Reviews (page 7 of 8)
nah.
I really can’t get into Randy Newman. Too much a novelty sound. Works with kid movies, not for adult music.
Interesting first song to walk into. I understand the message but it’s crazy this day and age to hear haha. Overall it’s got an interesting sound but Randy Newmans voice does nothing for me. Weird storytelling to each song. Not something I enjoyed too much
Eh. It is Randy Newman. No need to revisit.
I really understand the appeal I just didn’t click with it
I'm familiar with a lot of the memed Randy Newman songs, but haven't listened to a full album. I'm sure it will be interesting... not sure in what direction, though. Overall the music was fine, nothing too catchy or impressive. There weren't any songs that really grabbed me, but it didn't offend me or turn me off, either. 2/5
Randy newman songs all sound the same
Well. That first song definitely caught me a little off guard; a bit jarring to the ear in 2024. I can generally appreciate some Randy Newman, but as for this album, it’s kind of meh. I probably wouldn’t listen to it again on purpose.
Mad props to RN. I understand he's and American treasure. His scathing political commentary and lyrical genius are obvious. Every time I hear his music I feel like I'm on a merry go around at an old amusement park.
Er for goofy for min smak altså
I understand that Randy Newman is critically acclaimed as one of the great American songwriters. As a songwriter, I can admire his ability to craft a clever story. As a white American male, listening to this collection of songs is downright depressing. My only consolation is that I don’t live in the south. From a musical composition perspective, listening to the complete album all at once can put me to sleep. In summary, I could listen to the album again, but only in small doses.
Good composure, yet I have never been a fan of his voice and it takes me out of the song.
Meh.. tried to do some parody music but the music part fell flat. 2 naked men out of 5
Hopefully Randy Newman is playing a character in 'Redneck', but the lyrics still make for very uncomfortable listening. The rest of the album has some nice moments in Newman's inimitable Toy Story style, but I was so taken aback by the opening track that it was difficult to just listen and enjoy them. Rating: 2/5 Playlist track: Louisiana 1927 Date listened: 26/01/24
All the songs sound the same. Sonically it's fine, albeit boring. The most interesting part was the intro stuff to Kingfish- the discordant build of instruments had promise and then it went back to being rhe same thing we'd heard for 10 songs. Lyrically, it's also boring. Apparently this album is supposed to be satire? Not very smart satire, if that.
Rating: 3.5/10 Nah.
Racist
This was a weird album for me. I see what he was going for with the concept album idea, but I don’t think it ages super well forty years later. It’s like the musical equivalent of Archie Bunker, but without other characters to play off it falls kind of flat for me. I can’t tell if I’m supposed to be laughing at this guy or pitying him, and despite the dig about northern hypocrisy in the opening track it just feels kind of mean-spirited? I learned some history from looking up the subjects covered in the album—Huey Long and the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 to name a couple—so I guess it deserves some points for that. Beyond that, I think I’d prefer to listen to Ray Charles for the style of music and stick to soundtracks for Randy Newman.
Randy singt über die Südstaaten; klingt genau so wie man es erwartet; 2,5
(see notes for Sailing Away). Witty, slightly humourous poke at racism and southerners.
old school rock / pop / soul, with southern accent.... some hidden gems including 'you've got a friend in me' (not in this album) ... easy listening but definitely not hype music, 2-3 stars
If you don’t like to hear Randy fire off n-bombs but you like the melody of Rednecks, good news: he uses pretty much the same melody on a lot of the other songs on here! He also uses the structure “Title of the song, Title of the song, some other line, some other other line” for at least five songs on the album. Kingfish and Louisiana 1927 are quite good. 4.5/10
instantly heard the “you got a friend in me” guy lol but pretty mid
Ok, let's remove all the racist shit. The songs are catchy. But they all sound the same. He is trying to be a weird sounding Billy Joel, but nothing is amazing like Billy Joel's songs. Everything is just catching but all the same.
The first song was never going to be an easy listen in current_year (and knowing its backstory doesn’t help anything), but even otherwise the lyrics and the generic country twang just aren’t my thing.
Didn't get a lot from this
Nice enough, though the even slower stuff was too much or a dirge
This is the guy from Toy Story's 'You got a friend in me....' Apparently this is the same guy who uses the N-Word frequently in his music. Very surprised by that. Especially given that he is a piano driven artist, and a lot of his songs are geared towards a romantic side. But Mr. Newman sure likes his good ol' fashioned racism. Sure the song in reference, is talking about how rednecks are idiotic and worthless... But you know, you just can't help calling the black folk the n word, can't you now? Piano is great in this album. The orchestration is far too good for this album. And should not be even on it. But oh well. It is there. These songs are definitely geared towards old women. Those who are now in their 70s. Oh, and racists. Newman's voice sounds hilarious and I can't even take his romantic song serious. It sounds like he is deaf... 2/5 for that nice Piano. Should be a 1/5
Rock Album mit vielen musikalischen einflüssen, allen voran country musik. Leider dadurch sehr durchwachsen und mit fehlender Kontinuität im Konzept.
i'll never understand how this voice had a successful career
Nice. Almost lovely. But really samey and doesn’t really ever get anywhere. I just want to walk into my local and see him on the piano. I imagine live it’s unreal
Par for the course with a racey song to start off the album
Meh
So boring
Good songs and range, but I am uninterested in his depiction of southerners. 2/5
I was surprised how refreshingly edgy the lyrics are by modern sensibilities.
