Definitive songs for the spellbinding voices

[ninelives]

Harry Nilsson was born "Harry Edward Nilsson III" (not "Nelson" as has been reported) on June 15, 1941, in Brooklyn, New York. After dropping out of high school and moving to California, Nilsson lied about his lack of a high school diploma and was given a job working in a bank's computer section. While Nilsson worked nights at the bank, his interest in music grew. During the day he began writing songs, visiting music publishers, and singing on demo records.

After having songs recorded by Glen Campbell and the Monkees, Nilsson left the bank to work full-time as a songwriter and singer. Nilsson signed with RCA in 1967 and in October of that year released Pandemonium Shadow Show.

Nilsson's second RCA album, Aerial Ballet, included his recording of Fred Neil's song "Everybody's Talkin'". Director John Schlesinger used Nilsson's recording of "Everybody's Talkin'" in Midnight Cowboy and the song became a hit - reaching number 6 on Billboard's Hot 100 and earning Nilsson a Grammy. Nilsson's success continued as Three Dog Night's recording of his song "One" reached number 5 on the charts and went on to sell more than a million copies.

Nilsson's 1969 album Harry included a song written by Randy Newman. In 1970, Nilsson recorded an entire album of songs by Newman, Nilsson Sings Newman.

In early 1971, The Point!, the first 90-minute, "made-for-television," animated film debuted on ABC. Based on a story by Nilsson, The Point! featured several songs by Nilsson including "Me And My Arrow".

Nilsson's 1971 album, Nilsson Schmilsson, became his best-selling album and "Without You", the album's first single, became a world-wide hit in 1972.

In 1974, Nilsson and John Lennon generated newspaper headlines by being thrown out of the Troubadour for heckling a Smothers Brothers performance. The same year, Lennon produced Nilsson's Pussy Cats album.

Nilsson's last album for RCA, Knnillssonn was released in July of 1977.

In 1980, Nilsson traveled to Malta where Robert Altman was filming Popeye starring Robin Williams. On location, Harry composed and recorded the music and songs for the film. The same year, Nilsson signed with Mercury Records and released his last album, Flash Harry. The album was only released in Europe.

After the murder of John Lennon in December of 1980, Nilsson devoted much of his time to campaigning for better gun laws. He also formed Hawkeye Entertainment which produced the film "The Telephone" starring Whoopi Goldberg and written by Nilsson and Terry Southern.

In early 1993, Nilsson suffered a major heart attack. Almost a year later, on January 15, 1994, Harry Nilsson died.

Nilsson songs have been recently recorded by artists such as Belly and Aimee Mann and have been featured in films and TV commercials.

For more information http://www.harrynilsson.com/

Excuse the odd video but here's my favorite off the album Nilsson Schmilsson.

Coconut:

Without You (piano demo but really beautiful version)

Unfortunately Warner Brothers took the other videos down but on his site you can download songs for free.

[Gegenschein]

Thanks for the demo link, it's amazing... so beautiful I felt tears welling up... Harry was such a bad ass but heavens, what a voice!!

[ninelives]

Thanks for the demo link, it's amazing... so beautiful I felt tears welling up... Harry was such a bad ass but heavens, what a voice!!

Wasn't that great? I love the song in album version but when I found that I was pretty moved.

[Gegenschein]

Alot of work reqested here, and I don't usually delve into links or bios. However, I see Steve Winwood's name listed. I've mentioned before I'm not drawn to vocalists in general, but his voice stands out in so many groups that he's been in, as well as his solo stuff. Maybe the fact that he is so talented on just about every instrument that is rock related gets my interest, too.

Well, I fixed it for ya - added links... and a pic

Anyway try these:

Gimme Some Lovin' - Spencer Davis Group (he's how old?)

- Blind Faith

(unfortunately the live in Hyde park 1969 - one of the best performances! - is no longer available... :'( )

Forty Thousand Headmen - Traffic

(I have this on DVD )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tpyug3kAp2M- solo (I believe that's him on bass, too)

[Xtazy]

Self-described "kid on helium" also known by the nickname of SuperLungs (explanation needed?)

I've just started listening to him, and yeah, he sounds great! I really enjoy Seeds of Memory, Bang bang, To Be Treated Rite and Faith of Arise. Thanks!

[Gegenschein]

I've just started listening to him, and yeah, he sounds great! I really enjoy Seed of Memory, Bang bang, To Be Treated Rite and Faith to Arise. Thanks!

