Essential Albums
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Go to infinity and beyond with Buzz and Woody—now in Spatial Audio. - Few artists who began their careers in the '60s held on to their visions in the '80s; the world made a mess of people's lives. However, Randy Newman only seemed to get better. The social critic in him came alive in a decade of excess. Oversized drums, hard rock guitars, and rap music might not be what fans expected from Newman, but here he uses them all to hit his targets dead on. "It's Money That Matters" even borrows Dire Straits guitarist Mark Knopfler to tilt the sentiment of their "Money for Nothing" to the furthest extreme. "Masterman and Baby J" tries to understand the appeal of constant bragging in rap music. "I Want You To Hurt Like I Do" transforms "We Are the World" into an anthem for selfishness. Sharp humor isn't all Newman offers; the opening trio of tunes traces back to Newman's childhood in New Orleans and Southern California. But true to form, he tires of autobiography and settles into songs that study patriotism ("Red Bandana," "Follow the Flag") and right-wing politics ("Roll with the Punches").
- In a career of delightfully subversive albums, <i>Trouble In Paradise</i> just might be the most insidious. Musically it has all the ingredients to sit comfortably alongside hit songs by Paul Simon, Bob Seger and Rickie Lee Jones, who provide guest vocals. “Mikey’s” even makes a bid for acceptance within the trendy new-wave scene. And yet the sound is just a set-up for a devastating punchline. <i>Trouble In Paradise</i> is about the persistence of oblivious happiness in the face of real world misery. This theme is reiterated throughout the album, particularly on the civic anthems like “Miami” and “I Love L.A.” Amazingly, many fans didn’t pick up on Newman’s blatant sarcasm. “I Love L.A.” is now used as a cheering anthem at Dodger and Laker games, beloved by locals who don’t realize the song isn’t about how great the city is. Though it is the pinnacle of Newman’s black humor, <i>Trouble In Paradise</i> also contains some strikingly revealing moments, including “Take Me Back” and “Real Emotional Girl.” The despair in “Same Girl” is so deep and so subtle that when it hits you, it hits like a flood.
- Randy Newman had established himself as a cult figure with a strong critical base and even stronger respect among fellow musicians, who often covered his songs to greater success. Yet with 1977’s <i>Little Criminals</i>, Newman had success on his own. The album’s opener, “Short People,” became a hit single, and the album followed. Like any Newman album, it’s packed with songs that work well beneath the surface. The cowboy song “Rider in the Rain” is made even more surreal by an appearance from The Eagles. “Baltimore,” hardly a picture postcard, has since been covered by Nina Simone, Nils Lofgren, and David Gray. The relatively straightforward “I’ll Be Home” had been performed by Harry Nilsson in 1970 on his album <i>Nilsson Sings Newman</i>. Yet the professional normalcy of <i>Little Criminals</i>' sound—this was L.A. circa 1977, after all—worked in direct contrast to the sometimes subtle, sometimes obvious (though never where you think) songwriting in tunes like “Sigmund Freud’s Impersonation of Albert Einstein in America,” the title track, and "In Germany Before the War.”
- Ranked among Randy Newman’s finest releases, <i>Good Old Boys</i> serves as a loose concept album regarding the beauty and the underside of the American South. Though “Rednecks” is a scathing opener, it doesn’t let up on the Northern hypocrisy either. This deluxe edition features the original album in all its glory, with remastered sound, a demo version of “Marie,” and Newman’s original sketch for the album, known as <i>Johnny Cutler’s Birthday</i>. This draft of the album is essential to hardcore Newman fans, since it includes eight songs that didn't make the final album but further expand the characterization of the original <i>Good Old Boys</i>. The presentation is stripped down to just Newman and his piano, with Randy narrating between songs (to remind himself where he was going). Couple such rarities as “If We Didn’t Have Jesus,” “My Daddy Knew Dixie Howell," and “Albanian Anthem” with classics such as “Birmingham,” “Guilty,” and “A Wedding in Cherokee County,” and you have a closer look into the working mind of a songwriting genius.
- Randy Newman's songs are full of double-edged wit, laced with just enough tragedy between the lines. If you don't listen carefully, you could mistake "Sail Away" as a patriotic song with a rousing gospel chorus—only it's sung by a recruiter on a slave ship. "He Gives Us All His Love" is, seemingly, a hymn—except it calls into question how much God really cares. And after all these years, nobody's written a better song about headwear as a fetish object than "You Can Leave Your Hat On."