Ummmm I liked Marie (the last song). A tad racist for my taste. The music sounded fine though.
1/11, 9%
Strange listen. Randy slings around the N word (both hard R and “Negro”) so many times in the first song that I was thrown off the rest of the album. Overall it’s probably a 3/5, but given that start it has to be a 2/5. 1972 must’ve been a different world to get away with that.
'Satire' that has aged like milk. Nice tunes but they all sound exactly like the Toy Story song.
"Mr. President (Have Pity on the Working Man)" is pretty good, but the rest didn't do much for me.
According to Wikipedia and whoever else this is a “roots rock” album. It’s not; it sounds like every other Randy Newman bit you’ve ever heard except this time he’s singing about hillbillies.
meh I thought the first song was super racist until I heard it again
"Good Old Boys" by Randy Newman is a concept album that unfortunately misses the mark. Released in 1974, it attempts to explore themes of Southern identity and cultural complexity, but the execution falls flat. Tracks like "Birmingham" and "Rednecks" aim for biting satire, but the album's lyrical approach often comes across as heavy-handed and uncomfortable. The production is simple and unadorned, which complements the album's storytelling style. However, the album's overarching theme might not resonate with all listeners, and its attempt at provocative social commentary might instead alienate some. While Newman's intent to engage with challenging topics is evident, "Good Old Boys" struggles to maintain an engaging musical experience throughout, leading to moments that feel more cringe-inducing than thought-provoking.
Randy is mij wat te belegen...
Nadat Randy een half uurtje op de achtergrond had staan pingelen zei ik tegen Nieke: ik krijg een beetje de schijt van Randy. Dat dus.
Mais um country calmo com baladas.
not one of the 1001
Who? Oh the Toy Story guy! Kinda like a more upbeat and happy Tom Waits? Maybe? IDK, it was ok but could have lived without it.
Not my style
Political satire aside, this is boring and very same samey. If you've heard a Friend in Me, you've heard this entire album. It's not exactly a bad album, it's just boring. If you were in headspace to analyse the lyricism you'd get more out of it I'm sure. 2.5 Fav track: A Wedding in Cherokee County
Bold and commendable songwriting, but maybe not in a style I fully click with. Some fun in there too, but might not be putting this on all the time. Two and a half. Fave track: Kingfish
Randy Newman says the nword 2.5
Yikes dog
Once I heard the first song I knew I wasn't going to like the album. Maybe this was supposed to be commentary or satire or whatever, but to me it just sounded like country music wrapped in Randy Newman's voice. Not my thing.
Good Old Boys sounds easy on the ear, content notwithstanding, but it's not skilled or particularly good. 2.
We've had Randy Newman before, but this album is quite different to that - he's much more political, even if the sound of the music is identical. That said, I don't think a lot of it lands particularly well, sounds like he's trying too hard, and the emotions he's trying to get across don't really fit with the laid-back style of the music. 2/5.
Not great
I don't hate Randy Newman's voice, but I think it's best consumed in small doses. Just too much Newman for me all at once. Also it just felt like ranting from an ignorant person at points? Some of it was poignant, but some of it was just... performative? I don't know.
Nothing special
more like a 2.5 from me. a little too twang, which was unexpected
You’ve got a friend in meeee
Wooooooah dude said the n-word kinda crazy. Idk the rest of the album was eh but like why did he have to do that? Idk Disney picked this guy and said fuck it let him cook.
What a shift from xray Spex to Randy Newman. I was not expecting him to just casually drop the hard R like that. Kinda lost me a lot with that right off the bat. I know hes super loved in the disney scene but man i cannot let that hard R go, thats just ridiculous. So about the music… I mean it isnt bad, its hard not to enjoy his voice and the slow bluesy backing track. HE GOT SOME COCAINE FROM A FRIEND??? WEE-see-anaah He really does have some out of pocket lyrics. I was not expecting that from beloved disney singer man. Is randy newman a communist? Every man a king giving big commy vibes. Christ he really has such out of pocket lyrics. I relly cant rate this well with how absurd this mans writing is.
Hey guys so I’ll be honest it was a bit of a compromised and unfocused listen. From what I heard I enjoyed it quite a bit, however the opening track was a strong message that just could not have been shaken off through the rest of the listen. What would Woody think if he heard that song with the hard R slurs?
Another snoozer from ol' Randy. Doesn't even get into the darker, more complicated narratives that at least jazzed up his previous efforts' songwriting, and drives home my impression of the guy as the Tom Hanks of music.
I know too many “good old boys” who are anything but good. This music does nothing for me and the whole middle America humble charm schtick is too hokey for me to enjoy. The guy has songwriting talent, but his voice is grating. There’s nothing to latch onto. I hate the creepy blurry photo on the cover too. It repels my interest on every level.
Leffamusiikki meets New Orleans. Hienot soundit ja vokaalit, keskinkertaiset biisit.
Hyvä albumi mutta alkaa nää suruloput vituttaa.. ainako sitä pitää niin surulliseksi mennö kun albumi loppuu..Järki käteen........... ....... Ja ostoksille En usko että tässä oli aineksia suureen tähtimäärään.. vaikka mahti soundi..... hyvä soundi.... ei lehti...