You're welcome - here's a link to the 2005 (US) compilation:

Superlungs 2005 Astralwerks

- make sure you listen to Penny (#10 in the embedded player on the right) IMO one of his all time best songs.

Last November I directed a girl in Chicago to his gig - she was standing outside when Terry walked by and they had a cigarette and a little chat. She totally melted of course "the fact that he's so humble and sweet and personable after all these years blows my mind"

[jimmie ray]

Well, I fixed it for ya - added links... and a pic

(unfortunately the live in Hyde park 1969 - one of the best performances! - is no longer available... :'( )

(I have this on DVD )

Many thanks, you're a multi-tasking marvel! Can you do Mickey Dolenz (someone mentioned the Monkees), now???

[Gegenschein]

Many thanks, you're a multi-tasking marvel! Can you do Mickey Dolenz (someone mentioned the Monkees), now???

Funny you should ask. We have about half of all the episodes plus the film Head - all on VHS - because my daughter had a crush on Mike Nesmith when she was about 5 or 6 y.old. Of course in child's world they're forever young.

I feel kind of lazy, don't feel like looking for the actual bio, so I'll just say what I remember.

The Monkees is the only band in history (as far as I know) where "external forces" auditioned every single member. It started off as a "fake" band which was more about acting (TV show The Monkees about the adventures of a rock band) than about music - the only band member who could actually play music was Mike Nesmith (real first name Robert) - he learned to play guitar to exercise his wrist which was hurt in some kind of mischief (I think fireworks?) and of course all four had some singing skills. Davy Jones was the only British member - the rest were Americans (interesting fact that another David Jones had to change his last name as to avoid confusion and became David Bowie). In a way The Monkees was the American answer to the Fab Four, except the songs were written for them and they mimed playing the instruments. This eventually has changed because the boys decided to become real musicians - they learned to play their instruments and released Just Us - the album whose title explained who was involved in its making. Singing duties were handled mostly by Davy and Micky (real name George Michael) Dolenz.

The Monkees - Porpoise Song - this is my fav Monkees song, from Head - too bad the visuals from the film are not combined with this audio; the next link gives you an idea what was happening on the screen while the song was playing though it's a bit shorter.

Porpoise Song - the visuals (the audio is a cover band, not the Monkees)

Randy Scouse Git

- he really shines here

[ninelives]

I confess to actually liking the Monkees They were campy but I didn't care. I think the songs are fun. My favorites tend to be Mike Nesmith sung which is odd since I prefer Micky's voice. I love "Love Is Only Sleeping", "The Door Into Summer" and "As We Go Along" which Micky does sing.

And yes, I saw them in concert a few years ago

[PlanetPage]

I confess to actually liking the Monkees They were campy but I didn't care. I think the songs are fun.

...I have got to take a break....

I loved the monkeys too...back in Dec'74 and '75....I remember I was in late sewing class one day, I finished my tote bag so fast and ran all the way home to watch the fantastic monkeys....

I loved T.V. shows like these back then....everything was so new to me, just exciting....

P.S. I had little crushes on each and every one of them....from Mikey to Micky, they were just Super Monkeys..........a little....Me Tarzan, you Jane?.......

[Gegenschein]

My favorites tend to be Mike Nesmith sung which is odd since I prefer Micky's voice.

I hear you - Micky's got such a sweet lovely voice - but one of my all-time favs by them is Circle Sky which is Mike singing, thus it wasn't included. Mike's audition clip is such a riot, I love watching it. The auditioner: "Mike, come back here!" Mike: "No!" He was an obvious leader.

Edited to include this message:

Folks, suggest more names! Do them yourselves, or put up requests!

[jimmie ray]

- he really shines here

I can't believe you dug that one out! I forget if the Mel Brooks movie "The Producers" was made before or after the Monkeees hit the scene, but I've always associated Mickey's zaniness with the LSD character who sang " Love Power".

"I'm Not You're Steppin' Stone" is my favorite. Mickey is currently touring with Paul Revere and the Raiders member Mark Lindsay (in preparation for his audition with the 3 J's).

[Swede]

"I'm Not You're Steppin' Stone" is my favorite.

Mine too!!! It's a wild song!

Have you heard British band The Flies cover of that tune?? It's great as well. Quite a heavy version especially reconsidering the year it was released.

The Flies - I'm not your steppin' stone (1966)

[ninelives]

Mine too!!! It's a wild song!

Have you heard British band The Flies cover of that tune?? It's great as well. Quite a heavy version especially reconsidering the year it was released.

