Randy Newman (album)

Randy Newman (album)

Randy Newman is the debut recording by Randy Newman, released in 1968. Unlike his later albums which featured Newman and his piano backed by guitar, bass guitar and drums, Randy Newman was highly orchestral and aimed to blend the orchestra with Newman's voice and piano. (Cover shown above right is the second cover design. The first cover showed a full photo of Newman against a cloud-like blue background. The original release of the album was titled Randy Newman (creates something new under the sun). ).

Randy Newman never dented the Billboard Top 200 and was not received as well by critics as Newman's acclaimed 1970s albums 12 Songs, Sail Away and Good Old Boys; indeed, according to Ken Tucker, the album sold so poorly that Warner offered buyers the opportunity to trade the album for another in the company's catalog.Randy Newman was out of print for over 15 years until it was re-released on CD in 1995. It was remastered by Lee Herschberg.

As with many of Newman's early albums, several songs had been previously recorded by other artists. "I Think It's Going to Rain Today", which was originally recorded by Julius LaRosa. It had also been covered by Judy Collins in 1966. As well, "So Long Dad" had been released as a single by Manfred Mann in September of 1967.