Bore off mate
Ehhh. Didn't like that he used the n word though.
A very weird album to listen to. It definitely sounded like all his movie soundtracks- which is a positive - but the subject matter was a weird choice at times. I’m not sure I’d go back and listen to it, but it was well made
Why? OK, he had a hit with Short People (which is not on this album) and then decided to get rich by scoring Disney/Pixar movies. A good career move but one that rather removes him from the cohort of musical heroes. But why is this included in the 1001 albums you must hear before you die. I could have missed it entirely without any hardship whatsoever.
1 star for enjoyment. Extra 1 star for their talent. Not my scene at all.
Na twee nummers was ik wel enthousiast. Maar dan wordt het echt soft en dan duurt een half uur toch lang zeg.
mild nostalgia. Toy Story. Overall relatively mid
Nice songs, but not really my bag
This is definitely not something I would have listened to on my own, so I appreciated it for that. It wasn’t really my taste, though.
09/20/2022 Retrospective listen. It’s like….why do I like and hate this album at the same time. The lyrics were so dark and creepy tbh, but I half-like his voice? Feels like the Beatles and Dylan had a fucked up inbred child with this vato….
So, "you've got a friend in me" is basically a repurposing of Birmingham. For an album Barely over half an hour. This kinda drags.
Nice melodies but can’t get over the weird lyrics
Doesn't feel good
absolutely nothing special, pretty boring actually
2.5/5
Getting pretty sick of all the Randy Newman at this point.
Rednecks was a good song but I kept wishing the album would finally end right after that one.
Wake me up when Good Old Boys ends...
There's a hype around this album that I just can't get. It's not bad, but I just don't get it.
This was a snoozefest
i mean it is funny
Eh
I'm realizing I really don't care for Randy Newman's voice outside of Pixar movies and TV show theme songs. Needless to say, it was also very jarring to hear him use the n-word, social satire or not 😬
All I can think of is Toy Story when I hear Randy Newman. Interesting political commentary throughout but overall there wasn't much variety in the songs. Still a decent listen but nothing I'd recommend.
Not a big fan.
The instrumentation, was great. The parody, was overrated. The voice, not my style. And wow was that first song jarring from the "You've Got a Friend in Me" guy.
05/14/2022 More Newman? Ok, then...
I hated this when I first heard it in 9th grade and I hate it now. Yeah, yeah, it’s satire...but like most satire, the people who need to get the point never ever do. They were listening to Skynard when this came out and they’re listening to Kid Rock and the new Ted Nugent today. So don’t put the load on me, I could have spent this time listening to Black Uhuru or the Clash.
I like the idea of Randy Newman, but ultimately his a bit ragtime a bit singer songwriter approach, and his dolorous voice, are a bit much over a whole album, however clever and insightful the lyrics.
Track 1, I thought I knew Randy Newman. That guy from Toy Story, right? Track 4, yup, I've heard all I need to.
Not a big fan - it’s an interesting slice of Americana but can’t really enjoy an album by a white man that freely uses the n-word in multiple forms.
Pedestrian, unfortunately
Kinda racist, kinda reminded me of being a kid.
Properly named album tbh
“Good old boys” makes sense after hearing how many times he drops the n word in the first song
I have never listened to an album from Randy Newman. I don't think that I have chosen to listen to an individual track from Newman either, other than listening to Newman's music from the Pixar movies with my kids. All of the tracks from this album were new to me. Overall the music was okay. The album sounded like Randy Newman. There are enough tracks that I would skip, that I think I'm going to round down. I would easily skip a re-listen of the album.
Generellt sätt var jag uttråkad när jag lyssnade på albumet. Det lyckades med harmoniska och tillfredställande melodier till en viss grad men oftast önskade jag att det skulle ta slut. Något som förvärrade upplevelsen var det första intrycket. Det vill säga låten Rednecks. Den gav ett äcklande intryck på grund av dess rasistiska lyrik och sydliga stil. Södra USA är en grupp av människor som jag vill tänka på så lite som möjligt. Den gruppen försämrar allt de rör i mina ögon på grund av deras patriotiska och ignoranta kultur. Självklart är jag nu generaliserande men jag kan ej ro för det ytliga intryck jag får. Speciellt när artisten tyder på tydliga tecken från den
well THAT was boring. 2/5.
Not for me. Racist language made me uncomfortable.
Interesting album. It seems randy Newman personifies the south and gives a perspective here through the songs. Which in the 70s may have worked. Some of these songs today wouldn’t work. The music itself is pretty light and easy flowing. The album isn’t bad. It’s just a sign of it’s times. 4.5/10
I appreciate Randy Newman for what he is: the world's most successful singer in a piano bar. I like him well enough......one song at a time. Two songs or more, and it all just sounds the same. Two stars, instead of One, because of the song "I Love L.A.", which isn't even on this album.
2/5
Harmiton, hajuton ja mauton
Pari hyvää biisiä fiilistelyineen, mut päällimmäinen tunne kuunnellessa oli, et loppuis jo
He's a good ole' country boi. Unfortunately, he sings like it.
Ich kam mir das nicht anhören. Diese gefühlsduselige Verarbeitung der Tatsache, dass man US-Amerikaner ist, geht mit bei Springsteen genauso auf den Sack. Hat aber an Aktualität nichts verloren, was mehr über die USA, als über die Musik aussagt.
