Pussy Cats

Pussy Cats
Pussy Cats
Studio album by Harry Nilsson
Released	August 19, 1974 (US) ; August 30, 1974 (UK)
Recorded	March–May 1974 ; Burbank Studios, Los Angeles, California; Record Plant, New York, New York
Genre	Pop, rock
Length	37:08
Label	RCA Victor
Producer	John Lennon
Harry Nilsson chronology
Singles from Pussy Cats
	"Many Rivers to Cross" / "Don't Forget Me"; Released: July 8, 1974 (US); September 13, 1974 (UK); "Subterranean Homesick Blues" / "Mucho Mungo/Mt. Elga"; Released: October 1, 1974 (US); "Don't Forget Me" / "Loop de Loop"; Released: December 9, 1974 (US); "Save the Last Dance For Me" / "All My Life"; Released: January 31, 1975 (UK);

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]
Christgau's Record Guide	A–^[2]
The Essential Rock Discography	6/10^[3]
Pitchfork	7.8/10^[4]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	^[5]

Pussy Cats is the tenth album by American singer Harry Nilsson, released by RCA Records in 1974. It was produced by John Lennon with some participation by Ringo Starr. The album title was inspired by the bad press Nilsson, Lennon and Starr were getting around this time for being drunk and rowdy in Los Angeles. They also included an inside joke on the cover – children's letter blocks "D" and "S" on either side of a rug under a table − to spell out "drugs under the table" as a rebus.

Recording and development[]

The album was started in Los Angeles, but Lennon ultimately finished producing it in New York,^[6] where he could better control the sessions. During the recording sessions, Nilsson ruptured one of his vocal cords but chose to keep this from Lennon. He forced himself to push through the sessions, which caused even more damage, that some (including The Monkees' Micky Dolenz^[7]) say he never quite recovered from. The vocal strain is most evident on "Old Forgotten Soldier" and "Loop de Loop," on the latter of which Nilsson's vocals are heavily masked by backing vocals.

The album's intended original title, Strange Pussies, was rejected by RCA Records and modified to Pussy Cats.^[7] Among the many musicians on Pussy Cats are drummers Ringo Starr, Keith Moon and Jim Keltner, who actually all play together (on three drum kits) on the closing track, "Rock Around the Clock". Other contributors include Jesse Ed Davis, Klaus Voormann, and Bobby Keys.

A quadrophonic version was released on record and eight-track tape. The songs were treated to special mixes for this issue of the album.

Half of the album's original ten tracks were covers while the rest were written by Nilsson (with Lennon co-writing "Mucho Mungo/Mt. Elga").

After the first night of recording, March 28, Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder popped into the studio unexpectedly.^[8] Bootleg recordings from this session were later released as the album A Toot and a Snore in '74. The incident is the only known instance of Lennon and McCartney recording together since the break-up of the Beatles.

Release[]

The album was released August 19, 1974 in the US and August 30, 1974 in the UK.

Longtime Beatles publicist Derek Taylor, who produced A Little Touch of Schmilsson in the Night, wrote the liner notes for the original Pussy Cats pressing. In it he referenced the album's notorious recording background and quipped "Harry and John [...] have been living a vampire turntable recently but have sucked no blood except each other's and not so much of that, [...] Anyway, the cross-transfusion works, so what the hell."^[7]

The album had a lukewarm reception, charting a peak of 60 on the US Billboard album charts.^[7] Nilsson's subsequent RCA releases would chart far lower.

Legacy[]

In June 1999, a commemorative 25th-anniversary edition of Pussy Cats was released.

In October 2006, a track-by-track cover of the album was released by indie rock band The Walkmen. Several covers of the song "Don't Forget Me" have appeared, including Marshall Crenshaw's treatment on the 1995 Nilsson tribute For the Love of Harry: Everybody Sings Nilsson, alt-country artist Neko Case's March 2009 version on her ANTI- label release, Middle Cyclone, and Mamie Minch's contribution to 2014's tribute to Nilsson by various Indie artists This Is the Town: A Tribute to Nilsson, Vol. 1.

Track listing[]

All tracks composed by Harry Nilsson except where indicated.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Many Rivers to Cross"	Jimmy Cliff	4:56
2.	"Subterranean Homesick Blues"	Bob Dylan	3:17
3.	"Don't Forget Me"	Harry Nilsson	3:37
4.	"All My Life"	Nilsson	3:11
5.	"Old Forgotten Soldier"	Nilsson	4:14
6.	"Save the Last Dance for Me"	Doc Pomus, Mort Shuman	4:25
7.	"Mucho Mungo/Mt. Elga"	John Lennon, Nilsson	3:43
8.	"Loop de Loop" (featuring the Masked Alberts Kids Chorale)	Ted Vann	2:40
9.	"Black Sails"	Nilsson	3:15
10.	"Rock Around the Clock"	Jimmy DeKnight, Max C. Freedman	3:12

Bonus tracks (CD Reissue)
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
11.	"Down by the Sea"	Nilsson	5:37
12.	"The Flying Saucer Song"	Nilsson	6:30
13.	"Turn Out the Light"	Nilsson	2:32
14.	"Save the Last Dance for Me" (Alternate Version)	Pomus, Shuman	4:26

Charts[]

Chart (1974)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)^[9]	45
United States (Billboard 200)	60

Personnel[]

