Good Old Boys

It’s hard for me to hear Randy Newman’s voice without immediately thinking of Toy Story. Honestly, I haven’t explored much of his music beyond the soundtrack, so I was curious to give Good Old Boys a proper listen. There are definitely some strong moments on this album. I found a few tracks genuinely enjoyable—but they’re surrounded by a fair amount of filler. Some lyrics feel dated or uncomfortable, and several songs suffer from lackluster melodies or weak musical arrangements. Overall, I’m not sure I’d return to this album. Favourite Tracks: “Birmingham” stood out—though I’ll admit I might be biased, being a Brummie myself. “Rollin’” is another highlight: a bright, catchy pop tune. “Naked Man” also caught my attention, though it’s hard to ignore how much it echoes Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da. Least Favourite: Some lyrics haven’t aged well and detract from the experience. “Every Man a King,” in particular, felt totally out of place and was a real low point for me. Album Artwork: The blurry photo style just doesn’t do it for me—visually underwhelming.

This is not how I remember the Toy Story soundtrack. Seriously the opening track is really something, I’d never heard it and it’s a wild swing that mostly connects.

This was so wonderful -- I just love everything about Randy Newman. Out of the 10 tracks (11 if you count the bonus demo of Marie, which I don't), I had only heard one (Rednecks) before. But every song on this record has something awesome to give, and I really loved it. The one song written by Huey Long was just alright, but Newman's performance really made it shine, so I didn't mind it. Just great melodies, really clever and creative harmonies and masterful piano writing and playing from Newman. I listened to it twice and considered going a third time, but will probably wait and re-listen tonight. Five stars.

That first song was the worst. I didn’t know RN was a good old boy! Too bad.

Every time I hear Randy Newman I think Toy Story: family friendly, folksy, fits in a movie montage but not really something I want to listen to in other contexts. After a bunch of listens, I really only got into a couple of tracks: "Marie" and "Guilty".

Interesting that we ended up with this and Costello's Armed Forced next to each other, since I struggle with both artists in a similar way. Something about their song writing and singing styles seems to, I don't know, self-congratulatory. Regardless, Costello's album fares better. Also, telling that both artists seem to think their writing is clever enough to get anyway with the white-boy N-bomb.

The trouble with satire is the degree to which your audience may be able to interpret the intended message as an anthem versus a thought-provoking lesson (see: Born in the USA, Killing in the Name Of.) So while I get what Newsman is trying to put down with 'Rednecks,' the message misses the mark for me - especially given the extent to which times have evolved to where white folks just really don't (and shouldn't) use that word anymore. The album is fine, solid grandpa and/or little kid music (minus the slurs and references to whores) - but nothing I'd go back to. & very much wonder why so many songwriters & bands of this era were *obsessed* with the south.

I only knew Randy Newman from the Toy Story song, so I was not ready for a satirical concept album about the American south. I don’t think the satire hits the same way in 2025, because basically every song sounds like a MAGA rallying cry. Who or what exactly is being lampooned here? It’s complicated. Newman holds up a mirror to America and what we see is pretty ugly. He’s not celebrating the characters he portrays, but he’s not entirely condemning them either. And these bluesy, jaunty piano songs are tonally confusing. You can just imagine the twinkle in his eye as he wistfully sings about racists and abusive drunks. It feels wrong. What’s really upsetting is the perspective Newman is singing from, these good old boys, has been weaponized, and it’s taken over American politics. The issues he’s highlighting - racism, poverty, crises of modern masculinity - have not been solved in any way. All we have is angry people wielding power and no solutions. It’s a lot to pack into a collection of songs that sound like You’ve Got a Friend in Me. But this album is light years away from a heartwarming animated movie theme. Rednecks - Had to go to Wikipedia for context on this one. Sure, roast the libs, they’re hypocrites, etc. But for obvious reasons this song doesn’t go down well in 2025. Really though, I feel like using that slur didn’t come off well in 1974 either. It’s a super jarring way to start off an album. Anyway I guess little has changed in 51 years except things are worse now. Mr. President - I think this must have been based on Nixon, but it’s eerie listening to this during a second Trump presidency. Louisiana 1927 - All I could think was, Katrina. It’s really sad how relevant this song remained. Rollin’ - The album ends on a curiously carefree note. Just pour yourself a whiskey (or roll up a joint?) and we ain’t gonna worry no more.

This record was... something. All I know Randy Newman from is Toy Story... "you got a friend in me" is a classic... and that Family guy joke where Newman won't stop singing about everything he sees. So I was expecting something fairly family friendly? And boy was I wrong. Randy seems to be tackling racial issues and north verses south politics in America up until the 70s through a collection of Springsteen-esque character portraits. Definitely not family friendly. A truly bold choice for a white guy from California. The lyrics on this one are a tough sell. He throws around a lot of slurs on this thing... especially on the song Redneck and Back on My Feet Again. I get that it's satire and he's criticizing racism, but it's a tough listen in 2025. It doesn't work for me. We're past the point of white dudes throwing around the N-word to make a point. But this album is from 1974 when that sort of thing was "acceptable"... and i do think he has good intentions? I have no clue if his takes stand up well... i don't have the time to dig into them and I don't want to. In general, the lyrics just don't age well... which is a big knock against the album for me. It would be hard to recommend this to anyone without a big upfront warning. Beyond the lyrics... the songs do have a nice warm vibe. They are mainly slow piano driven bar-room ballads with some cinematic strings for emphasis, or jaunty piano man tunes that had me nodding along. It is very pleasant on the ears... until a lyric catches your ear and spits in it... but until then it is very pleasant on the ears. Newman's voice is also very distinct which is a selling point... no one else sounds like this guy. This is a weird one... I wonder how music criticism handles this one in retrospectives or 50th anniversary reviews? Maybe they just avoid it like the plague, and try to forget they raved about it at the time. These things happen though... there are albums that are timeless and there are albums that are of their time. This one is definitely the latter for me.

This is slightly higher than a 2 for me, but not quite a 3. A little jarring lyrically at times, especially coming from the voice of Toy Story. Lots of overlap with what I like about old Elton John, but it’s missing any semblance of.. y’know.. strong singing? It’s always a relief when the backup vocals show up. You can tell he’s writing about important subject matter. And he’s got some undeniable charm. I just don’t have an appetite for a full album of Randy.

A good album, I liked Guilty, Every Man A King and Back In My Feet Again.

Uninspiriertes gejammere.

Even if the lyrical content on this album has a bit more edge than the New Yorker typically would, I still maintain that Randy Newman’s music/satire is the audio equivalent of a New Yorker Cartoon - the spirit is still mostly the same. So, in honor of the occasion of having to listen to another one of his albums, I’ve come up with my own little New Yorker cartoon: ________________ Image: Two dogs on a New York City street. One is sniffing the other’s rear. The dog that is doing the sniffing says to the other… Caption: “You know, ever since Mayor Adams instituted the garbage can law, the city sure does smell a lot better.” ________________

★★★½

It's impossible not to hear the Toy Story theme when Randy Newman opens his mouth. He also apparently loves using the N-word. Every song sounds like if Toy Story got super political about the South in the 70s. This is super political but the goofy delivery makes for a strange combination. Guilty is the best song so far. A lot of songs about the South. It's hard to imagine any of his other albums sounding very different than this one since his film music all sounds exactly like this, but I am curious. Maybe this was his hit album and this New Orleans sound just stuck. The music fits the theme but everything sounds pretty much the same. Maybe he took it too far and couldn't get away from it. I get Kingfish, it's a song about Huey P. Long but it's a song about Richard Nixon. Deep. Not a good album....maybe less aggressively bad than just corny and feeling like it's a critical darling because he was criticizing Nixon through a concept album.

Endearing, but never pulled me in. Tough to believe the opener, slur infused as it is, was written by the same person who wrote You’ve Got a Friend in Me.