The Flies - I'm not your steppin' stone (1966)

Very cool! Totally different feel but it works great

[Gegenschein]

Ray Davies - Working Man's Cafe

I love Ray. These're something (or many things) so British about him, it's amazing... and adorable.

"Ray Davies is the lead singer, chief songwriter, and rhythm guitarist in the Kinks, one of the most long-lived of the British Invasion rock groups of the 1960s. In effect, the Kinks have always been merely a backup group for Davies, who writes and sings nearly all their songs with only the occasional contribution from his brother, Dave, who plays lead guitar in the group. At various times, Ray Davies made noises about dissolving the group and going solo, but for years the closest he came to it was taking solo credit for the soundtrack to his 1985 film, Return to Waterloo (which he wrote and directed), even though the music sounds as much like the Kinks as that on any regular Kinks record.

During the '90s, the Kinks gradually became inactive and Davies pursued other projects, starting with his semi-fictional 1995 memoir, X-Ray. He supported the book with a series of concerts subtitled "Storyteller," where he played classic Kinks songs, read from the book, told stories, and showcased new songs. The Storyteller concerts sowed the seeds of a number of projects, including the music cable network VH1's recurring series, Storyteller. Davies himself released a book of the same name, filled with short stories, and a similarly titled album that captured one of his solo acoustic concerts. That record was his first solo effort since Return to Waterloo, and was released in the spring of 1998. In late 2005 he released the benefit EP Thanksgiving Day. All net proceeds raised by the EP went to New Orleans music education programs. A year later the full-length Other People's Lives appeared, followed by Working Man's Cafe in 2008." - William Ruhlmann & Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AllMusicGuide.

Sunny Afternoon

Low Budget live 1982

You Really Got Me live 1994

[Virginia]

Bono. My favorite performance has always been "Bad" from Live Aid. His voice was beautiful and passionate; they were just becoming huge at the time, and it's so interesting to watch his expressions during the performance.

"I Will Follow" from the Red Rocks concert is my second favorite; they were full of energy; totally rocked and sounded fantastic

U2 I Will Follow Red Rocks 83

There aren't too many singers who sound at least as good, if not better, live than in studio, but Bono is definitely one of those few.

I can't wait to see them live this year (assuming I can get tickets!)

[ninelives]

Bono. My favorite performance has always been "Bad" from Live Aid. His voice was beautiful and passionate; they were just becoming huge at the time, and it's so interesting to watch his expressions during the performance.

"I Will Follow" from the Red Rocks concert is my second favorite; they were full of energy; totally rocked and sounded fantastic

U2 I Will Follow Red Rocks 83

There aren't too many singers who sound at least as good, if not better, live than in studio, but Bono is definitely one of those few.

I can't wait to see them live this year (assuming I can get tickets!)

I hear you on their performance of Bad from Live Aid. I still get chills if I see a video clip of it. Absolutely incredible.

[Misty]

Jeff Buckley (son of the late Tim Buckley) to me has one of the most passionate voices in rock. His lyrics coupled against his sparse music created some of my favorite songs ever. He was so young and just starting out when he died in a drowning accident.

Here's a biography on him from his website:

http://www.jeffbuckley.com/bio.asp

Two albums to absolutely get are Grace and Live From Sin-e (does a cracking version of Night Flight). There was an album released Posthumously which people were brought in to complete tracks he started. There are some decent songs on it but it's not quite as authentic if you will.

Some tracks to get acquainted with Jeff:

Grace

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siNsgbIWhAQ

Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AratTMGrHaQ...E73&index=0

Last Goodbye

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hm8JoMhgjRw...t=1&index=4

i love this thread, and so thoroughly enjoyed the youtube clips of jeff buckley (which i never knew existed). he was such an amazing talent...so beautiful, with a voice that pierces your very soul. i had never seen him "perform" until just now, and the reality of his death just saddens me. his songs make me remember why i love music so much. thank you very much indeed for posting....

[Gegenschein]

John Fogerty's fervent vocals and modernized rockabilly songs built on his classic guitar riffs made Creedence Clearwater Revival the preeminent American singles band of the late '60s and early '70s. The Fogerty brothers were raised in Berkeley, where John studied piano and at the age of 12 got his first guitar. He met Cook and Clifford at the El Cerrito junior high school they all attended. They began playing together, and by 1959 were performing at local dances as Tommy Fogerty and the Blue Velvets. In 1964 the quartet signed to San Francisco–based Fantasy Records, where Tom had been working as a packing and shipping clerk. The label renamed them the Golliwogs and began putting out singles. "Brown-Eyed Girl" sold 10,000 copies in 1965, but the followups were flops. Greater success came after they adopted the CCR moniker in 1967.

