Samstag, 11. Januar 2020

Loudon Wainwright III‎– Loudon Wainwright III (1970)

This LP introduces the singer who carries one of the most misspelled names in the songwriting business. Either addressed as Louden Wainwright or Loudon Wainright on concert tickets and file cards in record stores, it would eventually inspire him to come up with a very funny song on the subject: "T.S.M.N.W.A.," on 1993's "Career Moves". After getting to know him better through listening to this superb live album, a logical next step would be to turn to his first two albums.

At the time he released the first one under his seemingly awkward name, critics were standing in line to hail him as the new Bob Dylan. In 1970, "Loudon Wainwright III" (or "Album 1", as it is also referred to) was a promising debut of a newly arrived songwriter, they all agreed. This kind of accolade earned him a spot at many a folk festival, but at the same time he would be criticized for not writing politically enough. Even to the amiable Wainwright, this must have seemed paradoxical for, like most beginning artists, he never asked to be called the new anything in the first place. Trying to make a comparison between him and any of his songwriting peers is pointless. His quality lies in the unique way he comments on ordinary events happening in -- and outside of -- his personal life. Depending on the mood of the song, he delivers them in a melancholic, at times even regretful, voice -- but he's also capable of being outright sarcastic.

On his first album, the content is still largely poetic. From the beautifully depressing "Hospital Lady" and "Central Square Song" to the uplifting protest song "Uptown," this is a songwriter at an early stage in his career and determined to make a difference. With album-opener "School Days," he succeeds in a most charming way: It's an account of the promise of youth in which an adolescent Wainwright boasts of all the important things he accomplished during high school. Considering a line like "In the spring I had great hunger/I was Keats, I was Blake/My purple pencil pains I would bring/To frogs who sat entranced," who could possibly blame him? However, Wainwright's at his best when he's sardonically spitting (rather than singing) from the top of his toes, addressing people who think they know the answer or the way. Try "Four Is a Magic Number" or, even better, the exceptional "Glad to See You've Got Religion." Thankfully, this trademark delivery would accompany him on many more albums to come.

Tracklist:

School Days3:04
Hospital Lady4:03
Ode To A Pittsburgh3:13
Glad To See You've Got Religion3:53
Uptown2:42
Black Uncle Remus2:37
Four Is A Magic Number3:26
I Don't Care4:07
Central Square Song5:26
Movies Are A Mother To Me2:36
Bruno's Place3:31

Loudon Wainwright III‎– Loudon Wainwright III  (1970)      
(320 kbps, cover art included)                           

5 Kommentare:

Bob Mac hat gesagt…

Thanks for this one. I had a couple of his LPs back in the early 70s and played them often. On the subject of misspelled names on concert tickets the funniest I ever hear was when Led Zeppelin arrived in the USA totally unknown in 1968, someone got their name wrong and thought it was a solo artist, so tickets and posters were printed announcing Len Zefflin.

Anonym hat gesagt…

Thank you! Happy Holidays!

zero hat gesagt…

Thanks for that Led Zep story - wonderful. Best wishes!

Nikole hat gesagt…

Could you reupload this? Thanks!

zero hat gesagt…

Now there´s a fresh link. Best wishes!

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