Bjorn Again

Overall Album Score: 9.2 out of 10

Born againnnn........... Well, something awesome happened!

It's like Randy Newman was doing some experiments with electricity in the bathtub or something and it all went terribly wrong, and he got electrocuted and THIS AWESOME ROCK STAR EMERGED!!!!!!! ... You know how in those previous Randy Newman reviews, I'd go all wild when the guy'd decide to rock out ... you know, when he'd have a good bass-line or some nice rock drummin' or some electric guitar. Well, here, he goes all New Wavey and stuff! Newman obviously was spending some time playing around with synthesizers with this one ... and dude! He's a good experimenter! At least half of these songs just made me stop in my tracks and say ... Dudes ... This instrumentation is awesome... Really! ......

I've sat through and reviewed many-a-Randy-Newman album. I've been charmed and dazzled a lot through it, but I think with Born Again my efforts, as a pure-hearted rock fan, has paid off, baby! SO MANY OF THESE SONGS HAVE SUCH A DRIVING FORCE, THAT I JUST CAN'T HELP MYSELF!!!!

I gave **four** of these songs a full 10 points. Let's just look at those, shall we? Okay, there's the first song "Money That I Love," which is just so THICK and so JUICY and so ROCKINGFUL that I have to make up words to describe what I feel about it. GOEIRNOGIEMMIMI!!! (See?) And then there's "The Story of a Rock and Roll Band," which is not only pop-rocking, but it's INSANEEEEEEEEEE. AND THEN there's "Mr. Sheep" which is also quirky, but it does it in a more happy-go-lucky-I'm-beating-my-brains-out-with-a-squashed-banana sort of way. Finally, there's my favorite song from the album. "Half a Man." That song soooaaaaaaaarrrrrrsssssssssssss to the moooooooon! It's just ... *stares at it in awe, spit dribbles out of mouth*.

This might not be Randy Newman's best album, but that's purely for artistic reasons. (...You know, it's not as spiritually rewarding as Good Old Boys or even Sail Away was, but who gives a ($)(#$*(*($*% about that when this one has the monopoly on AWESOME?... Yeah! No one! That's what I thought!)

Overall Album Score: 9.2 out of 10 (There is at least one exception of the golden rule of rock-and-roll stars: If they go pop, they go bad. This is just like Randy Newman except IT'S COOOOLLLLLLLLLLLL ... for 1979.)

Average Song Score: 9.2 (Plenty of great and wild moments to be had here! I love all of these songs to pieces!!)

Album Tilt: 9.5 (Absolutely wild ... unpredictable ... and just the freakingmost awesomest Randy Newman album that you'll ever hear.)

Artist Rating: 9.0 (The technowizard side of Randy Newman appearing is AWESOME, indeed ... but ... eh, it's not a ... uhhh ... total artistic feat.)

Track Reviews

It's Money That I Love 10/10

Doesn't this song title sound just like a great ol' Randy Newman song would? OH YEAH!!! And this one isn't light'n'pithy. This is HEAVY AND PITHY!!! It comes fully equipped with a heavy'n'grimey rhythm section, sexy'n'thick horns, and even some 'lectric guitar! All set to a typical, good ole Nnnnewman tune! So, it's like regular Randy Newman except it's awesome. S-WEEEEEEEEETTT!!!!!!!

The Story of a Rock and Roll Band 10/10

STING MY BUTT IN HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA! ... Randy Newman must seriously have been worried that only old people were listening to him or something, and he wasn't appealing to the TOTAL LUNATICS. ... I'm a total lunatic, and this greatly satisfy my urges! Not only is the song quirky itself (and still great, because it's Randy Newman), but the instrumentation is wild and unpredictable. YEONK!

Pretty Boy 8.5/10

Ooooooo... He says a bad word a bunchatimes in this song... Uh oh ......... This song is slow, it's eerie, and AGAIN WITH THE WILD AND UNPREDICTABLE INSTRUMENTATION!!!!! ... This time, there's a whole Abominable Dr. Phibes thing going .... DUDESSSSSSSSSSSS. This might not have an actual *tune* to speak of, but ... I don't know. Dr. Phibes.

Mr. Sheep 10/10

Nnnnewman is sure sounding fruity here! But this is another bold'n'sassy (for Newman) song, but this has that sort of upbeat quality I remember from 12 Songs and Sail Away. NEAT! (I really like the synth, too! ... I wish'd he'd've made songs'snns''n li'kee' this's from theh bein'ninn'ng.) Happy, bizarre, and freaking excellent.

Ghosts 9/10

Hey! You got me all excited here and now we just get this bleak ole song with just a piano (some light violin at the end) and singing ........ Oh, Randy Newman, I love yoouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu......

They Just Got Married 8.5/10

This song is kinda bold'n'sassy ... but it's not wild'n'unpredictable. But I dooooooo like the whole Italian-traditional this rock song has going fer it A LOT!!!!! ... It's not one of the album's best songs, in my opinion, but it's still GOOD OLD RANDY NEWMAN.

Spies 8/10

This is kind of a low key song with interesting instrumentation (but it's nothing out of the ordinary) and the melody isn't one of Nnnnnnewman's best. But it's still pretty good!!! Just not a highlight.

The Girls in My Life, Part 1 9.5/10

All the girls in my life hate me! ... But it appears that Randy Newman has been having at least *a little* bit more luck! .... Hey! This is a normal old Randy Newman song! AND IT'S GOOD!! I like all his quirky little song stuff. I really can't imagine that he'd be having trouble with the babes.

Half a Man 10/10

AEOINOIEOJRGINEOIRNGOEIRNKLFNGIENROGNFLKGNI!!!! Screw all the other freaking albums in Randy Newman's entire freaking discography! I never remembered him being so awesome so constantly! ... I swear, the alien synths aren't the reason I like this song. THIS SONG HAS A GREAT MELODY, AND THOSE WONDERFUL, UPLIFTING INSTRUMENTALS JUST TAKES MY SOUUUUUUULLLL ALONG WITH IT!!!!!! ... *catches breath* ... whew. Sorry about getting so worked up like that.

William Brown 8.5/10

Another one of Randy Newman's bleakish songs with just a piano! Of course, I like these songs ... just not as much as his wild emerged side as a technowizard or something!

Pants 9.5/10

PANTS!!!!!! ... What's with this song, anyway? This sounds like THE 80S OR SOMETHING!!!!!!!! ... Crud ... This guy was in serious trouble of getting into synth-pop wasn't he? ..... I guess we should be grateful or something that the movie studios came and swooped him up, then! ... Of all the crazy songs in this INSANE album, this is the craziest and the most insaniest of them all!!!! AND I TOTALLY DIG IT FOR THAT!!!!!!! Randy Newman even gives an 80s rock star scream! IT'S LIKE ALL THAT'S MISSING NOW IS A GLAM SUIT!!!!!!!!! ... But that never happened. You know that. He went into writing songs for movies. And, I really do think someone should give him an Academy Award. ... He deserves one for this song. He certainly deserves something for it. Maybe I'll give him something. Howabout my phone number? ... Not too many people have that ... although, I was hoping to save that for the girls, but ...... ummmm ....... Maybe Randy Newman action is better than girl action ...

Everyone send the comments of my dreams about this crAaAzy album here!!!