Good Old Boys (Remaster) (CD)

The original pop ironist, Randy Newman is also one of the rock era's finest melodists, citing musical inspiration in pre-rock sources like Charles Ives and Stephen Foster. Despite the arch humor, his songs still pose an emotional resonance that cuts straight to the bone, although sometimes too close; he had, in his own words, "the worst kind of hit one can have" when his misunderstood rant against racism, "Short People," soared to #2 in 1978, sparking unique protests. Newman's deeply-etched portraits of dying cities, aching hearts, and neurotic miscellanea have swiftly spawned many modern standards, covered by too many to mention. In further irony, the quirky songwriter earned his greatest financial success through extensive soundtrack work--for which he has also received numerous Oscar nominations.

• Category:  Music  »  Rock & Pop  »  Singer/Songwriter
• Format: CD   Learn more about the CD format using Tower WIKI.
• Release Date: February 11, 2003
• Label: Rhino Records (USA)
• UPC: 081227383923
• WAPI (Tower ID): 106740023
• Average Customer Review: There are no customer reviews yet. Be the first to write a review!
• Tower.com Sales Rank: #16306 in Music (See Top 100 Music Bestsellers)
• #6147 in Rock & Pop (See Top 100 Rock & Pop Bestsellers)
• #342 in Singer/Songwriter (See Top 100 Singer/Songwriter Bestsellers)

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Personnel: Randy Newman (vocals, piano, electric piano, synthesizer); Dennis Budimir, Ron Elliott (acoustic guitar); John Platania, Ry Cooder (electric guitar); Al Perkins (pedal steel guitar); Red Callender, Russ Titelman, Willie Weeks (bass instrument); Milt Holland (drums, percussion); Jim Keltner, Andy Newmark (drums); Bobbye Porter Hall (percussion); Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Bernie Leadon (background vocals).

Liner Note Author: David Wild.

Whereas 1972's SAIL AWAY played like a superbly crafted collection of short stories, 1974 's GOOD OLD BOYS was Newman's first novel. The literary analogies are not misplaced--Newman brings a writer's eye to character development, detail, setting, and scenario on GOOD OLD BOYS, a concept album about life in the Deep South. The opening track, "Rednecks," is a mercilessly scathing swipe at Southern racism, with a rollicking, sing-along chorus that only sinks the song's knife in deeper. And "A Wedding in Cherokee County" is a lovely ballad about a highly suspect backwoods marriage.

But for every attack on provincialism, Newman offers a tender portrait of a Southern character in the throes of personal turmoil. "Guilty," for example, is a self-destructive man's confessional lament, while "Marie" may be Newman's most heartbreaking and beautiful love song. By inhabiting his characters with uncanny accuracy, Newman achieves a sense of comedy and empathy that might be impossible were he narrating these tales from his own point of view. There are lighter tracks, too, like the good-time "Rolling" and the enigmatic "Naked Man," but even these are graced with the artist's fine arrangements and ear for melody. Unique, confrontational, and moving, GOOD OLD BOYS remains one of Newman's finest achievements.

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