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12 Songs

Randy NewmanAudio CD
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)

Price: $14.99 & FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details
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Audio CD, 1990 $14.99  
Vinyl, 1970 --  
Audio Cassette, 1990 --  

Amazon's Randy Newman Store

Music

Image of album by Randy Newman

Photos

Image of Randy Newman

Biography

The Randy Newman Songbook Vol. 2

While pondering whether to record a second volume of the Randy Newman Songbook, the two-time Academy Award-winning songwriter—honored most recently for “We Belong Together” from Toy Story 3—claims he took a practical, Hollywood movie-studio view of the situation: “The first one did so well that nowadays you might as well just ... Read more in Amazon's Randy Newman Store

Visit Amazon's Randy Newman Store
for 62 albums, 8 photos, discussions, and more.

Frequently Bought Together

12 Songs + Little Criminals + Sail Away
Price for all three: $34.01

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Product Details

  • Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
  • Number of Discs: 1
  • Label: Reprise / Wea
  • ASIN: B000002KOP
  • Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Music
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #34,155 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

1. Have You Seen Me Baby?
2. Let's Burn Down The Cornfield
3. Mama Told Me Not To Come
4. Suzanne
5. Lover's Prayer
6. Lucinda
7. Underneath The Harlem Moon
8. Yellow Man
9. Old Kentucky Home
10. Rosemary
11. If You Need Oil
12. Uncle Bob's Midnight Blues

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

With 1970's 12 Songs, Randy Newman eschewed the string-driven expanse of its self-titled predecessor for unorchestrated solo and rock quartet arrangements (Ry Cooder, Clarence White of the Byrds, and Jim Gordon of Derek and the Dominos are among the sidemen). If anything, the lyrical perspective on these songs is stranger (and certainly more paranoid) than on any other collection the singer/songwriter has ever done. "Let's Burn Down the Cornfield" explores arson as an aphrodisiac. In "Lucinda" the narrator pleads in vain for his California golden girl ("in her graduation gown") to get out of the way of a beach-cleaning vehicle. "Uncle Bob's Midnight Blues" is a free-associating shuffle that manages to evoke Bing Crosby, Sonny Boy Williamson, and the Rolling Stones for no logical reason. 12 Songs sold nearly as pitifully as Randy Newman, but one of its tracks--"Mama Told Me Not to Come"--lined Newman's pockets when it became a No. 1 hit for Three Dog Night in the summer of 1970. --Steven Stolder

Product Description

Audio CD.

Customer Reviews

IMO, you really need a player that can read HDCD properly to enjoy this disk. Jojopuppyfish  |  1 reviewer made a similar statement
One of the greatest albums of all time. Dave "Fever Tree" Sigmon  |  2 reviewers made a similar statement
It's VERY bluesy,and has a very smooth atmosphere. "wmurch3"  |  1 reviewer made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
23 of 23 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Newman breaks out... January 12, 2003
Format:Audio CD
This album has none of the insecurity of Newman's first release "Randy Newman." On that album, Newman relied heavily on walls of orchestra for backing. On this album, Newman abandons the orchestra almost with a vengence. This album is made up mostly of songs with a small band. There is heavy slide guitar on some tracks thanks to Ry Cooder, and some of Newman's best songs are here.

The obvious one is "Mama Told Me Not To Come" which Three Dog Night took to the top of the charts. The version on "12 Songs" is vastly superior, and considering that song's success it's surprising that more people didn't seek this album out at the time. Sales were poor in general.

"Old Kentucky Home" is one of Newman's best and funniest songs. It also is a harbinger for a future project of Newman's: the American South (he would deal with this topic 2 albums later).

When introducing "Yellow Man" on "Randy Newman Live", Newman describes the song as "a pinhead's view of China." It is just that. This is Newman's first foray into the world of singing about racial sterotypes - references to rice and excessive frugality abound. It is an easily misunderstood song, and similar in theme to some songs that would get him in trouble years later. It's not as outright offensive as some of his later treamtments of racism, so it's harder to catch the joke.

Newman also takes on a rare cover: "Underneath the Harlem Moon." This song also includes at least one racial slur, and the lyrics are strangely absent from the CD booklet. With Newman singing - knowing what we know now - the song takes on an ironic twist. His method of not being afraid of racial sterotypes and parodying them in a subtle way, makes Newman a pioneer in getting these words and feelings into popular culture and thus into popular conscience. Rather than sweep them under the carpet in an "everything's ok" move, he faces them outright, puts them on the table and lets the listener come to their own conclusions. This method would reach its peak on "Good Old Boys" a few years later. "12 Songs" has a taste of what's to come.

