| Sail Away | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 23, 1972 | |||
| Recorded | 1971–72 | |||
| Studio | Amigo, Western, and Poppi (Los Angeles) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 30:07 | |||
| Label | Reprise | |||
| Producer | Lenny Waronker, Russ Titelman | |||
| Randy Newman chronology | ||||
| ||||
Sail Away is the third studio album by Randy Newman, released on May 23, 1972. It was produced by Lenny Waronker and Russ Titelman and issued on Reprise Records. While all of its songs were written and composed by Newman, several had already been recorded by other artists.
As with all of Newman's early albums, several of its songs had been previously recorded by other artists. In this case, "Simon Smith and the Amazing Dancing Bear" had been a UK hit for Alan Price in 1967 and was recorded by Harry Nilsson on his 1969 album Harry. "Dayton, Ohio - 1903" had been recorded by Billy J. Kramer as a single in 1969, while Newman and Nilsson recorded a version together for Nilsson's 1970 album Nilsson Sings Newman . Newman himself had also previously recorded "Last Night I Had a Dream" as a single, issued in September 1968. The version heard on Sail Away is a re-recording with a notably different arrangement.
"You Can Leave Your Hat On" was later recorded by Joe Cocker in 1986 and this version was featured on the soundtrack of the 1986 film 9½ Weeks starring Kim Basinger. A version by Tom Jones appeared on the soundtrack of the 1997 film The Full Monty.
"He Gives Us All His Love" was also initially written and recorded by Newman in a sparser and slower arrangement for the 1971 film Cold Turkey . The film issued no soundtrack album, and the first commercially available recordings of this song were issued by Sundance (March 1971) and Ed Ames (October 1971).[ citation needed ]
The song "Lonely at the Top" was written specifically with Frank Sinatra in mind, although he never recorded it. [2] Newman himself had already released it (in a solo live performance) on his previous album, Randy Newman Live (1971).
The album was reissued by Rhino Records on May 5, 2002, with several previously unreleased bonus tracks. [3]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [1] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | A− [4] |
| Rolling Stone | (favorable) [5] |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [6] |
In 2000 Sail Away was voted number 582 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums . [7] That same year, it was ranked number 268 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. [8] The album was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die . [9]
Brian Wilson has said that this album profoundly affected him at the time of its release, briefly keeping him from sliding further into depression and mental illness. [10] In particular, Wilson noted that he listened to Sail Away "over and over" while physically writing down the lyrics which would become the Beach Boys' Mount Vernon and Fairway fairy tale EP. [11] In 2021, Wilson ranked Sail Away third on his list of "5 Albums I Can't Live Without" for Spin magazine. [12]
"Burn On" is heard over the opening credits of the 1989 movie Major League. According to the film's director, David S. Ward, he chose the song because it was the only one he knew of that was about Cleveland, Ohio, which is where the movie takes place. The chorus of the song, "burn on, big river, burn on," refers to when the Cuyahoga River caught fire due to pollution in 1969.
The song "Old Man" can be heard in the closing credits of Noah Baumbach's 2017 film The Meyerowitz Stories.
All tracks are written by Randy Newman
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Sail Away" | 2:56 |
| 2. | "Lonely at the Top" | 2:32 |
| 3. | "He Gives Us All His Love" | 1:53 |
| 4. | "Last Night I Had a Dream" | 3:01 |
| 5. | "Simon Smith and the Amazing Dancing Bear" | 2:00 |
| 6. | "Old Man" | 2:42 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 7. | "Political Science" | 2:00 |
| 8. | "Burn On" | 2:33 |
| 9. | "Memo to My Son" | 1:56 |
| 10. | "Dayton, Ohio - 1903" | 1:47 |
| 11. | "You Can Leave Your Hat On" | 3:18 |
| 12. | "God's Song (That's Why I Love Mankind)" | 3:36 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Let It Shine" | 1:40 |
| 14. | "Maybe I'm Doing It Wrong" (studio version) | 1:21 |
| 15. | "Dayton, Ohio - 1903" (early version) | 1:53 |
| 16. | "You Can Leave Your Hat On" (demo version) | 2:45 |
| 17. | "Sail Away" (early version) | 3:18 |
| Chart (1972) | Position |
|---|---|
| United States (Billboard 200) | 163 |
| Australia (Kent Music Report) [13] | 42 |
Randall Stuart Newman is an American singer, songwriter, arranger, pianist, composer and conductor known for his non-rhotic Southern-accented, if not African-American-accented, singing style, early Americana-influenced songs, and various film scores. His hits as a recording artist include "Short People" (1977), "I Love L.A." (1983), and "You've Got a Friend in Me" (1995) with Lyle Lovett, while other artists have enjoyed success with cover versions of his "Mama Told Me Not to Come" (1966), "I Think It's Going to Rain Today" (1968) and "You Can Leave Your Hat On" (1972).
