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Randy Newman: Born Again (Warner Bros K56663)

Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 25 August 1979

HOW IS IT that Born Again should be Randy Newman's worst album to date, and yet his most marketable? For a start, it is topically satirical. The title could be construed as a pun, from one Jew to another, on Bob Dylan's recent Christian conversion, while included on the album is Newman's new single, 'The Story Of A Rock And Roll Band', which artfully takes off the quasi-symphonic, choral style of ELO and 'The Diary Of Horace Wimp'.

Total word count of piece: 787

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