Randy Newman: C or D/S & D

GOB and SA are on endless repeat at my house this fall. I don't think I've heard a classic record like these that contained so many beautiful songs in a long time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBux4AlGQzM

I mean sweet Jesus, this is some beautiful music.

I've seem him live a few times, and each time I've been amazed by his remarkable economy. For all the words in his songs, there often really aren't that many words. He just makes them all count. "Sail Away," for example, is just three brief verses, and a couple of simple choruses, but the song conveys so much.

sail away's practically an epic!!

Josh otm. He's really the anti-Elvis Costello.

I love how he says "I've been his friend since we were little babies" in "Davy the Fat Boy".

I went back to that record store (Full Moon Records in Atlanta) and found "Live" and it's pretty damn awesome. Also they had "All Things Must Pass" 3xLP set in very good condition also for $1!

I love the link he plays in rock history, too. His uncles were all film composers, as are a couple of cousins. Meanwhile, his best bud growing up was Lenny Waronker (they took piano lessons together) whose father Simon (after writing music in Hollywood) founded Liberty records, who made its fortune off Ross Bagdasarian, aka David Saville, who did the Chipmunks (Simon Waronker was where "Simon" came from). Simon parlayed that success into stuff like Jan & Dean. But thanks to Lenny, Liberty/Simon hired Randy Newman as a songwriter when he was still a teen. Eventually Lenny goes to Warner Bros. and brings along Randy and Van Dyke Parks. Etc.

'davy the fat boy' is blood-chilling, espec: 'YOU'VE GOT TO LET THIS FAT BOY IN YOUR LIFE!'

just reviving to say that Spotify now has what appears to be a very comprehensive Randy back catalogue on there. there used to be gaps and many of the albums missing but now it's the full thwack; live albums, soundtracks, the whole bit. at least in the UK.

Thanks.

Also, Billboard keynote http://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/record-labels/5770720/randy-newman-talks-film-scoring-new-studio-album-kanye-wests

Have to admit I only ever really listened to the obvious albums: Sail Away, Gold Old Boys and Twelve Songs. Where should I go next?

that url is a little misleading

harps and angels
xpost

thx

So far so good. Maybe on to the s/t debut next.

Little Criminals is the other classic i guess. also Land Of Dreams and Trouble In Paradise are great and under rated too!

Randy must have been the first rock musician I ever knowingly heard, though not cognizant at the time of his respectable back catalogue. Watching Toy Story in 1995 as a little kid, sick with fever, hearing him sing "and I will go sailing.....noooooo more..." is one of those kiddie memories that has a little but secure place in my heart. It became even more special when I grew up and became a big fan of his 70s work. Sail Away is an album I never get sick of listening to, and Good Ol' Boys isn't far behind.

Is anything worth getting after the 70s? I've not investigated those yet.

i want to know more about your youth. were you prohibited from listening to rock and/or roll?

Not really, but at five/six, I hadn't got around to checking out zappa/vu/beefheart/can, et al.

well sure but

when were you born

nineteen-ninety.

damn son

there are rock singers who are not as obscure as beefheart and lou reed,
sometimes you hear them on the radio

no kidding.

we didn't play the radio in my house.

to say randy newman was the very first one may not be true. but it's a first memory which i subsequently came to know as the author of "rednecks" and "god's song".

there were other extenuating circumstances which meant that music was not played much in our house. mostly revolving around my mother suffering extensively from mental illness during my childhood, other interests at the time, etc.

in any case, that's irrelevant. anyone know if newman is any good after the 70s?

There are more than a few glimmers of acid brilliance here and there, and some lovely ballads, but a lot of his later albums are actually only good enough. Which ain't bad!

Believe it or not, his songbooks, which feature songs already released performed by just him on piano, are really good. The version of "Lonely At the Top" might actually be even better than the original Sail Away version.

why is Little Criminals held up as a bad Randy Newman album when the second half (start with "In Germany Before the War" + the second side) is so good? I think it's almost as good a second half as Sail Away.

"I'll Be Home" sounds a lot different in sequence here than it does on Nilsson Sings Newman ( and it's not just Newman's voice compared to Nilsson).

the title track is great, I love the way that it manages to mock these people's delusions but still have that excitement + buoyancy be infectious

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2016/10/10/exclusive-listen-to-randy-newmans-first-new-song-in-four-years-its-about-bare-chested-vladimir-putin-really/

song is hilarious

Kinda formulaic Newman musically though

http://www.npr.org/2017/07/27/537309087/first-listen-randy-newman-dark-matter

this record is so good

this record Randy Newman is so good.

i kinda go back and forth on Maron's WTF, but his Newman interview this week was entertaining.

josh otm

"sonny boy" is wonderful

As is "She Chose Me."

never heard the Sinatra story

http://www.maximumfun.org/bullseye/bullseye-jesse-thorn-randy-newman

On my five favorites....

ta for this, agree with number 1, and glad Harps & Angels got a nod too :-)

He's written a song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6Hk2L2G_W0

Just saw that

"Don't touch your face - I saw you!"

https://skeletonstv.bandcamp.com/album/i-think-its-going-to-rain-today

Finally got the Original Album series yesterday that I'd meant to buy for ages but hadn't been in the racks locally.
So have now heard his 1st 5 which are pretty great. Wasn't sure what to expect in terms of settings etc so 1st l.p. was a bit of a surprise. But most of its great.
Will be listening to this quite a bit I hope.