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Holland is the 19th studio album by American rock band the Beach Boys, released January 8, 1973 on Brother/Reprise. It is their first album recorded without Bruce Johnston since 1965, their second with Blondie Chaplin and Ricky Fataar, and their final studio album created under the de facto leadership of Carl Wilson and manager Jack Rieley. The LP was originally packaged with a bonus EP, Mount Vernon and Fairway, which consisted of a 12-minute fairy tale written and produced by Brian and Carl Wilson.
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Gorilla is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter James Taylor. Released in May 1975, it was more successful than Walking Man, his previous release. Two album tracks released as singles, "Mexico" and "How Sweet It Is ", rose to the top five on the Billboard charts. This would be Taylor's second-to-last album of new material for Warner Bros. Records, his last being In the Pocket. In many ways, Gorilla showcased Taylor's electric, lighter side that became evident on Walking Man. The song "Sarah Maria" is about his daughter Sally. His then-wife Carly Simon was featured on "How Sweet It Is ", originally recorded by Marvin Gaye. Jimmy Buffett recorded "Mexico" on his 1995 album Barometer Soup and performed "Lighthouse" during his Salty Piece of Land tour of 2005.
Nilsson Sings Newman is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson, released in February 1970 on RCA Victor. It features songs written by Randy Newman. Recorded over six weeks in late 1969, the album showcases Nilsson's voice multi-tracked in layers of tone and harmony. Its arrangements are otherwise sparse, with most of the instrumentation provided by Newman on piano. The record was not a great commercial success, but won a 1970 "Record of the Year" award from Stereo Review magazine. The LP record cover art was illustrated by Dean Torrence.
Good Old Boys is the fourth studio album by American musician Randy Newman, released on September 10, 1974 on Reprise Records, catalogue number 2193. It was Newman's first album to obtain major commercial success, peaking at number 36 on the Billboard 200 and number 58 in Canada. The premiere live performance of the album took place on October 5, 1974, at the Symphony Hall in Atlanta, Georgia, with guest Ry Cooder and Newman conducting the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.
Randy Newman is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Randy Newman, released in 1968 by Reprise Records. The album is sometimes referred to as Randy Newman Creates Something New Under the Sun, written on the reverse of the album sleeve. Newman had been a noted songwriter for some years prior to the release of his debut, which was advertised as sounding "like a greatest hits". In contrast to his later albums which usually feature Newman and his piano with a rock backing, Randy Newman is highly orchestral.
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Little Criminals is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Randy Newman. Like most of Newman's work, the album eschews traditional pop-music themes in favor of musical story-telling, often featuring quirky characters and cynical views. The first song on the album – "Short People" – became a hit single in its own right. The album itself peaked at #9 on the US Billboard 200 chart, Newman's highest-charting album to date.
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"Short People" is a song by Randy Newman from his 1977 album, Little Criminals.
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"Guess I'm Dumb" is a song recorded by American singer Glen Campbell that was released as his seventh single on Capitol Records on June 7, 1965. Written by Brian Wilson and Russ Titelman, it is a love song that describes a man who regrets ending a relationship after he realizes he still harbors deep feelings for his former lover. The single failed to chart.
