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Post by Chippa on Oct 21, 2015 17:52:02 GMT
This one was a thoroughly enjoyable experience, if we liked this one and were going to check out more of his stuff, which ones would you recommend? Jim "Sail Away" -the title track from his 1972 album. Very clever song, written as a "Sales pitch" from a slave trader, trying to convince potential slaves that, hey, slavery is awesome! "Louisiana 1927"- A song about the great Mississippi flood of 1927. After Hurricane Katrina, this song got some airplay again, for sadly obvious reasons. "I Love LA"- A very tongue in cheek "love letter" to Los Angeles. "Rednecks" - Blatantly mocking racist hypocrisy, particularly in the South. The generous use of the "N-Word" in the song has offended some people, but they obviously don't understand satire.
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Post by Chippa on Oct 21, 2015 19:33:46 GMT
My review.. "Dixie Flyer" - A nostalgia trip, as Randy takes us back to his childhood. This song details his move from LA to New Orleans, with some typically sarcastic Newman imagery like "a great green Hudson driven by a Gentile they knew". "New Orleans Wins the War" - Another autobiographical song about growing up in New Orleans, which obviously inspired the musical tone, here . Love the jazzy bridge in this song. "Four Eyes" - Recalling Randy being bullied, as a child. I guess the somewhat harsh feel of this song is fitting, given the rather blunt lyrics. Interesting stuff, for sure. Love the guitar playing "Mary Had A Little Lamb", at the end. "Falling in Love" - Best song on the album. Jeff Lynne's production and Randy's songwriting/singing meld perfectly, here. Mike Campbell adds some tasty mandolin licks, and Jeff and Tom Petty supply the sweet backing vocals. The musical break with the ascending keyboards is straight up Jeff Lynne, but really fits well. I think this track was actually recorded in Campbell's garage during the "Full Mon Fever" sessions. "Something Special" - The thing about Randy is that it's hard to tell if he's being cynical or sincere, at times. That's the reason I love his songwriting so much. This song is a perfect example. Does he really think there's "something special about our love", or is he being sarcastic? Nonetheless, it's a really good ballad, although the production is a bit dated. "Bad News from Home" -Obviously a dark song about a man about to make a very bad decision. Whether that's ending his own life, or murdering the lover who dumped him, is kind of unclear. Very effective song. "Roll with the Punches" - Written from the viewpoint of someone who obviously has it all, trying to give advice to someone in much, much worse circumstances than himself. Basically he's saying "hey, It's America! You should be lucky to be here, even if you're starving, you ungrateful bastards!". Too bad more people don't write songs like this. "Masterman and Baby J" - This is fantastic. Randy doing hip-hop is so ridiculously over the top. I guess the basic gist of this song is two kids with nothing, dreaming of superstardom, which is obviously never gonna happen. Another great social commentary. "Red Bandana" - A song about a dumbass, clueless, white guy who joins a gang in hopes of impressing people. This song is as relevant now, as it was then. "Follow the Flag" - jrmugz said he thinks this song is mocking patriotism, but I'm not so sure. Again, with Randy it's hard to tell. It's not that he's ambiguous, it's just that given Randy's writing style, he could have his tongue glued to his cheek and we wouldn't even know! Still, it's a truly great, hymn-like song. Very similar to another one of his songs, "I Think It's Going To Rain Today". "It's Money That Matters" - Mark Knopfler's guitar work on this song is great. Jeff Lynne and Tom Petty also contribute backing vocals. Love this song, always have. Actually, this song is supposedly about Randy himself. He looks around and sees people who are smarter, and more creative than him barely eking out a living. Then he goes back and recalls a conversation he had with a wealthy guy, who told him "it's money that matters", and that basically being artistic and creative will get you nowhere. Unfortunately, I'm sure a lot of people would agree with that....*cough..Donald Trump..cough*.. "I Want You to Hurt Like I Do" - The narrator of this song is the king of self-loathing. Again, some biting, cynical and brutal lyrics. Never let it be said that Randy holds anything back. I love how this beautiful lush melody is juxtaposed against these harsh words. Genius.
