Ragtime (1981 Film Soundtrack) [Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered, Soundtrack]

Randy Newman (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 21, 2002)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered, Soundtrack
• Label: Roadrunner Records
• ASIN: B000065DV8
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #120,152 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Main Title

2. Newsreel

3. I Could Love a Million Girls

4. Train Ride

5. Tateh's Picture Book

6. Lower East Side

7. Delmonico Polka

8. Coalhouse and Sarah

9. Waltz for Evelyn

10. One More Hour

11. Sarah's Responsibility

12. Change Your Way

13. Clef Club No. 1

14. Atlantic City

15. Clef Club No. 2

16. Sarah's Funeral

17. Denouement / Morgan Library Takeover / Rhinelander Waldo / Coalhouse's Prayer

18. Ragtime

19. Ragtime Theme (Demo)

Editorial Reviews

Available for the first time on CD! From 2002 Academy Award Winner Randy Newman-the complete 1981 soundtrack restored in digital sound and featuring the bonus track 'Ragtime Theme' (Demo).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars He didn't win an Oscar for THIS?!?!?!?!, October 25, 2004

By 

ewomack "ewomack" (MN USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Ragtime (1981 Film Soundtrack) (Audio CD)

How many times did Newman get nominated for an Academy Award? Five, six hundred? One year he even had three nominations for three different pictures ("A Bug's Life" for Best Original Musical, "Pleasantville" for Original Dramatic Score, and Best Song for "That'll Do" from "Babe: Pig in the City"), and went zero for three. AUGH! He actually and finally won one in 2002 (for "If I Didn't Have You" from "Monsters, Inc."). Upon hearing the "Ragtime" soundtrack from 1981 many may ask impolitely "WHAT!?! HE DIDN'T WIN ONE FOR 'RAGTIME'!??!?! I'M HEADING DOWN TO THE ACADEMY WITH SOME MANURE AND A CATAPULT!!!!!" An understandable reaction, because Newman's score for "Ragtime" is brilliant and extremely listenable even without all those thousands of moving pictures. It sounds like Newman. His style seeps from nearly every note. The piano sounds like Newman (it is Newman, isn't it? No credits inside the jewel case to testify). He composed and conducted every song except for the not-so-well known classic "I Could Love a Million Girls". There's even a song featuring Randy (Yeah! Just like on one of his non-film albums): "Change Your Way". It might have opened the movie, but a lot of people changed their minds, and Newman decided to keep it on the album anyway. "One More Hour" is a stunningly beautiful song based on the Main Title theme (and sung amazingly well by Jennifer Warnes - her name is buried somewhere in the CD booklet text). Most of the rest of the album contains incredible instrumental music. Lush strings, delicate piano. Sort of an early twentieth century feel (which makes sense since the movie was set in 1906). Good stuff.

Newman's first film score job was the 1971 movie "Cold Turkey" (the one with Dick Van Dyke trying to get everyone in town to stop smoking). "Ragtime" was, amazingly, only his second. Perhaps his rookie status kept the Academy from recognizing this one? Who knows? Maybe they were offended by one of his songs? That would make a great story (though sadly unlikely). Either way, "Ragtime" stands up today as a great film score or as great music to listen to all by itself (many say that the score is better than the movie).

As if the music weren't enough, Rhino (one of the best labels around) packaged everything with a thick CD booklet. This tells the story of the movie, the actors, the directors (Robert Altman almost directed), and lots of commentary by Newman (the blurb in the front cover is hilarious). Also included are pictures of Newman conducting and lyrics for two of the vocal numbers. And one bonus track, the demo for "Ragtime" (very similar to the one on "The Randy Newman Songbook Vol. 1"). Newman fans will likely love every note (and rest).

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars At Long Last...............!, July 16, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Ragtime (1981 Film Soundtrack) (Audio CD)

I, too, have been waiting for this soundtrack to be released on CD for ages and ages - but life being what it is, I seldom remembered to pursue the quest. I had not listened to the score for many years (my only copy was on cassette and I haven't owned a cassette player for ages). As soon as the CD arrived, I tore into the box and slapped the disc into the player -- and was transported into a heaven I'd forgotten existed. Randy Newman's music is so absolutely wonderful and the remastering is excellent. I listen to "Train Ride" over and over again; a more perfect piece of popular music has seldom been written. And I say that as a rabid fan of classic Scott Joplin ragtime. It is all I can do at this point not to play this CD 24/7.......! Bless you, Rhino!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Masterwork, June 20, 2002

By 

qwerty (Philadelphia, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ragtime (1981 Film Soundtrack) (Audio CD)

One only has to imagine the potential. Producer Dino de Laurentiis originally hired Robert Altman to direct the movie adaptation of E.L. Doctorow's Altmanesque novel "Ragtime". Following not too long after the triumph of his masterpiece "Nashville," Altman's dense sonic and visual style was perfectly suited to bring this multilayered, historical novel to the screen. Unfortunately, de Laurentiis re-edited Altman's "Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson," against Altman's wishes, and the resulting feud ended up putting Ragtime in the hands of the talented but horribly inappropriate hands of Milos Foreman. The movie was (and is) a major disappointment, a pale and unidimensional rendition of the novel. As fate would have it, however, this disappointing movie yielded one of the greatest movie scores of all time. Randy Newman's work for Ragtime was as stunning as Foreman's work was stultifying. Haunting, melodic, allusive and memorable, this is Newman's best movie work, and the best evidence ever that musical genius is genetic: Newman is the nephew of two of the greatest movie composers of the previous generation: Lionel and Alfred Newman. A giant accomplishment, Ragime's availability at long last on CD is nothing short of a major event.