This morning’s shuffle
opened with Harry Nilsson singing ‘Many Rivers To Cross’ from his 1974 album Pussy Cats which was produced by John
Lennon, although my version comes from a double Nilsson compilation CD called Personal Best. I’d forgotten how dreadful
it was. At this point in his life Harry was on a downward spiral that had
ruined his voice and, indeed, he had ruptured a vocal cord while trying to
record this album with John in LA. His vocal is hoarse and strained, and it
sounds to me as if John is duetting with him here and there in an effort to
shore up the vocal track. That probably explains the fat production too, Lennon
having wisely decided to throw in everything bar the kitchen sink to mask the
shortcomings in his pal’s voice. Either way it pales in comparison to the
marvellous Jimmy Cliff version on his album The
Harder They Come, the first reggae album I ever owned and still one of the
best ever.
As it happened The Harder They Come was on heavy rotation on the deck in my flat
in Bayswater around the time I found myself being whisked off to the Theatre
Antique at Chateau Vallon near Toulon in France to witness the opening night of
the first European tour by Wings on July 9, 1972, after which I grabbed a word
with their leader, name of Paul, who was surrounded by journalists poking
microphones in his face. Somehow the talk turned to reggae, Wings having
recorded a reggae inflected version of ‘Love Is Strange’ on their recent Wildlife album, and I found myself in
discussion with Mrs McCartney about the merits of this album and whether or not
it was ‘politically correct’ – we wouldn’t have used that expression then but
you know what I mean – to like Paul Simon’s ‘Mother And Child Reunion’. We
decided it was but we both preferred Jimmy Cliff, and I remember telling Linda
how back in 1967 I used to dance to ‘007 (Shanty Town)’ by Desmond Dekker at a
discotheque in Ilkley in a pub called The Cow And Calf.
Back on the iPod Harry’s desperate ‘Many
Rivers…’ was followed by more ska, The Specials’ ‘Too Much Too Young’, with its
surprisingly ‘traditional’ rock guitar solo, so I got to thinking about how The Specials were no doubt inspired by Jimmy Cliff and this
strange connection between John and Paul Beatle, a California
singer-songwriter, a Jamaican reggae star and an English 2-Tone band from
Coventry and how music really is like a great big ocean in which the currents
ebb and flow, all mixed together in one way or another.
Then I got to thinking about John and
Harry’s friendship and how, if I’m not mistaken, Harry asked John to accompany
him to a meeting with RCA’s top brass convened to consider Harry’s future with
the label after disappointing record sales. Aware of this, Harry turned the meeting
around, suggesting that if they resigned him John might sign with RCA too, to
which John nodded in agreement. Falling over themselves with glee, the RCA men
agreed to resign Harry and promptly offered him a generous advance so as to
keep in with John. Harry waltzed off to the bank with his check, and soon
afterwards John went into hibernation. What it is to have friends like that…
I think the picture was taken by my
mate Dougal Butler.
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