Turn-Ons and Turn-Offs in Current Home Entertainment Releases : ****Excellent ***Good **Fair *Poor : COMPACT DISCS

“Lonely at the Top.” Randy Newman. Warner Bros. At a time when only one Newman LP (“Trouble in Paradise”) is available on CD in the United States, this generous 22-song, 69-minute British import is another example of how Britain sets a standard for appealing and comprehensive retrospectives (see also Bryan Ferry’s “Street Life”). Newman is one of the wittiest and most insightful songwriters of the modern pop era and this well-chosen selection underscores the wide range of his craft: from the rich character and detail of his delicate “Love Song” and the wry social commentary of “Rednecks” to the delicious satire of “I Love L.A.” ***