Sail Away

Reprise released the album on 23 May 1972. Lenny Waronker and Russ Titelman produced it, and it was recorded in 1971 and 1972 at Amigo, Western and Poppi studios in Los Angeles. Several songs had been recorded by others first. Simon Smith and the Amazing Dancing Bear was a British hit for Alan Price in 1967, Dayton, Ohio - 1903 had been a Billy J. Kramer single, and Last Night I Had a Dream, Newman's own single from September 1968, was re-recorded with a notably different arrangement. Lonely at the Top was written with Frank Sinatra in mind, though he never recorded it. You Can Leave Your Hat On was later recorded by Joe Cocker for the film 9 1/2 Weeks and by Tom Jones for The Full Monty. Ry Cooder plays slide guitar on two tracks.

Burn On plays over the opening titles of the 1989 film Major League. Its director, David S. Ward, chose it because it was the only song he knew about Cleveland. Robert Christgau gave the album an A- and said Newman had never before managed to yoke his orchestral command to his piano. It reached 163 on the Billboard 200 and 42 in Australia. Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums voted it number 582 in 2000, and it is in the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die book. Brian Wilson put it third on his list of 5 Albums I Can't Live Without for Spin in 2021. Rhino reissued it with bonus tracks in 2002. The title song is covered on its own page.