I had a phase of really liking Harry and bought his smooth albums and a little Schmilsson always did the trick but then this came out and I bought this in the ex-jukebox bins I have mentioned before and it blew my socks off. This is contemporary pop singing at it's peak . . . . . . . alcoholic or not (he was instrumental in Lennon's lost weekend when John and he tied one on and then some. 'Mama' Cass Elliott and Keith Moon both died in the London flat he owned in Curzon Street and he passed away at 52 of heart failure in 1994) his sense of humour and curmudgeonly steadfast refusal to do as he was told always appealed to me . . . . . . Here the most staggering version of Badfinger's 'Without You'

On this day in music history: February 19, 1972 - “Without You” by Nilsson hits #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 4 weeks. Written by Pete Ham and Tom Evans, it is the biggest hit for the Brooklyn, NY born singer, songwriter, and musician. Badfinger guitarist Pete Ham and bassist Tom Evans compose the song in 1970, including it on their album “No Dice”. Harry Nilsson hears the song at a party, initially mistaking it for a Beatles song. He decides to record the song for his album “Nilsson Schmilsson” with producer Richard Perry. Recorded at Trident Studios in London, the track features instrumental support from musicians including Gary Wright, Jim Keltner and Klaus Voorman. On the day of the session, Harry abruptly changes his mind, telling Perry he doesn’t want to record the song after all. Nilsson argues with Perry, who in turn suggests that they discuss the matter over tea at the Dorchester Hotel in near by Mayfair. When Perry finally persuades Nilsson to go through with the session, they hop into a taxi and go straight to the studio, where the singer records his lead vocal in a single take. Entering the Hot 100 at #99 on December 18, 1971, it climbs to the top of the chart nine weeks later. The single wins Nilsson his second Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male in 1973. “Without You” is certified Gold in the US by the RIAA.