Randy Newman, Retrospect (1983)
The guy in the shop said “this is pretty much all you need, I mean it’s got Short People” – and he was possibly (hopefully) joking. But then again, maybe he wasn’t. I was pretty chuffed finding this because I’d never heard of it before – a compilation that does indeed cover many of the best things from Randy Newman across the first 15 years of his solo career. An extraordinary run of records from him across the 1970s and 1980s, even if it’s easiest to just remember him now as the guy that was parodied (rather poorly, when it comes down to it) in Family Guy and as the guy who wrote Short People. In some ways I did not need this record – I have everything Randy Newman’s released – every album on my iPod, the four-CD career retrospective also and I have most of the albums on vinyl – including some of the individual movie soundtracks (a best of his movie soundtrack work would be great, even if it’s covered – somewhat – on the box-set). I’m a bit of a fan – have been since I first heard him. Where often that feeling diminishes, fandom falling away with the years…with Randy Newman it’s been the opposite. I continue to warm to him, continue to get lost in the brilliance of these dark character pieces, smarmy pop songs that sit inside stride piano lines. I would joke that this is my Randy Newman Album For DJing. But I’m not joking.

Sample Track: The Girls In My Life (Part 1)

The Vinyl Countdown is a document of every LP I listen to, brand new discoveries and old-old favourites; extremely pre-loved, previously abandoned or with the shrink-wrap having just been removed it’s all here at The Vinyl Countdown