Randy Newman at the Odeon

Singer-songwriter Randy Newman has never enjoyed the commercial success for his individual album releases that he's received for his soundtrack work (Ragtime, The Natural, Toy Story, Monsters Inc., etc.) and one little megahit: 1977's "Short People." In this sweet hour-shy live concert filmed in 1983, Newman is joined by guests Linda Ronstadt and Ry Cooder on a 19 song set (these are short songs) that include some of the best of his satiric classics, such as the ode to yuppies "I Love L.A.," his controversial slam on the South "Rednecks" ("we're rednecks/we don't know our ass from a hole in the ground"), "Political Science" ("let's drop the big one, now"), and--my favorite--"My Life Is Good." More familiar tunes include "Sail Away," "Short People" and "Mama Told Me Not to Come" (memorably recorded by Three Dog Night). Two drawbacks--one small, one larger--need to be mentioned: the track listed as "Guilty" is actually "Baltimore" (that's the small one); much more problematic is the low level audio hiss that runs throughout (and is definitely noticeable). Even so, this flawed Dolby Digital 5.1 release is still well worth the listen. Recommended, with reservations. Aud: P. (R. Pitman)