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Post by jrmugz on Oct 21, 2015 21:46:46 GMT
My review.. "Dixie Flyer" - A nostalgia trip, as Randy takes us back to his childhood. This song details his move from LA to New Orleans, with some typically sarcastic Newman imagery like "a great green Hudson driven by a Gentile they knew". "New Orleans Wins the War" - Another autobiographical song about growing up in New Orleans, which obviously inspired the musical tone, here . Love the jazzy bridge in this song. "Four Eyes" - Recalling Randy being bullied, as a child. I guess the somewhat harsh feel of this song is fitting, given the rather blunt lyrics. Interesting stuff, for sure. Love the guitar playing "Mary Had A Little Lamb", at the end. "Falling in Love" - Best song on the album. Jeff Lynne's production and Randy's songwriting/singing meld perfectly, here. Mike Campbell adds some tasty mandolin licks, and Jeff and Tom Petty supply the sweet backing vocals. The musical break with the ascending keyboards is straight up Jeff Lynne, but really fits well. I think this track was actually recorded in Campbell's garage during the "Full Mon Fever" sessions. "Something Special" - The thing about Randy is that it's hard to tell if he's being cynical or sincere, at times. That's the reason I love his songwriting so much. This song is a perfect example. Does he really think there's "something special about our love", or is he being sarcastic? Nonetheless, it's a really good ballad, although the production is a bit dated. "Bad News from Home" -Obviously a dark song about a man about to make a very bad decision. Whether that's ending his own life, or murdering the lover who dumped him, is kind of unclear. Very effective song. "Roll with the Punches" - Written from the viewpoint of someone who obviously has it all, trying to give advice to someone in much, much worse circumstances than himself. Basically he's saying "hey, It's America! You should be lucky to be here, even if you're starving, you ungrateful bastards!". Too bad more people don't write songs like this. "Masterman and Baby J" - This is fantastic. Randy doing hip-hop is so ridiculously over the top. I guess the basic gist of this song is two kids with nothing, dreaming of superstardom, which is obviously never gonna happen. Another great social commentary. "Red Bandana" - A song about a dumbass, clueless, white guy who joins a gang in hopes of impressing people. This song is as relevant now, as it was then. "Follow the Flag" - jrmugz said he thinks this song is mocking patriotism, but I'm not so sure. Again, with Randy it's hard to tell. It's not that he's ambiguous, it's just that given Randy's writing style, he could have his tongue glued to his cheek and we wouldn't even know! Still, it's a truly great, hymn-like song. Very similar to another one of his songs, "I Think It's Going To Rain Today". "It's Money That Matters" - Mark Knopfler's guitar work on this song is great. Jeff Lynne and Tom Petty also contribute backing vocals. Love this song, always have. Actually, this song is supposedly about Randy himself. He looks around and sees people who are smarter, and more creative than him barely eking out a living. Then he goes back and recalls a conversation he had with a wealthy guy, who told him "it's money that matters", and that basically being artistic and creative will get you nowhere. Unfortunately, I'm sure a lot of people would agree with that....*cough..Donald Trump..cough*.. "I Want You to Hurt Like I Do" - The narrator of this song is the king of self-loathing. Again, some biting, cynical and brutal lyrics. Never let it be said that Randy holds anything back. I love how this beautiful lush melody is juxtaposed against these harsh words. Genius. Enjoyed the review and the background on the songs. Probably should have done my review after reading all that information. ha ha. Jim
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Post by Deleted on Oct 22, 2015 22:15:54 GMT
This one was a thoroughly enjoyable experience, if we liked this one and were going to check out more of his stuff, which ones would you recommend? Jim "Sail Away" -the title track from his 1972 album. Very clever song, written as a "Sales pitch" from a slave trader, trying to convince potential slaves that, hey, slavery is awesome! "Louisiana 1927"- A song about the great Mississippi flood of 1927. After Hurricane Katrina, this song got some airplay again, for sadly obvious reasons. "I Love LA"- A very tongue in cheek "love letter" to Los Angeles. "Rednecks" - Blatantly mocking racist hypocrisy, particularly in the South. The generous use of the "N-Word" in the song has offended some people, but they obviously don't understand satire. As an African-American, I love the song Rednecks, and understand completely the inclusion of the word N***er. I grew up in Mississippi, and that's the way it is there. It's unfortunate, but the truth is a brutal bitch sometimes. On to Land Of Dreams, I really liked most of the record. The jazz, rock, pop, blues and soul elements combine very well together, for the most part. Red Bandana hits home hard with me, because I've known kids just like that. They want to belong, but go about doing it in all the wrong ways. New Orleans Wins The War is very similar to some of the music my grandparents used to play. It's pure and beautiful nostalgia. Masterman And Baby J is a superb parody of most rap 'boast' tracks. Although it does sound like an old white guy trying to impress his kids. LOL Elsewhere, Falling In Love is really good. Jeff Lynne's touches aren't as apparent as they are on other songs he produced during this period, but it still has that sheen that lets you know it's some of his handiwork. The best song, IMO, is the closing track I Want You To Hurt Like I Do. We've all known that person who wants to project their own pain and suffering on to others. What a powerful song, that will probably get heavy play in my earbuds.
