Customer Reviews

Best of Randy Newman

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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

Simply put, Randy Newman is one of our best, most versatile pop songwriters. Leave it to the good people at Rhino to display (almost) his full range of talent on just one disc that stands as a perfect introduction for Newman newcomers like myself. I bought it primarily for the hilarious (and often misunderstood) hit singles "Short People" and "I Love L.A.," but I was blown away by his emotional range.

Another old favorite, "You've Got a Friend in Me" from the 1995 animated comedy Toy Story, shows his rare, sweet-and-playful side (although the movie itself fortunately transcends typical "kiddie fare"). "Mama Told Me Not to Come," which became a hit for Three Dog Night, is a wry comment on the hippie lifestyle; the laugh-out-loud funny "Rednecks" takes on, well, rednecks. "Take Me Back" and "Dixie Flyer" are semi-autobiographical charmers. "Political Science" is a disturbingly catchy ode to blowing up other countries ("Let's drop the big one, and see what happens"). "Little Criminals," "It's Money That I Love," and the seductive "You Can Leave Your Hat On" (which was made famous by Joe Cocker) are fun tracks, as well. He seems more at home with the ballads, though, which better showcase his classical-pop sensibilities. (He's also well-known for writing movie scores.) In "Sail Away," he assumes the voice of a recruiter for the slave trade, and in another track, he tells the story of a flood that occurred in Louisiana in 1927. In beautiful songs like "I Think it's Gonna Rain Today," "Marie," and "Feels Like Home," he drops the jokes and social satire to reveal a more sensitive side.

This dichotomy is best expressed in the two most recent tracks (from 1999's acclaimed Bad Love): "Shame," about a dirty old man trying to hang onto a pretty young thing while denying his obvious neediness and rage ("A man of my experience in life don't expect a beautful young woman like yourself to come on over here every day, have some old dude bangin' on ya like a gypsy on a tambourine..."), and "I Miss You," Newman's love letter to an ex-wife ("I wanna thank you for the good years, and apologize for the rough ones"). Newman is a pop songwriter for thinking people, and the songs on this best-of are catchy and clever whether they make you laugh or not. (I must also mention his track-by-track liner notes, which are brief but still insightful.)

One of the things I like most about Randy Newman is his uncanny ability to leave you in stitches over sarcastic pieces like "Rednecks" or "Political Science," and then bring tears to your eyes with tunes like "Dixie Flyer" and "You've Got a Friend In Me."

Which is exctly what I love about this compilation: this is a diverse and excellent sampling of Randy Newman's work. If you are one of those folks who don't want too many CDs crowding your living space; or if you love what you've heard of Randy Newman, but don't want to spend too much dough on all his releases, this is the ultimate "Best Of" compilation.

This collection is dealt out nice and evenly. You get his commercial hits like "I Love L.A.," "Short People," and "You've Got a Friend In Me." The less known tunes that are absolutely beautiful include "Dixie Flyer," "I Think It's Going to Rain Today" (which was later covered by Bette Midler for the film "Beaches"), and "Sail Away."

This rave review is not to say Newman's other albums contain lackluster filler songs, just that this is one of the best overviews I have ever seen of an artist's repertoire. If you are more than just a casual Randy Newman fan, almost every one of his releases is excellent. This, however, is a great sampling of his finest works.

I've never listened to Randy Newman except for radio hits like Short People. Some of the songs on this album are just as humorous (Political Science, It's Money that I Love).

But I was really struck by the beauty, depth and craftsmanship of his other work (I Think It's Going To Rain Today, Same Girl, Dixie Flier).

And by the way, his vocals are terrific. All in all, a really nice introduction to a great popular artist. And a great gift for your more perceptive friends.

34 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
This CD is wonderful. I already owned most of his music, but picked this up for the convenience of having so many great songs on one disc.

As for what agildehaus reports about not being able to play or copy it on a computer ... I've had no problems doing either. I suppose it's possible that some copies were protected and others not. All I can tell you is that my copy does not appear to be protected.

So are you ever coming back to play in Detroit, Randy? :)

This is just a correction to the guy who said this cd could not be played on any cd-rom, or converted to MP3; he must not know how to use his computer. I just recieved this for x-mas, and it plays in my computer, and I saved it as an MP3. As far as the music goes, it's Randy Newman's greatest hits, if you like Randy Newman, you'll like this disc.

Creating a short list of all of Randy Newman's "Best Hits" is next to impossible because like any "Best Hits" album it is so subjective and narrow...especially with musicians, like Newman, who have had long-lasting, impactful careers over several decades. However, I felt this compilation is a great choice of some incredible songs.

"Political Science" (An appropriate song for our modern times), "Rednecks", "Sail Away", and "Little People" are sarcastic, hilarious and ironic. They are sung from a bigotted and racist point of view. He provides the listener an opportunity to see how illogical, irrational and dimwitted warmongers and racists truly are...while being funny.

He expresses some pretty deep, touching feelings in "Marie" which is told from the perspective of a man who can only expess his true feelings to a past love when he is drunk. "Feels Like Home" is an incredibly beautiful song that makes me think of my wife each time I hear it...while "You've Got a Friend in Me" from the movie "Toy Story" has a poignant, tender and sincere message that reminds me of my daughter every time.

"Mama Told Me Not To Come" (Made famous by Three Dog Night), "You Can Leave Your Hat On", "Little Criminals", "It's Money That I Love", and "Happy Ending" all have a bluesy feel and are raunchy and fun.

"I Love L.A." is frequently played at Dodger Stadium and makes me want to see a game in L.A. everytime I hear it.

I've been a fan of Randy Newman for abour 35 years. This is almost all of his very best!