers, two of which were tributes to Phil Spector
and The Beatles
. The former, "River Deep - Mountain High
", employed Wall of Sound
techniques developed by Spector, who had earlier co-written a song with Nilsson. The latter included a mellowed-out cover of "You Can't Do That
" that cleverly referenced twenty other Beatles tunes in Nilsson's vocal arrangement, and many of the other songs on the album used Beatley tricks, such as pitch shift
on the vocals.
Nilsson had hoped to use the title Something Wicked This Way Comes
, and had asked sci-fi author
Ray Bradbury
for permission. But approval hadn't come by the release date, so the lesser-known title was chosen (of a circus
sideshow
appearing in Bradbury's novel) instead.
The album debuted to little public attention in the US and England, although it was an immediate hit in Canada, where "You Can't Do That" was a top 10 hit.
Outside of Canada the album needed a push, and fortunately for Nilsson the "right" people in show business
happened to be listening — including Beatles publicist
Derek Taylor
, who heard "1941" on his car radio waiting for his wife at the supermarket. Enjoying the track, he ordered a case of copies of the album, sending them out to various industry people he believed would be interested, including each of the Beatles, who were suitably impressed. The Beatles later invited Nilsson to London
, ushering in a whole new, larger phase of his career.
A cover of "1941" by Canadian folk/rock artist Tom Northcott
charted in both Canada and the US in 1968.
Fellow musician and earlier collaborator Chip Douglas
also introduced Nilsson to another best-selling band of the era, whom he was producing — the Monkees. When Nilsson gave the band an impromptu audition of his latest songs, they were similarly bowled over, becoming both performers of his music ("Cuddly Toy", and later "Daddy's Song") and personal friends.
”Without Her” is covered by Blood, Sweat and Tears for the album Child Is Father to the Man
released February 1968 (see 1968 in music
) and Herb Alpert
and the Tijuana Brass for the album Warm released in 1969 (see 1969 in music
);
After Nilsson had become better established, through hits like "Without You" and albums like Nilsson Schmilsson
, his earlier material finally sold into the black. Nilsson revamped several tracks from his first two albums to produce one of the first remix album
s, Aerial Pandemonium Ballet
, in 1971.
Side 1
Side 2
Harry Nilsson
Harry Edward Nilsson III was an American singer-songwriter who achieved the peak of his commercial success in the early 1970s. On all but his earliest recordings he is credited as Nilsson...
. It was the first product of his three-year, $50,000 recording contract with RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
, and was recorded in their Hollywood studio. Unlike virtually all his earlier records, Show employed the full potential of Nilsson's three-octave singing voice in the recording studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
, turning him into what was described as a "chorus of ninety-eight voices".
Among the songs were originals by Nilsson, and selected covers, two of which were tributes to Phil Spector
Phil Spector
Phillip Harvey "Phil" Spector is an American record producer and songwriter, later known for his conviction in the murder of actress Lana Clarkson....
and The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
. The former, "River Deep - Mountain High
River Deep - Mountain High
"River Deep – Mountain High" is a 1966 single by Ike & Tina Turner. Considered by producer Phil Spector to be his best work, the single was successful in Europe, peaking at #3 in the United Kingdom, though it flopped on its original release in the United States...
", employed Wall of Sound
Wall of Sound
The Wall of Sound is a music production technique for pop and rock music recordings developed by record producer Phil Spector at Gold Star Studios in Los Angeles, California, during the early 1960s...
techniques developed by Spector, who had earlier co-written a song with Nilsson. The latter included a mellowed-out cover of "You Can't Do That
You Can't Do That
"You Can't Do That" is a song written by John Lennon and released by The Beatles as the B-side of their sixth British single "Can't Buy Me Love".-Composition:...
" that cleverly referenced twenty other Beatles tunes in Nilsson's vocal arrangement, and many of the other songs on the album used Beatley tricks, such as pitch shift
Pitch shift
Pitch shifting is a sound recording technique in which the original pitch of a sound is raised or lowered. Effects units that raise or lower pitch by a pre-designated musical interval are called "pitch shifters" or "pitch benders".-Pitch/time shifting:...
on the vocals.