Not cool Randy

No, Randy. Bad, Randy.

> the Beatles

Esch so chli Country mässig no guet, stohd aber jetzt ned wörk use oder so

I grew up listening to Randy Newman, thanks to my parents for that. I can't imagine this album would go over too well in 2025, but for the time, it's excellent. 3.5/5 = 4 stars.

Couple days ago I dinged some other album for being too cute/too clever. Randy Newman is the correct amount of cute and clever, with a good execution. Something I normally wouldn’t like, but do. Is You Got A Friend In Me a self-rip-off of Back On My Feet Again? Think it might be.

Solid country singer/songwriter with hockey tonk piano. Questionably problematic lyric content

Randy Newman and I apparently listen to a lot of the same music. But I don’t expect he wants to listen to me play and sing. I definitely don’t want to listen to him. It’s like watered-down gumbo. Why you gonna eat that mild soup when so many others cookin’ so hot?

3.5

Dropping more n-bombs than Kendrick Lamar. I get what Newman was going for here but the execution is way off. Plus, his voice sucks. Piss off.

I like Toy Story, I did not like this.

very enjoyable

6,23

These are definitely not the lyrics I expect to accompany this music. He has a humorous bite that is part satire, part sincere disgust. I appreciate it, but I don't love it.

"Good Old Boys" is as boring as numb feet. Why is this the second Randy Newman album I've been allowed to review? Each one is more terrible than the last.

Randy Newman is good at doing his cheeky, loungy tunes thing. They're not bad, but also not something I see myself coming back to.

This album had me Rollin’.

Not terrible. I like it musically. I like songs based on characters.

Unglaublicher wiedererkennungswert

Ikkje nåke for meg

1 because Randy Newman's music is so fucking boring and I never want to listen to it again. Every song sounds exactly the same. I think he's a good storyteller and an interesting cult figure but he can only write one song and that song is unbearably dull.

I liked this album. I listened to it while trying to decide whether to make brownies or just make dinner. After the first track, which I had to rewind to make sure I heard what I heard, I decided to just start dinner. I like Randy Newman, but after The Family Guy skit on him I have a hard time listening to him without having a little chuckle. He does have a way of singing things like he is describing them, and he kind of never stops. That said I think that some of the songs are really clever, some are really heartfelt, and the album warrants more listens, as did Sail Away. The rating could go up with more listens, but 3.5 feels good for now.

Meh

Not eager to dismiss Randy, but his voice bothers me. Irritating. The relentless overproduction doesn't help.

I mean he’s witty and a clever lyricist but doesn’t do anything for me.

My takeaway from the last Randy Newman album we reviewed was surprise at some of y'alls' reviews railing his singing voice. I'm starting to consider I might have some variation of misophonia (a disorder in which certain sounds trigger emotional or physiological responses that some might perceive as unreasonable given the circumstance) when it comes to certain vocalists, but that ain't triggered by Mr. Newman. I appreciate his limited range for what it is, and his drawl (droll) works for me given the context of his music. I'm bordering on another 5, but tempering it to round out to a solid average of 4.5 for both albums. Note: In addition to all the barbs on this record, he manages the questionable trick of using the n-word as a white man and getting his point across without sabotaging his intent — I can only think of a few other artists (Lennon, Zappa, Patti Smith) who have done that. I couldn't even imagine a context where it makes sense, and it's a bold opening to the record. I find Newman insightful, and biting, and the music and arrangement spot on. I'm a fan.

I don't get the whole Randy Newman thing.

Randy Newman just doesn't speak to me.

The other album on this list rated higher for me - I wasn't so impressed with this one. 2/5

Randy...Randy Randy Randy. I understand, it's satire. But there's a fine line between great satire and pretty blatant racism, and man, I don't know where you fall on that line. Putting aside more N-word counts than a Kendrick album, this record is okay; most tracks are fun enough with a tongue-in-cheek approach. If you're not a Newman fan already, don't expect to become one after this.

I think it’s safe to say that Randy Newman is not invited to the cookout.

5.5/10 Highlight: Rednecks

I never cared much for Randy Newman

Very retro-sounding for its time. Could be 50s or even older, judging by the piano, strings, and bluesy style of vocal/melody. Randy Newman's voice is iconic for his later You've Got A Friend In Me and It's A Jungle Out There (among many others!). He sounds like your local bar alcoholic who's convinced he can tell you a good story but then goes off on a half-hour tangent about Reaganomics. Also, as I like to say, if any human was ever born from an egg, it would be Randy Newman. He's such a musical oddball that you can't help but respect the Newman grind. A pretty long career (starting in 1968) and yet his sound hasn't changed all that much. I realise it could dangerous to claim to enjoy the opening track, Rednecks, but it's pretty good if you ignore the lyrics. (The lyrics send a message, but they're tone-deaf and drop an entire star off what would've been a solid 4-star record.) But the rest of the sound, including the remaining lyrics, is solid. Jaunty, mostly acoustic, decent production, and excellent compositions – including fun melodies and chords. The strings are very pretty, particularly in Louisiana 1927 and Birmingham, and there isn't a single track where they sound too cheesy or out-of-place. It's a straightforward likeable sound – not much else to say. There's not much of an "album arc"/experience that most 5-star records have. That is, Rednecks could just as easily have been placed anywhere in the track listing rather than at the beginning, and Rollin' anywhere rather than at the end. This is an issue with many promising albums on the list. 3/5 Key tracks: Birmingham, Mr. President, Louisiana 1927

no guys you don’t get it he said the n word hard r seven times for artistic purposes

☀︎mais qu’est-ce que j’ai eu le malheur d’écouter?? n word avec un r??? plusieurs fois??? à l’aide???? ☀︎mon premier 1☆ !!🥹 je savais que mon système de notes allait un jour pouvoir être utilisé à son plein potentiel ☀︎niveau musical c’est même pas bon non plus. genre y’a aucun point positif. c’est boring. ok oui l’instrumental ça ressemble à une musique de film, mais genre ça sonne tout pareil anyway ☀︎qui l’eut cru, que 13 chansons pouvaient avoir l’air de 25. en bref c’était une expérience pénible. je peux pas croire que je vais éternellement avoir ça dans mon historique d’écoute sur spotify. je pense que c’est l’heure de supprimer mon compte.

I like his voice but not the song choice. This album is a no for me.

Anders als so manch andere Platte. Deshalb gehört sie in diese Liste.

There is simply something about Newman. I don’t think I should like this music but I do. I can’t relate to the lyric, but I never tire of his stories.

wow - no way in hell Randy would have a career if he started out anytime after 2010. Just like "Blazing Saddles" that would never be made today. Hard to get past the title track - all the rest is same/similar

Not something I like at all. Best thing about Randy is that he has perhaps one of the most identifiable singing voices going but that is probably down to a toy cowboy. Just occurred to me whilst writing that, isn’t Randy a bit of a cowboy name and why he got that gig? But then Randy could be applied to other cheeky things but I digress. Back to that voice- everyone knows it but for me personally it right gets me in the Chaps. For that reason it’s a miss from me David. 2/5 12/4/25

I get the concept of this album, but it's still kinda tough for me to hear these lyrics in the voice of toy story. Very listenable and catchy, which gives it kind of a Lolita vibe. I'll give a 4 for impact and message, but probably won't come back to this one a lot.

‘Sail Away’ is the other album by Randy that I’ve heard, and I thought that was a good record. ‘Good Old Boys’ in comparison is fine lyrically, but I just generally found the music and melodies to be unengaging which affected my overall enjoyment of the album. It just didn’t do much for me.

Cute little songs. 7.8/10

I've never been a Randy Newman fan. I find his music incredibly boring and mundane, even when he's trying to be shocking by dropping slurs in his lyrics. I don't care if this is supposed to be satire, it's still tacky. You can get your point across without being disrespectful. I hate hearing the n word on rap albums, but it's so much worse hearing it here. This isn't a good album and I'm mighty confused as to why it is included on this list.

