Search - Randy Newman :: Best of

A few minor quibbles aside....

T. C Lane | Marina, CA USA | 09/25/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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."

His songs are delightful; his voice is better than it sounds

Tim Smith | Bonney Lake, WA United States | 01/07/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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."

Essential thinking-person's pop

Gena Chereck | Nebraska, USA | 11/17/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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.)"