Nilsson had hoped to use the title Something Wicked This Way Comes
Something Wicked This Way Comes (novel)
Something Wicked This Way Comes is a 1962 novel by Ray Bradbury. It is about two 13-year-old boys, Jim Nightshade and William Halloway, who have a harrowing experience with a nightmarish traveling carnival that comes to their Midwestern town one October. The carnival's leader is the mysterious "Mr...
, and had asked sci-fi author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
Ray Bradbury
Ray Bradbury
Ray Douglas Bradbury is an American fantasy, horror, science fiction, and mystery writer. Best known for his dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 and for the science fiction stories gathered together as The Martian Chronicles and The Illustrated Man , Bradbury is one of the most celebrated among 20th...
for permission. But approval hadn't come by the release date, so the lesser-known title was chosen (of a circus
Circus
A circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists...
sideshow
Sideshow
In America, a sideshow is an extra, secondary production associated with a circus, carnival, fair or other such attraction.- Types of attractions :There are four main types of classic sideshow attractions:...
appearing in Bradbury's novel) instead.
The album debuted to little public attention in the US and England, although it was an immediate hit in Canada, where "You Can't Do That" was a top 10 hit.
Outside of Canada the album needed a push, and fortunately for Nilsson the "right" people in show business
Show business
Show business, sometimes shortened to show biz, is a vernacular term for all aspects of entertainment. The word applies to all aspects of the entertainment industry from the business side to the creative element ....
happened to be listening — including Beatles publicist
Publicist
A publicist is a person whose job is to generate and manage publicity for a public figure, especially a celebrity, a business, or for a work such as a book, film or album...
Derek Taylor
Derek Taylor
Derek Taylor was an English journalist, writer and publicist, best known for his work as press officer for The Beatles...
, who heard "1941" on his car radio waiting for his wife at the supermarket. Enjoying the track, he ordered a case of copies of the album, sending them out to various industry people he believed would be interested, including each of the Beatles, who were suitably impressed. The Beatles later invited Nilsson to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, ushering in a whole new, larger phase of his career.
A cover of "1941" by Canadian folk/rock artist Tom Northcott
Tom Northcott
Tom Northcott is a Canadian folk-rock singer with hits in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He was nominated as best male vocalist for a Juno Award in 1971. Later he co-founded Mushroom Studios in Vancouver and produced records...
charted in both Canada and the US in 1968.
Fellow musician and earlier collaborator Chip Douglas
Chip Douglas
Douglas Farthing Walter Hatlelid, better known as Chip Douglas, is a songwriter, musician , and record producer, whose most famous work was during the 1960s...
also introduced Nilsson to another best-selling band of the era, whom he was producing — the Monkees. When Nilsson gave the band an impromptu audition of his latest songs, they were similarly bowled over, becoming both performers of his music ("Cuddly Toy", and later "Daddy's Song") and personal friends.
”Without Her” is covered by Blood, Sweat and Tears for the album Child Is Father to the Man
Child Is Father to the Man
Child Is Father to the Man is the debut album by Blood, Sweat & Tears, released in February of 1968. It reached number 47 on Billboard's Pop Albums chart.-History:...
released February 1968 (see 1968 in music
1968 in music
-Events:*January 4 – Guitarist Jimi Hendrix is jailed by Stockholm police, after trashing a hotel room during a drunken fist fight with bassist Noel Redding.*January 6 – Gibson Guitar Corporation patents its Gibson Flying V electric guitar design....
) and Herb Alpert
Herb Alpert
Herbert "Herb" Alpert is an American musician most associated with the group variously known as Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass, or TJB. He is also a recording industry executive — he is the "A" of A&M Records...
and the Tijuana Brass for the album Warm released in 1969 (see 1969 in music
1969 in music
-Events:Perhaps the two most famous musical events of 1969 were concerts. At a Rolling Stones concert in Altamont, California, a fan was stabbed to death by Hells Angels, a biker gang that had been hired to provide security for the event...
