By today's standard of song writing by any artists, one could make three albums out of this stunning debut album by Gilbert O'Sullivan. Every song included here is of amazing originality, incomparable lyricism and style, and there are 14 of them! This album went up to 5th in the UK's album charts in 1971. The competition was tough at the time!!
Obviously, O'Sullivan put everything in this album. It is packed with captivating poetic ideas, so many memorable melodies and wide range of styles in the arrangement of each song (modern jazz, classical music, rhythm and blues, Latin American music to name a few). I still remember how I felt the first time I listened to this album - I was overwhelmmed by the richness of his music. The eclectic use of music in the song 'Houdini Said' or the ingenious use of off-beat rhythm in 'Too Much Attention'. The bittersweet pathos in the songs like 'Bye-Bye' and 'If I don't get you'. And the centrepiece of the album, 'Nothing Rhymed'. This is one of those timeless songs, like 'Strawberry Fields Forever' by Lennon or 'America' by Paul Simon, expressing the existential angst of the era in a simplest language. How fresh and relevant it still sounds today!