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Trouble in Paradise (Randy Newman album)

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Trouble in Paradise
Studio album by
ReleasedJanuary 17, 1983 (1983-01-17)[1]
Recorded1982–1983
StudioWarner Bros. Recording Studios (North Hollywood, Los Angeles)
Length39:36
LabelWarner Bros.
ProducerRuss Titelman, Lenny Waronker
Randy Newman chronology
Born Again
(1979)
Trouble in Paradise
(1983)
Land of Dreams
(1988)

Trouble in Paradise is the seventh studio album by the American musician Randy Newman, released in 1983.[2] It includes "I Love L.A." and the first single, "The Blues", a duet with Paul Simon.[3] "Same Girl" is about a woman addicted to heroin.[4] Newman supported the album playing shows with the Roches.[5]

A cover version of "Real Emotional Girl" by the Canadian singer Patricia O'Callaghan appears on her studio album Real Emotional Girl (2001).

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
Robert ChristgauA−[7]
Rolling Stone[8]

The New York Times wrote: "Newman inhabits his characters so completely that he makes us uneasy, wondering how much self-identification he has invested in their creation. His work achieves its power by that very confusion."[9] The Globe and Mail noted that "Newman still has not the least desire to play it safe: he is still tossing up the great American contradictions—the seductiveness of racism and the paranoia of sex—like a circus performer juggling machetes, with the same appalling, exhilarating effect."[10]

The Miami Herald determined that most of the songs "defy humming... A couple are essentially free verse set to music."[11] The Christian Science Monitor determined that "the polished sound of the album makes it his most commercial effort, yet he has kept his humor and wit alive."[12]

The album placed 13th in the 1983 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll,[13] and it was ranked as number 67 on Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Albums of the 80s list.[14]

Track listing

[edit]

All songs written by Randy Newman.

LP Side 1

  1. "I Love L.A." – 3:29
  2. "Christmas in Capetown" – 4:21
  3. "The Blues" – 3:01
  4. "Same Girl" – 2:53
  5. "Mikey's" – 2:10
  6. "My Life Is Good" – 4:38

LP Side 2

  1. "Miami" – 4:04
  2. "Real Emotional Girl" – 2:28
  3. "Take Me Back" – 4:09
  4. "There's a Party at My House" – 2:50
  5. "I'm Different" – 2:33
  6. "Song for the Dead" – 3:00

Personnel

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Technical
  • Mark Linett – engineer, mixing
  • Tim Newman – cover photography

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Billboard – Google Boeken". 8 January 1983. Retrieved 24 May 2014 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 504.
  3. ^ Tucker, Ken (30 January 1983). "Randy Newman: Idealistic Cynic". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. H5.
  4. ^ Morse, Steve (31 March 1983). "Times Change for Randy Newman". Calendar. The Boston Globe. p. 1.
  5. ^ Takiff, Jonathan (25 March 1983). "Randy Newman". Features. Philadelphia Daily News. p. 71.
  6. ^ Mark Deming. "Trouble in Paradise – Randy Newman | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
  7. ^ "CG: Randy Newman". Robert Christgau. 31 October 1995. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
  8. ^ Rolling Stone Archived 14 July 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ Rockwell, John (16 January 1983). "Randy Newman's New Album Is Top Pop". The New York Times. p. A29.
  10. ^ Lacey, Liam (31 January 1983). "Newman back in paradise lost". The Globe and Mail. p. P18.
  11. ^ Kelleher, Terry (20 March 1983). "Music of March". Miami Herald. p. 9L.
  12. ^ Winkel, Vincent J. (7 April 1983). "Rock/Pop". Arts/Entertainment. The Christian Science Monitor. p. 16.
  13. ^ Christgau, Robert (28 February 1984). "The 1983 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  14. ^ "100 Best Albums of the Eighties: Randy Newman, 'Trouble in Paradise'". Rolling Stone. 16 November 1989. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
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