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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
You Can Leave Your Hat On, April 23, 2005
Randy Newman is in a class all his own. That's not to say he's the BEST of the best, but he certainly is a raging iconoclast. I mean, a portly, curly-headed, Jewish-raised Californian who arranges for orchestra, writes for children's films, and sings songs about short people, L.A., good old boys, God, and dancing bears... what? Despite its unconventional exterior the music of Randy Newman is some of the funniest, most intelligent in the pantheon of rock/pop/whatever you want to call it.
Although not his earliest, Sail Away was Randy Newman's first album to generate a deal of noise - it remains a favourite of fan and critic alike and to this day his most consistent seller. There's probably a reason for that: namely the quality of this record. Newman has never given in to songwriting formulas or "conventions", staking out territory where his contemporaries seldom tread. So you don't get the archetypical "silly love songs" or teenage angst so common in rock & roll - you get self-deprecating ironies, tales of African slave recruiters, and Simon Smith and his Amazing Dancing Bear, among others.
This idiosyncrasy ranges from the dismal to the ribald and hilarious, and everywhere in-between. For instance, God's Song (That's Why I Love Mankind) is a bleakly insightful take on religion; the equally incisive Political Science a side-splittingly funny slice of "foreign policy" courtesy one of Newman's trademark wackos. From a technical standpoint all the performances are outstanding, including the virtuosity of Ry Cooder and Randy Newman's own skills as a pianist among others. His voice may be limited, but he makes the best of it in his deadpan delivery. He's also always utilized orchestras in a unique way - you'd never be able to mistake one of his instrumental passages - and they blend totally naturally into the fabric of the music here. Not an easy task; just ask ELO's Jeff Lynne, one of the few songwriters out there whose orchestral arrangements complement the songs as perfectly as Randy Newman's.
As for the bonus tracks, the two original cuts (Let It Shine and Maybe I'm Doing It Wrong) are both excellent (albeit short), as are the alternate takes; the early version of Sail Away is particularly welcome.
Is Sail Away Randy Newman's best album? Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. But I can tell you what it IS: it's comical, it's perspicacious, and, most importantly, it's massively entertaining. So whether you're a newcomer, a longtime fan, or just somebody looking for a bit of good music, you can't go wrong.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Newman the way he should be . . ., June 4, 2002
Hats off to Rhino, for reissuing this masterpiece in such marvelous fashion. Regarded as one of Newman's most perfect efforts, it's now better than ever, with a stunning remastering job, way-improved packaging and five bonus tracks. A humorous forward from the man himself is the icing on the cake, but if I ever meet him in person I'm going to say, "Hey Randy! Great art is not always immediate and hugely successful. In fact, it pretty rarely is. You're make a great living. Artists from Harpers Bizarre to Etta James and many more have covered songs from this record. Bask in the glory of your artistic success and be happy!" Much has been written of the content of the lyrics and "messages" contained on this album; suffice to say, it's a thought-provoking album. Even a song that seemed as lyrically minor as "Simon Smith" was recently revealed to me as a parable concerning the doors that open to a good gimmick. The bonus tracks do add something - two previously unreleased studio tracks plus three earlier versions of tracks from the album, including "You Can Leave Your Hat On" and "Sail Away". The demo tracks appear to give some indication of Newman's manner of writing and recording; I've always considered Newman's self-deprecation to be kind of a dodge (can't blame him for being sick of answering the same questions over and over), so it's nice to see at least this much of his methodology exposed. "Let In Shine", the first bonus track, functions as a sort of an alternate upbeat coda to the album. It's all fine . . . buy and enjoy!
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Have no fear, Randy is finally here..., December 28, 2003
After a few albums of searching for a sound, Newman experimented and finally found his sound on "Sail Away". He experimented so much, in fact, that "Randy Newman Live" was released as a stopgap in 1971;it also previewed 2 songs from this album in stripped-down piano-only versions. The "alternate" take of the title track on this reissue shows just how much Newman experimented. Pounding anthemic rhythyms gave way to more lush but not overstated arrangements. The final release was very much worth the wait. Newman brings orchestra back into the fray after completely abandoning it on "12 Songs" (most likely the abandonment came as a result of the use - and sometimes abuse - of orchestra on his debut album). Newman's piano and the orchestra meld wonderfully in the mix. Some of the arrangements are downright amazing (especially on the title track and "He Gives Us All His Love"). Thematically the album could not be more diverse: God, death, politics, satire at a Swiftian level, sex, and success. Newman's ability to communicate cynical satire in a way that takes itself seriously without seeming self-righteous is displayed all over this album. When he's funny he's also profound. "God's Song" is hilarious while at the same time chilling. The same could be said for the sadly still all too relevant "Political Science". In the midst of these songs, the serious numbers are almost shocking. There probably hasn't been a more candid song about death and belief than "Old Man". Newman claims that audiences have walked out on this one, so he's stopped playing it. It's a great song, but yes, an absolute downer. "Dayton, Ohio - 1903" evokes the era the song is set in complete with breeze and front porch swing. "Memo to My Son" is an absolutely hilarious song about parenting; the character in the song promises to show his son how smart he is, and then rattles off cliché after cliché. "You Can Leave Your Hat On" has become a very recognizable song, maybe one of Newman's best known songs (even for people who have no idea who Randy Newman is). The bonus tracks on the reissue are interesting: "Let It Shine" is an upbeat and happy song more akin to Newman's movie soundtracks of late. It was written for a sitcom that apparently never aired, which explains the mood. "Maybe I'm Doing it Wrong" was included on "Randy Newman Live"; this is the studio version complete with orchestration. The rest are demos of songs on "Sail Away". All are good tracks that complement the album well. It's no surprise that this album is considered a classic by many critics. It's one of Newman's best, and one of his best-sellers. A good album to introduce someone to Newman's music. It was the first Newman album I heard, and I've been a voracious fan ever since.
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by Randy Newman 
