[.ca] Lonely at the Top

Un Essentiel amazon.fr:
"Lonely At The Top" claironne ironiquement le titre : c'est clair que Randy Newman doit parfois se sentir bien seul. Et même s'il est en haut de l'affiche ! De quelle affiche d'ailleurs ? Randy Newman a toujours été un musicien pour musiciens, un immense compositeur doublé d'un songwriter de talent... On l'a comparé à Gershwin (ce qui est flatteur) avec lequel sa carrière et l'emphase de certaines de ses orchestrations présentent quelques similitudes (il a, entre autres, composé la B.O. du film de Milos Forman "Ragtime") mais ça ne suffit pas. Randy Newman est un chroniqueur qui n'a pas son pareil pour dépeindre avec tendresse les "petites gens" qu'il épingle et finissent par composer une incroyable galerie d'instantanés et un portrait, parfois au vitriol, de l'Amérique. Ses chansons, finalement, nul doute que vous les connaissiez interprétées par Joe Cocker ("You Can Live Your Hat On") ou Nina Simone ("Baltimore"). Ici, l'essentiel est résumé. Ceux qui veulent en savoir beaucoup plus se reporteront au coffret Guilty: 30 Years Of Randy Newman. --Philippe Robert

Perfect:
The perfect one-disc introduction to a great singer/songwriter. I might have chosen a few additional tracks (the "Born Again" album is not represented), but not at the expense of deleting any on this disc. The excellent remastering lets you appreciate his brilliant arrangements and his under-appreciated piano playing.

All Hail King Randy:
'Lonely At The Top' is the best possible introduction to one of the most overlooked musical geniuses of the 20th century. If you're not familiar (or only briefly familiar) with the music of Randy Newman then this compilation will give you a fantastic selection of classics from the various stages of his career, from the charming pop ballads of his first album ('Love Story', 'Living Without You' and 'I Think It's Going To Rain Today'), through the cold, sharp sarcasm of Sail Away ('Political Science', 'God's Song', 'Sail Away'), and to the fantastic 80s guitar pop of 'Little Criminals' ('Jolly Coppers on Parade', 'Short People'). Eace and every one of the songs here is memorable, great songs like 'Rider In The Rain', 'My Old Kentucky Home', 'Rednecks', the disturbing 'Christmas in Capetown' and of course the unforgettable hit 'Lonely At The Top'. Slightly odd is the exclusion of the massive hit 'You Can Leave Your Hat On'; otherwise, for the casual listener, 'Lonely At The Top' is all the Randy Newman you should need (though, of course, it lacks his lovely 90s Disney themes like 'You've Got a Friend In Me' from Toy Story and 'If I Didn't Have You' from Monsters Inc.) If you enjoyed it, though, you are more than welcomed to make a stab at his wonderful albums (the best place to start would be either 'Sail Away', 'Good Old Boys', 'Randy Newman' or 'Little Criminals').

• Love Story (You and Me)
• Livin' Without You
• I Think It's Going to Rain Today
• Mama Told Me (Not to Come)
• Old Kentucky Home
• Sail Away
• Simon Smith and the Amazing Dancing Bear
• Political Science
• God's Song (That's Why I Love Mankind)
• Rednecks
• Birmingham
• Marie
• Louisiana 1927
• Baltimore
• Jolly Coppers on Parade
• Rider in the Rain
• In Germany Before the War
• Short People
• Christmas in Cape Town
• My Life Is Good
• I Love L.A.
• Lonely at the Top \oLive\c