Little Criminals (album)
| Little Criminals | ||||
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| Randy Newman's studio album | ||||
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Publication |
September 1977 |
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| Label (s) | Recapitulation | |||
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Format (s) |
CD, LP |
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Title (number) |
12 |
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running time |
38 min 21 s |
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| occupation |
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Little Criminals is the sixth album by the American musician Randy Newman . It was published by Reprise in September 1977 . The album contains numerous political and sometimes cynical lyrics, such as the controversial song Short People . The music on the album is determined by Newman's piano playing and orchestral arrangements. The album, produced by Lenny Waronker and Ross Titelmann , reached number 9 on the Billboard charts , making it Newman's greatest commercial success.
The reviews for the album were good. Allmusic distributed three and a half stars out of five. The music critic Robert Christgau, on the other hand, awarded the school grade 2+, but noted that Newman's songs on Little Criminals cannot keep up with his best pieces.
All the former members of the band " The Eagles " were among the studio musicians
Track list
- "Short People" 2:54
- "You Can't Fool The Fatman" 2:44
- "Little Criminals" 3:04
- "Texas Girl at the Funeral of Her Father" 2:40
- "Jolly Coppers on Parade" 3:46
- "In Germany Before The War" 3:39
- "Sigmund Freud's Impersonation of Albert Einstein in America" 3:02
- "Baltimore" 4:02
- "I'll Be Home" 2:47
- "Rider in the Rain" 3:54
- "Kathleen (Catholicism Made Easier)" 3:35
- "Old Man on the Farm" 2:14
Information about the songs
Short People was released as a single in November 1977 with the B-side Old Man On The Farm . Newman used the song to get numerous lawsuits from disability associations, accusing him of making fun of short statured people with the song. In the state of Maryland , the song can no longer be played on the radio, according to a court ruling. In truth, the song is more of a character song in which Newman steps into the role of a prejudiced person. The song was very successful and reached number 1 on the Cash Box Top 100 and number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and numerous other placements internationally. It is Newman's most successful single.
According to Newman, Jolly Coppers on Parade should not necessarily be understood as an anti-police song. Rather, it deals with overt racism. Newman had already brought up this topic on songs like Yellow Man from the album 12 Songs .
Germany Before The War deals with the deeds of the German serial killer Peter Kürten , who was sentenced to death in nine cases of murder and executed in 1931. Newman's wife at the time comes from Düsseldorf , the city where Kürten murdered most of his victims. In the lyrics of the song the emotions of the perpetrator are portrayed from his point of view.
Sigmund Freud's Impersonation of Albert Einstein in America describes the fate of the German physicist Albert Einstein after he emigrated to the USA in the 1930s. Possible expectations and hopes are also described. The piece was recorded with an orchestra.
Baltimore addresses the problems in the city of Baltimore , such as crime and suburbanization . Above all, the view of the “dying” city emerges; the song includes a striking guitar solo by Glen Frey .
Web links
- The album on Discogs (English)