The Point! (Remastered)

Harry Nilsson’s sixth album is a beautiful allegory of nonconformity, centered on a round-headed kid named Oglio who lives in a land of pointy-headed folk. Nilsson once said he got the idea for this song-driven fable while tripping on acid and staring at some trees. Yet the songs are as timeless and graceful as anything he’s ever done; they're plump with little wonders (like the line about too many choices: “A point in every direction is the same as no point at all”). The album—which is ostensibly a soundtrack for the animated film of the same name, which aired on ABC-TV in 1971—stands as a great Nilsson record, full of the songcraft and vocal grandeur that only he could put into context. It includes the gentle psych-baroque single “Me and My Arrow,” the lilting “Poli High,” the poppy “Everything’s Got ’Em,” the all-age heartbreak of “Are You Sleeping,” and the brilliant cause-and-effect song-yarn “Think About Your Troubles.” There’s expressive Nilsson narration throughout, and he does the character’s voices as well. It’s good for kids and adults of all ages.