Customer Reviews

Pussy Cats: 25th Anniversary Edition

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My son just got DJ turntables and was looking through my old vinyl, hoping for interesting things to sample....and we put "Pussy Cats" on, just out of curiosity.

It was recorded---as most probably know---when Lennon and Yoko had split for a period, and Lennon was pretty much a mess. He was at loose ends, staying in Los Angeles, and wallowing in a miserably depressive phase. During that time, Lennon and Nillsson were hanging out together a lot, drugging and drinking a LOT more than was healthy....and this record was the result.

I hadn't played "Pussy Cats" for...well...decades... and remembered it as a chaotic muddle. But hearing it now, all these years later, I'm captured by its heartbreaking, ragged, untidy beauty. First of all, in addition to John and Harry---both music makers of staggering talent---it features an array of that era's best session musicians: Jim Keltner on drums (with Ringo sitting in), Klaus Voorman on bass, Bobby Keys on piano, Jesse Ed Davis on lead guitar....with the amazing Sneaky Pete Kleinow on pedal steel. Take a minute and listen to "Save the Last Dance.."...."Don't Forget Me.."...and, especially... "Many Rivers to Cross..."... all are laced with an incredible range of unfiltered but artful emotion.

People who are reviewing this as a Nilsson album are completely missing the point. This record is a strange and astonishing moment in time. In playing it, you're sitting in on an extended lost weekend, listening to two truly amazing men jamming messily, wonderfully, badly, brilliantly with their friends. Is it sloppy and uneven? Oh, sure. Heck, yeah. And we're very, VERY fortunate to have it at all.

1974. John Lennon and Harry. The lost weekend. Need I say more? This was the period in Harry's life where the partying took its toll--he permanently damaged his voice (he was spitting up blood during the sessions, but refused to tell Lennon for fear he'd cancel them).

It's clear that some of his range is missing and the arrangements are very reminiscent of Lennon's Walls & Bridges album. The originals are very good and the covers are thoughtful and powerful. Many Rivers To Cross, despite Lennon's sluggish arrangement, is brought to life by the sense of desperation in Harry's voice.

It's nice to see this reissued, but I'd rather see his first two albums (as well as the last one he had just finished in 1994 before his untimely death).

Seeing as how this work has been torn to shreds by other Nilsson devotees, I can only add that the recording is indeed highly uneven, yet there are many redeeming moments as well. The album is dominated by Nilsson, and whether or not he shredded his vocal chords in the process, he makes numerous outstanding contributions, particularly in the renditions of "Save the Last Dance for Me," which is equal to or better than any other cover of that memorable song. "Black Sails" is a wonderfully orchestrated bit of musical drama, full of the true yearning and
melancholy that Harry was so adept at conveying. The same could be said for "Don't Forget Me." "Mucho Mongo" is built around forgettable, but innocuous lyrics and a beautifully rendered melody line. Other songs, such as "The Flying Saucer Song" and "Down by the Sea" probably were indeed accompanied by bouts of the d.t.s. This still ranks as a must-have possession for true Nilsson fans, if only for the four or five gems that don't appear in other collections.

Originally, Nilsson wanted to name the album "Strange Pussies" but that idea was quickly rejected by the record company. The Lennon influence is very evident. Especially in the song, "Many Rivers To Cross". This was what is known as the "Lost Weekend" album where both John and Harry reportedly got smashed and pretty much stayed that way during the making of the album. Nonetheless, it is a masterpiece and well worth the purchase price.

This is perhaps my favorite Harry Nilsson record. I am enjoying it even more with the release of additional tracks, especially the "unplugged" version of "Save the Last Dance for Me".

Harry's voice is a bit rougher than we Harry fans are used to, however, it works. Having John Lennon and Harry together on one album is wonderful. If you are a Harry fan, you will love this re-release.

"It was the WRONG! thing to do."

That is what John Lennon said about the time he spent in Los Angelas in 1974. He had walked out on Yoko, after she showed him the door, and he and Harry Nilson and Keith Moon and Ringo decided to shack up for a wild party. John made Walls & Bridges, had a fling with Mi Pang, fell in love with Brandy Alexanders--brandy and milk-and kept getting kicked out of LA bars. These four nutters probably changed a few DWI laws.

He also worked on another album coming out of the party, Pussycats by buddy Nilson, who Lennon had loved since 1968 when he tried to lure him from RCA to the newly formed Apple.

Pussycats does in fact sound like an album that comes out of a wild party of 30+ year old teenagers. There is a wonderfully ramshackle version of Bob Dylan's "Subterranian Homesick Blues," Parts of Pussycats give off the glow of an end of the world rock and roll jam, by rock royalty gone positively bonkers.

But listen to Nilson's take on "Save The Last Dance For Me," slow and deliberate--not about teens at the hop but adults exhausted but needing that last desperate moment of bonding. Even Mucho Macho, which first feels like a one off, has a teary eyed blur beneath the singing. The sadness under the non stop party. Pussycats is filled with the flavor of extreme loneliness, the feel of grown men crying in their Brandy Alexanders.


I have always felt Walls and Bridges to be one of Lennon's most underrated albums--if Plastic Ono Band was the master discovering his pain, Walls And Bridges was the master adrift, trying to drink it away. Even Lennon admitted after the fact that 1974 LA party "sounded like fun but was pretty miserable."

