LOUDON WAINWRIGHT III
''RECOVERY''
AUGUST 18 2008
47:56
1 - Black Uncle Remus 2:23
2 - Saw Your Name In The Paper 3:03
3 - School Days 3:30
4 - The Drinking Song 4:36
5 - Motel Blues 3:18
6 - Muse Blues 3:32
7 - New Paint 3:48
8 - Be Careful Thereas A Baby In The House 3:57
9 - Needless to Say 3:02
10 - Movies Are A Mother To Me 3:09
11 - Say That You Love Me 3:24
12 - Friend 3:33
13 - Man Who Couldn't Cry 6:01
Jay Bellerose/Drums, Percussion
Bill Frisell/Guest Artist, Guitar (Electric)
Joe Henry/Guitar (Acoustic)
Greg Leisz/Guitars, Mandolin, Pedal Steel Guitar
David Piltch/Guitar (Bass)
Section Quartet/Guest Artist
Loudon Wainwright III/Guitar, Vocals
Patrick Warren/Keyboards, Piano, Pump Organ
REVIEW
By Allmusic
Wainwright may be best known to younger listeners as the father of Rufus and Martha, but he's no slouch in the songwriting department himself. Rufus undoubtedly gets some of his cynical humor and ironic attitude from his dad, who made a career out of sharply etched vignettes that often sound slight on first hearing, but reveal subtle levels of nuanced meaning on repeated listening. As the lyrics to 2001's Last Man on Earth and the instrumental tracks to 2007's Strange Weirdos proved, Wainwright's starting to show signs of maturity in his old age, and, in its own odd way, Recovery continues that trend. Produced by Joe Henry, his Strange Weirdos collaborator, Recovery revisits Wainwright's back catalog and finds new meaning in the tunes he wrote as a young man. Henry supplies the expected dark arrangements, while Wainwright delivers the old songs without the implied wink and smirk of his youth. "School Days," the first track on his first album, was a wise-assed ode to youthful excess, a backhanded compliment to his own genius. At 60, the lyrics still sting, but the tint of mortality he brings to the performance makes the song take on a whole new meaning, more poignant than celebratory. "Drinking Song" is a talking blues, here accented by spooky slide guitar and oddly accented percussion. Wainwright wails and wrings unexpected emotion from a lyric that was once played for laughs. "Be Careful There's a Baby in the House" sounds more chilling in the light of Wainwright's acknowledged failures as a parent. His cautionary tale of the tribulations of parenthood ring particularly true in hindsight. When he tells new parents: "if your 'I love you' is an I.O.U, don't expect to get a good deal" the words take on added weight. "Motel Blues" from Album II, an ode to sex with an underage groupie, now sounds more desperate than amusing. Its country arrangement fits the song's forlorn mood as it strips away the romance of life on the road. "Man Who Couldn't Cry" closes the album and still sounds trite and over the top with its litany of misfortunes and vaguely biblical references, one of the few tunes that hasn't improved with age.
BIOGRAPHY
by William Ruhlmann
Loudon Wainwright III grew up in the town of Bedford in wealthy Westchester County north of New York City, the son of Loudon S. Wainwright, Jr., a writer and editor at Life magazine and a direct descendant of colonial governor Peter Stuyvesant. Wainwright became a folk singer/songwriter in the late '60s, singing humorous and nakedly honest autobiographical songs. Signed to Atlantic Records, he recorded Album I (1970) and Album II (1971), accompanying himself on acoustic guitar, before switching to Columbia Records, for which he made the folk-rock Album III (1972), which featured the Top 40 novelty hit "Dead Skunk." Attempted Mustache (1973) and the half-live Unrequited (1975) did not continue that commercial success, though Wainwright's humor and engaging stage persona made him a cult figure and a concert favorite.
