Best of Randy Newman

Randy Newman | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 18, 2001)
• Original Release Date: 1968
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Rhino
• ASIN: B00005NTQ4
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,928 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Mama Told Me (Not to Come)

2. You Can Leave Your Hat On

3. I Think It's Going to Rain Today

4. Sail Away

5. Political Science

6. Rednecks

7. Marie

8. Louisiana 1927

9. Short People

10. Little Criminals

11. It's Money That I Love

12. I Love L.A.

13. Miami

14. Take Me Back

15. Same Girl

16. Dixie Flyer

17. Happy Ending

18. You've Got a Friend in Me

19. Feels Like Home [Live]

20. Shame

See all 21 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

Randy Newman, The Best of Randy Newman:

The songwriting genius' multi-label highlights on one CD! The first of its kind, this unique collection gathers 21 tracks released between 1968 and 1999, including Newman's greatest hits, album cuts, and soundtrack classics.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

80 of 84 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A few minor quibbles aside...., September 24, 2001

By 

T. C Lane (Marina, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Best of Randy Newman (Audio CD)

Album artists like Randy Newman, who didn't have many hit singles, are tough to anthologize. Their albums are of a piece, and most of Newman's Warner albums are worth owning. Rhino does its best to give you a sample of his work. While Newman fans will already own the 4CD box set, this is geared more towards the newcomer. All but one of his Warner albums is covered (1971's "Live"). But 2 songs from his 1999 Dreamworks release, "Bad Love", and "You've Got A Friend In Me (solo)" from Toy Story are included. As with any artist of Newman's stature, one could complain: only 1 song from 1970's 12 Songs (how about Have You Seen My Baby?), 4 songs from 1983's "Trouble In Paradise", but only 1 from 1988's "Land of Dreams" (where's It's Money That Matters, or I Want You To Hurt Like I Do). Outside of that this serves its purpose. The only liner notes provided are track-by-track notes by Newman, but nothing else. If you like what you hear then go get the albums. Start with Good Old Boys, 12 Songs, Sail Away, Land of Dreams and Bad Love. The other albums in his catalog (including his numerous Movie Soundtracks won't disappoint, but those are the best for beginners.

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars His songs are delightful; his voice is better than it sounds, January 7, 2003

By 

Tim Smith "Tim Smith" (Bonney Lake, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Best of Randy Newman (Audio CD)

I have been a Randy Newman fan since I heard him sing "Political Science" on The Tonight Show in 1973. I promptly went out and bought all his released albums and his new ones as soon as they were released.

I saw Randy live at the Paramount Theater in Seattle in 1975 or 1976. If memory serves, Jethro Burns was playing mandolin! Randy, if you're reading this, I was the guy from the balcony loges who shouted out "Simon Smith" when you paused and tried to decide what to play next. You said, "OK" and played it. That made my decade.

There are only two kinds of Randy Newman songs: the good ones and the masterpieces. The only quibble I have with this collection is that "Bad News from Home" from Land of Dreams is excluded. This song is without question the most beautiful and evocative pop song of the last 40 years (rivaled only by Van Morrison's "Tupelo Honey"). Don't take just my word for it, though. No less a luminary than Mark Knopfler says so, too (Knopfler played guitar on that track).

This is an excellent but deadly introduction to the wonderful music of Randy Newman. Deadly because once you've heard one of Randy's discs you will want to buy more and more. Part of the wonder of Randy's music is the "oddities", the quirky but delightfully uncommercial little songs on each album. One of my favorites is "Sigmund Freud's Impersonation of Albert Einstein in America" from Little Criminals. That's not on this disc either, but I hope now you will want to hear it.

To sum up: this disc gets 5 stars. For the newcomer, this is a good place to start, then go to "Sail Away" and "Good Old Boys". Proceed directly to "Land of Dreams" then to "12 Songs". After that, you will know what to do, I promise.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just a Taste..., December 8, 2004

By 

B. Niedt (Cherry Hill, NJ United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Best of Randy Newman (Audio CD)

Let's face it: it's next to impossible to summarize an artist's 35-year career on one CD. If you really want a comprehensive overview, get Randy Newman's box set, "Guilty: 30 Years of Randy Newman". But if you want a good one-disc synopsis, this fits the bill. Most long-time Newman fans will note puzzling omissions (for me, "Baltimore" and "Dear Mr. President"). But there are so many great songs written this guy, that it's hard to complain. From "Mama Told Me Not to Come", to the much-misunderstood "Short People", to more recent favorites like Toy Story's "You've Got a Friend in Me", the CD showcases his often sardonic, but always heartfelt and human, take on the world. Newman is a versatile composer, having tried his hand on Broadway with "Faust", and following his family's tradition by scoring a number of motion pictures. (He recently won an Oscar, after many years of nominations, for a song from "Monsters, Inc.".) But whatever he endeavors, his work is infused with a deep love of Americana. This disc is a fine introduction to this great singer-songwriter, but it's just a taste of an impressive body of work