Seems typical.
Rating: 5/10
pretty boring, all of the songs sound like they are from toy story but not quite.
Desde que comenzó la primera canción, estuve esperando que en algún momento empieza a cantar "yo soy tu amigo fiel". Me gusta pero es para escucharlo una única vez y saber quién es y ya. Siento que, llegado un punto, todas las canciones suenan igual. 5/10 ludomatics.
Cheee... esto se parece a las canciones de Toy Story. Ah, ¿es el mismo man? Mirá vos. Qué sé yo. Anda bien como album para tener de fondo. 2/5
I can see it as a good album of the genre, but completely not my thing unfortunately
If you've heard \"You've Got a Friend in Me\", you've heard the entirety of this album*. I'm in no rush to hear Randy's other album on the list (why on Earth are there two here?!). *Apart from the song where he straight up drops the n-word half-a-dozen times. I don't remember that in Toy Story.
an okay start. look at me liking country (?). kinda sounds like the toy story song around 0:50 lol. okay so this happened: heard the n word, thought huh were slurs THAT acceptable in the 70s he said it so casually too, clicked on his profile and bam he made the toy story song. it's been less than 2 minutes. second song started. OH so are all songs going to remind me of toy story lol. things are mostly going over my head probably as i'm not that knowledgable in american history to get most references. a ballad now. ugh i'm bored. songs are pleasant enough but i can't wait for this to be over. at least it's shorter than you'd think given the amount of songs. it's always fun to see certain parameters align with today's trends, like song lengths here, these short songs are perfect for the streaming era lol. what the hell is naked man about lol. bizarre. it's the closest thing to a pop song so far too. well it's over, it was a bit of an interesting listen but i'm not coming back to this baybe.
Don't understand why it's so well received. Maybe it's an American thing.
One of the best albums, really? He dropped so many n bombs on the first track
I like his wits, but bar few exceptions I don’t like Randy Newman’s music.
Its decent as a satire album lyrically, but my god its boring. I swear if you've heard one Randy Newman song, you've heard them all
If I wanted to listen to him, I’d watch toy story. End of
Why do squirrels gather at cemeteries? Are all squirrels goths?
If like me you thought Randy Newman was just that soundtrack bloke, I've included a short summary of his life from a website called Wikipedia. We can all learn together. Learning is fun. As for the album, the album is fine. Ironically, most of it sounds like it should be on some movie soundtrack or other. "Randall Stuart Newman (born November 28, 1943) is an American singer-songwriter, arranger and composer known for his Southern-affected singing style, early Americana-influenced songs (often with mordant or satirical lyrics), and various film scores.[5] His best-known songs as a recording artist are "Short People" (1977), "I Love L.A." (1983), and "You've Got a Friend in Me" (1995), while other artists have enjoyed more success with cover versions of his "Mama Told Me Not to Come" (1966), "I Think It's Going to Rain Today" (1968) and "You Can Leave Your Hat On" (1972). Born in Los Angeles to an extended family of Hollywood film composers, Newman began his songwriting career at the age of 17, penning hits for acts such as the Fleetwoods, Cilla Black, Gene Pitney, and the Alan Price Set. In 1968, he made his formal debut as a solo artist with the album Randy Newman, produced by Lenny Waronker and Van Dyke Parks. Four of Newman's non-soundtrack albums have charted in the US top 40: Sail Away (1972), Good Old Boys (1974), Little Criminals (1977), and Harps and Angels (2008). Since the 1980s, Newman has worked mostly as a film composer. He has scored nine Disney-Pixar animated films, including all four Toy Story films (1995–2019), A Bug's Life (1998), both Monsters, Inc. films (2001–2013), and the first and third Cars films (2006, 2017), as well as Disney's James and the Giant Peach (1996) and The Princess and the Frog (2009). His other film scores include Ragtime (1981), The Natural (1984), Awakenings (1990), Pleasantville (1998), Meet the Parents (2000), Seabiscuit (2003), and Marriage Story (2019). Newman has received twenty-two Academy Award nominations in the Best Original Score and Best Original Song categories and has won twice in the latter category, contributing to the Newmans being the most nominated Academy Award extended family, with a collective 92 nominations in various music categories. He has also won three Emmys, seven Grammy Awards and the Governor's Award from the Recording Academy. In 2007, he was recognized by the Walt Disney Company as a Disney Legend. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002 and to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013."
I actually think Randy Newman is crap but our strong childhood association to toy story makes us like his voice.
Ei kuulostanut kovin erityiseltä tämä levy. Wikipedian mukaan ilmeisesti sanoitukset ovat tässä se juttu, mutta tälleen taustamusiikkina ei juuri sytyttänyt.
Easy listening typical Randy Newman. Not really my thing but was nice though almost every song sounds the same. Quick album to get through. 5/10.
Not even a chance...
I struggled to escape the images of Pixar films the entire time. I imagine there was some good song writing there. I think Randy can stay in films in my mind, I don't think I'll listen again
goofy ass music.. meh.
I believe Randy Newman got better as the years went on.
Pretty dated. Not a huge piano guy, the way Randy is. Randy really loves the piano. And his voice is goofy.
Disney music. Not unlistenable but gets old quick
Really find his voice irritating after a while. Some of the lyrics are quite sneery as well
Nice relaxing, some good songs but nothing special.