Meanwhile, his songs were recorded by others, notably Kate (his wife, later divorced, who died in 2010) and Anna McGarrigle, and Wainwright appeared in the off-Broadway show Pump Boys and Dinettes and played a featured role on the successful M*A*S*H television series. He moved to Arista Records for T Shirt (1976) and Final Exam (1978), on which he was backed by a rock band, but departed the major labels for a more appropriate home on the folk-based indie Rounder for A Live One (1980) and Fame and Wealth (1983).
Wainwright began to gain more notice in England than in the U.S., and he moved to London in 1985. I'm Alright (1985) and More Love Songs (1986) were co-produced by British singer/guitarist Richard Thompson. Therapy (1989) found Wainwright on the major-label-distributed Silvertone imprint and back living in the U.S., and he signed to Virgin Records' Charisma subsidiary for History (1992) and the live Career Moves (1993). Grown Man, his 15th album, was released in 1995, followed three years later by Little Ship. In 1999, there appeared a collection of topical, humorous songs Wainwright had been composing since the late '80s for National Public Radio, titled Social Studies; the following year, The BBC Sessions collected favorites and new compositions. The Last Man on Earth followed in 2001, and the live album So Damn Happy marked his debut for Sanctuary in 2003. Another studio album, Here Come the Choppers, was released in 2005. It was followed by Strange Weirdos: Music from and Inspired by the Film Knocked Up in 2007 and by Recovery in 2008.
In 2011, Shout! Factory issued a major career retrospective: a five-disc box set entitled 40 Odd Years that included album tracks, a complete CD of rare and unreleased material, and a 200-plus-minute DVD that included an hourlong documentary as well as dozens of performances. In 2009, Wainwright released High Wide & Handsome: The Charlie Poole Project. The set featured songs by the American folk and country icon, as well as new songs that helped move his odd legend forward. Older Than My Old Man Now appeared in 2012, a collection of 15 songs featuring contributions from all four of Wainwright's children and two of his three wives, and including a song co-written with late ex-wife, Kate McGarrigle. In September of 2014, Wainwright released Haven't Got the Blues (Yet). It was produced by David Mansfield and issued on 429 Records.
''RECOVERY''
AUGUST 18 2008
47:56
1 - Black Uncle Remus 2:23
2 - Saw Your Name In The Paper 3:03
3 - School Days 3:30
4 - The Drinking Song 4:36
5 - Motel Blues 3:18
6 - Muse Blues 3:32
7 - New Paint 3:48
8 - Be Careful Thereas A Baby In The House 3:57
9 - Needless to Say 3:02
10 - Movies Are A Mother To Me 3:09
11 - Say That You Love Me 3:24
12 - Friend 3:33
13 - Man Who Couldn't Cry 6:01
Jay Bellerose/Drums, Percussion
Bill Frisell/Guest Artist, Guitar (Electric)
Joe Henry/Guitar (Acoustic)
Greg Leisz/Guitars, Mandolin, Pedal Steel Guitar
David Piltch/Guitar (Bass)
Section Quartet/Guest Artist
Loudon Wainwright III/Guitar, Vocals
Patrick Warren/Keyboards, Piano, Pump Organ
REVIEW
By Allmusic
Wainwright may be best known to younger listeners as the father of Rufus and Martha, but he's no slouch in the songwriting department himself. Rufus undoubtedly gets some of his cynical humor and ironic attitude from his dad, who made a career out of sharply etched vignettes that often sound slight on first hearing, but reveal subtle levels of nuanced meaning on repeated listening. As the lyrics to 2001's Last Man on Earth and the instrumental tracks to 2007's Strange Weirdos proved, Wainwright's starting to show signs of maturity in his old age, and, in its own odd way, Recovery continues that trend. Produced by Joe Henry, his Strange Weirdos collaborator, Recovery revisits Wainwright's back catalog and finds new meaning in the tunes he wrote as a young man. Henry supplies the expected dark arrangements, while Wainwright delivers the old songs without the implied wink and smirk of his youth. "School Days," the first track on his first album, was a wise-assed ode to youthful excess, a backhanded compliment to his own genius. At 60, the lyrics still sting, but the tint of mortality he brings to the performance makes the song take on a whole new meaning, more poignant than celebratory. "Drinking Song" is a talking blues, here accented by spooky slide guitar and oddly accented percussion. Wainwright wails and wrings unexpected emotion from a lyric that was once played for laughs. "Be Careful There's a Baby in the House" sounds more chilling in the light of Wainwright's acknowledged failures as a parent. His cautionary tale of the tribulations of parenthood ring particularly true in hindsight. When he tells new parents: "if your 'I love you' is an I.O.U, don't expect to get a good deal" the words take on added weight. "Motel Blues" from Album II, an ode to sex with an underage groupie, now sounds more desperate than amusing. Its country arrangement fits the song's forlorn mood as it strips away the romance of life on the road. "Man Who Couldn't Cry" closes the album and still sounds trite and over the top with its litany of misfortunes and vaguely biblical references, one of the few tunes that hasn't improved with age.