You can understand why Disney decided on Randy for a lot of their movie music! I think his distinct voice and use of acoustic/orchestral instruments is really good. Despite that, the album was maybe a bit too slow for me and didn't have enough distinction for me to remember any standout songs

5/10

Pretty wild opener on this album

god forbid a white boy catch a vibe

Gave him a 4 only because he did Toy Story “You’ve Got A Friend In Me”

I can see why Disney liked him

Such a magnificent story teller.

Wild. I listened to this album a few times. Rednecks is a song you only need to listen to once. I remember hearing Short People on the radio as a kid. I thought it was pretty funny. This is one of the quirkier albums I've gotten from the generator.

Alright, especially with some context lol

I love Randy Newman, very nice album - few of the songs were really great, others just nice, so it wasn't anything crazy. Still, a very pleasant album even though I think some of the best Randy Newman songs are on his other albums.

Randy Newman, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and Geddy Lee are all too fucking annoying for me to listen to their music.

I hadn't heard these before although i knew of Randy Newman because of "Short People", which i do like. I understand what he's doing with his lyrics, and he's very good at the lyrical poison pen. But i don't like it and don't want to relisten to it ever again.

um

Buena voz y composiciones, pero ¿qué hace este álbum en la lista? El mismo libro argumenta que la única canción a destacar es "Rednecks" por su contexto histórico, y poco más. Es un álbum de roots rock americano estándar. Si no eres un historiador de música contemporánea estadounidense, este álbum es completamente prescindible. Aunque es súper loco que el compositor de la banda sonora de Toy Story sea la misma persona (blanca) que repite varias veces "nigger" sin reparo alguno en este álbum.

Eh. It's not for me. I guess it's just having grown up on Toy Story, but this just doesn't feel right to my mind. I'm going to give it 3 stars because I'm sure it's not actually as rough as I felt it was, but just my ear wanting to hear "You've got a friend in me" when I hear Randy's voice.

It's not bad but it's not my thing

You know it's going to be a fun listen when the summary is basically like yeah this album existed. Sure, I get it it's satire, but part of effective satire is about criticizing those in power. So no, this is not acceptable. Other than that, I don't know what I'm supposed to be finding in this album. The vocals are nothing spectacular (they're arguably not good in most songs), most songs have a similar rhythm and instrument mix and nothing of great interest. Louisiana 1927 had more interesting instrumentals than the others and seemed to fit his vocal range okay. Will gladly never listen again.

Satire requires clarity of intent.

This feels like the album where Randy Newman fully found his folksy, R&B infused, political commentary voice. "Rednecks," "Birmingham," "Marie," and "Louisiana, 1927" are all essential tracks in his discography. Somehow, messages that would feel strident from other artists always invite a sharp laugh of recognition from Newman. He'll give us a moment to feel superior, then quickly pull it out from under us. A wonderful talent.

Toy Story ass shit

fuck ass beats

Icky is a good word to describe this album.

Absolutely brutal

I have never (and I will never) enjoyed Randy Newman

Put this on in work and now HR want to talk to me

He doesn't hold back when creating a caricature of those he targets. He also doesn't hold back when dealing with the wrongs against them. Great depth to this one.

Not a fan of Randy Newman.

Decent but meh

Seen as the best Randy Newman has to offer, but for me this one is the lesser brother of the amazing Sail Away

Lost episode of School House Rock on race relations in the South? This is a pretty bizarre album by today’s standards. Retroactively his voice now sounds like everything is a nursery rhyme for children.

Pretty solid album, usually not my go to type of music.

Wth

good album. given the obvious satire in the first track and the fact that it was made 50 years ago, I'll look past the repeated use of slurs.

Witty, political, and well written tunes. I am a certified Randy Newman enjoyer

Angenehm zu hören, Texte habe ich nicht tiefer betrachtet. Ist ein zweites hören wert. 4/5

I was originally going to give this a 2, but honestly this is a pretty cool album

I’m not the type of person who throws the word “racist” at every turn or opportunity, but this one is pretty simple—I didn’t like this album because of its continuous use of the “N” word. While I understand that Good Old Boys is meant to be a satirical critique of racism, particularly in the American South, I don’t believe in recreating the language and imagery of racism under the guise of critique. It feels classless, and to me, it’s a low form of energy and entertainment.

Oh great, another Randy Newman album. The first song called "Rednecks" uses the N-word...a lot. That didn't age well

I’d like to revisit this album again. I think it could grow on me. I recognize there was something particular about its lyricism, its storytelling, its concept, that’s worth delving into a bit deeper. I was familiar with Guilty via the Jimmy Barnes / Joe Cocker cover, this was the first time hearing the original version as far as I’m aware. For a first listen it was ok, a solid 3.

Den här killen har jag ingen koll på. Googlade och jo men visst har jag hört flera av hans låtar. Är det bra? Vet inte. Lite typisk singer songwriter men inte så upphetsande och väldigt amerikanskt och det känns ju numera inte så kul direkt.

Jaha. Pyttelite "Van Morisson"-sound i några låtar, men det är rätt "meh". Finns nog inte en enda låt som får mig att känna nåt. Det är rätt sopigt. Inte ens hans titellåt till Toy story, "You've Got a Friend in Me" är särskilt bra.

Börjat riktigt bra med Rednecks, som sen visade sig vara den bästa låten. Gillar hans röst, det svänga pianot och den satiriska texten. Därefter blir det tyvärr lite tråkigare. Balladerna och låtarna i lägre tempo är inte riktigt lika spännande och lite för likriktade, även om jag gillar Louisiana 1927 och det i övrigt aldrig är dåligt. På det stora hela en stabil trea.

Having Toy Story be the first introduction of Randy Newman truly does not prepare you for him singing the n-word with a hard R. Anyway this is a concept album with some lovely tunes. But the chances of me sitting down and listening to this in full again are basically nil. 3/5

If toy story was set in the American south at the turn of the century. Pretty damn good apparently

Do you like listening to Randy Newman sitting at his piano singing songs of varying quality? I'm not entirely sure that I do, but you gotta give the man credit for consistency! (There are some songs on here that are pretty good--I just don't see myself ever putting them on again.) (18 known/30 new)

I can't give a full throated endorsement of the album because of the amount of racial slurs sung by a white man, even though they are in the service of shining a light on racism and hypocrisy. I really liked this album, loved the message and the music. No song stayed past it's welcome. Breezy listen.

dark, sarcastic, mean, challenging, and still a great, uncomfortable listen

Kingfish reminded me of Nothing From Nothing by Billy Preston so I guess that automatically makes it better than the other album by him I listened to. I understand the point he is making and stories he is telling, but it’s not one I really want to come back to. I like that white dudes in the 70’s were super comfortable with dropping slurs in their songs in the name of “social commentary”. My favorite song was Mr. President.

Racist ass first song. Not going to give this man any attention.

I just started shock laughing in a crowded office space. Love it! But yeah, this would never pass today — even if its satire.

my initial response to this album was shock, but further research paints an interesting picture. Originally intended as a concept album from the perspective of a fictional character named Johnny Cutler, the album involved into a satirical and pointedly critical album regarding the perspectives of the inhabitants of the Deep South that touches on slavery, racism, hypocrisy of the North, and cultural divides that pervasively covered the nation. The album has received several deep critical studies and analysis of the songwriting, and the easy, playful country tunes are contrasted with the cutting analysis by Newman's lyrics. I like this album a lot - stuck between a 4 and 5, but feels like this deserves a 5.

I liked it, never heard of the album. Would listen again. Thought it was funny.