That voice is not for me
Ok, not the best
Not for me
Not quite sure why this album is so well received. I respect the concept of an album that is mainly from the perspective of southerners, explicitly anti-racist, and only created a decade or so after horrific state violence against minorities was common in the mentioned locations (notably Birmingham), but nothing besides that concept is appealing at all. Vocals - mid Instrumental/composition - generic Lyrics - the selling point, but often satirical and dissonant which can feel insincere. My issue with many satirical songs manifests most plainly through "Rednecks." Who is this song for? The message is wholly anti-racist, but the continuously repeated refrain, intended to be the catchiest line, has a slur in it. If the YouTube comments are fair sample of the fans of this song, the fans are mainly people who like the slur spam (and the brainlet "the north is actually the same" section), and then the anti-racist message is mainly used to shield the song from any criticism. The rest of the album isn't any better. The Johnny Cutler through line is too insincere and silly to be taken seriously. The best songs are probably "Marie", "Louisiana 1927", "A Wedding in Cherokee County," and "Back on My Feet Again," but I don't really want to listen to any of them again. This opinion could change in the future I guess. 1/5
Wut
This was awful. I couldn’t finish it.
This is the second Randy Newman album I've been served by this list and I am flabbergasted that this man has any albums at all on here. As if that wasn't enough to throw me off my rhythm, here comes good ol' Randy throwing around the N word with a hard R. I can never watch Toy Story the same way again after this.
I can’t stand Randy Newman’s voice or general vibe, he strikes me as a smug little vaudevillian shit not even getting into whether this is an effective satire of racism (it’s not Newman is way too clumsy working with material this volatile)
Some shocking, jarring language that I find surprising even for the time. He definitely has a format that he's following. Bit of an era/culture shock but otherwise mildly entertaining.
Randy Newman - Good Old Boys Smell of old, overly polished parquet wood flooring, leaking catheters and boiled veg. Best Track - Kingfish Worst Track - Guilty (cos Amazon have forgotten the 'l' on the listing and it really bugged me) 3/10
Well, this was terrible. I understand this was meant to be satirical, but hearing a white person continuously saying the n word was highly uncomfortable…which was the point, I guess. Nevertheless, this sucked.
Nah, it’s gotta sound good to make me listen to it. It just went on a bit with nothing to offer me.
I get that this was from 1974, and things like this were more "accepted" (for lack of better words) back then. But I'm going to hard pass on this album after the first track. I know Newman well enough to know that he never created any music worth putting on this list, and I don't want to subject myself to the racist shit for a mediocre performer. There's nothing worth celebrating here... and this should be removed from this list so it's no longer perpetuated.
The hell did i just listen to?
What a useless piece of music... I'm still glad things like this are on here so I know how special actual art is. To quote another critic further down" Fuck you, Randy Newman!"
The music: The schmaltziest, cheesiest, most boring (folk-pop? Country-pop? Easy listening? I don’t know what to call this genre) stuff ever. This is like if the annoying guy with the accordion at your local Italian restaurant had an orchestra behind him. The lyrics: sometimes cheesy, saccharin mindless pop, sometimes attempted satire so over the top it feels like caricature, straight down to the liberal use of the N-Word. This music is a novelty at best, and anyone who can sit through it more than once has seriously questionable taste. Does not belong on any “Essential” list.
There are so many levels on which I don't enjoy this album. First and foremost I really don't like his voice. There's something just weirdly annoying about it, in a way even a bit cartoonish, which I guess why his Pixar soundtracks and generally good. And of course I can't go without mentioning the elephant in the room, the ungodly number of slurs he says. I get that this was made in a different time when this shit was pretty much completely socially acceptable. All around just an annoying guy with his voice, music, and writng, but somehow made absolutely killer soundtracks for some childhood classics.
Just garbage
had the scariest experience of my life when i was listening to the song titled "birmingham" and a lady with the last name birmingham came up to my desk at work i listened to my first 1st gen kpop album just the other day and i think ive about had enough of people saying the n word when they have no place to. i'll just stick with the toy story song here thanks fave track: kingfish
jag förstår inte syftet (sänkte till 1/5 efter jag faktiskt lyssnade på texterna)
I know it's supposed to be satirical, but when I hear "nigger" being sung repeatedly by a white man, it kind of throws me off wanting to listen to the rest of the album.
Not great. Not even good. Like someone failing at blues.
I have not heard this before. I am not a fan of Randy Newman. Maybe I would if I had grown up with Toy Story rather than seeing it in the theater in high school on a not good acid trip but that is beside the point. We got a mix here of piano cabaret crooning and late victorian parlor music that is overall dull and forgettable. His voice and the songs in general makes me feel like I’m at a replica of a turn of the century ice cream shop at a run down history museum where they don’t have any ice cream and you can buy hard candy made 40 years ago with flavors like marjoram with iodine.
You're a flower, you're a river, you're a raaainbow Idk not for me. Some good lyrics and enjoyable piano tunes. Whiplash on that first song, but the sentiment brought me back.
