Nilsson Schmilsson (1971)

Nilsson Schmilsson is the seventh studio album by American singer Harry Nilsson, released by RCA Records on November 11, 1971. It was Nilsson's most commercially successful work, producing three of his best-known songs. Among these was the number 1 hit "Without You", written by Pete Ham and Tom Evans of the group Badfinger. The album was the first of two Nilsson albums recorded in London and produced by Richard Perry.

"Jump into the Fire" and "Coconut", both written by Nilsson, also became hits. The album performed well at the 1973 Grammy Awards, earning a nomination for Album of the Year, while "Without You" won the Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. In 2006, Nilsson Schmilsson was ranked number 84 on Pitchfork's "Top 100 Albums of the 1970s". The album was ranked number 281 in the 2020 revision of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list.

Personnel

According to the 1971 LP credits:

Harry Nilsson – vocals, piano (1, 5, 8, 10), Mellotron (2, 4), organ (3), electric piano (9), harmonica (8)

Gary Wright – piano (6), organ (8)

Henry Krein – accordion (1)

Richard Perry – Mellotron (2), percussion (1)

Roger Coulam – organ (5)

Jim Webb – piano (9)

Chris Spedding – guitar (1, 5, 8, 9)

John Uribe – lead guitar (2, 9), acoustic guitar (2, 4, 6)

Caleb Quaye – guitar (7)

Ian Duck – acoustic guitar (7)

Klaus Voormann – bass guitar (1, 5, 6, 8), rhythm guitar (2, 9), acoustic guitar (4)

Herbie Flowers – bass guitar (2, 4, 7, 9)

Jim Gordon – drums (1, 2, 4, 7, 9), percussion (7, 9)

Jim Keltner – drums (5, 6, 8)

Roger Pope – drums (7)

Bobby Keys – saxophone (5)

Jim Price – trumpet (1, 5), trombone (1, 5), horn arrangements (1, 5)

Paul Buckmaster – string and horn arrangements (6)

George Tipton – string and horn arrangements (10)

Technical

Robin Geoffrey Cable – engineer (Trident Studios)

Richie Schmitt – engineer (RCA Studios)

Phill Brown – additional engineer (Island Studios)

• Acy Lehman – graphics
• Dean Torrence – photography