Newman's latest release is purely American
The album Songbook
Vol. 1 contains ‘stripped
down’ re-recordings of
Randy Newman’s classics
By Ryan Nyburg
Senior Pulse Reporter
REVIEW
Randy Newman is probably the
most purely American singer/song
writer this
country has
ever pro
duced. I
mean this in
- the best way
possible. His
songs have often represented a sad,
cynical — but always honest — vision
of this country that tell how tiling are
rather than how they should be.
In "The Randy Newman Songbook
Vol. I, * he takes a few of his best songs
— some dating back as early as 1966 —
and records them simply and evoca
tively, with only his own piano playing
as accompaniment. This album is es
sentially a studio-produced document
of the kind of performances he does
live, with the songs stripped down to
their bare essence, much in the style of
the first of Johnny Cash's "American
Recordings" albums or the Ella Fitzger
ald "Songbooks" series.
An obvious question regarding a
project such as this is: why? What pur
pose is served by re-recording old
songs, particularly ones that are pretty
well fixed in the minds of anyone who
heard the originals? Newman answers
this pretty well in the opening track,
"It's Lonely at the Top," a song that was
originally written for, and subsequently
rejected by, Frank Sinatra.
Without any string arrangements or
background vocals added, Newman's
compositional skill is allowed to
shine through. While the production
on his songs wasn't always bad, it also
wasn't always necessary, and the man
is often at his best on his own. Lush
production values are often beside the
point when it comes to great song
writing, and Newman's songwriting is
top class. The style doesn't work for
every song in this collection; selec
tions such as "You Can Leave Your
Hat On" lack the power a backing
band could give it.
But this method is the exception
rather than the rule. The beauty of
songs like "Louisiana 1927" or
"Marie" is best served by this bare
bones style, which gives the melodies
room to spread out. And without any
thing to get in the way, the messages
behind Newman's songs are unhin
dered, with many of the satirical barbs
hitting just as hard as they did 20 or
30 years ago. The almost cheerfully
done "Political Science," describes the
frame of mind America has toward
the rest of the world just as well today
as it did in 1972.
"Sail Away" and "Rednecks" both
stab hard at racial assumptions. The
first is sung from the perspective of a
slave trader trying to tempt African na
tives onboard his boat; the second de
scribes in detail the hypocrisy North
ern states show in their perspectives of
the South. Both songs further reveal a
brave songwriter.
This bravery often takes the form of
a lyrical bravado, such as in "God's
Song (That's Why 1 Love Mankind)."
flow many songwriters could write a
song from the perspective of an om
nipotent being and pull it off? The
song rings with a cynicism so pure as
to proclaim the existence of God and
then accuse humanity of blindly wor
shiping such a malignant force.
Courtesy
Singer/songwriter Randy Newman utilizes his piano and vocal talents on his new album, The Randy Newman Songbook Vol. 1/
Newman's cynicism is an intelli
gent cynicism, however, and he's
smart enough to know not to be bit
ter or to wallow in self -pity. He
doesn't hold himself above the cul
ture his satire attacks and often
seems more sad than angry at the
way things are these days. The best
expression of this is probably "The
World Isn't Fair," which invites Karl
Marx to come and look at how the
world turned out. "... I'm glad I'm
living in the land of the free / Where
the rich just get richer / And the poor
you don't have to see/ It would de
press us, Karl / Because we still care/
That the world isn't fair."
Randy Newman will be performing
Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the Shedd Con
cert flail on 868 High St. as part of the
Oregon Festival of American Music.
Contact the senior pulse reporter
at ryannyburg@dailyemerald.com.
Campus gallery gives students chance to show art
Each week, the LaVerne
Krause Gallery displays
works from three students
By Natasha Chilingerian
Pulse Reporter
Art students don't need to wait un
til they graduate to see their creations
in a gallery — they can exhibit right
here on campus. Every week, three art
students take work out of their studios
and into the LaVerne Krause Gallery
— located in Lawrence Hall — for all
to see, interpret and critique.
Graduate art student and La Verne
Krause Gallery Coordinator Jennifer
Zimmerman said the gallery gives
students a chance to receive feed
back on their work.
"It's an experimental place for stu
dents," she said. "They can get their
work evaluated by students, faculty
and the public. It's a step further
from the studio."
Students apply to exhibit their
work at least one term before the po
tential showing. Sana Krusoe, art as
sociate professor and LaVerne
Krause Gallery committee member,
said the committee tries to accom
modate all artists, except during
spring term when the gallery is large
ly filled by graduate student projects.
"We support student work of all
sorts," Krusoe said. "That includes
work that is risky, edgy and less
than-professional quality."
New artwork is placed every week
end and taken down the following
Friday. An opening reception takes
place at the gallery every Monday
from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Student-run art galleries have exist
ed at the University since the 1960s.
Students used the Lawrence Hall lob
by across from the courtyard to exhib
it work throughout the 1960s and
1970s. In the late 1970s, students con
verted room 141 in Lawrence Hall
into "Gallery 141," which existed un
til the early 1990s. Students eventual
ly left 141, which was turned into a
classroom, and in exchange moved
the gallery to the room which is now
the La Verne Krause Gallery.
Art Professor Ken O'Connell said
art department faculty and students
chose to name the gallery after the
late printmaking Professor LaVerne
Krause because of her dedication to
exhibiting student work. Krause died
in 1987.
"LaVerne would exhibit artwork in
the backs of restaurants and taverns
— anything with a hallway," O'Con
nell said. "She always encouraged
Turn to LAVERNE, page 12
PLEASE RECYCLE THIS PAPER.
EUGENE, OR • OCTOBER 28
W.O.W. 1ALL * ALL AGES * 8PM
SEATTLE, WA • OCTOBER 29
1HE*,S? SHOWBOX • ALL AGES • 8PM