What the fuck is this
Holy Smokes, the Toy Story guy dropping a loooooot of N Bombs on that first track 😳 Bailed about 1/2 way through the album because it made me sleepy
1. red - 0 2. birmingham - 1 3. marie - 1 4. prezident - 1 5. guilty - 1 6. louiziana - 1 7. man - 0 8. king - 0 9. naked - 0 10. uuedding - 1 11. feet - 1 12. rolling - 1
first, I didn't know he made music outside of Pixar SECOND, HOLY FIRST SONG
Horrible stuff
There I was getting ready for 'One Day I'll Fly Away' and what did I get for getting my Randy's muddled up? A horrible version of a Groundhog Day/Toy Story mash up - every song sounding like THAT song. I still am having problems with my woody after this. Thanks for forcing me to listen to this, I'm no longer feeling randy Randy.
I am aware of Randy Newman. I first remember him from the "Short People" song - and have that one liked on Spotify - since I thought it was kinda funny - and I've always been on the shorter side of normal so it stuck out for me - haha. I also have one other song liked by him but it's not on this album. I'm also aware that he did the music for a whole bunch of animated movies - but don't have any of those songs liked - since they seem sort of "kid-ish". After listening 3 times... Nothing really grabbed me as something I would want to hear again. Musically, lyrically, vocally - none of it made me think I need to hear this again. The sort of old timey piano based music with talk-singing vocals could be ok if the lyrics were more insightful or interesting. But - I kinda just don't care to listen to songs that mythologize Louisiana and Alabama. I'm not offended by the lyrics in the "Rednecks" song - because I realize it's satire - and that it is making fun of both the South AND the North's treatment of black people. Several songs about a complicated historical figure like Huey Long just doesn't interest me enough to need this in my life. And I can't even remember what the other songs are about. Liked songs on Spotify: 0/12 Rating: 1/5 (should be zero)
Racist southerners and black people should just agree to shake hands and beat the crap out of Randy Newman.
DNF
I've never understood what people like about Randy Newman. A few of the songs he's done for soundtracks, I can stomach. Everything I've ever heard from his regular albums, he just comes off as a dickhead. After a few tracks of this one, I hated the album with a passion usually reserved for Eminem and/or Madonna.
man can slur man can twang. naar wat goede country geluisterd en het kost randy newman nog een punt
I know it’s satire but why is he out here dropping hard r’s?
Couldn’t get past Rednecks, ruined the rest of the album for me.
I think it would have been very possible to write this album without the inappropriate language
Racistas🤢🤮
Randy newman?????????????? definitely not in the albums i take pleasure in discovering through this site, but I'll take it. Very confused.
Imposible to not think of Toy Story listening to this man. Those soundtracks are surely better than this and are hopefully in the list.
Piano is nice but not my jam.
who gave Randy Newman a free pass to say the N-word? He says it 8 times in the first song?? How can a song as dated as this be opening an album on this list? Completely unacceptable, even if he's in 'character'. There are other Randy Newman albums that could appear on here that aren't so repulsive and tone deaf.
Stick to Toy Story and monsters inc
The album was terrible, but the reviews were hilarious
Another so-so album to wade through. I keep repeating the same thing for each album on this list. Nothing offends but nothing stands out. Just generally background stuff, and I could find a hundred better albums for that particular task.
zzz...
His voice…..nope.
Good one boys is not very good some may say
Not for me, I'm not keen on roots rock at the best of time and this record just hasn't aged well. I definitely feel some albums on this list are here for the influence they had on the wider genre rather than how good they are in their own right. This might have sounded great in 1973 but in 2026 its a dated bore and the excessive use of the N word in the first track is just cringe inducing.
No thanks
ummm I think he could’ve got the message across without saying that one word tons of times…
Ummm did he just say the N word?
Ok two things: firstly every Randy Newman song sounds like "You've Got a Friend In Need". I thought that years before he put it out! Secondly, this is a concept album, and I've got a real problem with concept albums. They tend to be what can be politely called a "wank". This exemplifies the worst of the concept that is the concept that is a concept. The idea and the execution are clunky as fuck. Is Randy a tad overrated? Shit yeah. You've got a concept album in need, you've got a concept album in need..short people got no reason, short people got no reason...
What the fuck
1/2
damn hard R in the first song
I know that Newman writes good songs. Or at least, I have read a lot of people whom I admire saying as much. But I just have no patience for this style/voice nor satirical songwriting in general. I agree with him politically and share a lot of common background, but this early Americana or whatever thing...ugh.
It's oke. Keikiasi, maniau man pasigirdo tam tikri dalykai lol.
ohhh so racist… turned it off after the first song
Randy Newman’s voice brings me to anger. I don’t get it…at all.
Some decent, some not so great.
Did not like, Randy Newman either sounds like a commercial jingle or making songs for Toy Story. 0 stars if I could
Yup, Randy is getting a 1 from me, only my 3rd in over 300 albums. This record irritated me, I didn’t like what he was going for lyric wise or music wise, I don’t understand the draw tbh.
Demasiado parecido a Toy Story (al principio no sabia que era el mismo tio, y me estaba gustando, luego no me lo he podido quitar de la cabeza y le he cogido tirria) la estructura de Birmingham es literalmente "Hay un amigo en mi" PD: odio Toy Story
yea nah opening track gagged not in a good way boring from then on
I don't like Randy Newman's vocals, and the instrumentals weren't interesting. The track "Rednecks" did require some research to realize it wasn't as deplorable as it initially seemed.
