Sandman (album)

Sandman is the twelfth studio album by American singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson, released in January 1976 on RCA Victor.

Sandman
Studio album by Nilsson
Released	January 1976
Recorded	Late 1975
Genre	Pop
Length	35:07
Label	RCA Victor
Producer	Harry Nilsson
Nilsson chronology
Duit on Mon Dei (1975) Sandman (1976) …That's the Way It Is (1976)
Singles from Sandman
"Something True" / "Pretty Soon There'll Be Nothing Left for Everybody" Released: January 16, 1976 (UK)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Christgau's Record Guide	B−[2]
The Essential Rock Discography	4/10[3]

Track listing

All music and lyrics by Harry Nilsson, except where noted.

1. "I'll Take a Tango" (Alex Harvey) – 2:58
2. "Something True" (Nilsson, Perry Botkin, Jr.) – 2:54
3. "Pretty Soon There'll Be Nothing Left for Everybody" – 2:50
4. "The Ivy Covered Walls" – 3:15
5. "Here's Why I Did Not Go to Work Today" (Nilsson, Danny Kortchmar) – 4:05
6. "The Flying Saucer Song" – 6:40
7. "How to Write a Song" – 3:12
8. "Jesus Christ You're Tall" – 4:08
9. "Will She Miss Me" – 4:43

Personnel

• Harry Nilsson – vocals
• Joe Cocker – vocals on "The Flying Saucer Song"
• Doug Dillard – banjo
• Klaus Voormann – bass
• Jim Keltner – drums
• Danny Kortchmar, Fred Tackett, Jesse Ed Davis – guitar
• Jane Getz, Leon Russell, Van Dyke Parks – keyboards
• Emil Richards, Emmett Kennedy, Gary Coleman, Joe DeAguero, Pat Murphy, Robert Greenidge – percussion
• Bobby Keys, Gene Cipriano, Jay Migliori, Jim Horn, John Rotella, Trevor Lawrence – saxophone
• Bobby Bruce, Ilene Novog, The Perry Botkin, Jr. Orchestra and Singers – strings

Production and technical personnel

• Perry Botkin Jr. – arrangements on "Something True", "The Ivy Covered Walls" and "Will She Miss Me"
• Richie Schmitt – recording engineer, associate producer
• Pete Abbott, Artie Torgersen, Mike Moran – second engineers
• Gribbitt – design and graphics
• Klaus Voormann – inside artwork
• Mal "The Pal" Evans – cover photography
• Marge Meoli – A&R coordination

Charts

Chart (1976)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard 200	111

The Flying Saucer Song

Many people think they recognize one of the main voices in Harry Nilsson's ^"The Flying Saucer Song^" as Joe Cocker. But the voices are all Nilsson using three distinct voice inflections. The gruff background vocals, however, are provided by Joe Cocker, whose coarse delivery is similar to Nilsson's.

"I don't think there's that much of a similarity," Nilsson remarked, "It's just that we both can occasionally muster up a brandy tone. We're whiskey-throated tenors. The Orson Welles type of guy from Citizen Kane."

^"The Flying Saucer Song^" was written for, and originally recorded, during the Pussy Cats sessions but was not released until Sandman.^[4]

References

1. link
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. "nilssonschmilsson.com Harry Nilsson, A Little Touch of Schmilsson on the Net".