Randy Newman Good Old Boys CD

Rhino's superbly compiled reissue of Randy Newman's masterpiece, GOOD OLD BOYS, raises the stakes on what was already an essential disc. The remastering of the original album is an aural treat, bringing a new clarity to Newman's own performances and brilliant arrangements, and tacks on a stripped-down demo version of the song "Marie," one of Newman's most heartbreaking and beautiful love songs. It also includes a bonus disc, entitled JOHNNY CUTLER'S BIRTHDAY (the working title for GOOD OLD BOYS), that includes earlier versions of the songs that ended up on the finished album. The second disc is fascinating as a sketchbook work-in-progress, and thoroughly enjoyable as a piece of music in its own right.

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

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

The crown jewel in the first wave of Rhino's extensive Randy Newman reissue series is Good Old Boys -- which perhaps is appropriate, since it's arguably Newman's finest album. Then again, perhaps its status as the outstanding release in this wave was inevitable since unlike Sail Away -- an equally brilliant record -- Good Old Boys does have a full-fledged back story in the form of Johnny Cutler's Birthday, a rough draft Randy Newman wrote and recorded of the entire album. This is a find of monumental proportions, at least for Newman fans and scholars, because it not only is an embryonic incarnation of one of his greatest works, it has its own character and identity, especially since it has eight songs that did not make it to the final album. Since it captures Newman alone at the piano, providing narrative explanation between songs, this is a remarkably intimate document chronicling the birth of greatness -- and though you have to be dedicated to be interested in this, most Newman fans are dedicated; this is a wonderful listen, revealing and musically absorbing at the same time. It emphasizes the strength of Good Old Boys. L

Deluxe remastered reissue of 1974 album including 'Rednecks', 'Louisiana 1927' & 'Marie'. Plus a bonus disc featuring the 13-song Johnny Cutler's Birthday, the previously unissued 'rough draft' of this 1974 classic. The 2 discs are housed in a double slimline jewelcase and a slipcase. 2002.

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