Newman's piano heavy songs evoke an America long forgotten. The music is drenched in somewhere between Jazz and Blues, and the lyrics seem to spy on US-American lives somewhere in the middle of the last century. As a whole, the album is nice enough, but nothing I would neccesarily re-visit. 3/5

I rather liked the first Randy Newman album I had here. It had this unique vibe of feeling nostalgic, witty, snide, and a little angry at times while all feeling wholesome. This one attempts something similar, though doesn't quite reach the same heights, at least for me. This album doesn't hit like the other one. Maybe it's that the sound is similar enough that it doesn't strike me as fresh anymore. I don't know, but it just didn't hit like before. The concept of this album, though slightly loose, is views on the south from various people's points of view. Which I didn't know going it. Knowing that, I give the album a little more credit than the two stars I was going to give it. It seems a little out of left field, but I can roll with it. We need to talk about "Rednecks." I agree with the message he's trying to espouse here. I agree with the sentiment. I don't agree with his use of the N word. I liken it to John Lennon's "Woman is the N***** of the World" - the message is there, I agree with the sentiment, but he never should've used that word. It was a different time, obviously. We know better now. So I can forgive it a little bit for it being a different time. But don't tell me it wasn't at least a little frowned upon back then. Don't tell me he thought what he was doing was perfectly above board. He knew. And that's where I don't agree with it. I know the song is from the perspective someone who uses that word, a character being portrayed by Newman. But I still can't support it like I wouldn't support it today. Anyway. Three stars. Not as good as his last outing, but not bad. I'll always enjoy an attempt at a concept album. Standout Tracks: Birmingham, Louisiana 1927

omg the toy story guy made albums???? that's so cool, and the style has remained constant for like a few years waow. fav: back on my feet again

I can see why Disney signed this man up to compose and sing some of the most iconic Pixar films. His voice is just incredible, such a clear and well-rounded artist that is very soothing to listen to. The songs are brilliantly well done as well having much country and elements of rock and roll composed so brilliantly. An absolute American road trip album.

Damn, I honestly didn’t know Randy Newman got down like this. Like most people, I knew he was a well-regarded songwriter and was most familiar with his Toy Story anthem. As a music obsessive, I’m actually embarrassed that I didn’t know Randy produced tunes other than standards. This is legit, artistic songwriting, whether it’s meant as satire or not. This is my first real surprise of this journey so far, and what a welcomed surprise it was.

A pleasant and totally unremarkable piece of work. I listened a few times without once being captured at any point.

This just sucks

I find this kind of music just boring and dull. I give 1 star for albums that are insufferable and I can barely get through it - this album is slightly better than that, but it deserves no more than 2 stars.

It’s the guy from Toy Story, but now he says the n-word and is a racist! That’s the consensus of the top voted reviews on the generator. I fully support removing its usage from modern society, however, it may be surprising to some younger folks, but in the 70s, the n-word wasn’t verboten. Sure, calling someone the n-word would rightfully out you as a racist, but using the word in a provocative way in music and other media to illustrate a point was fairly common and was not an indicator of racism. Now, I don’t know Mr. Newman, but a cursory read of his Wikipedia article would indicate that he is not likely to be racist and this album is a work of satire on the state of race relations in the South going back to the days of slavery. Musically, I agree with the assessment that this album is boring and just sounds like a Pixar soundtrack. So, rate this album low because it’s boring and it’s the guy from Toy Story doing the same thing he’s always done, but not because he didn’t hold to 2020s standards of language in 1974.

Polithical and melancholic. Some strokes of dark humor.

Despite being a great composer (that can be heard even on this early album) his texts are something else. If that could be instrumental, would be lot better

slur na 1a musica racista versões das musicas do toy story com comentário social e político é o cantor original das musicas

I don’t know what really to think about this. Musically, it’s nice but also boring at the same time. And the lyrics… ???

Feels like a cleaner less dirty Tom Waits (early stuff)

I am not listening to an album where a white guy says the n word

Randy Newmans Album Good Old Boys ist eine pointierte Auseinandersetzung mit der amerikanischen Südstaatenkultur. Der US-amerikanische Songwriter und Komponist verbindet satirische Texte mit einem orchestralen Arrangement, das stilistisch zwischen New Orleans Rhythm & Blues, Country und orchestraler Popmusik angesiedelt ist. Die Aufnahmen fanden in verschiedenen Studios statt, darunter die Warner Bros. Studios in Kalifornien. Besonders hervorzuheben sind Stücke wie „Rednecks“, das sich kritisch mit gesellschaftlichen Vorurteilen auseinandersetzt, sowie „Louisiana 1927“, das die Folgen historischer Naturkatastrophen behandelt. Auch „Guilty“ überzeugt durch seine reduzierte, eindringliche Atmosphäre. Das Album ist inhaltlich anspruchsvoll und musikalisch vielseitig. Es bleibt eines von Newmans markantesten Werken, da es persönliche und politische Themen geschickt miteinander verknüpft.

Hard to say what to think of this one. Randy Newman was the proto-Gen X "Everything is horrible so we might as well laugh" songwriter. Hard to tell when he's being ironic or not sometimes. There's a lot of heartfelt emotion tied up in this series of songs -- but leading off with "Rednecks" where he's using the hard-r...doesn't come across the same in 2025 as it did in 1975. Worth listening to, but not all that fun.

I liked the music, but the lyrics are shit and left me under the impression that Randy Newman is grade-A buttstock. I later found out he did a bunch of Disney music. It's probably better.

Not really my type of music, idk what else to say.

Kinda chill. I would add this to my movies soundtrack

the suspicious looking guy in the trenchcoat who sold me this swore on his mama that this was a 100% legit pixar soundtrack, come to think of it he was walking a bit wobbly... he might've been two kids stacked on top of each other for all i know.....

like damn Randy, here I thought I knew the guy and his sound from Cop Rock and Toy Story, how did any of his other music slip by me all this time? he manages to make thought provoking songs, dropping n-words, and still makes it sound like a whimsical day in the life.

Imagine only knowing his Toy Story stuff and then turning this on and hearing Randy Newman drop the N word so many times in a song?!? And what a crazy choice to OPEN THE ALBUM with it! I can’t decide if Randy loves America or hates it. Either way I loved this album! Goofy sounding songs with weirdly adult lyrics makes for a fun time.

It's great he found a way in this world through making music (given his obvious brilliance at it) but for people like me, I just can't hear his voice without being haunted by You've Got a Friend in Me. Good Old Boys is of course radically different in lyrical content, tone and perspective. Some of the songs are so critical you're practically bleeding from the cuts. Too bad Toy Story towers over everything of his I hear now — the long shadow has been cast.

I actually quite liked this, but I just really struggle to take Randy Newman seriously, because when I hear him all I can think of is South Park taking the piss out of him.

Randy Newman is so interesting. I can't hear his voice without thinking of a Pixar soundtrack... but this album made me remember his R&B roots and clever lyricism.

One or two songs that I quite liked but he just doesn't do it for me.

i've heard a couple tracks of his before, but i'm not familiar with much of his discography Rednecks - 1/5 Birmingham - 3/5 Marie - 2/5 Mr. President (Have Pity...) - 3/5 Guilty - 3/5 Louisiana 1927 - 3/5 Every Man a King - 2/5 Kingfish - 4/5 Naked Man - 3/5 A Wedding in Cherokee Country - 4/5 Back on My Feet Again - 3/5 Rollin' - 3/5 Average score: 2.8/5 ⭐️⭐️ nothing could've prepared me for the liberal use of the n-word on the opening track. and i'm not willing to hear anyone's "b-but it's meant to be satirical!" excuses either. i think we've come to a point in society where we can critique racism without non-black people resulting to using slurs. if you ask me, it's just plain lazy; do better. overall, the album was alright i guess. it all mostly sounded like toy story music, much like the rest of his work. some of the songs in the last half stood out to me a bit i suppose

Okay, obligatory "you couldn't do that today" preface, but goddammit, what an absolutely acid songwriter Newman could be. And all that venom gussied up in pretty jazz chords too. Very good.

