For The Love Of Harry Nilsson: CUTE CINEMA SOUNDTRAX "Ted's Best Friend Song" (From Advance Trailer for Ted, 2012)

CUTE CINEMA SOUNDTRAX "Ted's Best Friend Song" (From Advance Trailer for Ted, 2012)

Cute Cinema Soundtrax
"Ted's Best Friend Song" (0:57)
a.k.a. "Best Friend" Written by Harry Nilsson
June 2012 Digital Only Release

It's an odd release to be sure. This one-minute modern cover of Harry's Nilsson's 60s TV theme, "Best Friend," isn't even heard during the film, Ted - appearing only in advance commercial trailers. The song wasn't included on the official soundtrack album, either. Actions like that tend to suggest a change of heart, or a copyright issue that reared its ugly head late in the game. Yet...the new cover is available from iTunes. So, you tell us what's up. This new rendition sports an altered title, and... exactly who is Cute Cinema Soundtrax, anyway? Bets are it's Ted's creative force, Seth MacFarlane of Family Guy fame, who can pretty much do anything (sing, dance, write, direct, character voices, songwriting, awards show hosting... you name it), so the idea that he might be responsible for recreating one of Harry's catchiest tunes isn't far-fetched. But, it's still rank speculation. FYI: The official release files are tagged "A Tribute To Harry Nilsson." We've got links to more Best Friends, below. Find this one HERE.

RELATED POSTS: (Click For Pop-Up Windows)
"Best Friend" vs "Daddy's Song" (1969)
Incidental Music From The Courtship Of Eddie's Father (Unreleased Harry 1969)
PUPPET Best Friend (1969)
BRANDON CRUZ, MICKY DOLENZ & BILL BIXBY (Best Friend 1970-1994)
Life Line: The Songs Of Nilsson 1967-1971 (The best version of Best Friend)

2 comments:

Chevy West said...: Just wanted to say the new site looks great. its good to hear that the box set is still in the works.; 7:07 PM
Willard ICorp said...: Thanks Chevy; 7:09 PM

Nilsson Newss

MAY, 2013

AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER! + THE COMPLETE TRACK LISTING The long-awaited 17CD Box Set, Nilsson The RCA Albums Collection, is available for pre-order at Amazon (HERE). Release date is July 30th, though Amazon UK seems to be offering the same box for half the price (HERE). We've added all the available details and track listings to the post on the right. Thanks Jamie.

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APRIL, 2013

A new 2CD set, The Essential Nilsson, was released April 30th. Priced under $12, the 2 discs include two previously unreleased tracks... "Girlfriend (Remix)" and "Life Line (Alt Piano Take 13)," various tracks labeled as "Remastered 2004," the single versions of "Jump Into The Fire" and "Daybreak" and the mono single versions of "One," "Rainmaker" and "I Will Take You There." As you can see, the cover sports an obscure photo of Harry and is now available at Amazon. Thanks to Patrick, Jamie & ChevyW for the details.

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MARCH, 2013

FLASH HARRY CD RELEASE? Hot on the heels of the long-simmering box set and Harry's first ever biography, comes word that Nilsson's last released album, 1980's Flash Harry, will finally be issued on CD (for the very first time), possibly by mid-year. No details yet (who, what, when… we know why), but talk around the campfire is there are a few bonus tracks included, too. Hopefully official word will surface soon. You'll know when we know.

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FEBRUARY, 2013

CONFIRMED! According to sources close to the project, the Nilsson Box Set is currently being worked on and plans are to have it available, possibly by Summer, 2013. What we've heard is that the massive gathering of Harry's work will feature 17 discs (“approximately,” its been said, as material is still being discovered), and that 3 of those discs will contain rarities, bonuses, radio spots & more. The first two albums, Pandemonium Shadow Show and Aerial Ballet, will additionally include the rare and coveted mono mixes, while Skidoo and Son Of Dracula will be represented only by Harry's contributions, leaving George Tipton's and Paul Buckmaster's instrumental orchestrations behind. Of course, Flash Harry, Nilsson's last album recorded for Mercury in 1980, will not be a part of this Sony box. As for Curtis Armstrong's videotaped assertion that the project was cancelled... you'll have to ask him about that. There are a hundred questions about what will be included, but don't ask us. You've now got what we've got, and when more info surfaces we'll post it.

