It sounds like a great idea: Randy Newman, master of cynicism, makes a rock musical, based on one of the masterpieces of world literature, Goethe's "Faust". The cast couldn't be better: James Taylor (Lord), Don Henley (Faust), Linda Ronstadt (Gretchen), Bonnie Raitt (Martha), Elton John plays an angel, and last but not least there is of course Randy Newman as Mephisto.
There's something for everybody: gospel sung by James Taylor ("Glory Train"), almost classical tracks ("Gainesville" by Linda Ronstadt), orchestral rock ("Bless The Children Of The World", Don Henley), Bonnie Raitt gives a wonderful ballad ("Feels Like Home"), Elton John gets to sing a track in his own style ("Little Island"), and there are some typical Randy Newman songs ("Can't Keep A Good Man Down", or the rocky "Happy Ending"). While variety is a good thing, Newman has gone one step too far, trying to pack everything into 60 minutes.
A short version of Newman's adaptation of the story is in the booklet of the CD, and this is probably how the stage production looks. He made some interesting changes to make it fit into our time, e. g. Faust is not a scientist striving for the ultimate wisdom, but a student keen on money, power and control. But the songs on the album seem to be just singular pieces of the whole thing. Besides the recurring big topic, the fight between the Lord and the devil, it's difficult to find a connection and make much sense out of them.
It's hard to imagine that a large audience will jump for Faust. The music is just too diverse for most tastes, and Newman fails to make his version of the story understandable on the album. As Elvis Costello sang: "It was a fine idea at its time, now it's a brilliant mistake". But since brilliant mistakes are still much more interesting than boring imitations, it's a good thing that Newman tried this ambitious project. Despite the problems, it has good moments, and deserves to find listeners.