So... it seems the algorithm's theme for this week is country diner... at least we're getting these albums done and over with... I guess if I had to identify one positive thing about this experience, it would be that it made me feel better about myself knowing that this album had zero resonance.

A fine listen. A little too twangy for me, but I guess that makes sense for the album. Not something I will revisit. Didn’t hate it though.

Retire this guy already

3.1 - I like Randy Newman for about 2 songs and then his cadence becomes so similar and boring.

I wanted Randy to charm me, but this was quite a snooze. Fave Track: Naked Man 2.7/5

Feels dated, even for an album from the 70s. Couldn't make it all the way through.

ehhh

Noope.

Ég veit bara tvennt um Randy Newman. Hann gerði Toy Story tónlistina og hann var skotspónn í frábæru Family Guy atriði. Ég verð samt að segja að ég fílaði þessa plötu og mig langar til að hlusta á hana aftur. Hún fær 3.5 en ég set hana í 3 af því að mig grunar að ég muni gleyma henni

Holy shit that first track... It's described as satire/parody but I can see a few people using that as their own anthem. The album was good, but he's a better writer than he is a singer.

Brzmi jak żywcem wyciągnięte z toy story tylko dużo więcej niggerów i negrosów. 3/5

Like listening to Toy Story.... not my bag.

Good Old Boys I’ve listened to this a lot today, and I’m still not totally sure where it lands. A couple of listens passed me by and then a couple of times I found it really engaging Conceptually and thematically it’s great and there are some excellent songs, but I think what’;s confusing me is that there can be a bit of saminess to his song writing, and sometimes it feels like the focus of the album becomes a bit diffuse and it meanders into too much wryness and whimsy. When it’s good it’s pretty great I think, Rednecks taking aim at both Southerners and Northerners smugness and attitudes to race, Birmingham rolls along nicely and Marie is a super, downbeat ballad. Mr President is great too and sounds like an early version of I Love LA, but I think a lot of his songs sound like I Love LA, and in these 4 songs you kind of have the 4 Randy Newman song archetypes. I really like the string motif on Louisiana 1927 and it’s another good song, kind of downcast and bluesy before unfurling with a nice orchestral arrangement. I like the use of Every Man a King followed by Kingfish, about the person who wrote the former, it works really well with the album’s themes. Naked Man owes a bit of a debt to Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da and A Wedding in Cherokee County is pretty good, I really like the Moog and Arp noises and overall feel of the track Back on My Feet Again and Rollin’ are good songs, but I think by the end I got the feeling that his songs seem to work better in smaller doses of 2 or 3 songs at a time, there’s something about 12 tracks sequentially that dragged a bit. I think maybe this is one of those albums where the idea of the album is better than the whole album itself, and maybe listening to 5 or 6 of the songs gets the idea across better than the entirety of it. I’d definitely listen again, but it probably won’t go into rotation, making it a solid 3. 🧣🧣🧣 Playlist submission: Rednecks

With a roll call of The Eagles, Jim Keltner etc, and a knack for a humorous narrative this could be fantastic - but in retrospect he really is quite the one-trick pony. The slower numbers work best. A high two.

Twangy. Repetitive.

I find it funny how the guy who wrote you’ve got a friend in me wrote such controversial stuff 2/5

Honestly didn’t have Randy Newman dropping the n-word on my bingo card. Unfortunately, there’s little else for me to comment on this album.

It's difficult to listen to Randy Newman and think, "Is this part of a soundtrack?" This is just a collection of those songs he's been doing for 5 decades. Don't love it. Don't really hate it. Harry Nillson was doing the same kind of stuff only better. Take this out and give me some Bill Withers.

Okay stop please

Like show tunes for no show. I strongly dislike this melodramatic and overly performative style. For me, this music has very little about it that's worth listening to and I hope not to hear Randy Newman again.

"If you disagree with someone — if you find what they think appalling — is there any value in talking to them? In the early 1970s, the talk show host Dick Cavett, the governor of Georgia Lester Maddox, and the singer Randy Newman tried to answer this question." Not a fan of Malcolm Gladwell but I did really did enjoy this episode of Revisionist History ... https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/revisionist-history/good-old-boys But damn, that song is hard to hear in 2025 ...

Randy Newman is precious in small doses. Great as a backdrop for a surprisingly emotional exploration of a child’s toys. His writing and scores for films have been great. And his songwriting too for that matter. But a whole album of listening to his voice and pleading pianos is too much.

"rednecks" is still scathing, and "louisiana 1927" feels more prescient than historic in the wake of katrina. light-hearted and furious, often in the same song. human kindness overflowing.

I just can't with his voice.

I don't really like Randy Newman. I don't like his voice, his lyrics, or the musical accompaniment to his songs. However, there was a spark of something here, in this easy listening collection of songs about a part of the world I couldn't care less about. I was also kind of surprised when the first song made liberal use of the n-word, with mixed feelings. On balance, this was never going to reach the lofty heights of 3 stars, but I feel 2 stars is appropriate for the short length, inoffensive middle-of-the-road music, and the slight amusement from the lyrics.

All I could think while listening to this were his movie songs

Old time folk. / country frel

What do we have here, then? More awful, reductive takes about one of history’s greatest songwriters, is it? Well, colour me shocked! No matter, my 5 mighty stars will go 0.01% of the way to redressing the balance. Where Sail Away was a more disparate collection of songs showcasing Newman’s stylistic breadth, Good Old Boys is a much more cohesive album, musically and thematically. But it still shows him at his most bitingly satirical (Rednecks), his most beautifully poignant (Louisiana 1927, Marie), and his most idiosyncratically, irreverently humourous (A Wedding in Cherokee County).

decent

I don't know, man. Pretty negative POV, first track over-uses the n-word - I get it, I get it, we're pointing out the racism and hypocrisy both north and south - at this point I need solutions, not more complaining. That said, Randy Newman IS a great songwriter, and I'm thinking (after hearing this album) this is what Tom Waits is trying to be. BUT: extremely self-righteous and holier-than-thou, so for me, off-putting. Don't come in here with your class-struggle bullshit.

Talented musician no doubt...but don't like his music nor his voice.

It's way too early in the morning for multiple n bombs in the first song.

Newman clearly making some tongue in cheek references to attitudes to race in the north and the south although he maybe plays a little fast and loose with slurs along the way which feels very strange coming from the toy story guy. The music itself was pretty enjoyable though.

Definitely love his voice, but didn't know any of the songs. Still pretty good, though.

Kind of interesting music but it did not make a lasting impression on me.

