THE VAULTS / CD REISSUES : ‘Harry Nilsson’ a Welcome Retrospective : HARRY NILSSON, “Personal Best: The Harry Nilsson Anthology”, <i> RCA</i> ***

During his prime from the late-’60s to the mid-’70s, Nilsson always seemed to be on the verge of superstardom. Beyond a few hits, including “Everybody’s Talkin” (featured in the film “Midnight Cowboy”) and “Without You,” however, he remained largely a cult figure.

Nilsson, who died last year of heart failure at age 52, was partly a victim of his wildly eclectic musical tastes, which ranged from basic rock to folk-rock to flowery pop and even to quirky ditties. Fluent in many styles, he can sound Beatle-esque, slip into a soulful mode or even mimic a crooner of the ‘20s.

It’s clear on this two-disc set, covering his RCA Records’ years from 1967-1977, that satisfying those tastes were more important to him, as a singer and songwriter, than making radio-friendly music.

Though there’s only one track from “Nilsson Sings Newman,” arguably his best album, this retrospective features songs from his other two excellent albums, “Nilsson Schmilsson” and “Pussy Cats,” the latter produced by and featuring John Lennon. Of the four previously unreleased tracks, the loping, winsome “Wasting My Time” is the real find.

* Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (essential).