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Randy Newman (album)

1968 self-titled debut studio album by Randy Newman

Manuscripts, fine bindings, an engraving plate and preserved performance ephemera
Arts and lettersInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionSep 11, 2026
Entity authorityQ3418897 ↗
Source-derived summary

Randy Newman is the debut album by American singer-songwriter Randy Newman, released in 1968 by Reprise Records. The album is sometimes referred to as Randy Newman Creates Something New Under the Sun, written on the reverse of the album sleeve. Newman had been a noted songwriter for some years prior to the release of his debut, which was advertised as sounding "like a greatest hits". In contrast to his later albums which usually feature Newman and his piano with a rock backing, Randy Newman is highly orchestral.

Randy Newman was not a commercial success. It never dented the Billboard Top 200; indeed, according to Ken Tucker, the album sold so poorly that Warner offered buyers the opportunity to trade the album for another in the company's catalog. The album was out of print for over 15 years until it was issued on CD in 1995, remastered by Lee Herschberg. Randy Newman has received critical attention in recent years. In 2000, it was placed number 716 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums. In 2017, the album was ranked the 97th greatest album of the 1960s by Pitchfork.

Editorial summary

Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Randy Newman (album)” is 1968 self-titled debut studio album by Randy Newman. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Randy, Newman and album, not as a finished interpretation.

Editorial reviewA useful identification and reception guide that helps separate the work itself from editions, performances, ownership and later interpretation. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1968, 1995, 2000, 1000—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1968-06. For this dossier, Randy, Newman and album is the immediate research focus.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The phrase “1968 self-titled debut studio album by Randy Newman” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.

Evidence profile

Attribution, date and provenance are strongest when supported by the original work, a catalogue record and documented transmission. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 11, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q3418897. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1968, 1995, 2000 and 1000.

Critical limits

Titles can refer to several editions, objects or performances, making precise identification essential before interpretation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.

Best used for
  • Identifying works and editions
  • Tracing reception history
  • Finding collection records
Verify next

The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Randy Newman (album)”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Randy Newman (album) primary sources, Randy Newman (album) archive and Randy research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Randy Newman (album)”?
  2. How did later circulation or interpretation alter the work’s reception?
  3. Which edition, object, performance or recording is being described?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Randy Newman (album)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.