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This was the first CD I bought of Randy's music and I enjoyed it so much I purchased Guilty: 30 Years of Randy Newman soon after, which provides a much more comprehensive look at his career. This is a fantastic collection for first time listeners of Randy Newman. It's a great way to get introduced to Randy Newman's music. But for the price, this set absolutely gets the job done. It offers some of his best works of satire, ballads and up-tempo songs, capturing the versatility of his songwriting. Randy has also provided comments on each of the songs in the liner-notes, making it a great supplement to listening to the music.
His work is here for you to enjoy. I know all this stuff could be found on the internet, but still nice to have it included nonetheless. Mr Newman is a soulful storyteller who expresses himself through song. Didn't know much about Randy Newman coming in.got this CD for one song in particular. So enjoy it. In the booklet that comes with the CD, Randy Newman gives us short thoughts on each song contained in this collection. But as I spent time listening to the entire compilation, I learned to apprectiate Mr Newman's unique style and flavor. Though short, I got a nice glimpse into this musician's thought process.The booklet also contains some useful info on each song as well as a handful of photos of Randy Newman himself.
The "Best" of Randy Newman gives you a complete appreciation of his work and it seems only to get better as the years go on>
Buy the singles you like. Randy Newman's songs are among my favorites of all time, but I never knew he wrote them until this album.Like Bob Dylan, he is a better songwriter than he is a singer.Louisiana 1927 is one of the prettiest songs ever, but it is hard to beat the cover by Aaron Neville.You've Got a Friend in Me, of course, is sung by Riders in the Sky for the Toy Story animated movie, and is a lovely cover.Three Dog Night's cover of Mama Told Me (Not to Come) is famous. I never even knew Randy penned it.Of course, no one can cover "Short People" and "I Love L.A.", because the biting sarcasm is inimitable in both the lyrics and Randy's voice.And, of course, this album doesn't have "It's a Jungle Out There", the theme song for the Monk Televison show, which is so witty.The other songs on this album I don't care for.
By their nature, these books can't be all enclusive so I use Trip Advisor as a more specific reference. I like the PICKS where they explain why a particular restaurant or lodging was chosen. Still it is excellent. I waited for this edition as I will be going to NZ in February, '09. I like their format - I like that they use different writers and their candor.
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