Randy Newman's Faust

by Randy Newman

Randy Newman's Faust over the years has somehow been lost to time. All these amazing vocalists joined Randy on this album and... we kinda forgot? Elton John just randomly pops up for one song as an angel mad about World War 2 being won by America then NEVER COMES BACK. Why? Who knows. Vanity? Likely.

The story of Faust is actually a bit difficult to follow if you're not familiar with the original Faust. The demos included on streaming of Faust with Randy Newman by himself actually give a better plot summary and some stage direction you don't get with the songs themselves.

That said some of the lyrics on this album are absolutely fantastic. My favorite possibly being

"The man who shot you in the head
In that Burger King in Tucson
Well, he never will be punished, you know
He will move to Big Pine, California
Become the richest man in Mono County
While that may not be much, it's enough"

It's so specific yet absolutely not out of the line for the song to go there. In a way it grounds the song. Nonetheless this is a fantastic album and I can't recommend it enough.