BIOGRAPHY
by William Ruhlmann
Loudon Wainwright III grew up in the town of Bedford in wealthy Westchester County north of New York City, the son of Loudon S. Wainwright, Jr., a writer and editor at Life magazine and a direct descendant of colonial governor Peter Stuyvesant. Wainwright became a folk singer/songwriter in the late '60s, singing humorous and nakedly honest autobiographical songs. Signed to Atlantic Records, he recorded Album I (1970) and Album II (1971), accompanying himself on acoustic guitar, before switching to Columbia Records, for which he made the folk-rock Album III (1972), which featured the Top 40 novelty hit "Dead Skunk." Attempted Mustache (1973) and the half-live Unrequited (1975) did not continue that commercial success, though Wainwright's humor and engaging stage persona made him a cult figure and a concert favorite.
Meanwhile, his songs were recorded by others, notably Kate (his wife, later divorced, who died in 2010) and Anna McGarrigle, and Wainwright appeared in the off-Broadway show Pump Boys and Dinettes and played a featured role on the successful M*A*S*H television series. He moved to Arista Records for T Shirt (1976) and Final Exam (1978), on which he was backed by a rock band, but departed the major labels for a more appropriate home on the folk-based indie Rounder for A Live One (1980) and Fame and Wealth (1983).
Wainwright began to gain more notice in England than in the U.S., and he moved to London in 1985. I'm Alright (1985) and More Love Songs (1986) were co-produced by British singer/guitarist Richard Thompson. Therapy (1989) found Wainwright on the major-label-distributed Silvertone imprint and back living in the U.S., and he signed to Virgin Records' Charisma subsidiary for History (1992) and the live Career Moves (1993). Grown Man, his 15th album, was released in 1995, followed three years later by Little Ship. In 1999, there appeared a collection of topical, humorous songs Wainwright had been composing since the late '80s for National Public Radio, titled Social Studies; the following year, The BBC Sessions collected favorites and new compositions. The Last Man on Earth followed in 2001, and the live album So Damn Happy marked his debut for Sanctuary in 2003. Another studio album, Here Come the Choppers, was released in 2005. It was followed by Strange Weirdos: Music from and Inspired by the Film Knocked Up in 2007 and by Recovery in 2008.
In 2011, Shout! Factory issued a major career retrospective: a five-disc box set entitled 40 Odd Years that included album tracks, a complete CD of rare and unreleased material, and a 200-plus-minute DVD that included an hourlong documentary as well as dozens of performances. In 2009, Wainwright released High Wide & Handsome: The Charlie Poole Project. The set featured songs by the American folk and country icon, as well as new songs that helped move his odd legend forward. Older Than My Old Man Now appeared in 2012, a collection of 15 songs featuring contributions from all four of Wainwright's children and two of his three wives, and including a song co-written with late ex-wife, Kate McGarrigle. In September of 2014, Wainwright released Haven't Got the Blues (Yet). It was produced by David Mansfield and issued on 429 Records.
1 comment :
This was nice. Could you post more of Loudon's, please?
Thanks.
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