Autentycznie nie wiem, co o tym myśleć. Ten album to satyra, jasne. Ale szczerze mówiąc momentami gość jest tak przekonujący, że serio nie wiedziałem, czy to aby na pewno satyra. Miałem poważne wątpliwości. I na początku myślałem, że gość tak z pełną powagą to nagrał. Album jest ciekawy, spójny i w bardzo pobudzający do myślenia sposób omawia ważne problemy. Zarówno krytykując obiekty swojej satyry jak i wystawiając na próbę nasze własne granice i umiejętność wyważonego osądu. Cały album jest niesamowicie ryzykowny, balansuje na granicy satyry i czegoś, co może w łatwy sposób zostać zawłaszczone przez postaci, które są krytykowane (myślę, że wyrwane z kontekstu "Marie" czy "Guilty" spokojnie mogłyby zostać uznane przez mężczyzn, o których mówi za wzruszające i szczere). Równo 50 lat po wydaniu tego albumu czytanie go jak podręcznika, z którego czerpie Trump, naprawdę nasuwa się samo. Z drugiej strony to, w jaki sposób większość tych piosenek przypomina "You have a friend in me" z Toy Story (to nie przypadek - stworzył ją i zaśpiewał Newman) i piosenki z Monsters Inc. powoduje, że trochę mózg się zacina. To nie są skomplikowane utwory, ktoś napisał w global reviews, że Newman zna więcej obraźliwych słów niż sekwencji akordów. Ale są chwytliwe, klarowne, przyjemnie się ich słucha (oczywiście jeśli nie oburzają Cię teksty). Po słabych ocenach widać, jak bardzo wzrósł poziom kontrowersyjności tego krążka i jak bardzo ludzie nie potrafią spojrzeć ponad używanie n-bomb i używanie sformułowań wyjętych z ust rednecków, rasistów, szowinistów i innych -istów. W dzisiejszych czasach ten album nie miałby żadnych szans. Kojarzy mi się trochę z "I'm not racist" Joynera Lucasa (swoją drogą genialny kawałek, dzięki Cichy za pokazanie mi go pewnego wieczoru na Wałowej), ale on jest czarny i sam się tłumaczył dając ostatnie słowo czarnemu (choć zastanawiam się, czy jednoznacznie staje po stronie czarnych i czy część jego krytyki włożonej w usta MAGA-typa nie jest szczera). "Good Old Boys" jest trudniejsze w odbiorze i widać to po ocenach w Global Reviews. Ludzie nie potrafią spojrzeć poza n-bomby i fakt, że podmiotem w piosenkach jest redneck (wykreowana persona). Jednak fakt, że to właśnie ten gość został nadwornym kompozytorem Pixara wciąż mi rozsadza banię XD. (Ciekawostka, stworzył też muzykę do "Marriage Story").

I wasn't able to unhear the Toy Story song in the end. But overall the album is really decent. Lyrics that could be seen as problematic is nothing new to Disney so i think he found perfect place for himself doing songs for Pixar.

Album pełen gorzkich obserwacji, "Good Old Boys" to satyryczny portret amerykańskiego Południa. Randy Newman łączy piękne melodie z tekstami pełnymi kontrowersji i sarkazmu. Warto przesłuchać dla fantastycznego głosu Newmana. 3.5/5

What I think of as the voice and sound of Americana. It's underlying current of dark stories sugar coated with this happy go Lucky music. But at the same time there is a profound sadness and weight. It's such a weird thing. And I love it.

Really liked this one. The lyrics were great at painting a picture of the South. Favorite tracks were Louisiana, Rednecks, and the Marie Demo.

A really soothing and mellow listen. A bit surprised by the lyrics, but they do make sense since Newman is capturing the essence of being southern. A nice mix of somber songs with serious topics. I do love that this record predates his Pixar albums by 20+ years, but still sounds just like them. Top tracks: Marie, Mr. President (Have Pity on the Working Man), Louisiana 1927

A very intriguing listen with some great tunes and some challenging lyrics. Not what I expected from Randy Newman, excellent.

Good fun.

Dropping N-bombs like he's Sam Jackson in a Tarantino flick lol & sure I guess it fits within the context of the albums concept... But it's definitely a shock. Looking beyond that, I'm not really a fan of piano heavy singer songwriter music.

Herinner me dat ik deze plaat ooit in de kast had staan, als erfenis van m'n ouders. Misschien hebben zij een achtergrond in de Deep South, maar thematisch trekken de kleine verhaaltjes mij in ieder geval niet echt. Het heeft echt wel z'n innige en mooie momenten, en zijn stem is bijzonder comfortabel, maar ik denk dat de grote boodschap over m'n hoofd gaat. En qua muzikale variatie is het dan te weinig om echt mijn aandacht te houden. Elke song heeft exact dezelfde opbouw, door een karakter te schetsen en dan de titel precies op dezelfde wijze te herhalen in het refrein. 'Louisiana 1927' vond ik er wel uitspringen. 6/10 Highlights: Louisiana 1927

Muzikaal een soort mix tussen Elton John en The Eagles (zijn ook de backing-vocals). Piano-ballads gecombineerd met southern rock. Blijkbaar bezingt hij het deep south racisme op een satirische wijze, daarbij 8x gebruikmakend van het n-woord. Door de satire en het ridiculiseren (zingen vanuit een karakter) raak ik de draad een beetje kwijt. En ik vind het niet goed genoeg om 2x de hele plaat te luisteren. 6/10 Highlights Rednecks Kingfish

This one really surprised me. Newman is so affable.

-started this one feeling a little iffy but it grew on me by the end. short and concise with no frill, which I like -though not entirely suited to my taste it‘s a really good addition to its genre I’d say… thank you for your work on the Toy Story and Cars soundtracks Randy Newman -Favorites are Rednecks, Louisiana 1927, and Back On My Feet Again

A little Randy Newman goes a long way.

Hard to get the Pixar comments out of my head. It is very listenable but I’m not too focused on the lyrics.

No like

Classic US - Entertainer sound

I think my review of Sail Away stands here too - not enough variation and a hard-to-listen-to voice.

Nope! Didn’t like this at all

Satire on institutional racism in the key of Disney is a very bizarre thing to listen to.

I don’t want to be harsh, but seriously, how did Randy Newman make it as a singer? Musically it was fine but man that was a hard listen at times

Randy Newman is the opposite of how I feel after eight months of fatherhood.

Never heard him outside Disney movies. I enjoyed that! Some pretty insightful lyrics.

Not a fan Why not ban Put him in a van This crazy American

I think I see what he was trying to do with this one, but no thanks.

This ruined the Toy Story soundtrack for me. Because of this album, I know Randy Newman is a bit of a piece of crap.

I think I understand the concept, but man this is not it…

Mixed feelings.. Lyrics are disturbing. Reviews elsewhere reveal this. But the sound and feel audio wise, is very appealing. I don't know what to think. Maybe 4 stars, it's got something, and I want to hear the album unpacked by wiser minds than me, from a music viewpoint and from a racism viewpoint. That the album exists, is that white privilege? From today? Or the time of the album's release? What do colored folks feel about the album if it is a wry deconstruction of racism? What it it's straight out racist? But the sound is really engaging to me. I'm.perplexd. and for that, it's a good album.

Pretty boring and didn't really work for me. His voice is nice but none of the songs stood out to me at all. 2/2.5

Elvis Costello saying the N word in a song at least made sense...this felt like the Riley Reid rap video where she avoids saying it as long as she can, and then she does and just lets the floodgates open after

hearing randy newman saying the n word is so surreal, like i knew his solo music was crazy offensive but its still weird actually hearing it racism but its funny and kind of nuanced. def didnt need to say slurs but whatever. guys he mad you got a friend in me he can do no wrong

Not for me

absolutely not into this. I really dislike his style of singing and vocals. it's just not for me. 1 star

The only listenable Randy Newman is Will Sasso's parody of Randy Newman. Would give 0 stars if I could. 1 star.

It was OK, I get why people say every song sounds the same though

Highly literate, wholly convincing mixture of biting and tender songs.

First listen. Not bad.

if you've heard one Randy Newman song, you've heard most of them

Ever thoughts how Andy's mums toys are also probably called woody and buzz?

Could have done without this one.

p333. 1974. 4 stars. American satire at it's finest, with lyrics as sharp as a stiletto, and some great tunes. Guaranteed to cause offence. Strange that you can tune into any radio and hear rappers talk about n****s, but you'll never hear "Rednecks" played.

Probably need to listen to it a few more times to truly get it.

That first track did not age well omg

Interesting. First song started a little rough, and a few other wild references. But that was the 60’s.

