Randy Newman Sail Away CD

2002 expanded & remastered reissue of 1972 album with 5 added bonus tracks (all previously unissued) 'Let It Shine', 'Maybe I'm Doing It Wrong' (studio version), 'Dayton, Ohio-1903' (studio version), 'You Can Leave Your Hat On' (demo) & 'Sail Away' (early version).

Personnel: Randy Newman (piano); Randy Newman (vocals); Jimmy Bond, Wilton Felder (bass instrument); Russ Titelman, Ry Cooder (guitar); Abe Most (alto saxophone); Earl Palmer , Gene Parsons, Jim Keltner (drums); Milt Holland (percussion).
Audio Mixer: Lee Herschberg.
Audio Remasterer: Dan Hersch.
Liner Note Authors: Randy Newman; David Wild.
Recording information: Amigo Studio, Los Angeles, CA; Poppi Studios, Los Angeles, CA; Western Studios, Los Angeles, CA.
Photographers: Carl Samrock; Chuck Pulin; Hal Moore; Mike Salisbury.
On his third studio album, Randy Newman found a middle ground between the heavily orchestrated pop of his debut and the more stripped-down, rock-oriented approach of 12 Songs, and managed to bring new strength to both sides of his musical personality in the process. The title track, which Newman has described as a sort of commercial jingle written for slave traders looking to recruit naïve Africans, and "Old Man," in which an elderly man is rejected with feigned compassion by his son, were set to Newman's most evocative arrangements to date and rank with the most intelligent and effective use of a large ensemble by anyone in pop music. On the other end of the scale, "Last Night I Had a Dream" and "You Can Leave Your Hat On" are lean, potent mid-tempo rock tunes, the former featuring some slashing and ominous slide guitar from Ry Cooder, and the latter a witty and willfully perverse bit of erotic absurdity that later became a hit for Joe Cocker (who sounded as if he took the joke at face value). Elsewhere, Newman cynically ponders the perils of a stardom he would never achieve ("Lonely at the Top," originally written for Frank Sinatra), offers a broad and amusing bit of political satire ("Political Science"), and concludes with one of the most bitter rants against religion that anyone committed to vinyl prior to the punk era ("God's Song [That's Why I Love Mankind]"). Whether he's writing for three pieces or 30, Newman makes superb use of the sounds available to him, and his vocals are the model of making the most of a limited instrument. Overall, Sail Away is one of Newman's finest works, musically adventurous and displaying a lyrical subtlety that would begin to fade in his subsequent works. ~ Mark Deming
Though 1968's RANDY NEWMAN introduced a major songwriting talent, and 1970's 12 SONGS still stands among the artist's best work, 1972'S SAIL AWAY has the strength and sophistication of an immediate, indisputable classic. Combining the lush orchestration of his debut with 12 SONG's lean, small-combo sound, SAIL AWAY marks Newman's prowess as a composer and arranger of the first order. His ear for melody, instrumentation, and the literary, often scathingly satiric nature of his lyrics are applied to perfection. The title track, a beautiful piano-strings duet sung from the point of view of a slave ship captain enticing Africans to America, is a case in point.
Every song on SAIL AWAY is memorable, from the tongue-in-cheek cabaret lament "Lonely At The Top" to the whimsical ragtime of "Simon Smith and the Amazing Dancing Bear" to the deliciously ironic and astute "Political Science." Newman can go from rock-inspired slink ("Last Night I Had A Dream") to charmingly lyrical ("Dayton, Ohio--1903) to fiercely caustic ("God's Song (That's Why I Love Mankind)"-- a song narrated from God's point of view about the stupidity of humanity), yet his writing is always infused with intelligence, wit, and piercing insight. That Newman's songcraft and musical textures are impeccable only adds to stature of this excellent record.
For their expanded 2002 reissue of Randy Newman's classic Sail Away album, Rhino/Reprise unearthed fiveRolling Stone (7/6/72, p.56) - "...further confirmation of the fact that Newman is our most sophisticated art-song composer...SAIL AWAY is Newman's most mature album, a work of genius..."
Entertainment Weekly (6/7/02, pp.76-7) - "...A masterpiece...When it comes to the 'untrustworthy narrator', the territory is Newman's own. They don't come nastier than the slave trader serenading Africans in SAIL's title track..." - Rating: A
Q (p.128) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[I]t does a fine job of putting the emphasis where it should be: the songs. Steve Earle has fun with the scabrous 'Rednecks'..."
Q (8/00, p.120) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...One of [his] best albums....his succinct, evocative songs embrace more fully the complexities of the darker side of US society...and the more poignant aspects of family life..."
Mojo (Publisher) (p.112) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "No one does slyness like him, but several try here...[with] agreeable results."
Mojo (Publisher) (8/00, p.115) - "...Blackly funny, poignantly sentimental, witty, wistful and superbly orchestrated, it fused a traditional, Gershwin-via-Tin Pan Alley Americana with a wickedly un-American irony..."