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Post by spike on Oct 22, 2015 22:33:21 GMT
"Louisiana 1927"- A song about the great Mississippi flood of 1927. After Hurricane Katrina, this song got some airplay again, for sadly obvious reasons. I first heard Louisiana 1927 on Aaron Neville's album Warm Your Heart, and to be honest I didn't realise that it is a Randy Newman composition as I've never really appreciated his music before. I do think that Aaron Neville made a cracking version of it though:
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Post by Deleted on Oct 24, 2015 1:47:24 GMT
Oh my goodness, that's gorgeous. I love Aaron's voice.
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Post by Helmut83 on Oct 24, 2015 6:57:56 GMT
Interesting album. If I had to give a whole concept of it I’d say it’s a huge mix of American styles, including, among others, blues, jazz, country and even rap. This might not have been by chance in an album called “Land of dreams”, and it’s confirmed after listening to the lyrics of the song. The good thing is that he talks about the United States of America not just by the lyrics, also by the music. Mr. Newman is clearly a very versatile guy when it comes to songwriting, he can do it in several styles and all well. - “It’s money that matters” is a fantastic song, surely the best one. Those powerchords in the electric guitar sound fantastic, and the chorus is perfect for a chorus. “Falling in love” is a sweet song (is songs like these you call “ear candy”, Chippa?) with some calypso influences on it; it has a nice melody, I really liked it. “Roll with the Punches” is a good piano-driven jazzy blues which smells to the ‘40s or even the ‘30s and sounds to black people music (and features a mention of Argentina!). “Dixie flyer” is a decent song in which the piano shines. For me it lacks more of a hook or some part where it reaches a climax, but it’s still good enough for me. - “New Orleans wins the war” has a jumpy old style jazz mood with some country influences at times; I find it pleasant. “Something special” is peaceful and has some nice parts, I don’t find it to be that special (pun intended) but still is OK. - “Follow the flag” is a slower, shorter song, with a strong piano participation as well and a bit more anthemic; probably one of the most American sounding. “Bad news from home” is a sad ballad with an interesting, kind of gloomy atmosphere. “I want you to hurt like I do” is the other ballad of the album, but I don’t find this one that interesting. - Among the ones I liked least were “Masterman and Baby J” (kind of a rap with a techno atmosphere full of synthetizer effects, not my kind of thing), “Red Bandana” (plainly bad IMO, a throwaway song I’d say) and “Four eyes” (at least on this album, the guy doesn’t get away with the synths thing; they end up sounding like weird, unconvincing experiments). All in all, interesting album and worth the listen, even when being from another country I’m pretty sure there are lots of things I don’t get a grasp about. Some good songs and most of the others are nice to the ear and tidy enough, except when he messes up with techno synth-oriented stuff.
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Post by unomusette on Oct 24, 2015 20:29:27 GMT
Dixie Flyer - As soon as this kicks off I'm thinking Dire Straits, is this one where Mark Knopfler had a hand? I like the clean sound, everything is crisp and well defined and you can easily make out the lyrics. Easy-going opener, I like it a lot. New Orleans Wins the War - Neat lyrics, this is the type of song I think of when Randy Newman is mentioned. Nice bit of ragtime style piano and it's very lush when the string sounds come in. Smooth and well rounded I'd say. Four Eyes - Bit of a departure here, good on him for not sticking with the tried and trusted formula and it does keep your attention focussed. I like the big, booming sound. Falling in Love - Would I have guessed that Mr Lynne worked on this if I'd not been pre-warned? Probably not, actually, and it says a lot that his trademarks aren't stamped all over it as with other artists he's produced. There he is though, in the backing vocals, giving this just that bit of extra sparkle. A proper treat for the ears. Something Special - Immediately I hear that chime-y electric piano I'm put off this song, it's a pet hate of mine. He does have a nice voice but this is filler time for me. Do I detect Mark Knopfler again? Not one of his finest moments, if so. Bad News from Home - Lovely atmospheric sound here and a great melody, probably my favourite so far. Roll with the Punches - Hmm, ragtime again, not sure if I'm up for more but it is kind of a signature sound for Randy Newman. It's his album after all so I forgive him, although it's not a stand out track it's a pleasant enough listen. Masterman and Baby J - Talk about contrast, that woke me up alright. I ended up liking this track rather a lot, it has a great big sound and lots going on. Red Bandana - Intro not too clever but once it gets going this is a good song with some quirky touches and neat guitar sounds. Follow the Flag - Sounds like a song from a film soundtrack, with more Knopfler influence to these ears. Doesn't stand out much compared to what's gone before but a nice enough listen. It's Money That Matters - Money...money...Money for Nothing? It does have a guitar sound reminiscent of that very song, maybe it was intentional? I do like this though, nodding along happily. I Want You to Hurt Like I Do - Big ballad ending, pretty tune and a good way to sign off As with many of the albums in this thread, this is one of those artists I've been meaning to give a proper listening to and never got around to it. One of the biggest positives I noticed is that the songs ended just a bit before I was ready - on a lot of these first listens I've found the songs going on too long and outstaying their welcome. He has a really good voice and the lyrics have had a bit of thought put into them. There's also a range of styles on show here and he does something interesting with all of them. Overall the sound is well defined despite a lot of layers going on, and nicely polished. Wonder who that might be partly down to? smiley-cool15 I'd give this a solid 8 out of 10, I could easily listen to it lots more and it wouldn't be a chore. Thanks for sharing Chippa!
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Post by queenofthehours on Oct 25, 2015 14:12:08 GMT
Dixie Flyer – This is the type of song I love. Nice country feel to it. I like the arrangement. New Orleans Wins the War – Another nice country-style song. I like the piano, very jazzy.
Four Eyes – Very 80s, so 80s that it couldn’t BE more 80s! Reminds me of Peter Gabriel for some reason.
Falling in Love – My favourite so far. A bit of a calypso feel. Without looking at the album credits and knowing that Jeff has had his hands on this album somewhere, I’d guess that it’s this one he’s worked on. His fingerprints are all over it – the backing vocals are a dead giveaway through. Even with the fancy calypso style to fool us we can all tell it’s Jeff’s work!
Something Special – Very nice song, not my favourite. Love the arrangement though.
Bad News from Home – Lovely organ opening and even lovelier piano. Great song.
Roll with the Punches – Typical Randy Newman musical intro here with the piano.
Masterman and Baby J – Very 80s rapping here! Randy does it rather well.
Red Bandana – Another 80s sounding track but still enough traditional Randy in there for it so sound good.
Follow the Flag – Lovely melody – almost as good as his best work for Toy Story.
It's Money That Matters – Nice to hear a proper guitar opening. Has quite a Tom Petty feel to this. One of my favourites on this LP.
I Want You to Hurt Like I Do – Nice slow track to end with. Not my favourite but still good.
My only problem with Randy is his singing. Not that it’s bad and it's certainly never bad to hear a songwriter singing his own work. It's just that, like Dylan, his songs are so good that it often takes another artist to bring out the magic or at least another interpretation. Plus Randy's voice will always remind me too much of Toy Story – in a good way!
Being given a Muppets LP was my first conscious introduction to Randy's music and the first time I ever really listened to a "proper" adult song and bothered to read the song writing credits on the sleeve. His name went over my head but I've remembered it all my life -
My favourite ever Randy Newman song interpretation -
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