Nilsson Sings Newman - Legacy

Legacy

In 1993, Newman prepared to record an entire album of Nilsson songs, a returning of the favor 25 years later. Newman had never before recorded a Nilsson song. After Nilsson's death in January 1994, the intended homage became a memorial, titled For The Love of Harry: Everybody Sings Nilsson. To leave room for participation by other artists, Newman sang only one song, "Remember (Christmas)", a sad and dreamy tune which opened the album. Newman said, "I just hope Harry knew how great he was. He was always putting himself down, making fun of himself."

Nilsson Sings Newman was re-released as a CD in 1995. In 2000, the 30th anniversary release was padded with five additional tracks. One was "Snow", unreleased in 1970 for lack of room on the LP, and four were alternate versions of songs that were on the original album. In 2000, Ben Wener of The Orange County Register wrote that "Newman's sly, dramatically structured impressionistic pop was ideally suited for Nilsson's theatrical tone ... It's not so much that Nilsson's takes are better than Newman's ... just refreshingly different—less wicked and vicious, more melancholy."

Artists who have expressed a fondness for the album include Rufus Wainwright, Ron Sexsmith, Jellyfish, Adrian Belew and Shane Tutmarc. The exhaustive All Music Guide says of Nilsson Sings Newman that it is "a subtle, graceful masterpiece where the pleasure is in the grace notes, small gestures, and in-jokes." Once a listener has acquired a taste for Newman's idiosyncratic songs, "this is as sweet as honey."