HARRY NILSSON "Let Me Go" (2:59) Unreleased Demo, 1965
PAT AND ANDRÉ "Let Me Go" (2:45) 45 Warner Bros-5824, 1966
Written By Johnny Cole & Harry Nilsson
NEW! More pre-fame songwriting from Harry Nilsson. We have to assume a direct Phil Spector connection to this echoey demo of "Let Me Go," an early Nilsson co-write with Johnny Cole. Harry sings lead, but Spector's influence slash involvement slash production seems a given - even though the state of this in-house demo, which uses mostly piano and lead bass, appears far from release ready. The eventual 45 by boy/girl duo Pat and André, as well as this demo - Harry's 'first take' of the tune - both boast openings similar to the Nilsson/Spector collaboration, "This Could Be The Night" (also recorded around this time), and both have that patented Gold Star demo sound. Adding further weight to the likelihood of Spector's over-lording is the fact that Gene Page, Pat and André's arranger on this Dick Glasser-produced 45, is one of Phil's go-to guys. And, he clearly used Nilsson's demo as his blueprint. Harry, for his part, is really giving the tune his operatic best. You can almost sense the Righteous Brothers grooming on Spector's radar, as Harry delivers on those soaring melodies. Coincidentally, Pat and André's flip side was called "You're Breaking My Heart" (no... not that one). Thanks to David A. Young for pulling these files out of his vast Spector collection to share with us (and for doing all the dirty work/research). Listen to both versions below. Get them HERE.
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7 comments:
Another cool find. I don't always take the time to chime in but your efforts are truly appreciated.
Thanks Sandman. Nor do you need to chime in. You've donated so many rarities to these pages we need to be thanking you.
wow i come back after not visiting the site for quite a while only to find a whole bunch of amazing new material, many thanks to the contributors
Chevy & Sandman... you've got my email, right?
i think the email address i have is correct, i will send an email to the address.
let me know if it gets there.
Yeah, and thanks for the kind words you sent in the email a couple of days ago. Good luck!
Thanks guys, for all your contributions.
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