Live: Odeon [video] - Randy Newman

Randy Newman's Live: Odeon dates from 1983 as a video release, originally from RCA/Columbia (distant predecessor to Columbia-TriStar), and it never did make it to laser disc, jumping directly to DVD courtesy of Rhino Records in 2001. And it shows none of its age, remastered in gorgeous detail and as impressive for sound as it is for picture -- Newman might as well be in the room with you, the camera is so up close and personal for much of this performance. The producers have not only done a great job of bumping the master up to this high-resolution playback medium, but they've maintained a high volume on the audio, so that every nuance of Newman's playing on the piano, as well as his singing, is there for the listener to enjoy. The 57-minute performance also includes guest appearances by Linda Ronstadt (who was a major superstar at the time) and Ry Cooder, the former doing "Texas Girl at the Funeral of Her Father" and "Real Emotional Girl," while the latter plays on "Mama Told Me Not to Come" and "Let's Burn Down the Cornfield"; and the two guests appear together on the hauntingly beautiful "Rider in the Rain," both of them singing with Newman and Cooder playing electric guitar. The disc is well put together, with a simple multi-layer menu that opens automatically on start-up and includes 5.1 Surround and 2.0 Stereo Audio options, and a select discography going back to the mid-1960s. The only flaw is one so simple and easy to overcome, that it's a annoying for its sheer obvious nature -- the index numbers on the songs are off by one, in terms of what's on the disc versus which numbers are actually used on the disc. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide