Toy Story: An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack
When Disney and Pixar were producing their computer-animation breakthroughToy Story, a project whose R&D; costs alone demanded a blockbuster payoff, the conventional wisdom would have been to turn the music-scoring chores over to the stable of writers who'd made the likes ofThe Little MermaidandBeauty and the Beastsuch sound successes. Instead they wisely handed the task to one Randy Newman, a musician who'd built his reputation writing some of the most skewed and astringent pop songs in history. The result is a technological marvel with a very human heart. "You've Got a Friend in Me" and "Strange Things" offer delight to listeners of any age, while "I Will Go Sailing No More" sounds like a melancholy orphan fromLittle Criminals--even if it's only lamenting a goofy, marooned toy space ranger. Newman's instrumental score is by turns gleeful and heart-tugging--one of the richest musical scores of the genre.--Jerry McCulley