26th album with group. I cannot believe the Toy Story guy got two albums on the list, and this one is ass. Good Songs - Rednecks, Birmingham, and Rollin’. Bad Songs - Marie, Mr. President (Have Pity on the Working Man), Guilty, Louisiana 1927, Kingfish, Naked Man, A Wedding in Cherokee County, and Back on my Feet Again.
What the heck is this? Not worth any second of my time.
Without the horribly offensive lyrics on track 1, this would have been a 2.
randy newman sucks
It isn’t knowing, daring, funny or ironic. It’s just shit.
I love the classic Randy Newman “You Got A Friend In Me” from Toy Story and Monk’s theme song “There’s A Jungle Out There.” The latter being my introduction to Newman. I straight up don’t like this album. Dropping the n word with the er is absolutely nasty work, especially in the 70’s. This was a trashy way to attempt to “clown” the politically and racially divided Southern US. Absolutely not. It’s a no from me dawg.
What a load of garbage. Do I want to hear the man who sings You Got A Friend saying a load of racial slurs? I do not.
perfect shit
nah
Meh
No
"You got a FREEEEND in ME! And I got a FREEEEND in YOU! Unless you a redneck. Or a sharp-tongued Jew. I gor a FREEEND in YOU!" "Randy..."
Wow, that aged about as well as milk. I grew up with Newman and never thought strongly one way or the other, but standing off 50 years later you realize he can’t sing worth a lick, and his faux soul voice is actually quite condescending. Some of his songs that he’s written for others are quite masterful, but clearly his albums are all the ones no sane singer would touch as they’re filled with slander and ignorance.
what the hell is this
Look I know Randy Newman is using a certain word in a satirical/political commentary type of way, but that doesn’t mean I have to be okay with it. To me it is not his place to do so, and for that I pass on his music.
NOT happy I've had to listen to Randy Newman twice now.
Nah, this is boring and I'm not gonna finish it. I'm gonna ignore the well-intentioned but awfully presented critique of racism and will instead point out that every song fucking sounds the same. Ooooh I use dominant 2nds. Grow up. This is not an album I needed to hear before I die.
Found this pretty boring. Miserable drunk white boomer men music. Claiming to give itself knowing glances, but they feel not very knowing. Of its time in a bad way. Trundled along ok I guess, and something in his vocal style appeals to a part of me... but not for me.
Fucking load of shite
Randy, stick to scoring animated films please.
I could live a hundred years and never understand how anyone could like the sound of Randy Newman
I was irritated by that constant jangling piano. It drove me barmy. It was like chinese water torture but less tuneful.
FUCK OFF
Far from the worst album on here but certainly one of the most boring. Zero idea why anyone would think I or anyone "must" hear this before I die but whatever, I guess. I have discovered some great albums doing this 1001 project, but I sure pay with all the crap that I never would have listened to if it wasn't for this list. Maybe I'll break even when it all ends. I guess that's a pretty sweet deal these days.
Essentially a defence of instututional racism in the south, treating it as the exception and not the rule, under the guise of 'most of them are good people.' They were not.
Not for me. 1/5
NOPE. NOPE. NOPEEEEEE
I absolutely hate this. There's something so off-putting and disingenuous about the music and the vocals it makes me not want to listen very badly. It's like he's doing a parody of himself and not doing it well. This would be in the selection of music that plays on the elevator to hell
Nope.
Cr*p old boy, more like. This must have sounded dated even at the time, surely?
Escuché solo un canción y no me llamó la atención
Some of the songs that actually have good tunes etc. are spoiled by the sheer amount of slurs and stereotypes randy can fit in, seemingly for shits and giggles. I wish I hadn't known this side of him and could obliviously enjoy pixar soundtracks in peace. Alas here we are.
Listening while walking my dog in the morning 10:07am to be exact, stopped under shade ummm??? So as I’m writing this review there was a song that has him saying we are keeping the niggers down???? Like what lmfaoo…. I should have known how this album was going when he mentioned New York Jew and it gave me paused. The album is your typical drunkard who can’t do right by his loved ones and now knows that because they are not around him anymore but somehow he really cares about the south idk that song has thrown me off from the album I wasn’t fully aware of what I’m hearing and when I did realize what he was saying …I’m confused on what’s the purpose of him singing that like if feels like he’s taking pride in the racist backstory of the south which is crazy that this is the same man singing on the Toy Story movie credits about you have a friend in me . I think I partially confused if anything. I don’t really get the point to write a song like that nor do I find it compelling to look past it as most people do with white artist and there casual racism. No one is good enough not to use slurs in there songs so idk it’s kinda lame but throughout most of the songs I was listening to, it sounds like Randy himself saw himself as a loser. Oh well
Sounds like cosplay country, which is a genre i'm not massive on anyway. I know the track _Guilty_ as a much bluesier version appears on **The Blues Brothers** album _Made in America_.
Just no.
