A quick glance at Ace's upcoming release schedule reveals ON VINE STREET - THE EARLY SONGS OF RANDY NEWMAN. No track listing yet, but here's one compilation I've really been waiting for! Fingers crossed for what I'm sure will be a really exciting release...

Here 'tis:



Product Description
Randy Newman has been arranging and recording his own wonderful compositions for almost 40 years. For the best part of a decade before that, he was busy building his reputation as one of the greatest songwriters of his and future generations. "On Vine Street" is a lovingly compiled overview of what Randy Newman wrote for others in the days before he found his own voice.

Concentrating on songs that Randy wrote between 1962-1969, this 24-track set acquaints the listener with the original or early versions of songs that have passed into the realms of standards (`I Think It's Going To Rain Today', `Mama Told Me (Not to Come)' and more.

"On Vine Street" also features many recordings of songs from Randy's early days as a staff writer at Metric Music that have never been reissued before in any format. Several of these appear here in stereo for the first time, too.

Randy Newman's reputation as a songwriter was firmly established long before he ever had a hit record of his own. A look at the artist roster will demonstrate the quality of the talent that lined up to record Randy's songs, and a listen to any one of the two dozen tracks will confirm why they did so.

1. The Biggest Night Of Her Life - Harpers Bizarre
2. Simon Smith And The Amazing Dancing Bear - The Alan Price Set
3. Mama Told Me Not To Come - Eric Burdon & The Animals
4. Have You Seen My Baby - Fats Domino
5. Old Kentucky Home - The Beau Brummels
6. So Long Dad - Nilsson
7. Love Story - Rick Nelson
8. Vine Street (Intro: Black Jack David) - Van Dyke Parks
9. I'll Be Home - Lorraine Ellison
10. I Think It's Going To Rain Today - Dusty Springfield
11. I Don't Want To Hear It Anymore - Scott Walker (first issued as by The Walker Brothers)
12. I've Been Wrong Before - Cilla Black
13. Take Me Away - Jackie Deshannon
14. Happy New Year - Beverley
15. Baby, Don't Look Down - Billy Storm
16. Friday Night - The O'Jays
17. Big Brother - Calvin Grayson
18. Nobody Needs Your Love - Gene Pitney
19. Just One Smile - The Tokens
20. I Can't Remember Ever Loving You - Tammy Grimes
21. While The City Sleeps - Irma Thomas
22. Take Her - Frankie Laine
23. Love Is Blind - Erma Franklin
24. Somebody's Waiting - Gene Mcdaniels
25. Looking For Me - Vic Dana
26. They Tell Me It's Summer - The Fleetwoods

Amazon USA:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0013NBBGK/?tag=imwan-20

Amazon UK:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0013NBBGK/?tag=imwan-21

Thanks, Linda!

GREAT cover art! The track lineup ain't so bad, either -- how could a disc be, with Randy Newman covers performed by Jackie DeShannon, Scott Walker, Gene Pitney, Van Dyke Parks, Harry Nilsson, et. al.? And I'm sure the tracks I'm not familiar with (just under half of them, by my count) are as strong as the more-familiar ones...early Newman always shows off a more subtle, often dramatic (and, like his later work, very concerned with craft) side of his writing. Can't wait.

A second volume of Randy Newman's early compositions, BLESS YOU CALIFORNIA, is scheduled for release next month on Ace (2/22 in the UK, probably a few weeks later over here)...the lineup (drum roll, please):

1. ANYONE WHO KNOWS WHAT LOVE IS (WILL UNDERSTAND) - IRMA THOMAS
2. DAVY O'BRIEN (LEAVE THAT BABY ALONE) - DUFFY POWER
3. LET'S BURN DOWN THE CORNFIELD - LOU RAWLS
4. TICKLE ME - THE ALAN PRICE SET
5. HOLD YOUR HEAD HIGH - JACKIE DeSHANNON
6. BET NO ONE EVER HURT THIS BAD - LINDA RONSTADT
7. SCARLET MIST - MARTIN DENNY
8. I GOT OVER YOU - DICK LORY
9. LEAVE ME ALONE - PEGGY MARCH
10. ASK HIM IF HE'S GOT A FRIEND FOR ME - THE FLEETWOODS
11. LOOK AT ME - BOBBY DARIN
12. TWENTY ACRES OF LAND - JOHNNY SHEPARD
13. WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR - WE TALKIES
14. THERE'S JUST NO PLEASING YOU - THE EPICS
15. ILLINOIS - THE EVERLY BROTHERS
16. WAIT TILL NEXT YEAR - ERIC BURDON & THE ANIMALS
17. THE DEBUTANTE'S BALL - LIZA MINNELLI
18. HAPPYLAND - HARPERS BIZARRE
19. STRAIGHT UP - P.J. PROBY
20. SHE'LL NEVER UNDERSTAND HIM (LIKE I DO) - CONNIE STEVENS
21. COWBOY - NILSSON
22. I WONDER WHY - ELLA FITZGERALD
23. LET ME GO - THE BOX TOPS
24. SNOW - CLAUDINE LONGET
25. THE BEEHIVE STATE - THE DOOBIE BROTHERS
26. BLESS YOU CALIFORNIA - THE BEAU BRUMMELS

Looks like another diverse batch of material...Ace says at least 8 of the songs are making their CD debuts. Can't wait for this one!