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Shooter Jennings (son of Waylon) opens his newest album, The Other Life, with a cover of Harry Nilsson's "The Flying Saucer Song," an unusual choice for a country-rock album, made even more bizarre by the eerie, two minute instrumental intro. Hear it below, grab it HERE. The Other Side is at @ Amazon. ----------------------------------------------

Two Nilsson albums are being re-issued in Japan on March 12th. But, neither Aerial Ballet or Harry will feature any new bonus tracks. According to Amazon Japan, Aerial is exactly the same as the 2007 issue, while Harry actually has two fewer tracks than its 2007 counterpart. They're not cheap, either. Note Aerial's full, uncropped artwork. Click the covers to pre-order at Amazon.

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A massive Nilsson tribute album is in the works from producer Kenny Siegal. According to American Songwriter (read more HERE) Harry Nilsson Remembered will boast 28 Nilsson songs along with the participation of Tracy Bonham, Rasputina and dozens of others, including Nilsson progeny Annie (left) and Zak Nilsson. According to Siegal, the plan is to release the first half of the collection this Spring. Thanks to Jamie for the heads up.

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January, 2013

Fans have been pining for a full-length biography of Harry Nilsson for years, while numerous writers, followers and self-appointed Nilsson authorities have been attempting, promising, threatening to get Harry's story into print for decades. Well… bookmark Amazon in July, 2013, for the release of Nilsson - The Life Of A Singer-Songwriter, by author Alyn Shipton - jazz critic for The Times of London and author of celebrated books on Dizzy Gillespie, Cab Calloway, Ian Carr, Bud Powell, Fats Waller and George Shearing, among others. Nilsson's Estate has granted Shipton "exclusive access" to Harry's papers, as well as Nilsson's own unfinished autobiography for this book, which will feature interviews with friends, family and associates. We asked Shipton how a jazz specialist got sidetracked into Nilsson's pop universe, and learned that it began, in part, via a BBC radio documentary the author put together on Nilsson producer, Richard Perry. Shipton elaborated on his piqued interest and the upcoming book: "Although I'm normally a jazz writer, I've tackled all kinds of musical subjects in print and on BBC Radio. So as I got going on this book, I settled happily back into the world of 60s and 70s pop music, the sounds with which I grew up. And then one day I was listening to the bass playing on "Sleep Late My Lady Friend." Something about it seemed familiar - so when I got into the RCA archives and looked in detail at the session sheets for Pandemonium Shadow Show, I found it was none other than the doyen of jazz musicians Ray Brown. And it was also the jazz world that put me in touch with Mike McNaught, who'd been a pianist at Ronnie Scott's before he arranged the music for the second UK stage production of The Point and all the charts for Knnillssonn. He was able to give me a huge amount of new information about that album, including the full personnel of all the musicians on it, which I think I will be publishing for the first time." Nilsson - The Life Of A Singer-Songwriter (Oxford University Press) will be shipping in July, but is available now for pre-order from Amazon HERE (where you can lock in a low price guarantee). We'll try to get more info about the contents in coming months.

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OLD NEWSS...
2013 * 2012 * 2011 * 2010

Harry Around The Web

Barely a day goes by that someone isn't posting their own ragged version of a Harry Nilsson song on YouTube. For a change, here's a truly inventive one from multi-instrumentalist, Christopher Bell. Using only a cello and a couple foot-controlled samplers, Bell has created a live, multi-tracked version of "One" (mashed with Bach's 3rd Cello Suite: Sarabande and Bourree #2) that's as entertaining to view as it is to hear. Though, not really a top tier vocalist, Bell's sampling technique allows him to simultaneously overdub himself on the fly, adding bass, effects, counter rhythms, and even a solo as he plays - creating a fully-arranged version of one of Harry's most loved songs. Now... just imagine if Harry had one of these set-ups back in the day. (Actually, there's a hint of the possibilities on our post w/Harry & Kenny Everett singing "Mournin' Glory Story" live on the BBC, HERE.)

