Editing Pandemonium Shadow Show (section)

==Background==
{{Unreferenced section|date=November 2023}}
The album was the first product of Nilsson's three-year, $50,000 recording contract with [[RCA Victor]], and was recorded in their [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]] studio. Unlike virtually all his earlier records, ''Show'' employed the full potential of Nilsson's voice in the [[recording studio]], turning him into what was described as a "chorus of ninety-eight voices".{{cn|date=November 2023}}

Nilsson had hoped to use the title ''[[Something Wicked This Way Comes (novel)|Something Wicked This Way Comes]]'', and had asked [[sci-fi]] [[author]] [[Ray Bradbury]] for permission. But approval hadn't come by the release date, so the lesser-known title was chosen (of a [[circus]] [[sideshow]] appearing in Bradbury's novel) instead.{{cn|date=November 2023}}

As well as original songs by Nilsson, a number of covers were included on the album, including one by [[Phil Spector]] (who had earlier co-written a song with Nilsson), [[Jeff Barry]] and [[Ellie Greenwich]], "[[River Deep - Mountain High]]", and two by [[The Beatles]]; "[[She's Leaving Home]]" and "[[You Can't Do That]]", the latter in an arrangement that quoted lyrics from 17 other Beatles songs. Three other songs were written by Jesse Lee Kincaid, [[Perry Botkin, Jr.|Botkin]] and Garfield, and [[Cliff Hess]], Howard Johnson and Milton Ager.{{cn|date=November 2023}}

The album debuted to little public attention in the US or the UK, although it was an immediate hit in Canada, where "You Can't Do That" was a top 10 hit. Beatles [[publicist]] [[Derek Taylor]] heard "1941" on his car radio waiting for his wife at the supermarket and, enjoying the track, ordered a case of copies, sending them out to various industry people he believed would be interested, including The Beatles, who later invited Nilsson to [[London]] and helped further his career.{{cn|date=November 2023}}

A cover of "1941" by Canadian folk/rock artist [[Tom Northcott]] charted in both Canada and the US in 1968; in the same period the singer-songwriter [[Edoardo Bennato]] also covered it, with text translated into Italian.{{cn|date=November 2023}}

Fellow musician and earlier collaborator [[Chip Douglas]] introduced Nilsson to The [[Monkees]] whom he was producing. Nilsson gave an impromptu audition of his latest songs. The Monkees covered two of his songs -"Cuddly Toy" (which appeared on their [[Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd.|fourth album]]),  and later "[[Daddy's Song]]" (which appeared on ''[[Head (The Monkees album)|Head]]'') - as well as becoming friends.{{cn|date=November 2023}}

"Without Her" was covered by [[Blood, Sweat & Tears|Blood, Sweat and Tears]] on ''[[Child Is Father to the Man]],'' by [[Herb Alpert]] and the Tijuana Brass on the album ''[[Warm (Herb Alpert album)|Warm]],'' and by the supergroup Beckley-Lamm-Wilson on their album ''[[Like a Brother]]''.{{cn|date=November 2023}}

His early work sold better after Nilsson had become better established through hits like "[[Without You (Badfinger song)#Harry Nilsson version|Without You]]" and albums like ''[[Nilsson Schmilsson]]''. Nilsson revamped several tracks from his first two albums to produce one of the first [[remix album]]s, ''[[Aerial Pandemonium Ballet]]'', in 1971.{{cn|date=November 2023}}