);
After Nilsson had become better established, through hits like "Without You" and albums like Nilsson Schmilsson
Nilsson Schmilsson
-Personnel:* Harry Nilsson – piano on 1 5 8 10, vocals, Mellotrons on 2 4, organ on 3, harmonica on 8, electric piano on 9* Jim Gordon – drums on 1 2 5 8 9, percussion on 7 9* Klaus Voormann – bass on 1 5 6 8, rhythm guitar on 2 9, acoustic guitar on 4...
, his earlier material finally sold into the black. Nilsson revamped several tracks from his first two albums to produce one of the first remix album
Remix album
A remix album is an album consisting mostly of remixes or re-recorded versions of a music artists' earlier released material.One of the earliest remix albums was 1971's Aerial Pandemonium Ballet by Harry Nilsson, which was released by Nilsson after the successes of Everybody's Talkin and The Point!...
s, Aerial Pandemonium Ballet
Aerial Pandemonium Ballet
Aerial Pandemonium Ballet is a 1971 album by Harry Nilsson, and one of the first-ever remix albums, years before they became commonplace.With the successes of Everybody's Talkin and The Point! creating demand for Nilsson recordings, a reissue of his first two RCA Victor albums , then out of print,...
, in 1971.
Track listing
All tracks composed by Harry Nilsson; except where indicatedSide 1
- "Ten Little IndiansTen Little Indians (Harry Nilsson song)Ten Little Indians is a song by Harry Nilsson released on his 1967 album Pandemonium Shadow Show.It was covered by The Yardbirds and released the same year . However, Chris Dreja and Jim McCarty do not appear on this track...
" – 2:13 - "1941" – 2:36
- "Cuddly Toy" – 2:45
- "She Sang Hymns Out of Tune" (Jesse Lee Kincaid) – 2:19
- "You Can't Do ThatYou Can't Do That"You Can't Do That" is a song written by John Lennon and released by The Beatles as the B-side of their sixth British single "Can't Buy Me Love".-Composition:...
" (John LennonJohn LennonJohn Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
, Paul McCartneyPaul McCartneySir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
) – 2:16 - "Sleep Late, My Lady Friend" – 2:41
Side 2
- "She's Leaving HomeShe's Leaving Home"She's Leaving Home" is a song credited to Lennon–McCartney and released in 1967 on The Beatles album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. McCartney wrote and sang the verse and Lennon the chorus...
" (Lennon, McCartney) – 3:16 - "There Will Never Be" (Perry Botkin, Jr.Perry Botkin, Jr.Perry Botkin, Jr. is an American composer, producer, arranger, and musician. He had a successful career in music for over forty years. As an arranger, he worked with Bobby Darin, Harry Nilsson, The Lettermen, Ed Ames, and Harpers Bizarre, among others...
, Garfield) – 2:27 - "Without Her" – 2:18
- "Freckles" (Cliff Hess, Howard Johnson, Milton Ager) – 2:21
- "It's Been So Long" – 2:09
- "River Deep - Mountain HighRiver Deep - Mountain High"River Deep – Mountain High" is a 1966 single by Ike & Tina Turner. Considered by producer Phil Spector to be his best work, the single was successful in Europe, peaking at #3 in the United Kingdom, though it flopped on its original release in the United States...
" (Phil SpectorPhil SpectorPhillip Harvey "Phil" Spector is an American record producer and songwriter, later known for his conviction in the murder of actress Lana Clarkson....
, Jeff BarryJeff BarryJeff Barry is an American pop music songwriter, singer, and record producer.-Early career:...
, Ellie GreenwichEllie GreenwichEleanor Louise "Ellie" Greenwich was an American pop music singer, songwriter, and record producer. She wrote or co-wrote "Be My Baby", "Christmas ", "Da Doo Ron Ron", "Leader of the Pack", "Do Wah Diddy Diddy", and "River Deep, Mountain High", among many others...
) – 3:53