This article is about the music album. For the 1996 film, see Little Criminals (film).
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1977 studio album by Randy Newman
Little Criminals
Studio album by
Randy Newman
Released
September 23, 1977[1]
Recorded
July–September 1977
Studio
Warner Bros. Recording Studios, North Hollywood, and The Burbank Studios
Genre
Rock
Length
38:21
Label
Warner Bros., Reprise
Producer
Lenny Waronker, Russ Titelman
Randy Newman chronology
Good Old Boys (1974)
Little Criminals (1977)
Born Again (1979)
Little Criminals is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Randy Newman. Like most of Newman's work, the album eschews traditional pop-music themes ("I'll Be Home" is the only love song on the album) in favor of musical story-telling, often featuring quirky characters and cynical views. The first song on the album – "Short People" – became a hit single in its own right. The album itself peaked at #9 on the US Billboard 200 chart, Newman's highest-charting album to date.
Some of the instrumental work and backing vocals on the album are performed by members of the Eagles. In particular, Glenn Frey played guitar on two tracks, Joe Walsh played guitar on three tracks, and Don Henley and Tim Schmit sang background vocals on one track each. Frey and J. D. Souther, who had earlier been the duo Longbranch Pennywhistle, sang background vocals on three tracks.
Newman wrote, conducted and played keyboards on all tracks. Synthesizers were programmed by Michael Boddicker.
In September 1977 the British music magazine NME published the following interview with Newman talking sardonically about his then new release: "There's one song about a child murderer," Newman deadpans. "That's fairly optimistic. Maybe. There's one called 'Jolly Coppers on Parade' which isn't an absolutely anti-police song. Maybe it's even a fascist song. I didn't notice at the time. There's also one about me as a cowboy called 'Rider in the Rain'. I think it's ridiculous. The Eagles are on there. That's what's good about it. There's also this song 'Short People'. It's purely a joke. I like other ones on the album better but the audiences go for that one."[2]
"Baltimore" was covered by Nina Simone, Nils Lofgren, the Tamlins, David Gray, Billy Mackenzie, Lianne La Havas, Jazmine Sullivan, and Mink Stole. "In Germany Before the War" was covered by British band Diesel Park West on their covers album "God Only Knows" in 1992, and by Marianne Faithfull on her album Easy Come, Easy Go, in 2009. The song "I'll Be Home", meanwhile, had been written by Newman years previously, and was originally recorded in 1970 by Harry Nilsson on his album Nilsson Sings Newman and by Tim Hardin on his 1972 album Painted Head.
The album's cover artwork is a photographic portrait of Randy Newman by Bob Seidemann. It shows Newman standing on the West 7th Street overpass above the I-110 freeway in the Financial District of Los Angeles.
^Liner notes, Guilty: 30 Years of Randy Newman, 1998
^Tobler, John (1992). NME Rock 'N' Roll Years (1st ed.). London: Reed International Books Ltd. p. 304. CN 5585.
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(1974) with Arlo Guthrie Stampede (1975) with the Doobie Brothers LittleCriminals (1977) with Randy Newman Blue Collar (1978) (soundtrack) Into the Music...
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