Synthesizer Patel Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 Emmitt Rhodes is unknown and underrated and let's keep it that way. LouieB I give up! You've beaten me down into the ground with that comment and I don't think I have the strength to recover. (oh, but I will say Scott Walker is better known than Randy Newman - the Walker Brothers were pretty big back in the day, and as I said, his first couple of solo albums went to no.1, it's only since he's gone more experimental that people stopped buying his stuff - doesn't mean they don't know who he is though.) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ludwig Von Drake Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 I got one for you guys. Biff Rose! Bowie covered his songs a couple times, the main time being "Fill Your Heart" on Hunky Dory, but that's it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LouieB Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 I give up! You've beaten me down into the ground with that comment and I don't think I have the strength to recover. (oh, but I will say Scott Walker is better known than Randy Newman - the Walker Brothers were pretty big back in the day, and as I said, his first couple of solo albums went to no.1, it's only since he's gone more experimental that people stopped buying his stuff - doesn't mean they don't know who he is though.)Well the Walker Brothers had a few hit singles, but until people started talking about Scott Walker in the last couple years, I couldn't place him. Meanwhile Scott still puts out pretty out there stuff, lauded by critics and indie rock freaks like us and Randy Newman gets to sit in a big old mansion in LA and count is dough. Sorry comrade, there is just no comparison. Actually "the sun ain't gonna rise anymore" or whatever their hit single was called wasn't even written by them, it was written by Frankie Valli who made gobs of money in his own right....and Make it easy on yourself was a Burt Bacharach/ Hal David tune a couple writers who made more than gobs of money. This brings up the same discussion that we had earlier about the fact that writers and singers used to be two different things. We think of singers that don't sing their own songs as wimps, but in fact it was exactly the way the music business worked back in the day. The so called Walker Brothers were smart enough to pick hot songs to propel themselves into stardom, but Scott continues to labor in near obscurity as a solo artist. I got one for you guys. Biff Rose! Bowie covered his songs a couple times, the main time being "Fill Your Heart" on Hunky Dory, but that's it.Yea, true....Biff Rose is pretty obscure.... How about Kinky Friedman..oh yea he ran for Governor in Texas..I forgot...... LouieB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Synthesizer Patel Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 Well the Walker Brothers had a few hit singles, but until people started talking about Scott Walker in the last couple years, I couldn't place him. Meanwhile Scott still puts out pretty out there stuff, lauded by critics and indie rock freaks like us and Randy Newman gets to sit in a big old mansion in LA and count is dough. Sorry comrade, there is just no comparison. Actually "the sun ain't gonna rise anymore" or whatever their hit single was called wasn't even written by them, it was written by Frankie Valli who made gobs of money in his own right....and Make it easy on yourself was a Burt Bacharach/ Hal David tune a couple writers who made more than gobs of money. This brings up the same discussion that we had earlier about the fact that writers and singers used to be two different things. We think of singers that don't sing their own songs as wimps, but in fact it was exactly the way the music business worked back in the day. The so called Walker Brothers were smart enough to pick hot songs to propel themselves into stardom, but Scott continues to labor in near obscurity as a solo artist.Yea, true....Biff Rose is pretty obscure.... How about Kinky Friedman..oh yea he ran for Governor in Texas..I forgot...... LouieB I don't want to have to keep quoting wikipedia, but it is the easiest way to get my point across: The Walker Brothers next release, Make it Easy on Yourself, a Bacharach/David ballad swept to No. 1 in the UK charts on release in August 1965. When their second No. 1, The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore shot to the top in early 1966 their popularity and fan base is said to have exceeded The Beatles in the UK and Europe. As lead singer, Scott attained pop star status. Scott Walker's early solo career was extremely successful in Britain; his first three albums, titled Scott (1967), Scott 2 (1968) and Scott 3 (1969) all sold in large numbers, Scott 2 topping the British charts. At the peak of this fame in 1969, he had his own British TV series, Scott, featuring solo Walker performances of ballads, big band standards and introductions of his own and Brel compositions. In recent interviews he admits that a self-indulgent complacency crept into his choice of material and his reliance on slow tempos by his third album. Ok, you'll probably say that a lot of that was only in the UK, but remember that this was the 1960's when most of the world was looking toward England's music scene (perhaps more-so than at any other period), and you'll see he's more well known than Randy Newman. I actually don't think Randy Newman does live in a mansion, by the way. He probably earns a lot less than you think - writing film scores can't be that rewarding, and I don't know why he should be a great exception to the rule. Unless, you know something I don't. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mr. Heartbreak Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 Neal Casal - saw him open for the Cardinals, and everyone was talking through out, too bad for them- his new album is PERFECTGreat call. He is excellent, and not well known at all. Good to hear he's still doing good stuff. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cryptique Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 Neal Casal - saw him open for the Cardinals, and everyone was talking through out, too bad for them- his new album is PERFECTI need to pick that up. I love Fade Away Diamond Time. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LouieB Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 I don't want to have to keep quoting wikipedia, but it is the easiest way to get my point across:Ok, you'll probably say that a lot of that was only in the UK, but remember that this was the 1960's when most of the world was looking toward England's music scene (perhaps more-so than at any other period), and you'll see he's more well known than Randy Newman. I actually don't think Randy Newman does live in a mansion, by the way. He probably earns a lot less than you think - writing film scores can't be that rewarding, and I don't know why he should be a great exception to the rule. Unless, you know something I don't.Maybe Randy doesn't live in a mansion, what do I know. But my hunch is that the residuals from his soundtracks are substantial, since I am sure he gets a piece of every DVD that is sold, etc. His WB albums remain in print and he still gets royalties from people covering his songs and his own songs being played on the radio. Needless to say, the guy isn't poverty stricken. Meanwhile you are correct that the Walker Brothers had huge hit singles back in the 60s. (Again covering others songs) I remember them well and I know that they were more popular in GB than here. The 60s was a long time ago. Scott is nothing more than a cult artist at the moment and Randy Newman has worked steadily and with ever greater success on movie soundtracks. Without repeating myself endlessly, Randy's songs have been and continue to be widely covered to this day. LouieB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mjpuczko Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 The Academy Would Like To Recognize Randy Newman ... Again This morning, The Academy announced its nominations for the 79th Annual Oscars and, much to the surprise of nobody, Randy Newman got a nomination! Not to slag on Randy, he's obvs got this film scoring thing down, but our initial thought was, doesn't dude win every year? Not so! He may get nominated every year, but he's suffered a fair share of empty-handed Oscar nights. Here's a list of every Oscar nomination Randy's received. (Yeah, we could've just said he WON in 2001, but it's more dramatic this way.) 1981 - Ragtime Best Original Score [LOST]1981 - Ragtime Best Original Song - "One More Hour" [LOST]1984 - The Natural Best Original Score [LOST]1989 - Parenthood Best Original Song - "I Love To See You Smile" [LOST]1990 - Avalon Best Original Score [LOST]1994 - The Paper Best Original Song - "Make Up Your Mind" [LOST]1995 - Toy Story Best Original Score [LOST]1995 - Toy Story Best Original Song - "You've Got A Friend In Me" [LOST]1996 - James And The Giant Peach Best Original Score [LOST]1998 - Pleasantville Best Original Score [LOST]1998 - A Bug's Life Best Original Score [LOST]1998 - Babe: Pig In The City Best Original Score [LOST]1999 - Toy Story 2 Best Original Song - "When She Loved Me" [LOST]2000 - Meet The Parents Best Original Song - "A Fool In Love" [LOST]2001 - Monsters, Inc. Best Original Score [LOST]2001 - Monsters, Inc. Best Original Song - "If I Didn't Have You" [WON]2007 - Cars Best Original Song - "Our Town" [???] Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Is Chicago Is Not Chicago Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 Simon Joyner... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LouieB Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 The Academy Would Like To Recognize Randy Newman ... AgainTime for Randy to build another wing on his mansion... Needless to say (one more time), the guy is not unrecognized or under-rated..... LouieB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mjpuczko Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 thought you'd appreciate that lou Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LouieB Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 thought you'd appreciate that louOH I do...... Of all the songwriters of Randy's generation (with the obvious exceptions of Bob Dylan and a couple others), Randy has had one of the longest most recognized careers of anyone still around from the 60s. Sure he moved his career from that of being strictly a singer/songwriter (something he was pretty darn successful at even in the 60s and 70s), to this second career which has brought it quadruple the fame and fortune. Some may not know that he comes from a family famous for movie and theater music. It is in his genes!! LouieB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LouieB Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 While Googling Randy (trying to find out how rich he is - unsuccessfully) I did come across this short interview, which is interesting enough in and of itself. The guy reminds me of every nerdy, uncertain, Jewish friend I have ever had. Kinda cool. LouieB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jesusetc84 Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 Noel Gallagher, Jack White, Julian Casablancas, & Bright Eyes. HAH I kid, I kid. John Prine and Phil Elvrum from The Microphones. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jgriff Posted February 1, 2007 Share Posted February 1, 2007 Richard Buckner Gillian Welch Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LouieB Posted February 1, 2007 Share Posted February 1, 2007 Steve Goodman and John Prine.... LouieB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Clouds of Fluff Posted February 1, 2007 Share Posted February 1, 2007 Maybe not so underrated as much as under-known: Greg Brown Along those same lines, I would submit his now wife, Iris Dement. My Life is one of my most favorite albums. I suspect her voice isn't for everybody, although I really take to it. Wish she would tour more in the midwest...it's been too long since I've seen her perform. (And I must learn more about Greg Brown...only have heard a song or two, suggestions on where to start album-wise?) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LouieB Posted February 1, 2007 Share Posted February 1, 2007 I am not a big Greg Brown fan, but I do have a copy of "If I Had Known" which is a pretty nice collection from many of his albums over the past couple decades and seems representative of his work. LouieB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Calexico Posted February 1, 2007 Share Posted February 1, 2007 Willy Vlautin from Richmond Fontaine. Great lyricist. Micah P. Hinson. Thea Gilmore...she is just awesome and so talented..... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Analogman Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 Randy Newman on Mad TV - man, that guy is a genius! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LouieB Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 Randy Newman on Mad TV - man, that guy is a genius!Yea he is and totally unappreciated and unrecognized too.... In all the talk about his film career we totally forgot the fact that he wrote the theme to Monk (displacing a great little swing intrumental). John Sebastian used to say that the theme from Welcome Back Kotter bought his first home. I bet this theme also helped Randy put a new room or two on his house. Monk is a very popular show and I am sure he gets some dough for each episode. Oh someone we forgot....John Prine.... LouieB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Analogman Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 I don't like Randy Newman at all. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mr. Heartbreak Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 I don't like Randy Newman at all.For some reason, I'm not a fan either. You'd think I'd love him, big as I am on quirky songwriters like Warren Zevon who put some real humor in their music. But I picked up the 4-disc retrospective at the library and just couldn't get through it at all. Didn't like the arrangements or his voice."Short People" was funny, though. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Analogman Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 I don't much care for John Prine either - just like Paul Westerberg - all those little unexpected turns of phrase get rather expected after a while. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LouieB Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 You guys are just no fun...... LouieB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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