The only redeeming quality of Sandman is "The Flying Saucer Song" which is just a mish-mash of Nilsson imitating different voices. Otherwise, a serious candidate for most boring Nilsson record. "Here's Why I Did Not Go To Work Today" is a new, painful low.
Essentially, this album came out of the morass that was the infamous "Lost Weekend" period which saw John Lennon and a host of other famous rock stars descend upon Los Angeles, and make drunken fools out of themselves. Nilsson, because of his close Beatles association, was lucky (or unlucky) to be right in the thick of it - in fact, by many accounts he was either Lennon's wing man, or competition. So much that, he damaged his vocal cords during the recording sessions! This would seem to preclude a terrible listening experience, but despite the setback it's a solid record, even if it is far from his Nilsson Schmilsson peak of 3 years ago. An equal amount of covers vs. self-penned originals is what you will find - somewhat reminiscent of Lennon's Rock 'n' Roll album which was released around the same time.
Instead of re-issuing his first 2 albums at a time when they were out of print, Nilsson went back into the studio, remixed a selection of tracks from both albums, and released it as this mashed-up product. Perfectly in line with the artist's aesthetic, but pleasant enough to appeal a wide range of listeners as well.
Nilsson's second release is an odd yet engaging mix of standards-based music and modern singer-songwriter material. And very substantial, too, as "One" and "Everybody's Talkin" will attest.
