Aerial Ballet

iTunes Review

Even though it was recorded just a few months after his debut, Aerial Ballet was a leap forward for Harry Nilsson. Aside from the centerpiece reading of Fred Neil’s “Everybody’s Talking,” the album features only original compositions, and Nilsson has largely turned away from the circus pastiche of Pandemonium Shadow Show and embraced a more refined, mainstream brand of pop. “Everybody’s Talking” showcased the naked emotionality of Nilsson’s voice, and the song went on to greater renown when it was used two years later as the theme to Midnight Cowboy. As for his own songs, Nilsson’s specialty was writing tapping, singsong melodies and spiking them with a twist of lemon. Having proven his mastery of this particular style, you can hear Nilsson expanding into new territory on “The Wailing Willow,” “I Said Goodbye To Me,” and “Don’t Leave,” all of which embrace more confessional lyrics and arrangements. The crown jewel is “One,” Nilsson’s most perfect song up to that time. Though it has been covered dozens of times over the years, no one can touch the quiet peril and subtlety of this, its original incarnation.