Several Fogerty compositions appeared on CCR, but cover versions of Dale Hawkins' "Suzie Q" and Screamin' Jay Hawkins' "I Put a Spell on You" were the group's first hit singles. With the release of Bayou Country it became the most popular rock band in America. Beginning with the two-sided gold hit "Proud Mary" (Number Two, 1969) b/w "Born on the Bayou," Creedence dominated Top 40 radio for two years without disappointing the anticommercial element of the rock audience.

CCR's rough-hewn rockers often dealt with political and cultural issues, and the quartet appeared at the Woodstock Festival. Creedence had seven major hit singles in 1969 and 1970, including "Bad Moon Rising" (Number Two, 1969), "Green River" (Number Two, 1969), "Fortunate Son" (Number 14, 1969), "Down on the Corner" (Number Three, 1969), "Travelin' Band" (Number Two, 1970), "Up Around the Bend" (Number Four, 1970), and "Lookin' Out My Back Door" (Number Two, 1970).

Although Creedence's success continued after Cosmo's Factory, it was the group's artistic peak. Internal dissension, primarily the result of John Fogerty's dominant role, began to pull the band apart in the early '70s. Tom left in January 1971, one month after the release of the pivotal Pendulum which became the group's fifth platinum album. The band carried on as a trio, touring worldwide; Live in Europe was the recorded result. CCR's final album, Mardi Gras, gave Cook and Clifford an equal share of the songwriting and lead vocals. It was the band's first album not to go platinum. Creedence disbanded in October 1972, and Fantasy has subsequently released a number of albums, including a live recording of a 1970 Oakland concert, which upon original release was erroneously titled Live at Albert Hall (it was later retitled The Concert).

Not surprisingly, John Fogerty's solo pursuits have attracted the greatest attention. Immediately after the breakup he released a bluegrass/country album, The Blue Ridge Rangers, on which he played all the instruments. Two songs, the Hank Williams classic "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)" and "Hearts of Stone," made the Top 40. Nearly three years passed before his next LP, another one-man show titled John Fogerty. It sold poorly, and his next album, to be called Hoodoo, was rejected by Asylum Records. Fogerty and his family retired to a farm in rural Oregon. Except for two brief Creedence reunions he was not heard from for 10 years.

He emerged with Centerfield (Number One, 1985), a typically simple, tuneful collection that sold 2 million copies and produced hit singles in "The Old Man Down the Road" (Number 10, 1985), "Rock and Roll Girls" (Number 20, 1985), and "Centerfield" (Number 44, 1985). "Old Man" and another song from the album, "Zanz Kant Danz," landed Fogerty in legal trouble however. The latter, a thinly veiled attack against Fantasy owner Saul Zaentz ("Zanz can't dance but he'll steal your money"), led Zaentz to sue for $142 million, not only over that song, but over "Old Man": Fantasy claimed the song plagiarized the music of the 1970 CCR B side "Run Through the Jungle." In 1988 a jury ruled in Fogerty's favor; six years later the Supreme Court ordered Fantasy to reimburse Fogerty for over $1 million in lawyers' fees.

For years Fogerty refused to perform CCR songs live; he'd had to surrender his artist's royalties on them to get out of his Fantasy contract in the '70s. But during a July 4, 1987, concert for Vietnam veterans in Washington, DC, he broke his boycott, singing eight Creedence classics. He then dropped out of sight again, surfacing only for the annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies; in 1993 his own turn came when CCR were inducted into the hall. Fogerty refused to perform with Cook and Clifford that evening.

After a decade remission, Fogerty released Blue Moon Swamp (Number 37, 1997); inspired by several trips to the Mississippi Delta, the album had taken over four years to make. It went on to win a Grammy for Best Rock Album, while the single "Southern Streamline" hit Number 67 on the C&W chart. Fogerty followed up the release with an extensive U.S. tour on which he played many CCR classics such as "Proud Mary" and "Fortunate Son" along with his new material; the live album Premonition (Number 29) was released the following year.

In 1995 Cook and Clifford started touring as Creedence Clearwater Revisited. Fogerty sued and won a temporary injunction barring them from using that name, but his former bandmates ultimately prevailed in the case.

from The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll (Simon & Schuster, 2001)

(knocks wind out of me every time... you hear just this one song, no more questions what a monster voice this guy has )