I’ve always been maddened by Nilsson albums. They are so schizophrenic in musical and tonal approach that I’ve often found it hard to take them all that seriously. On Pussy Cats–famously produced by John Lennon–Nilsson manages to retain (for the most part) emotional consistency. It is a wistful, almost sad album, that wreaks of mental and physical exhaustion. Nilsson’s vocal cords were apparently injured during the sessions for the album, and the result isn’t all that apparent save for the unusual gruffness of his voice here. Years of hard partying with the likes of Keith Moon, Lennon, and Ringo Starr could not have helped matters either. Surprisingly, Lennon’s work as a producer has a distinctive character. Compared with his then-recent efforts, Walls and Bridges and Rock ‘n’ Roll, Pussy Cats bears a remarkable dedication of purpose. His arrangements really add depth to tracks like Jimmy Cliff’s “Many Rivers to Cross,” his own composition “Don’t Forget Me,” and his transcendent take on “Save the Last Dance for Me.” The relative dolorousness of these cuts is balanced out with upbeat takes on Bob Dylan’s “Subterranean Homesick Blues,” the classic “Loop de Loop,” and Bill Haley’s “Rock Around the Clock.” Not everything works on here (see “All My Life” and “Old Forgotten Soldier”). But this time, Nilsson’s more goofy tendencies (think “Coconut”) aren’t an anchor on the record. Though often derided as “the beginning of the end” of Nilsson’s years of peak productivity, Pussy Cats is a record in need of a critical revisitation. —Yerblues
