Hollywood Dreamer [Original recording remastered]

Harry Nilsson | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 24, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Varese Sarabande
• ASIN: B00005B7FS
• Also Available in: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #314,069 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Oh Caroline

2. Just Wait Till Summer Comes

3. It Just Ain't Right

4. The Will

5. He Ain?t Gonna Get My Girl

6. The Only Light

7. Once a Loser

8. The Ash Grove

9. Building Me Up

10. A Man and His Castle

11. All for Your Love

12. My Best Friend (AKA My Baby?s Coming Home)

13. Please Mister Music Man

14. Oh I Wonder

15. Learning from You

16. Take This Heart

17. There?s Gotta Be a Girl

18. Me Without You [*]

19. My Girl [*]

20. Thank Heaven for Kathy [*]

See all 24 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars For real Harry Fans, October 24, 2001

By 

WTDK "If at first the idea is not absurd, the... (My Little Blue Window, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Hollywood Dreamer (Audio CD)

Lots of folks love the Beatles but not everyone has the Anthology series (or, for that matter, their first two albums). Hollywood Dreamer is really for hardcore Harryheads. Sure, it has very little common with his later stuff but you can hear a glimmer of the vocal talent Harry would display on his first couple of albums. Is this a bad CD to pick up? No. It's certainly not the first place to come to get a taste of Harry.

This has about as much in common with Harry's "offical" releases as The Early Beatles Featuring Tony Sheridan does with Revolver, Sgt. Pepper or Abbey Road. There are a number of gems particularly on some of the fleshed out bonus tracks included (these sound closer to something Harry might have recorded for release). The bulk of the CD does sound like demo recordings because that's precisely what they were--a calling card that would enable Harry to find a deal.

Scott Turner's accompaniment is restrained and compliments Harry's voice quite well. Harry doesn't demonstrate his full range here simply because there isn't a song that allows that opportunity.

This fine release isn't up to the later standards Harry demonstrated with his own material (and his interpretation of other people's material). As an early glimpse into Harry's budding career Hollywood Dreamer is an important album for Harryheads. The big question "is it for you?" remains to be seen. The description of an early Ricky Nelson has some merit. Nevertheless, there's enough of Harry's personality in each song he sings to give this CD merit.

2.0 out of 5 stars EXACTLY what this album is..., November 23, 2009

By 

SC - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hollywood Dreamer (Audio CD)

Just to correct some misleading information...
Hollywood Dreamer is a collection of tapes made by guitarist/songwriter Scotty Turner. Most of the songs were written by Turner (and a few other folks) and Nilsson only has 3 co-writing credits on the album (with Turner). Turner plays guitar and hired Harry Nilsson to sing these songs for him, AS demos, so he could shop his material around to other, famous singers. The tapes were recorded in 1962 and it was the very first time Harry Nilsson was ever recorded in a recording studio. This is two years before The Beatles hit the USA, so that should give you a clue about what kind of music this is. Turner later added instruments to these raw tapes and released them on an LP called Early Tymes (in the 70s), and later on a CD called Nilsson '62 - The Debut Sessions. Just so you know, Nilsson said it was OK for him to release this stuff (because Nilsson is a nice guy). But, this music has very little to do with Harry Nilsson (even his singing chops weren't fully formed yet), so why anyone would throw 5 Stars at this is beyond me, and it says much more about the reviewer than the music. More for historical purposes than anything else. PS: Nilsson was born in 1941 (like his song), making him around 21 at the time this was recorded... not 17.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Harry Woulda Needed a Lime in the Coconut, June 2, 2001

By 

Spencer Glass (Newtown, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hollywood Dreamer (Audio CD)

I would say that you would need to be a "real" Nilsson fan to enjoy this CD, except that I do consider myself a true fan, and was very disappoited with this release.

I really felt like I was listening to a poorly developed Ricky Nelson studio session. Harry's range was not too evident, but what made this CD even more lackluster was the true missing ingredient from a Harry Nilsson offering; his humor.

If you just have to know what Harry sounded like in 1962 then you need to buy this CD. If you want to relish in true Harry-esque music, look for some of ghis already available CD's. I hear the Son of Dracula Sountract will be out for Halloween. Now that should be a treat!