And if Walls and Bridges is underrated, Pussycats is all but forgotten, and that is just a crime. John and Keith and Harry are long gone too soon, but maybe they're up there, where you can drink all the Brandy Alexanders you want with impunity, thinking about making these albums so long ago. How dumb you are when you are in your mid thirties, way back on that strange planet earth in that strange time, the 1970s

This review is not about the music but about the time, relevance and composition of this album. It is a precious piece of the 70's puzzle as it unites two lost souls at possibly their lowest points in their storied careers and out of the ashes produces a soulful album. Yes, as everyone has already said over the years, this is a messy, ragged album. But the 70's was a messy, ragged world and the emotion of a few of these songs is precious. Last dance is great as Harry delivers a wonderful rendition and you can hear him struggle to hit some of the notes he was so famous for. His comment at the end was an honest one and now it brings a wry smile to your face. Lennon throws in some primal screams for good measure in other songs. Don't expect a masterpiece but this is still a very good album to listen to from time to time. Cheers!

In 2006, after painstakingly purchasing and comparing all the Nilsson domestic, European and Japanese CD versions, I posted a review on the best-audio edition of each title. That was split between four UK, one domestic and six Japan CD's.

However, time and technology have marched on. In Q307, the entire Nilsson pre-1978 catalog (except "The Son Of Dracula", announced but subsequently canceled), were remastered anew and released in mini-sleeve format by BMG Japan.

So, what was slightly confusing before, with all the different international and domestic versions, has now been simply resolved: In terms of the best audio available, the fifteen new BMG remasters are head-and-shoulders superior to any pre-existing Nilsson CD. While the older versions were no slouches, these new BMG's are absolutely GLORIOUS. And, finally, there's complete, matched-mastered sound through the entire catalog, in contrast to the dynamic range variations in the older releases from varying remastering schemes.

In A/B comparisons between the new and older versions, it is also obvious different masters were availed of, because there are snippets of additional audio on the BMG's that never appeared elsewhere.

In addition, there are now approximately seventy bonus tracks spread out through the new BMG set; demos, alternate takes, singles and non-album tracks. Only one previously-available track is not in residence on the BMG set: "Waiting", which is found only on the "Harry/Nilsson Sings Newman" UK 2-fer.

If you are a true Nilsson fan, then don't delay in getting these, as all mini-sleeve releases are limited edition. It is possible, of course, that BMG will release these as less expensive jewel-case releases down the road. However, as the original Nilsson LP jackets were often wonderfully imaginative affairs, having these exact replicas only heightens the joy of ownership.

Amazon only allows 10 product links per review, so below are the first ten titles. The remainder, you'll have to find on your own (TIP: look for the 2007 release date when searching):

Pandemonium Shadow Show
Aerial Ballet
Skidoo
Harry
Nilsson Sings Newman
The Point!
Nilsson Schmilsson
Aerial Pandemonium Ballet
Son Of Schmilsson
A Little Touch of Schmilsson In The Night
P*ssy Cats
Duit It On Mon Dei
Sandman
That's The Way It Is
Knnillssonn

WHAT IS A JAPAN "MINI-LP-SLEEVE" CD?

Have you ever lamented the loss of one of the 20th Century's great art forms, the 12" vinyl LP jacket? Then "mini-LP-sleeve" CD's may be for you.

Mini-sleeve CDs are manufactured in Japan under license. The disc is packaged inside a 135MM X 135MM cardboard precision-miniature replica of the original classic vinyl-LP album. Also, anything contained in the original LP, such as gatefolds, booklets, lyric sheets, posters, printed LP sleeves, stickers, embosses, special LP cover paper/inks/textures and/or die cuts, are precisely replicated and included. An English-language lyric sheet is always included, even if the original LP did not have printed lyrics.

Then, there's the sonic quality: Often (but not always), mini-sleeves have dedicated remastering (20-Bit, 24-Bit, DSD, K2/K2HD, and/or HDCD), and can often (but not always) be superior to the audio on the same title anywhere else in the world. There also may be bonus tracks unavailable elsewhere.

Each Japan mini-sleeve has an "obi" ("oh-bee"), a removable Japan-language promotional strip. The obi lists the Japan street date of that particular release, the catalog number, the mastering info, and often the original album's release date. Bonus tracks are only listed on the obi, maintaining the integrity of the original LP artwork. The obi's are collectable, and should not be discarded.

All mini-sleeve releases are limited edition, but re-pressings/re-issues are becoming more common (again, not always). The enthusiasm of mini-sleeve collecting must be tempered, however, with avoiding fake mini-sleeves manufactured in Russia and distributed throughout the world, primarily on eBay. They are inferior in quality, worthless in collectable value, a total waste of money, and should be avoided at all costs.

Did you ever attend an out-of-control party and have it videotaped? Oh sure, you thought you were just awesome, singing, yelling, screaming, playing air guitar...

Then you watched it the next day.

"What were we thinking?"

Well, you could say that Nilsson's Pussycats was one of those parties. Fellow-traveler John Lennon recorded it for posterity. Controlled substances ooze from every groove. But you know what? It's a great album.

Rough around the edges? Sure! But that's the fun of it. Harry gets extra points for attempting Subterranean Homesick Blues and turning it into the world's first Punk Song.

Don't be so quick to trash this record. It's full of brilliant moments. Harry's voice may be teetering on the brink, but ultimately the whole sprawling mess hangs together; the way Rock 'n' Roll is supposed to be.

Now, about YOUR party: Take two aspirins, erase the tape, put on Pussycats, and leave it to the professionals.

----Ed Kaz

This really is a Lennon meets Nilsson album. Just fantastic.

A number of the not-positive reviews here seem to reflect their expectations of how this meeting of great talents should have resulted in a more polished result.

The album here may be rough and tumble and "uneven" (which I disagree with) but it is nonetheless great music. Loop de Loop may be a bit silly with the kids choral background and Rock Around the Clock is actually a pretty weak song - though the performance is fantastic. (I'd love to hear it without the vocals.) Sure, it's sad that Harry's voice was very horse but that does not detract from its musicality and spirit.

It really is one of Harry's best albums.