Guilty: 30 Years of Randy Newman - Randy Newman

Throughout his entire career, Randy Newman was at the fringes of popular music. He peeked through the curtains every so often, whether it was in the form of a film composer or a novelty hitmaker, but he always remained a cult act, albeit one with enormous influence and respect. He had enough fans (particularly those in the industry) to keep a career afloat, and his songs became familiar to the general public through covers, but many listeners simply never discovered his justly acclaimed albums. Sadly, there never was a strong compilation on the order of Warner UK's Retrospect available in the United States. In fact, there was no Newman compilation available in America until Rhino released the four-disc box set Guilty: 30 Years of Randy Newman in the fall of 1998. Guilty attempts to be a definitive artistic portrait, containing two discs of hits and highlights, one disc of rarities and one disc of "Film Music." but winds up being a little frustrating to both completists and casual fans. The first two discs provide an excellent summary of his solo albums, containing his handful of hits and many highlights from his rich albums. "Odds & Ends," the third disc, will be of the most interest to longtime fans, seeing that it contains his excellent "Gone Dead Train" from Performance, a weird Pat Boone-produced single from 1961 ("Golden Gridiron Boy"), and a wealth of demos, ranging from a selection of 1968 songwriting demos to a host of working tracks for films (mainly from The Three Amigos) and a revelatory "Masterman and Baby J," which contains no rapping whatsoever. "Film Music," the fourth disc, is also a welcome addition to his catalog, especially for fans who haven't followed his film work. Newman is a sensitive, accomplished film composer who works in the classic Hollywood style, and his scores are rewarding in and of themselves. Furthermore, he's written a handful of great songs, such as "I Love to See You Smile" (Parenthood) and "You've Got a Friend in Me" (Toy Story), which have not appeared on a Newman album until now. These two discs are very valuable for serious fans, while the first two discs are ideal for casual fans. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide