Guilty: 30 Years of Randy Newman is a box set released in November 1998 that chronicles the first three decades of singer songwriter Randy Newman's musical career.
This four-disc set fulfills two functions: on its first two discs, it provides the perfect guide for those uninitiated to Newman's world. The third disc of previously unreleased tracks and the fourth, containing selections from Newman's film scores, are aimed at the Newman completist. In both cases it works well. The songs on the first two discs are well chosen, perfectly illuminating the irony-drenched, cynical, but often humorous (however darkly) approach Newman always took to songwriting. On "Political Science" he mocks diplomatic relations, and on the beautiful, downcast "I Think It's Going to Rain Today" he quietly bemoans the state of humanity over a breathtaking melody.
Listeners will be reminded that Newman shone as a melodist, belonging in the first rank of American composers alongside Gershwin and Stephen Foster. The rarities disc (which features both demo versions of familiar songs and tunes never heard on a Newman album in any form) will be the real draw for those who know and love Newman, and will further illuminate his legacy for those coming to this unparalleled artist's work for the first time.
This four-disc set fulfills two functions: on its first two discs, it provides the perfect guide for those uninitiated to Newman's world. The third disc of previously unreleased tracks and the fourth, containing selections from Newman's film scores, are aimed at the Newman completist. In both cases it works well. The songs on the first two discs are well chosen, perfectly illuminating the irony-drenched, cynical, but often humorous (however darkly) approach Newman always took to songwriting. On "Political Science" he mocks diplomatic relations, and on the beautiful, downcast "I Think It's Going to Rain Today" he quietly bemoans the state of humanity over a breathtaking melody.
Listeners will be reminded that Newman shone as a melodist, belonging in the first rank of American composers alongside Gershwin and Stephen Foster. The rarities disc (which features both demo versions of familiar songs and tunes never heard on a Newman album in any form) will be the real draw for those who know and love Newman, and will further illuminate his legacy for those coming to this unparalleled artist's work for the first time.
