YourMotherShouldKnow Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 A buddy gave me a Randy Newman CD for Christmas. I left it home while I'm on vacation but I was in Border's today and listened to several of his tunes there. I REALLY liked what I heard. One was called It's Lonely at the Top. Another was something to do with God. One's called Rednecks. And then there's another one that's sposed to be about a river in Cleveland that atually caught fire (pollution?) that goes, "Burn on big river" or something like that. Anyhow, he gave an interview in a book I'm reading and he's an interesting guy. It's rare that I find an artist I like these days. Anybody like this dude? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alndln Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 Originally posted by LanceMo: Anybody like this dude?Sometimes. "A Robot Playing Trumpet Blows" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
remainanon Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 Randy Newman is a stone genius. What he does is so simple - so deceptive - and yet somehow so natural... I have no idea how he does it. Check out his score for "The Natural" sometime. You've heard it a million times, re-used and satirized in trailers and ads. Enjoy! J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super 8 Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 I remember seeing him on Saturday Night Live years ago, about the time that "Short People" came out. I think he gets a big kick out of rubbing people the wrong way. One of the songs he performed was "Pants" "Gonna take off my pants Gonna take off my pants Gonna take off my pants Gonna take off my pants And your mama can't stop me And your papa can't stop me And the police can't stop me No one can stop me Gonna do it right now Gonna do it right now I'm gonna take off my pants Gonna take off my pants And your teachers can't stop me And your priests can't stop me And your firemen can't stop me And the President can't stop me Will you take off my pants? Will you take off my pants?" He figured out later on that "It's money that matters", and that people will pay him BIG to write his little Ragtime dittys for film. [EDIT] Oh, I just found this... Here's the OTHER song he did on SNL. "It's Money That I Love" "I don't love the mountains And I don't love the sea And I don't love Jesus He never done a thing for me I ain't pretty like my sister Or smart like my dad Or good like my mama It's Money That I Love It's Money That I Love They say that's money Can't buy love in this world But it'll get you a half-pound of cocaine And a sixteen-year old girl And a great big long limousine On a hot September night Now that may not be love But it is all right One, two It's Money That I Love Wanna kiss you Three, four It's Money That I Love Used to worry about the poor But I don't worry anymore Used to worry about the black man Now I don't worry about the black man Used to worry about the starving children of India You know what I say about the starving children of India ? I say, ";Oh mama"; It's Money That I Love It's Money That I Love It's Money That I Love" Super 8 Hear my stuff here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tedster Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 I love Randy Newman...his dry and (as pointed out) rather sarcastic observations on our human frailties hit the nail on the head often. He can go from writing songs like the ones above to music for a kids' movie with total ease. One of my favorite Newman songs... "Louisiana". "Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mats Olsson. Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 He is a great songwriter! Have you heard his song about ELO? I still don't know if it is a celebration or not. /Mats http://www.lexam.net/peter/carnut/man.gif What do we want? Procrastination! When do we want it? Later! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loopy C Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 Wit, craft, certainly all of the accolades from above posts. I sometimes forget but only need listen to any album to wonder why he is not in my player everyday. BTW, his uncle is/was Alfred Newman, famous 1950's film composer. His nephews are Thomas and David Newman, also inventive and succesful film composers (think American Beauty, Red Shoes, Weird Science, and many more). They practically defined the quirky mallet and minimal ensemble style so widely copied now. Of course Randy has had some success in film scoring now himself (Avalon, The Natural?, etc ) along with some interesting colloborations (Mark Knopfler for one). Chris R. Gibson aka Loopy C Micworks Ken Tamplin Mastering Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Zeger Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 Another Randy Newman fan here. "The Natural" is one of my all time favorite movie scores. The scene where Roy Hobbs' home run shatters the stadium lights and he rounds the bases in a shower of sparks is a great film + music moment. It was very satisfying to see him get an Oscar, albeit for a song from "Monsters, Inc." that isn't among his most important work. There has to be 2 Randy Newmans. One that writes the deeply ironic and satirical: "Sail Away", "Davy the Fat Boy", "Political Science", "Four Eyes", "God's Song", "My Life Is Good". The other writes some of the most touching ballads of the past 30-some years: "I Think It's Going to Rain Today", "Marie", "Same Girl", "When She Loved Me". No one can be that good at everything. I can't wait to see him perform here in March with the Rochester Philharmonic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 I have been a fan of his for years. Of course the first song that I remember hearing him do was Short People. My girlfriends brother sings that son to her almost every time he sees her. She is 5' in height. She sings Hair to him since he is bald. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fantasticsound Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 I'm a huge Randy Newman fan... from the movies. Not that I dislike his albums, I just haven't heard them, save for singles on the radio. (Short People, I Love LA) In film he's a genius, in a family of film score geniuses. My favorites are: Parenthood (Incredible song writing and arranging for an amazing movie. The lighthearted I Love To See You Smile always makes me think of lounging in the grass on a warm spring/summer day. ) I don't know if Randy scored Beaches, but Bette Midler sung a beautiful rendition of I Think It's Gonna Rain Today in the movie (and many times as an artist, onstage). Randy's version is poignant, as well. I can think of a few composers whose work is outstanding. Of them, Randy Newman is, perhaps, the most successful who is largely unrecognized by the general public. His name doesn't jump out like Danny Elfman, John Williams, or others. But the music certainly does. It's easiest to find me on Facebook. Neil Bergman Soundclick fntstcsnd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tradivoro Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 I like Alfred Newman's work and when I heard that Randy was his nephew, in the early days, I said, I can't believe that in a family with so much talent, this bozo has got to become famous.. However, after listening to his film work, I'm glad that the musical genes have finaly won over his bad judgment of being a singer songwriter... I don't like the way he sings and I don't like one song of his... www.soundclick.com/paulradelat www.123writemelody.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super 8 Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 Originally posted by tradivoro: I can't believe that in a family with so much talent, this bozo has got to become famous.. I don't like the way he sings and I don't like one song of his...Let me guess..... You're about 5'1"???? heh heh heh Super 8 Hear my stuff here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henryrobinett Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 I love "Short People" and the album "Little Criminals" it comes from. It's his homage against racism. "Jolly Coppers on Parade". "Little Criminals". Sadly this is the only album of his I have, but I am thoroughly a fan. The Natural. Whew! Toy Story 1 and 2. He's an american songwriter. All the best, Henry Robinett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magpel Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 I love Randy Newman. Sail Away is his early masterpiece. Bad Love, his most recent album of new songs, is about half wonderful, but that half contains some of the best stuff he's ever written, including the incredible The World Isn't Fair (A must listen for its genius-level songcraft, if you've never heard it before). I have Good Old Boys as well, but am not as crazy about it. What can you say? He's THE role model for the quirky, idiosyncratic songwriter with a taste for literate lyrics and harmonic sophistication. Check out the Sweet Clementines CD at bandcamp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salyphus Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 I think he's highly annoying. Can't please everyone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kendrix Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 Originally posted by Mark Zeger: Another Randy Newman fan here. "The Natural" is one of my all time favorite movie scores. The scene where Roy Hobbs' home run shatters the stadium lights and he rounds the bases in a shower of sparks is a great film + music moment. It was very satisfying to see him get an Oscar, albeit for a song from "Monsters, Inc." that isn't among his most important work. There has to be 2 Randy Newmans. One that writes the deeply ironic and satirical: "Sail Away", "Davy the Fat Boy", "Political Science", "Four Eyes", "God's Song", "My Life Is Good". The other writes some of the most touching ballads of the past 30-some years: "I Think It's Going to Rain Today", "Marie", "Same Girl", "When She Loved Me". No one can be that good at everything. I can't wait to see him perform here in March with the Rochester Philharmonic.Hey Mark hope all is well. What - somehow i missed this event. I sure hope there are some tix left. This is one artist both my wife and I love. Check out some tunes here: http://www.garageband.com/artist/KenFava Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antimatter Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 Did he write the theme song from Welcome back Kotter? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breck Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 Nope. John Sebastian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogfur Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 He does an interesting commentary in the special features of the movie "Pleasantville" - also another of his fine film works. Great songwriter as well, but I do prefer his film work. Woof! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeep Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 Hm-m-m....Newman....Newman........ http://www.mindfully.org/Reform/Bush-Quotes-ngin.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dak Lander Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 Big Hat, No Cattle... Our Joint "When you come slam bang up against trouble, it never looks half as bad if you face up to it." The Duke... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark LaCoste Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 "I Think It's Going to Rain Today" is just an incredible song. And yes, the word Genius works in this thread. Rubber Lizard Studio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigknuckles Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 Another fan here. Louisiana 1927 is one of my favorites although I prefer Aaron Neville's interpretation. Great song from a very talented songwriter. The simple themes of his movie scores are also very appealing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tedster Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 Yeah, that's the song...Louisiana 1927. "President Coolidge came down on a railroad train With a little fat man with a notebook in his hand" I personally like his quirky voice, although I can certainly see how some would find it annoying. Me? I kinda find Aaron Neville's warbling a bit annoying. But his brothers ROCK! "Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skipclone 1 Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 `Sail Away` is brilliant-sometimes I wish a Black songwriter had written it. Anyone who can appreciate Bob Dylan or Lou Reed will probably get what Randy`s about also. Same old surprises, brand new cliches- Skipsounds on Soundclick: www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandid=602491 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fantasticsound Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 Originally posted by skipclone 1: `Sail Away` is brilliant-sometimes I wish a Black songwriter had written it... What does that mean, Skip? Just curious. It's easiest to find me on Facebook. Neil Bergman Soundclick fntstcsnd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike O Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 If I could write an album of songs with the consistancy on the album 'Good Old Boys' I would be truly fulfilled. Even though the production is "rough" by todays standards (whatever those are) it really does "speak" to me. Lots of levels to the words with a common connection between all songs. Really kind of a concept album for me. Difficult if not impossible for most anyone to pull off. This is the one that Louisiana 1927 first appeared on. Others include Guilty, Rednecks, Birmigham, and Mr. President (have mercy on the working man). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tradivoro Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 Originally posted by Super 8: Originally posted by tradivoro: I can't believe that in a family with so much talent, this bozo has got to become famous.. I don't like the way he sings and I don't like one song of his...Let me guess..... You're about 5'1"???? heh heh heh Hi Super 8, no what I meant was I don't like any song of his... I'm tall... I never got the deal with short people... By the way, great re-work of the face on mars image... www.soundclick.com/paulradelat www.123writemelody.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 I'm a huge fan of Randy. His albums put me in another world. Saw him once on PBS I think where it was just him and piano singing for a bunch of folks. 'Let's Drop the Big One Now' just brought down the house. And yeah, doing 'Pants' on SNL was fantastic. I love humor in music! -David http://www.garageband.com/artist/MichaelangelosMuse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super 8 Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 Originally posted by tradivoro: [QB I'm tall... I never got the deal with short people... [/QB]Oh, you are tall? Just how tall are you? I stand a full 6'1 and a half inches, in my bare feet... Sorry... I'm reminded of that Monty Python skit where the two Archeologists are fighting because the one is taller... So you never got the deal with short people? The song, or the people? I like the song, but it's mostly in sadistic pleasure. I mean, the intro comes in and it's all nice and happy and sounds a little like the old "I'm a Pepper, You're a Pepper" commercial, and then Randy starts singing "Short people got no reason to live"..."Short people got nobody to love"... I mean........it's just so CRUEL! But in a funny sort of way. It's like little kids teasing each other -it's always funny when it's not YOU being teased. I wouldn't mind performing it though. Some of the music on "Born Again", like "Pretty Boy" -and the other stuff I mentioned above.....I mean, you just think 'this guy is really kind of an asshole!'. Again, the music is fine, it's well written, interesting stuff. But like I said, he really seems to get a kick out of kinda flipping people off. I like Randy Newman. But if I ever met him, I'd probably break his nose just so I could say I did it. By the way, great re-work of the face on mars image... Re-work????? Super 8 Hear my stuff here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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