Pros: The melodies are good, the lyrics are thoughtful and the vocal performances are moving.
Cons: Nada.
The Bottom Line: He might not write instantly catchy tunes like Paul McCartney, but Randy Newman is a singer-songwriter first class. And this is one of his best albums.
starcollector's Full Review: Sail Away [Remaster] by Randy Newman
Disclaimer: Those looking for a brief description of the album will find what their looking for in the "Review Body" section. The section titled "Track Reviews" is meant only for those who want to read detailed descriptions of the songs, and they do not constitute the essence of this review. Lastly and most importantly, this review is probably not written by the point of view of a Randy Newman fan.)
Overall Score: 5/5 Best song: “Old Man” Worst song: Every song here is a gem.
Review Body:
Newman's two earlier studio albums had plenty of excellent moments, for sure, but this is where he finally came into full bloom. Sail Away is chock-full of splendid melodies, thoughtful lyrics and some of the sincerest singing that you'll ever hear in an album. There is not a single moment here that drags at all. Everything is a gem. What's more, he does a nice job keeping this experience diverse, touching upon a variety of American styles while sounding utterly laid-back and low-key. This is a special sort of album, and among the best of its kind.
I've had plenty of positive words to say about his lyrics in the past, but even those seem to be getting better. You know it's an occasion that I'd mention lyrics at all in a review, since I usually just concentrate on the melody and instrumentation. But it's impossible to listen to one of his albums without paying close attention to what he has to say ... and it's always interesting. There are lyrical matters that range from hopeful to sorrowful, from serious to sarcastic.
He opens the album with the title track, a Randy Newman classic if there ever was one. It's a laid-back ballad piano ballad with gentle albeit sweeping string arrangements and tongue-in-cheek lyrics about poor foreigner's views of America. If that was a little too smooth for your taste, he follows it up with a crunchier ragtime number, “Lonely at the Top.” Obviously, Newman was in love with the Americana sound of The Band, but Newman's treatment of the material is far less flashy.
He seems to pay homage to Ray Davies in “Dayton Ohio, 1903,” a sweetly nostalgic song recalling the simpler times of the past. “Old Man” is my vote for the most thoroughly moving song of the album. It's low-key and depressing, but these lyrics about an old man dying alone unloved is bound to tug at the heartstrings of even the most cynical. “Memo to My Son” is also thoroughly moving but in a far more lighthearted way. It's an upbeat ode from a father to his infant son. Catchy tune, too! It almost makes me want to have children just so I could put that on a mix tape for myself.
Despite his enormously successful “serious” songs, it's those bitingly sarcastic humor ditties that Newman is best-known for. And there are a few doozies here. “Political Science” is a knee-slappingly hilarious song about a politician who gets the idea to bomb every country and turn them into America. The world would be a better place, right? “You Can Leave Your Hat” is apparently about a man infatuated with a stripper, and it's fully complemented by a horn section that sounds seedy and yet it doesn't betray the laid-back nature of the rest of the album.
He also gets a little religious in spots, and it's not immediately clear if he was being serious or tongue-in-cheek. But that's part of the appeal! “He Gives Us All His Love” is a sensitive piano ballad about the loving nature of God. But “God's Song (That's Why I Love Mankind)” is more about the topsy-turvy relationship God and mankind had throughout the Old Testament.
By far the best thing about Sail Away is that it gets better with repeated listens. As I've mentioned throughout the track reviews, he doesn't write instantly catchy melodies like Paul McCartney. Most of these will take some time to sink in. And considering these lyrics are so interesting, and Newman's vocals are consistently charming, you'll almost certainly want to give it that time.
I sometimes pretend I don't like making grand, sweeping generalizations about a genre of music, but I always do anyway... The early '70s was the era of the singer-songwriter, but this album so thoroughly encompasses that spirit that topping this is basically unsurmountable by any other artist. If that was too much of a fan-boy's generalization, then at least nobody can deny this: Nobody was better at being Randy Newman than Randy Newman. And Randy Newman albums are more wholesome than chicken soup. I don't say that about everything, you know.
Track Reviews:
Sail AwayA Ah, you know you're listening to a classic Randy Newman album if it starts right away with a poignant, string-heavy piano ballad. Even with the strings, this is a different sort of song than the ones from his self-titled debut album. The strings are purely uncomplicated background dressing, and the song itself is nothing more than a normal ballad. But what a ballad it is! The melody is sweet but not too sweet, and the lyrics are interesting to hear, giving us what I suppose is an immigrant's skewed vision of what life is like in America.
