Nilsson – “Jump into the Fire” (1972) Review: Nilsson Rocks!
Kronomyth 7.2: The herbie flowers of evil.
Harry Nilsson had an uncanny knack for writing and singing pretty melodies. Nilsson Schmilsson is chocked full of examples. The anomaly on that album was a sizzling seven-minute slick of rock & roll titled Jump into the Fire. Nilsson banged on his piano and sang in a desperate voice while Herbie Flowers gave his bass a good thumping. My impression was (and still is) of a proto-Joe Jackson. Apparently, the label thought it had enough heat to catch fire, edited it down to about half its original size and released it as a (soon-to-be-hit) single. The B side is The Moonbeam Song, which is the prettiest pop song from an album loaded with them. This, “The Lottery Song,” “My Best Friend” and “Good Old Desk” would make my shortlist for favorite Nilsson songs.
The Product
A1. Jump into the Fire (Harry Nilsson) (3:30)
B1. The Moonbeam Song (Harry Nilsson) (3:20)
The Plastic
Released on 7-inch single in March 1972 in the US and Canada (RCA, 74-0673) and Spain (RCA, 3-10759) with regional picture sleeve. Reached #27 on the US charts (charted on March 18, 1972 for 9 weeks).
