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Randy Newman - Sail Away Audio CD

A fair review of the Randy Newman "Sail Away" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Randy Newman reviews here, or go back to the Randy Newman tabs.

Randy Newman Band: Randy Newman
Title: Sail Away
Rating:
Release Date: 2002-05-21
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Sail Away 2: Lonely At The Top 3: He Gives Us All His Love 4: Last Night I Had A Dream 5: Simon Smith And The Amazing Dancing Bear 6: Old Man 7: Political Science 8: Burn On 9: Memo To My Son 10: Dayton, Ohio - 1903 11: You Can Leave Your Hat On 12: God's Song (That's Why I Love Mankind) 13: Let It Shine 14: Maybe I'm Doing It Wrong (Studio Version) 15: Dayton, Ohio - 1903 (Early Version) 16: You Can Leave Your Hat On (Demo) 17: Sail Away (Early Version)

Flawless, genius
Not a weak track on it, and several mind-boggling, if not life-changingly profound, songs to ponder (Old Man, God's Song). It's not rock'n'roll, but in the broader 'rock' context, one of the very best albums ever made. Even the songs with a veneer of dittiness (Simon Smith, Political Science) are rich in meaning. Death, sex, love, politics, religion, the environment. . . they're all in there, and more, covered with Newman's typically skewed but skewering insight. A songwriter's manifesto which is as terrifying as it is inspiring, because it's so good.


a classic
He is extrordinarily witty and real and that is something very lacking these days. I am just rediscovering the joys of listening to this artist. This album is considered one of his finest, but I have about six of them now, and they are all just as good. Do not hesitate, this is worth every cent you pay.


"You just sing about Jesus and drink wine all day"
It's a composition that sounds as American as apple pie, full of warm humility and earthy passion, with spare and elegant instrumentation and a delicately beautiful (but undeniably majestic) melody. Someday (and I know that this day will come) some hapless politician is going to use "Sail Away" as his or her campaign song. Newman's vocals are passionate and emotive, his lyrics dreamy and hypnotic. He paints a utopian vision of America, one that echoes with age-old ideals ("In America every man is free") and evocative imagery ("Ain't no lion or tiger, ain't no mamba snake/ Just the sweet watermelon and the buckwheat cake"). It's the kind of thing that can win elections. Presuming, of course, that one doesn't examine the lyrics too closely. Do that, and you'll realize that silly old Randy is singing in character, playing a smooth-talking slave driver convincing Africans to get on the boat with him.

Randy Newman was a master of dark irony and intellectual trickery, and Sail Away is one of his greatest triumphs. The above-mentioned title track is one of his most brilliant and mean-spirited pranks, not only for its skillfully disguised duplicity, but also for how earnest and compassionate Newman's character sounds. The song could easily move some misguided patriot to tears, and strike an equally unaware cynic as a piece of jingoist propaganda. Which is what makes it a masterpiece: It flawlessly (and mercilessly) satirizes the blind, unthinking, if-you're-against-the-war-you're-against-the-troops sort of nationalism that patriotic fervor often degrades into. Newman was a patriot, but he didn't let it cloud his judgement, and "Sail Away" is a gorgeous demonstration of that fact. "Political Science" has a similar (but more explicitly satirical) message. It's a brief, charming, catchy little pop ditty in which Newman (again in character) proposes that America nuke just about every other nation off the face of the earth as a solution to overpopulation and anti-U. S. sentiment. Only Australia will be spared our wrath ("Don't wanna hurt no kangaroo").

Elsewhere, Newman lends his dark vision to the spectre of aging ("Old Man"), fame ("Lonely At The Top"), sex (the bizarre, hilarious "You Can Leave Your Hat On"), and nature ("Burn On," which works because it's hypnotic, because the lyrics are full of imagery, and because Randy sounds adoreable when he says "Cuyahoga River"). "God's Song (That's Why I Love Mankind)" is one of the most devastating songs ever written, a dark meditation on man's relationship to God that offers little comfort to our species. "Dayton, Ohio - 1903" is a brief, gorgeous paean to a simpler time, and "Memo To My Son" is a barbed ode to parenthood.

Cynicism and irony included, Sail Away is a brilliant album, a collection of smart, scathing pop songs. Like Elvis Costello and steely Dan, Randy Newman only seems clean and innocent.


Sail Away! Randy Newman
. sigh . . evidently no longer a Randy Newman fan. (rememberd "Short People" from way back).

Blessings to Amazon!.


political science
randy's prime is here, his best album along with good old boys, every song is tops from this underated gem.


You can see a complete list of all Randy Newman discography, or go back to the Randy Newman tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.

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