Lonely at the TopA I swear, I can listen to these guys from the '70s play jazzy Americana tunes until my dying day... There's something about this laid-back instrumentation that appeals to me. Those sleepy horns, that tooting tuba and those banjo stabs are all great. Newman's melody manages to fit within its jazzy context without sounding completely unoriginal. (Since we have a different version of this in Live without the ragtime context, it's obvious that this was a good song at its core.)
He Gives Us All His LoveA- This is a gentle two-minute ballad, and this is also something I'll never get tired of hearing. The lyrics are very optimistic and religious (and he's not being sarcastic... as far as I can tell). The instrumentation consist merely of a sensitive piano with quiet strings.
Last Night I Had a DreamA This is also a lot better than the bare-bones version that he performed previously in Live. He really takes the time and care to develop these delicate songs. He even brings in some rock 'n' roll instrumentation here, which is a nice change-of-pace. It's always good to hear some 'lectric guitar. This guy was completely on top as far as his melodies go, that's for sure. These melodies aren't ABBA-esque or anything, but they have those subtly charming hooks.
Simon Smith and the Dancing BearA- Here's another one of his '20s styled Americana tunes, but this time he only uses the piano and his voice as instrumentation. Well, isn't that all he needed to begin with? The playful lyrics fit right in well with the playful nature of the music.
Old ManA+ Holy crap... This is a bit of a heavy-hitting song! The lyrics revolve around an old man who's about to die unloved. The sad lyrics are matched with Newman's mournful vocal performance and the depressing strings in the background. Everything about this song seems utterly genuine. A real treasure, this.
Political ScienceA This is one of his bitingly satirical songs, which is nice considering the previous one was such a serious downer! The lyrics are hilarious, about a politician talking about bombing every country and turning them into America. (Except apparently Australia can be turned into America without the bombs.) Once again, he gives us a very catchy 1920s-style melody with a well-arranged horn section.
Burn OnA- Almost a B+, but that mildly sweeping chorus is so charming that it wins me over, and this album's 7-song winning streak is extended to an 8. This piano ballad is a little less distinctive here, the melody isn't incredibly catchy, and it's somewhat slow-moving. But it's his charm, of course, that'll win you over the the end.
Memo to My SonA Almost an A+! This is such a sweet, mid-tempo rock song about a dad who's talking to his infant son about the future. It's really cute without, for once fleeting moment, ever approaching 'saccharine' or 'syrupy.' This is Randy Newman! He always sounds sincere! Once again, the melody is very catchy. The upbeat, rock-centered instrumentation also helps its enjoyability.
Dayton, Ohio 1903A Randy Newman was apparently a Kinks fan! Here, he's giving us a very laid-back piano ballad that longs for the simpler times of the past. (“It's a real nice way / To spend the day / In Dayton, Ohio / On a lazy Sunday afternoon in 1903”). It's not as immediately memorable and as richly melodic as a Kinks song, but this is more of a subtly involving song. If that makes sense.
You Can Leave Your Hat OnA (“Baby, take off your coat...(real slow) / Baby, take off your shoes...(here, I'll take your shoes) / Baby, take off your dress / Yes, yes, yes / You can leave your hat on / You can leave your hat on / You can leave your hat on”) ...A little bit racy, are we? If Randy Newman didn't have such a gravelly voice, I might have thought I accidentally wandered into a Barry White song! I'm actually having a difficult time figuring out what this song is about, but the semi-seedy horn section in here gives me the impression that it's about a man infatuated with a stripper. Ah, but the lyrics are just icing on the cake... This has a superbly catchy melody!
God's Song (That's Why I Love Mankind)A- Another one of his deeply religious songs, though it's not nearly as optimistic as “He Gives Us All His Love.” It's more about the topsy-turvy relationship between God and mankind from the Old Testament. I've had occasional interests in theology over the years, so this is interesting to me. Also, I've said it plenty of times, but Newman's sincere delivery completely turns this into gold. I mean, it was a good song to begin with...
Concluding Remarks:
Randy Newman's third studio album hits all the right spots at all the right times. It doesn't have any of his big hits to speak of, but it's one album that everybody ought to own.
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