Well, its been a long time since my last review, but its been a helluva Holiday season. Welcome to 2025. If anybody has kids, they know Randy Newman from many of the Disney movie soundtracks. Pretty unique voice and that heavy piano sound with most of his songs. Because of his association with Disney movies, I was a little stunned by the opening track. I get it suppose to be parody, but it still made this listener cringe each time I listened. Outside of the opener, I found the album to be a very good album to have running in the background while at work. Solid tunes with very a very enjoyable piano sound. I can't say I would save this album as a download, but I certainly wouldn't change if it randomly pooped up on Spotify. 2 songs stood out to this listener and yes, it's because they make me think of of wife, Marie and A Wedding in Cherokee County. I absolutely love the line, "I have loved you since the very first time I saw your face." There is no doubt, I was fortunate to experience "love at first sight." I married her. We're still married and I love her more and more each day. I know I'm one of the lucky ones. Anyway, Randy Newman has a very enjoyable and distinct sound. Thought this album was pretty good. I'll go with a 3.5. 3.5

3 My dad prepared me for this album, but even still, as someone almost exclusively familiar with Randy Newman within the context of Toy Story, the first song on this album was pretty shocking. Yes, I get the song is a sort of satire and making fun of the titular rednecks, but I really can’t imagine cranking the song again in any sort of context. Like, you definitely couldn’t be like “Yo, hand me the aux” and then put this on without judgment being cast on you by everyone around - unless you are just a group of racist rednecks and missed the point of the song. That out of the way, I actually enjoyed this album more than I thought I would. I’m not someone who usually listens to a lot of piano-based artists outside of Elton John, but questionable lyrics aside, I thought there was a nice vibe to just about everything here, and aside from the whole Southern everyman concept, I kind of liked the whole “heartbroken drunk” thing he had going on as well. My favorite songs here were probably Birmingham, Marie, and Louisiana 1927, though I didn’t think anything here was bad - Every Man a King was kind of campy in a carnival sort of sense, but it still worked within the context of the album and didn’t outstay its welcome. Overall, decent album that was pleasant enough to listen to, but it didn’t blow me away by any means, and song #1 is probably going to dissuade me from putting this on again anytime in the near future. I get the messaging, and I’m with you brother, but there’s other ways of going about that still enables your music to be listenable around other people.

This is one of the most brilliant albums that I've heard and the first best album that has been recommended that I hadn't already heard

Appreciate what hes doing and trying. None of the songs stood out. Won't listen again. Its not bad, just nothing is as good as I Love LA

I loved it. It sounds like all my childhood favorite movie soundtracks but slightly different. interesting opening song. not sure what to think

Wow the only record of his I own. Being from the south, there isn’t much music outside of country that turns its focus down here. I can’t think of a better album to represent the old south Rating: 4.9

Je sais que cette opinion est biaisée par la musique de Disney, mais c'est tellement dur de prendre au sérieux ses albums post Toy Story. Par contre, même sans ça, je ne trouve pas cela si impressionnant ou marquant comme musique. De plus, son utilisation du mot en "n" a très mal vieilli et on dirait qu'il cherchait une raison de pouvoir l'utiliser pour que de le dénoncer. Je trouvais que beaucoup des commentaires sociaux n'étaient pas bien transmis. 4/10

Sounds just like Toy Story and Princess and the Frog. Rednecks did not age well. Marie is a pretty song. Strange amount of substance abuse songs. Kingfish has some eerie chords around 2:07 that are cool. Rollin' with the strings is also nice. Pleasant enough album.

This plays an awful lot like a metropolitan Tom Waits. For how much I love Waits, I don’t know how I feel about this. Newman spins a nice yarn I suppose, but it lack the grittiness. However, he didn’t pull punches on the red necks, which I appreciate. I think online this after all. Maybe we just need more storytellers.

A mix of easy listening and country. Not too bad but a little flat.

you can't be talking like that white baby 2/10

Glad musik. Känns som varenda låt skulle kunna vara med i Toy Story.

Enjoyable sound, enjoyed Louisiana 1927 in particular

Rednecks was a…surprise to be sure. The album is interesting in that it sounds really good but the subject matter is treading a fine line. Hits close to home considering I know the Good Old Boys-type folks. Just not sure what to put.

2 out of 5. Nothing much really struck me and pretty much what I expected from this album and artist. And yes, hearing the guy who sings Toy Story say the n-word was weird.

This did nothing for me and I don’t get why it’s on here at all. It’s just Randy Newman being Randy Newman. I get the feeling he is probably insufferable

vitun hauska. tämä poika hulluttelija! pälättäjäpoika. Randy Newmanin hienoin, monimutkaisin teos- ja konseptialbumi. Jossain on lainaus – en löydä sitä nyt – herra Newmanilta, jossa hän puhuu illallismusiikin tekemisestä, jota ei voi soittaa illallisjuhlissa... hehhheh.... hei herra newman voisinko pyytää erästä biisiä... heheh.. ai mikä biisi? heheh.... voisitko laulaa sen yhen siitä heh..... tiiät sen yhen kyllä siitä...... heh....... heheh..... keep the niggers down biisi heeehhhh........ voiikto laulaa sen..... excuse me i have a song request mr newman..... Hyvä albumi mutta alkaa nää suruloput vituttaa.. ainako sitä pitää niin surulliseksi mennö kun albumi loppuu.. rednecks

I thought this guy was a living meme, turns out he has good stuff. Nothing I'd go out of my way for however.

It's very randy newman... rednecks is a parody right.... right?!

It sounds like Randy Newman, and that's about all I can say about it. It isn't horrible.

Impressive amount of slurs for a Toy Story sound track! 3.5 stars

Couldn’t get into it. Couldn’t stop thinking of Toy Story and that one joke in Family Guy: https://youtu.be/bPagzl4EQ4Q?si=JQwt_7Enlnuyk1c5

Very pleasent album though I kept waiting for buzz and woody to make an appearance

Very distinctive voice, to the point that everything sounds a little bit like you've got a friend in me. I think that first track was a tongue in cheek heightened caricature of what Randy sees as misplaced southern stereotypes but it was still jarring to hear the toy story bloke sing it. It's generally quite pleasant and nobody else sounds like him but I think his voice made him famous rather than the music which is fairly pedestrian. 2.5.

Music for people that don't want a challenge. All tracks on this album are inferior to You Got A Friend In Me. All tracks are near identical. Kingfish is alright. I did not hate it.

Can't hear his voice without thinking of toy story..... Also very strange hearing that voice swear! My problem I guess, but kinda stopped me listening to this properly. All sounded very similar regardless

Imagine listening to this and thinking I want this guy to do the soundtrack to my heartwarming animated kids movie. Anyway this sucks. What a waste of time 3/10

Holy shit it's the guy who did 'You've Got a Friend in Me". I friggin love this guy! Going off of Spotify streams, it seems most of Randy Newman's most popular songs are Pixar scores - but before all that, there was this album: 'Good Old Boys'. Some moments here remind me a lot of Tom Waits' early works but less bar-fly and more pop. It's a cheery-sounding album a lot of the time but the lyrics on many of these songs tell a different story - like on the songs 'Mr. President (...)' and especially the opener 'Rednecks' which is one of the most striking criticisms of southern (and northern) racism I've heard from this time. There are also a few songs here dedicated to his hometown of Louisiana like the aptly titled 'Louisiana 1927' and 'Kingfish'. Lyrically speaking, it's as American as can get - albeit in an undeniably sarcastic and tongue-in-cheek way. It's a great album lyrically with quite a lot to chew on and the production and instrumentation here are lush and diverse all throughout its generous runtime. It's easy listening. But ultimately, it's Newman's singing flow and vocal style that gripped me the most here. It's such a loveable voice that works marvels in every context here, be it the slower songs, or the more upbeat ones. Such a great album and a tremendously enjoyable listen.

An interesting overall concept album (or at least strongly themed as one in its original release) that both presents a picture and makes commentary on it.

