Nils (album)

Nils is the fourth solo studio album by Nils Lofgren, released in June 1979.

Background
With mainstream success continuing to elude Lofgren, A&M brought in Bob Ezrin in 1979, to oversee Nils. Ezrin was known for his successes with Alice Cooper, Pink Floyd, Lou Reed, and Kiss. Lofgren: "The label said they wanted to bring in co-writers, and I said that I didn't do that. Ezrin said, 'What about Lou Reed?' And I said, 'Well, yeah, okay. That would be cool.'" Lofgren watched a football game at Reed's Greenwich Village apartment and the two struck up a friendship. In the middle of the night Reed would call Lofgren and dictate lyrics over the phone. Their collaborations appeared across Nils and Reed's The Bells, also released in 1979. Ezrin also brought in contributions from Dick Wagner, who'd worked with Reed, Kiss, and Cooper ("Only Women Bleed" and "You And Me"). Wagner and Reed co-wrote "I'll Cry Tomorrow" a sequel of sorts to "I Never Cry" (1976) by Wagner and Cooper. With such hit makers at his side, Lofgren felt certain that Nils would be his breakthrough and that songs like "Shine Silently" would be hits.

Reception
Before performing an extended version of "Shine Silently" on Dutch TV show 2 Meter Session Lofgren noted that it was a personal favorite and the single a moderate hit in Holland.

Track listing
All tracks composed by Nils Lofgren, except where indicated.


 * 1) "No Mercy" – 4:06
 * 2) "I'll Cry Tomorrow" (Dick Wagner, Lou Reed) – 4:28
 * 3) "Baltimore" (Randy Newman) – 6:43
 * 4) "Shine Silently" (Lofgren, Dick Wagner) – 3:48
 * 5) "Steal Away" – 4:08
 * 6) "Kool Skool" – 3:17
 * 7) "A Fool Like Me" (Lofgren, Lou Reed) – 3:11
 * 8) "I Found Her" (Lofgren, Lou Reed) – 3:36
 * 9) "You're So Easy" (Lofgren, Bob Ezrin, Dick Wagner) – 5:54

Personnel

 * Nils Lofgren – guitar, accordion, keyboards, vocals
 * Tom Lofgren – guitar, vocals
 * Bob Babbitt – bass
 * Stu Daye – guitar, vocals
 * Bob Ezrin – percussion, keyboards, vocals, vibraphone
 * Jody Linscott – percussion, congas
 * Doug Riley – organ on "Baltimore"
 * David Sanborn – saxophone on "A Fool Like Me"
 * Allan Schwartzberg – drums
 * Colina Phillips, Debbie Fleming – additional background vocals
 * Al MacMillan – orchestration on "Shine Silently"

Technical
 * "The indispensable" Ann Martin – production coordination
 * George Minnis, Ilona Pring, Inez Fridenberg, T. Lawless – production assistants
 * Brian Christian – engineer
 * Len Irish – photography

Special effects on "No Mercy" recorded at Madison Square Garden