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Filmmaker David Puttman confirmed to MOJO Magazine this month that his excellent 1973 rock 'n roll character study, That'll Be The Day (w/ David Essex, RIngo Starr & Keith Moon), was inspired by Harry Nilsson's "1941" - his semi-autobiographical song about a child abandoned by his father, only to grow up and abandon his own. The movie was the first part of a two-film story (followed by Stardust in 1974) that chronicled The Stray Cats, a fictional rock band with scenes and events clearly based on The Beatles' early days. Watch That'll Be The Day, and read the MOJO article about it, below.

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Ex-Los Angeles Herald-Examiner writer, Rip Sense, recently mentioned in a Facebook post that he may have inadvertently been the inspiration for an obscure song Harry wrote in the early 80s after the murder of John Lennon, entitled "Lay Down Your Arms." In an article found on Examiner.com (thanks for the shout out), Sense tells of meeting Nilsson at a Beatlefest Convention to pitch him on the idea of getting Capitol to issue a then-unreleased Beatles recording from the BBC - sung by Lennon - called "Soldier Of Love" (containing the prominent phrase, 'lay down your arms'). Nilsson told Sense, "in between line after line of cocaine," he'd never heard the song but would follow up on the idea. Nilsson's unreleased "Lay Down Your Arms" would later show up on the soundtrack of a rarely seen 1983 film, Handgun. It's a convincing read. Hear Harry's unreleased version of the song HERE (along with the obscure cover version by Ringo Starr & Stevie Nicks).

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Hulu has added The Point! to its video library. Now all you round-headers don't have to play hit-and-miss trying to find it on YouTube. It's the Ringo Starr version, of course, but we've still got the original out-of-print Dustin Hoffman version HERE.

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Harry's "Jump Into The Fire" (Nilsson Schmilsson) serves as the backdrop to Izod's recently broadcast U.S. Open Championship commercial. We can make each other happy. Thanks to Sandman76.

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Alice Cooper is threatening to record a covers album in tribute to L.A.'s most exclusive drinking club, The Hollywood Vampires. In the mid 70s, when L.A. was being terrorized by the drinking cabal of Harry, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Micky Dolenz, Keith Moon and a few others, Alice Cooper acted as President of the Vampires at the famed Rainbow Room. He recently told Rolling Stone that he'd like to put together a collection of songs to recall that time. "I would keep it right to about '73, '74... in that sort of drunk era, so it's specific. Think of it – Harry Nilsson, there's a lot of good stuff there that could be rocked out. Take a song like 'Jump Into the Fire' and take that to a harder level, and that'll work."

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This pic of Lennon & Nilsson just might offer some insight into the 1974 Pussy Cats sessions. Click for a pop-up view.

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Guitar Chords for over 100 Nilsson tunes.

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Lennon and Maisy sing a "Happy Birthday Harry Song." Though... it should be noted, the performance is actually a shout out to Harry Styles (One Direction). But since the song and the girls are so damned cute, we've adopted it anyway. Don't be shocked if the tiny one winds up becoming a star.

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Seemed inevitable, didn't it? Check the archives for more Nilsson parody covers.

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Guitarist Jonathan Lynch slowed down Harry's most popular recording and added some guitars to create this "Doom Version" of "Without You."

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Andrea Coor (The Coors) covers Harry's "Life Line" for her latest album, Lifelines.

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"Me And My Arrow" by The Last Names.

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Silent footage of Micky Dolenz and Nilsson hanging out in the early 70s - in the studio and on the streets. The original poster dubbed in Micky's cover of Harry's "Bath," from 1977's The Mermaid Theatre's Production Of Harry Nilsson's The Point!