Newman's voice is confident and pronounced on this album. His piano, sorely lacking on his first album, pounds wonderfully in the mix. "12 Songs" is well produced, well paced, and brilliantly written. It's no mystery why it makes so many "Best albums of all time" lists.

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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars No sex, but drugs and rock and roll November 8, 2002
Format:Audio CD
This may be one of the most brilliant albums ever made, and when you consider that Randy Newman was, at the time, so strung out on one addictive substance or another that he has since admitted he has no recollection of MAKING this album, it's probably not the best thing to play for your kids if you're trying to talk them out of using drugs!

Indeed, I once saw Newman in concert and when somebody called out for "Uncle Bob's Midnight Blues," the strange, paranoid rant at the end of this album, Newman laughed and said, "No, I don't do that one ever since I quit taking drugs."

That said, the songs on this album will burn a hole in your soul with their ascerbic wit. "Let's Burn Down the Cornfield" is a favorite with me, as is the song about poor old "Lucinda," and then there's "Suzanne," "Have you seen my baby," and gee, just the WHOLE THING is wonderful. Highly, enthusiastically recommended...

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21 of 24 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars An extraordinary album that is blessedly short, October 2, 1999
By A Customer
Format:Audio CD
allowing you to play it more often. And you need to play it often because these songs are, simply, extremely complicated. Arsonist, stalker, lonely misogynist, well-meaning racist, self-involved redneck and huckster salesman are just the most obvious of Newman's many personas. The greatness is not that we come to understand these fringe voices, or even that they are granted their say, but that we are hard-pressed to recognize them at first glance. And even after we know exactly who it is we are looking at, we still find ourselves charmed. Beautiful music and ugly folk.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars poor quality, the worst
such a poor recording. music is so low it's hard to hear. tried it on 3 different systems so it's not my equipment. love these old songs but very very poor recording.
Published 4 months ago by jill
4.0 out of 5 stars One to 12
12 Songs is Randy Newman's second album and it catapulted him into the upper echelon of songwriters of the late 60's, early 70's. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Thomas Magnum
4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable early Newman
Randy Newman / 12 songs: All of Randy Newman's songs are wonderfully written and this album presents his early works fairly well, but not memorably. Read more
Published 17 months ago by J. Bynum
5.0 out of 5 stars Randy Newman's Best Album - One Of My Personal Top Ten
To all the freaks and social outcasts this is exactly the album you need to hear. This singer-songwriter-pianist doesn't appear to inject his persona in any of these top-notch... Read more
Published on November 8, 2010 by Dave "Fever Tree" Sigmon
4.0 out of 5 stars Not up to the usualy quality for Audio Fidelity
Kevin Gray mastered this one and it sounds inferior to the common cd.
Very disappointed.

**************Update: I'll bump this up to 4 stars and like to explain... Read more
Published on July 16, 2010 by Jojopuppyfish
5.0 out of 5 stars Classic album
I cannot understand the other review. Of course, I get it that he doesn't like the album, but
why does he want to share such a perverse opinion? Read more
Published on May 13, 2010 by J. Patterson
2.0 out of 5 stars not my cup of tea
This may have been well recieved and critically acclaimed, but it just hasn't reached out and grabbed me. Read more
Published on April 16, 2010 by M. S. Packer
2.0 out of 5 stars Acclaimed initially, but ultimately forgettable
Like Laura Nyro, Randy Newman was a product of the Brill Building and began his career writing songs for other performers before singing and playing piano himself. Read more
Published on September 28, 2007 by mianfei
5.0 out of 5 stars Great music, atmospheric production
"12 Songs" is among my very favorite albums, much less Randy Newman albums. Totally different in mood and color from his first self-titled record, this one is swampy, murky, and... Read more
Published on April 20, 2007 by J. K. Townsend
1.0 out of 5 stars DO NOT BUY IF PLANNING TO PLAY ON PC
This is a copy of the review on Amazon.com for Van Zant's Get Right With The Man which is another Sony corrupted title. Read more
Published on November 30, 2005 by BuyerLSD
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