Harry Nilsson – vocals, piano (3, 5), electric piano (8, 10), clavinet (2), arrangements (3–10)
Jesse Ed Davis – guitar (1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10)
Danny Kortchmar – guitar (1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10)
Sneaky Pete Kleinow – pedal steel guitar (1, 2, 4, 6)
Ken Ascher – piano (1, 4, 7), electric piano (2), orchestration, conducting
Jane Getz – piano (6, 8, 10)
Willie Smith – organ (1)
Klaus Voormann – bass (1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10)
Jim Keltner – drums (7)
Ringo Starr – drums (1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10), maracas (7)
Keith Moon – drums (3), congas (7), Chinese wood blocks (4)
Doug Hoefer – snare drum (2)
Cynthia Webb – maracas (7)
Bobby Keys – saxophone (1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10)
Trevor Lawrence – saxophone (2, 6, 7, 8, 10)
Jim Horn – saxophone (8, 10)
Gene Cipriano – saxophone (6)
Chuck Findley – trombone (8, 10)
The Masked Alberts Orchestra – strings (1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9)
Nathalie Altman, Susie Bell, Troy Germano, Erik Mueller, Rachel Mueller, Phylida Paterson, Peri Prestopino, David Steinberg, Cantey Turner, Kristin Turner, Damon Vigiano – the Masked Albert Kids Chorale (8)

Production and technical personnel

John Lennon – producer, arrangements (1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10)
Roy Cicala – engineer, assistant producer
Jimmy Iovine – assistant engineer
Mal Evans – production assistant
Ringo Starr – production assistant
Dennis Ferrante – mixing
Tom Rabstenak, Greg Calbi – mastering
Cally – artwork, design, photography
Acy R. Lehman – art direction
Andrea T. Sheridan – liner notes
Derek Taylor – liner notes
Eddie Eddings – research
Mike Hartry – digital transfers
Bill Lacey – audio restoration
Keith Munro – producer, coordination
Curtis Armstrong – liner notes (reissue)

References[]

^ https://www.allmusic.com/album/r45660
^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: N". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 8, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
^ Strong, Martin C. (2006). The Essential Rock Discography. Edinburgh, UK: Canongate. p. 758. ISBN 978-1-84195-827-9.
^ Greene, Jayson (August 30, 2020). "Harry Nilsson: Pussy Cats". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
^ Randall, Mac; Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds) (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th edn). New York, NY: Simon & Schuster. p. 586. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
^ Blaney, John (2005). John Lennon: Listen to This Book (illustrated ed.). [S.l.]: Paper Jukebox. p. 142. ISBN 978-0-9544528-1-0.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d Giles, Jeff (August 19, 2015). "When Harry Nilsson Teamed Up With John Lennon on Pussy Cats". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
^ Keith Badman, The Beatles Diary Volume 2: After the Break-Up 1970–2001, Omnibus Press (London, 2001), pp. 121–22.
^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 218. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.

External links[]

Pussy Cats at The Harry Nilsson Website

[1] ttps://www.allmusic.com/album/r45660

[CG-2] Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: N". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 8, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.

[3] Strong, Martin C. (2006). The Essential Rock Discography. Edinburgh, UK: Canongate. p. 758. ISBN 978-1-84195-827-9.

[4] Greene, Jayson (August 30, 2020). "Harry Nilsson: Pussy Cats". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 30, 2020.

[5] Randall, Mac; Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds) (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th edn). New York, NY: Simon & Schuster. p. 586. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.

[Listen142-6] Blaney, John (2005). John Lennon: Listen to This Book (illustrated ed.). [S.l.]: Paper Jukebox. p. 142. ISBN 978-0-9544528-1-0.

[Teamed-7] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d Giles, Jeff (August 19, 2015). "When Harry Nilsson Teamed Up With John Lennon on Pussy Cats". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved May 16, 2020.

[8] Keith Badman, The Beatles Diary Volume 2: After the Break-Up 1970–2001, Omnibus Press (London, 2001), pp. 121–22.

[aus-9] Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 218. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

show v t Harry Nilsson
Studio albums	Spotlight on Nilsson Pandemonium Shadow Show Aerial Ballet Harry Nilsson Sings Newman The Point! Nilsson Schmilsson Son of Schmilsson A Little Touch of Schmilsson in the Night Pussy Cats Duit on Mon Dei Sandman ...That's the Way It Is Knnillssonn Flash Harry Losst and Founnd
Soundtracks	Skidoo The Point! Son of Dracula Popeye
Remixes	Aerial Pandemonium Ballet
Compilations	Early Tymes Nilsson The RCA Albums Collection
Singles	"All for the Beatles" "Sixteen Tons" "Without Her" "You Can't Do That" "River Deep – Mountain High" "One" "Everybody's Talkin'" "Me and My Arrow" "Without You" "Jump into the Fire" "Coconut" "Spaceman" "As Time Goes By" "Subterranean Homesick Blues" "Save the Last Dance for Me" "Many Rivers to Cross" "A Love Like Yours (Don't Come Knocking Everyday)" "Sail Away" "Just One Look/Baby I'm Yours (medley)"
Other songs	"Gotta Get Up" "Old Dirt Road" "The Puppy Song" "Ten Little Indians" "This Could Be the Night" "You're Breakin' My Heart"
Collaborations	Pussy Cats Every Man Has a Woman Ringo Son of Dracula Goodnight Vienna Ringo's Rotogravure Stop and Smell the Roses Two Sides of the Moon Stay Awake: Various Interpretations of Music from Vintage Disney Films
Related articles	Discography The Monkees Richard Perry The Hollywood Vampires The Telephone "Pussy Cats" Starring the Walkmen For the Love of Harry: Everybody Sings Nilsson Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin' About Him)?