In the Oct 22/29 issue of Entertainment Weekly, horror maestro Stephen King reviews the soon-to-be released dvd of the documentary “Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin’ About Him?)”, calling it “an exploration of the dark side of success that’s hard to watch and even harder to forget.”
I missed the LA screening a few years ago so I still wonder if they discuss Cher’s duet with Harry, the Phil Spector produced single "A Love Like Yours (Don't Come Knocking Every Day)" from 1975.
The blog "For the Love of Harry" reviews the song and you can listen along.
http://fortheloveofharry.blogspot.com/2008/02/nilsson-cher-love-like-yours-1975.html
RE-UPPED! One of Harry's more obscure major releases, a Phil Spector produced duet with Cher. There's a little bit of confusion about this release, as it originally appeared on a 1975 Warner Brothers promo LP (which sold for $2) called Burbank's Finest: 100% All Meat. It was eventually issued as one of the first of three 45's on Spector's vanity label for Warner Bros., but it went nowhere fast (as did the label). Harry told Creem magazine that the backing track was actually intended for John Lennon's Spector-produced Rock 'n Roll album. Leave it to Spector to make Harry's & Cher's voices sound alike. Nilsson once referred to this one-off duo as "Nilssonny & Cher." The flip side is a Cher solo recording.
Listening to it again, I notice an oddly precious opening to the song (which isn’t atypical of Phil Spector, I guess). Some people hate Cher's three Spector singles from the mid-70s but I think Cher’s strong voice is particularly suited to his hazy, languid arrangements. There are some cool scratchy wails from Cher in the track and some typical Phil Spector eeriness, speaking of which… Al Pacino is set to play Spector in David Mamet’s HBO biopic.
…uh…can't wait for that.
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