Yeah, no. On first listening to the first tune I thought I heard the "N" word but just shrugged it off as he must've said neighbors. On 2nd listen, yup, he DIDN'T say neighbors. I get it, he's probably telling a story of how rednecks are afraid of the coming racial equality and this was in 1974 but it is still not a word I want to hear. Besides, the rest of the album is not good enough to make an exception to this vulgar ugly word
kedelig
Man, I really did not need to hear Randy Newman singing the gamer word "artistically" probably 10 plus times in the same album. Hot take, extremely not a fan of his voice. This may be my first "Least Favorite Artist" when I roll him for a second time. I really don't care what the point of this album was, it was all just dreadful from top to bottom. I didn't enjoy any of it. His voice is just so hard to listen to in my opinion. Somehow I lasted the entire day though, and for that reason it's still a 1 star, but it's a high 1 star. Call it a 1.8. This is the least subtle music I've ever heard, and I just really don't know why he made an entire album like it. What's the concept? "I hate the South, wait, actually no, I hate everyone?" Phenomenal. Thank you Randy, now go away for a while so I don't have to hear you again for a while. No, actually, give me the other album so I can just get it over with. Anything has to be better than this. I give a lot of 5's on this site, and when an album gets rolled that is received very well by critics pops up that I don't like, sometimes I truly don't understand what they saw in said album. This is one of those times.
This was awful. I could not get into this, even though Randy Newman is a fantastic songwriter.
Hard r's? Wowzers
ok like i GET that it’s a social commentary blah blah concept album blah blah american south and whatever but my god i did not need to hear a white dude say the n word 46 times within the first three minutes of this album. the whole thing just sounded like other songs but with as many slurs/insults crammed in as humanly possible. pack it up, randy
Is this an album about how much he hates the US south? Anyway this is weepy and sweepy I hate it.
Wtf was this? All songs the same and all equally bad.
That first song was the worst. I didn’t know RN was a good old boy! Too bad.
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.
Not cool Randy
No, Randy. Bad, Randy.
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.
"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.
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.
Meh
☀︎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.
Randy Newman, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and Geddy Lee are all too fucking annoying for me to listen to their music.
Icky is a good word to describe this album.
Wth
Racist ass first song. Not going to give this man any attention.
slur na 1a musica racista versões das musicas do toy story com comentário social e político é o cantor original das musicas
Not really my type of music, idk what else to say.
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.
Retire this guy already
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.
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
I think I see what he was trying to do with this one, but no thanks.
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.
Could have done without this one.
you can't be talking like that white baby 2/10
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.
Boring, not making me feel any type of way
I like American music, and it's almost always enjoyable, but this album yelled "USA" so loud in my ears that it was too much for me.
Nope. Hated it. Awful combination of boring and stupid.
Oh lawd. I understand what he was trying to do, but goddamn with the slurs. The lyrics have a point and the discomfort level of Rednecks will certainly grab your attention right out of the gate. Lyrically/politically, I'd consider rating this higher, but his voice and the overall music are complete misses for me. Add in about 100+ slurs and that's a big ole "hell no" from me
Uhmm randy?
There's some head turning moments throughout this album and I don't think anyone needs to hear it before they die. Satire just doesn't translate well in this medium and this album did not age well, in fact it's horribly offensive (and you can't really play it anywhere). Newman's attempt at wit and edginess just comes off wrong to me (I'm not sure if this social commentary was even well-received in 1974). There's some nice piano playing and brass arrangements but not amazing. Anything good is immediately cancelled out by Mr. Pixar so effortlessly slinging slurs. Not for me.
Newman coming right the gates with a basher on some rednecks. He must have got a free pass to use the N-word based on the song theme. Album is pretty weak other than the "Naked Man" tormenting an old lady...beware! Stick to the Disney soundtracks...1.2.
Kind of a tough first song to listen to. Nothing on this album stuck out for me except all the hard Rs on the first song. Very boring.
If I wanted to listen to Randy Newman I would watch Toy Story. OVERRATED! Blah blah frickety blah
More offensive and inappropriate than the Eminem this week, maybe?? Who knew the Toy Story singer was this kind of guy :-0 I enjoyed looking up the backstory behind Louisiana 1927 and reading about parallels between Bush/Coolidge. Can't imagine this really worked as satire even in the 70s.
whatever cleverness is there in both his lyrics and his songwriting is entirely overwritten by the sardonic moping
jfc who let mr. toy story do slurs in my ears. zero stars
Felt like listening to the Toy Story theme over and over again, except none of the songs are anywhere near as good as the Toy Story theme.
Nah Randy too smooth saying the N word. Did he perform this song live did he ask the crowd to also say it with him. Super weird but honestly hilarious. This is the perfect album to troll your friends with. I had a girlfriend whom I convinced I liked, Temporary Secretary, which is very funny. Besides the opening track man I heard "Naked Men," and I thought it was another N word song, yikes. I am on edge. Anyway, I think a lot of the songs sound the same, but honestly, it is not aggressively bad it is just like easy listening slop it is crazy that this is 20 years before Toy Story, yet it sounds exactly the same man he has not changed. That being said like I dont think I will find myself listening to it again. We are rednecks aint that right, Randy
It's not like this is the worst sounding music I've ever heard or anything -- it's OK, I guess. Nothing special. Certainly doesn't deserve a place on this list, but whatever. But being hit in the face with a racial slur within the first track of the album certainly did not leave a good impression. With the utmost sincerity in the world: what the fuck. With that said, I simply cannot give this album any more than a 1 star.
Pixar guy is back again on this list with a western direction, satirical Deep South subject matter, and an unnecessary over-the-top orchestra. It's a slow, laid-back pop style typical of the era. I find it boring and repetitive with hardly any attention for the instrumentation. It's just satire poetry with a country and orchestral backing Favorites: Mr. President, Kingfish
1/5 not for me
This was all very samey and quite dull.
Zero stars if I could