Aerial Ballet – NILSSON****

Good Old Desk/Don’t Leave Me/Mr Richland’s Favourite Song/Little Cowboy/Together/Everybody’s Talkin’/I Said Goodbye To Me/Little Cowboy/Mr Tinker/One/The Waiting Of A Willow/Bath

Second album from Harry Nilsson includes several original compositions. However, the best known track, Everybody's Talkin', the theme song to the film Midnight Cowboy, is a cover, reaching No. 6 on the US singles chart.

"The man with the perfect voice, with perfectly crafted and arranged songs. The perfect assortment of brass, strings and piano to create the most perfect baroque soundscapes known to man. The only thing he's lacking is enjoyability. I don't want to get into something about the album lacking 'soul' or whatever, because that's usually something that's so subjective. But that's exactly what he's lacking."

"Aerial Ballet is one of Nilsson's best albums. His talent for writing timeless and catchy pop songs is evident throughout each and every track, but his voice is the icing on the cake that brings it all together. One can't go wrong with any of his early work. Definitely recommended."

"If you're into beautiful, carefully crafted songs with smart lyrics (a cross between Randy Newman and The Beatles), sung by one of the world's best singers, don't pass on this one."

"Aerial Ballet is an agreeable, but slight, collection of light pop tunes. Nilsson is pretty self-aware and exploits the inherent triviality of pop music. As much as he clearly reveres a band like The Beatles, he also challenges the 'this is serious art' attitude to songwriting that prevailed in the 60s. Still, songs like Don’t Leave Me are so catchy and beautifully crafted that they also remind us how transcendent trivial pop music can be." ,p> "Aerial Ballet has the whimsical, pastoral, peaceful feel that was slipping away as things began to unravel: drugs, assignations. Nilsson here seems to pull it all back in a plausible way. Plus his jazzy singing is great."

"Nilsson is unfortunately best known for hits not penned by him but are covers instead. Here every track is at least part written by him save one, the strongest hit track Everybody's Talkin'. That's not to imply that this album is just filler, although it would be safe to say that Fred Neil's composition stands out over the rest."