Let's be clear: Newman would be cancelled for some of this today. And it would be on him – he clearly fancied himself a provocateur but the targets seem obvious and the jokes aren't as clever as he thinks (and his fans do). There are moments to be sure – "Marie," "Guilty" and "Louisiana 1927" – and real craft here but also a whiff of hackery. The instrumentation doesn't exactly suit the material either, with strings and brass that lay it on the thick, the cheese and sappiness and borderline sentimetality (and wouldn't Newman cringe to be accused of such?). Also, taking points off for the pretty crappy soundtrack work that would follow, though perhaps they were crappy by design since the movies were same. Though his partisans love to claim a lack of appreciation, his position in the canon – resting heavily as much on novelty hits and lame (if no doubt well compensated OSTs) as anything of more substance – seems about right, which is why it's safe to forget him.

That first track is wild.

Why the Disney man say the n word? A lot more politically charged than what I thought Randy Newman’s music would sound like. 5/10

Southern Americana

This is an album I struggle to rate. Is a concept album, based on the American south. It hits on some important topics. It has some historical facts. It’s clever. I suppose I need to give it credit for all that. That said, It is pretty dull to listen to. I’m would give it four stars because of all the historical commentary but it’s probably a 2.5 as a listener. This one really is all about the lyrics.

Can't hear his voice without thinking of Toy Story. Not my favorite voice, but the music was OK. I don't think I would seek it out again.

I think Randy Newman has a recipe for songwriting that works. At the same time, I think Randy Newman uses the same recipe every time, and that gets old quick. Like, it's not bad, but it's so predictable. I like some unpredictability in my music. I don't want to be able to predict the next rhyme, or where the music will go next. If I feel like I'm ahead of what's happening, why listen?

Call me a snowflake, I just couldn’t listen to the album after the first song left such a bad taste in my mouth. Was not Randy Newman’s place to make that song

Randy Newman really just went for the jugular opening with rednecks huh? Like ‘oh it’s not like I’m gonna be scoring Disney soundtracks or some shit later on I see no issue in issue in using the n-word in the refrain of the opening song’. Idk what he was thinking with that move but he sings like someone with Down syndrome speaks and a lot of the songs were just uninteresting for me.

Not a fan of this and did a double take when I heard him drop the n-word multiple times. Even if it’s satire that’s a word tough to hear.

Never did I expect the guy who wrote "You've Got a Friend in Me" to have a song with the n-word used 8 times...

The winsome rubberiness of Newman's voice called me back, so dispelling the suspicion of kitsch and corn I held over the songs. Deceptively easy, they have splinters and the odd refrain I found myself singing back.

I liked this a lot more than the previous Newman on here. Easy to dismiss as "Toy Story but racist", but the empathy seems genuine and the song quality is high, good tunes. A pleasant surprise

Didn't really care for it but lyrically good at story telling

Yeah i liked this a lot :) converted

Some interesting social commentary, but every song sounds the same and I reckon I could fit "You've got a friend in me" lyrics into every song on this album :-/

Some truly excellent socio political commentary and excellent satire that, sadly, is still relevant 50 years later. Didn't expect to like this but it defied my expectations.

Never heard him before outside of tunes for Toy Story - that’s all I could think of while listening to this - however with the lyrical content it’s unlikely any of these are appearing in the next Pixar production!!!

I appreciate that it's satire but the racial slurs are a no from me. He's a good musician but man get this off the list for the love of god.

Disney music feat. several drops of the N-word. A match made in heaven. It's catchy. It's probably the same song repeated 12 times. It works.

Few white men can get away with using the sort language and words, that Newman carefully weaves into his sharp and satirical storytelling. It’s a thin line, but he balances perfectly.

Boring, not making me feel any type of way

I don't think this album was really made for me. Idk, all the songs felt very safe and samey (with the exception of "Rednecks" which had some pretty provocative lyrics). I really can't imagine ever coming back to this one. That being said, I can see why someone would like this album. The Vibe: You are a little kid being babysat by your weird uncle and he puts on this CD in the car and says "now THIS is music. None of that rap or hip hop crap the teens are listening to these days," then he rants for fifteen minutes about deranged conspiracy theories and bigfoot before dropping you off at your house. (you only ever see him one more time at Thanksgiving, but never again. Your parents say he moved to New York but you think he might've gone to jail)

For some reason wanted to hate this. It's a bit shocking at times, but the satire is there

A warts and all exploration of the south told by a master storyteller. Great stuff that will get under your skin.

14/9/24 Surprisingly enjoyed this album. Easy listen

Randy Newman always provokes nostalgia, even when he's singing about derogatory slurs. I have mixed feelings about this odd album. Favorite Track: "Kingfish".

It's Randy Newman: singing what he sees.

It's fine

Wow those lyrics on the first track... I know that it's supposed to be lampooning those views but it's still rough to hear. Aside from that, the album is really enjoyable if somewhat slight. His voice just transports me to being a kid watching Toy Story though which makes it hard to not be happy while listening.

Tämmöstä jonka tahtiin sopii kyhjöttää pubin nurkassa 3/5

AIka hauskaa vinoilua tuo ykköskappale. Muuten vähän keskimääräistä toimivampi kantrilevy, jonka sanoitukset on osuvia. Taitaa silti jäädä kolmoseen.

Kinda gentle I think? 2.5

i can't believe this works

Well-crafted album from a gifted songwriter. Could never sing "Rednecks" today.

Hadn't heard the album before, but I had heard a song or two. Really good songwriting. I like his willingness to take on some pretty difficult topics. I also like the nuance of his cultural commentary...Rednecks is critical of both the racist southerners and the self-righteous northerners. He adopts the perspectives of Southerners in generally empathetic terms. I also like the Ragtime-tinged Americana of the music.

going into this listen, the main song i associated with randy newman was “short people”, which has to be one of the stupidest songs i have ever heard. so, the bar was low. most songs are pretty listenable, to be honest… however, most of the songs are PAINFULLY similar. and “rednecks” just seems like an excuse to write a song full of the “n word”. but over all, not a bad album.

No short people

very monotonous. As soundtrack for cartoons maybe it’s good but conscious listening or even in the background

Previously rated: Sail Away (3/5) *********************** Standard Randy Newman sound. This one was more political than Sail Away. I won't hold it against him too much.

Satire is a tricky topic, one that I have no right discussing, so I'll just avoid the slur can of worms that this album can be. Otherwise, this album just sounds like the guy who wrote the Toy Story soundtrack decided to make a bunch of Harry Nilsson-esque tunes, which is exactly what it is. That means there are some really pretty tunes, some songs that make you want to bob up and down, and a lot of songs that feel just like they could be played on a speaker and no one would bat an eye were they not paying attention to the lyrics. It's okay, dare I say pretty, but whenever I focus on Newman's voice something just bothers me. It isn't grating, per se, but it is lacking, and that fits for most of these songs, luckily, but thirteen tracks of it can be a bit much, even with how short it is. Still, nice enough, I suppose.

Bro shouldve stayed on doing disney and kids music. Using them slurs dont make it different or special. It shows lack of character and a tryhard to show that he can be otherwise... but for what??? adds nothing to the sound itself 1.5/5.0

Funny, and not a bad album!

Ok

Great blues album, about hardships of being black in the deep south. Great message and great sound

The Toy Story guy opens with some hard R's in his first song. I don't really agree with the hypocrisy callout that Newman signals to in Rednecks because, while there are many racial issues in America's largest cities, it's still progress from literal slavery. The rest of this album sounds ok, I kind of like his distinct voice and the clarinets present throughout the album.

def not for me and some very Eurosong lyrics.

Not gonna lie, this is pretty mid for me. The compositions, while pleasant, sound like anyone could have come up with them and I don't have much use for "biting satire" or really any kind of comedy in music. Still, it is a toe-tapper.

I don’t know anything about Randy Newman apart from the Toy Story song. It turns out that’s his signature sound.. earthy country rock sound.

Great album full of wonderful music with biting lyrics. I kept playing it again and again.