Harry Nilsson - That's the Way It Is

User Rating:

Not Yet Rated

Track List: That's the Way It Is

More Harry Nilsson CDs and Albums

Album Details: That's the Way It Is

Release Date:: 01/01/1976
Label:: Bmg Int'l
UPC:: 743219502629

Pro Reviews: That's the Way It Is

EXPERT RATING:

From AMG Reviews

Well, what do you expect from an artist who's reading Penthouse, surrounded by liquor bottles and cigarettes, on the cover of his album? Perfection? Accessibility? Sanity? Well, you ain't gonna get that from Nilsson, a man who left sanity behind shortly after he entered the mainstream with Nilsson Schmilsson. Instead, you get a record from an artist who's just at the fringe of popular culture, not really caring if he has a hit, but not really wanting to be so weird that he's just a cult. Realizing all of this, the artist also knows that he doesn't need to try so hard he can be as lazy as he looks on the cover. So, that means That's the Way It Is is essentially a covers record, with songs ranging from material penned by longtime favorite Randy Newman ("Sail Away") to longtime fan George Harrison ("That Is All") to oldies ("Just One Look/Baby I'm Yours") to obscurities ("She Sits Down on Me" and "Zombie Jamboree"). Only two original songs then: the fauxreggae "Moonshine Bandit" and "Daylight Has Caught Me," cowritten by Dr. John. Everything's given a rather lush, but not particularly sleek, treatment placing it closer to soft rock than to the unabashed cult rock that Nilsson was producing at this point. So, this winds up being an album that's not as gleefully weird and funny as its predecessors and yet is stranger because of that. Because, for chrissakes, who wants this album? It doesn't have enough perversity or indulgence for those who treasure his weirdness, but it's way too idiosyncratic and odd for anyone who might like the L.A.style vibe. Not a bad record, really, but certainly not a very good one, even by latterday Nilsson standards.

- Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Related Artists

Similar Artists

Roots & Influences

Followers

Harry Nilsson Biography

Although he synthesized disparate elements of both rock and pop traditions, singer/songwriter Harry Nilsson was at heart a maverick whose allegiance belonged to neither. His initial series of albums in the late '60s made him a personal favorite of th...Full Harry Nilsson Biography

Compare Used and Refurb Prices: That's the Way It Is

Compare Used and Refurb Prices
Store	Price / Notes
	$50.00	Calculate Total Price Price + Tax + Shipping = Total Price Enter ZIP Code:	Go to Store

compare (1) used prices from $50.00 to $50.00