Which Randy Newman CDs?

[blessingx]

I've been listening to The Randy Newman Songbook Vol. 1 a lot lately. I wondered which other albums of his you'd recommend?

 

[markl]

I can highly recommend the box set. Amazon.com: Guilty: 30 Years of Randy Newman: Randy Newman: Music

Great track selection and good sound quality. He's an amazing artist, his songs are almost shocking in where he dares to go sometimes. It's important to know that he's mostly playing a character (often despicable) rather than representing his own feelings.

The box doesn't cover his recent-ish album Bad Love which is one of the best things he's done. I'd strongly recommend that one.

 

[sno1man]

gotta start with 12 songs which is his "classic" album contains many of his most well known songs.

My favorite is "land of dreams" which has my favorite song of his 'dixie flyer" and also I love L.A

The soundtrack to Toy Story is him at his most cinematic (and least acidic)

and conversely his most acidic, lots of social commentary is Rednecks: edit: meant to say good old boys which has rednecks on it

hard to go wrong with him.

Another related gem is Nilsson sings Newman which is Nilsson covering his songs

edit; i forgot about guilty, which is great overview and i have seen it used for $20

 

[zumaro]

An easy question at last!
12 Songs - great album of psychotic love songs, covering necrophilia, arson and stalking among other things. Buy it today.
Good Old Boys - a homage to the south that the south definitely didn't need, with not a wasted note on the album. Superb, superb, superb. Buy it at the same time as 12 Songs.
Sail Away - usually said to be his best, but I slightly prefer the other two, That doesn't stop this being a 5+ star album, that is never off my iPod. Best song about the slave trade ever written is on this one. OK, buy it at the same time as the other two, or you will regret it.

After that the going gets erratic. The first album Randy Newman is OK but over orchestrated and sounds more like a curio today. Little Criminals is a half decent album, with the best of it up with the earlier albums, and the worst of it somewhat lower. Similar is Trouble in Paradise, where his ongoing love affair with 70s west coast rock produces, well, slightly quirky 70s west coast rock. Not interesting enough to redeem it for me unluckily.

Later albums like Bad Love and Land of Dreams likewise have their moments (the opening twosome on Land of Dreams is Newman at his very best), but also lots of clumsy moments.

Finally the one to avoid like the plague is Born Again, which has nothing decent on it beyond its first track.

 

[tru blu]

Just reinforcing what's already been said:

12 Songs

Good Old Boys

Sail Away


Guilty: 30 Years of Randy Newman - The track sequence on disc one is sublime.

People say nice things about Bad Love, but with me that one didn't take. I never play it.

 

[Zweistein]

Good Old Boys is my top album. Also for the impeccable synthesizers - I was dumbfounded that there are no copper instruments or violins listed in the booklet.

Quote:

Originally Posted by zumaro /img/forum/go_quote.gif Finally the one to avoid like the plague is Born Again, which has nothing decent on it beyond its title track.

Long ago I read something similar but am I glad I bought it anyway. I agree with the rest of your comments, and that it's not the best album. Still I don't understand why people think this album stands out from the rest. I don't know what you mean by title track, but I would not shy away from the tracks It's Money That I Love, Mr. Sheep, They Just Got Married (which could be on Good Old Boys), The Girls in My Life (Part 1) (which would fit on Songbook), Half A Man, and Pants (my favorite: a mixture of seriousness and silliness like that which feeds the TV series Police Squad).

 

[zumaro]

I never play Bad Love either. Land of Dreams, just the first two tracks, and even then you wonder how much better they might have been if Mark Knopfler hadn't been let loose on them.
Quote:

Originally Posted by Zweistein /img/forum/go_quote.gif I don't know what you mean by title track, but I would not shy away from the tracks It's Money That I Love, ...

Sorry I meant the first track - It's Money That I Love, which has some fairly nifty piano and horn work on it.

 

[Zweistein]

You must have a point about It's Money That I Love, since that's the one from Born Again appearing on Songbook Vol. 1.

Most recordings on Randy Newman's albums are quite orchestrated. That could be a surprise if one has only heard him on the piano as in Songbook or in real life performances. The orchestration may sound outdated, or too much influenced by the producer. I think Sail Away is the album with most songs without any orchestra/band, but that's still only 3. If you're looking for piano only, the life album would be the best choice.

 

[Sordel]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sno1man /img/forum/go_quote.gif Another related gem is Nilsson sings Newman which is Nilsson covering his songs

Yep, that's a great album, but it has a hideously short running time. If it weren't for the fact that every track is a gem, I'd rule it out of contention.

I got into RN through the Lonely at the Top compilation, which is splendid, but possibly unobtainable now. Guilty has too much second-string material for my liking. I'd recommend Sail Away, the absolute classic, with maybe Land of Dreams (if you can stand the 80s production) and Bad Love to follow.

I actually really like Faust as well, but it's got "newbies steer clear" written all over it (well, my copy has

) and I think that I bought the only full-price copy ever sold.

 

[blessingx]

Thanks for all the suggestions. Definitely eyeing the box set and will also investigate the individual titles. Been listening the Songbook even more since this thread started.

 

[sno1man]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sordel /img/forum/go_quote.gif I actually really like Faust as well, but it's got "newbies steer clear" written all over it (well, my copy has ) and I think that I bought the only full-price copy ever sold.

I have the 2nd one. I like the album and its got great cameos from james taylor and others on it.

As a side note, that was his worst selling album, so much so that there was an interview with newman after about a year after it was released with him complaining that it "cost him his kids college education". Given his reputation for liking to tweak the press, it's hard to know how true that is.

 

[blessingx]

Well I picked up:

Guilty: 30 Years of Randy Newman Box Set
Bad Love
Born Again
Creates Something New Under the Sun
Faust
Good Old Boys
Land of Dreams
Little Creatures
Randy Newman Live
Sail Away
Trouble in Paradise
12 Songs

That should be enough for awhile.

The orchestrations on Guilty versus solo piano on Songbook are certainly interesting to compare.

 

[tru blu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by blessingx /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well I picked up: Guilty: 30 Years of Randy Newman Box Set Bad Love Born Again Creates Something New Under the Sun Faust Good Old Boys Land of Dreams Little Creatures Randy Newman Live Sail Away Trouble in Paradise 12 Songs That should be enough for awhile. The orchestrations on Guilty versus solo piano on Songbook are certainly interesting to compare.

Looks like you went for Randy, warts and all. Enjoy.

 

[BigEat]

Hard to beat the Songbook for an overview and very hard to get other albums off the shelf really.

 

[zumaro]

Are there any other Newman albums?! Although Little Creatures should be Little Criminals (hopefully a typo or you will really be praising his versatility). Tell us what you think...