h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I met a guy once called Mike O'Neill. He was American, from California, and he was in Ireland doing research for his family's pharmaceutical firm on some pharmaceuticals originating here. The family was very particular about the provenance of their materials.

He had met some other St Sepulchres members on the ferry across from England, and for the few months he stayed he became a fan and follower of St Sepulchres, our renaissance band. He was extraordinarily cool, and an all round lovely guy.

Before he left Ireland he gave me and Mrs R a present of a record: The Point, by Harry Nilsson. This came with a comic book, and the original movie can be seen in many episodes on YouTube. All I knew of Nilsson before that was seeing posters for his album Nilsson Schmilsson, and this was quite surprising to us. We weren't great radio listeners at that point, having one small child with another on the way. Musicians don't listen to music for relaxation as a rule, we tend to listen too hard; but this LP bulldozed through all barriers.

Our daughter was born shortly after Mike left, in 1973, and I associate the album most of all with her.

I now sing a song from The Point at all our Ukeristic Congress gigs: Think About Your Troubles.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2O3cUN8yWk

That's a great song. I appreciate you sharing it with us, and also turning me on to The Point. Now I want to watch the entire thing. YouTube here I come.

A Nilsson revival is long overdue.

Can't watch it. It's blocked off in Germany. Verboten, so to speak.

I have heard the record, though - I remember some friends playing it to us well before we had kids. So it must date to around late 70's.

1971 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Point!

I personally think the most underrated song is "Can't live, if living is without you". After that, no more songs need ever have been written. Er.. that is Nilsson, isn't it?

Nilsson recorded it all right, but he didn't write it. It was a band called Badfinger who wrote it and recorded it in 1970, but Nilsson's cover in 1971 (on Nilsson Schmilsson, before The Point) was the big hit, and he won a Grammy for it.

I wonder will this work in Germany http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-F6yIy_IzI8

It has not only Think about your troubles, but also Joy and Are you sleeping.