My Morning Jacket

I was introduced to the music of Loudon Wainwright III when I saw the excellent Squid & The Whale last year & need some CDs.
I've checked allmusic.com but thought I'd ask my good friends here.
Any fans? Best albums/place to start? One's to avoid?

Thanks in advance  :)

All I know about this man is that he's amazing on Undeclared.

You mean the TV show? Never heard of it but I just ran a search...

QuoteYou mean the TV show? Never heard of it but I just ran a search...

Yep!  

Great show from Judd Apatow (40 Year Old Virgin, the forthcoming Knocked Up) which is pretty much a follow-up to the flawless Freaks and Geeks.  Loudon plays the father of the main character.

This is my list of his favourite albums I own:

1/ Last Man On Earth
2/ More Love Songs
3/ Career Moves (Live)
4/ History

5/ Album I & II
6/ BBC Sessions
7/ Unrequited
8/ Attempted Moustache
9/ A Live One
10/ Little Ship
11/ Grown Man
12/ So Damn Happy

The first 4 are all masterpieces, with the first being an absolute must-have for any lover of good and sincere music!!! I'm sure you love it Dragonboy

I know he doesn't get to Japan really often, but if you get the chance, go out and see him live, he's one of the best entertainers you'll ever see!!!

ONE MAN GUY

People will know
when they see this show
The kind of a guy I am
They'll understand what I stand for
and what I just can't stand
They'll perceive what I believe in
What I know is true
And they'll recognize I'm a one man guy
Always was through and through

I'm a one man guy in the morning
I'm the same in the afternoon
One man guy when the sun goes down
I whistle me a one man tune
I'm a one man guy a one man guy
Only kind of guy to be
I'm a one man guy
I'm a one man guy
I'm a one man guy is me
I'm a one man kind of a guy

People meditate
Hey that's just great
Trying to find the inner you
People depend on family and friends
And other folks to pull them through

I don't know why I'm a one man guy
Or why this is a one man show
But these three cubic feet of bone and blood and meat are what I love and know

I'm a one man guy in the morning
I'm the same in the afternoon
One man guy when the sun goes down
I whistle me a one man tune
I'm a one man guy a one man guy
Only kind of guy to be
I'm a one man guy
I'm a one man guy
I'm a one man guy is me
I'm a one man kind of a guy

I'm gonna bathe and shave
And dress myself and eat solo every night
Unplug the phone, sleep alone
Stay way out of sight
Sure it's kind of lonely
Yeah it's sort of sick
Being your own one and only
Is a selfish dirty trick

I'm a one man guy in the morning
I'm the same in the afternoon
One man guy when the sun goes down
I whistle me a one man tune
One man guy a one man guy
Only kind of guy to be
I'm a one man guy
I'm a one man guy
I'm a one man guy is me
I'm a one man guy

Thanks very much indeed Mr. T! I thought this thread was going to disappear without any recommendations...

i only have GROWN MAN which i see is wayyyy down on the list, so i see i'm not getting a true representation of mr. wainwright's abilities.  i shall do further exploring.

Quotei only have GROWN MAN which i see is wayyyy down on the list, so i see i'm not getting a true representation of mr. wainwright's abilities.  i shall do further exploring.

I thought you'd come here to send one of these  :-/  from right to left & inform us that 'this thread never really got going'

Quote

Quotei only have GROWN MAN which i see is wayyyy down on the list, so i see i'm not getting a true representation of mr. wainwright's abilities.  i shall do further exploring.

I thought you'd come here to send one of these  :-/  from right to left & inform us that 'this thread never really got going'

;)

Quote

let's fight!   :-/  

I knew you wouldn't let me down!!!  ;D

dragonboy is my cousin, folks.

Waxy?  :-/

I liked Loudon in the MASH series and he had a nice cameo in the fantastic movie Big Fish. Great songwriter and his kids and ex-wife and ex-sister-in-law are pretty talented too.

QuoteI was introduced to the music of Loudon Wainwright III when I saw the excellent Squid & The Whale last year & need some CDs.
I've checked allmusic.com but thought I'd ask my good friends here.
Any fans? Best albums/place to start? One's to avoid?

Thanks in advance  :)

Career Moves seems like a fine introduction to me. It represents both his sad and hilarious qualities (often in the space of one song).
Some of his best tracks as well: Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder, The Man Who Couldn't Cry and my favourite April Fool's Day Morn. Recommended!

"Every night I get the blues,
with greens and yellows and chartreuses.
You're still living here with me.
I'd rather be lonely."

;D

Bump

Hi DB,

You should check this out. The final part of a Dutch LW3 documentary.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wepCEm7Rxz8

Thanks very much Chills, I'll take the time to watch all of those.

I have Attempted Mustache on order. I went with that one because it was part of amazon's 4 for 3 campaign + the  2 songs I first heard on The Squid & The Whale are on this album.

I think I saw he was going to be on Conan in the next couple of days.  I'll double check when I get a chance.

The soundtrack to what's likely to be the years funniest film:

http://www.amazon.com/Strange-Weirdos-Music-Inspired-Knocked/dp/B000P6R82C/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2/102-7318020-4585753?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1179466652&sr=8-2

the version of one man guy by rufus is fantastic....

5-22 on Conan

QuoteThanks very much Chills, I'll take the time to watch all of those.

It's a little tedious to watch all of these on youtube quality.
But the essence is certainly in that last part. Very touching.

I've just spent my saturday morning watching this documentary!

Great stuff! Thanks Chills!

Thanks so much for the tracks Chills, I love them! What albums are they from?

Here's 2 tracks by Loudon from the Knocked Up soundtrack:
http://www.aquariumdrunkard.com/

(http://aquariumdrunkard.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/loudon-wainwright-iii.jpg)

Thank you so much DB!!!

I actually just ordered the soundtrack today.  "Daughter" nearly brought me to tears when it was played during the film.  

QuoteThank you so much DB!!!

I actually just ordered the soundtrack today.  "Daughter" nearly brought me to tears when it was played during the film.  

I read that in the movie thread, thought you might like these  :)

QuoteThanks so much for the tracks Chills, I love them! What albums are they from?

They were all from the "So Damn Happy" live album. Those were my favourite cuts from that particular record. The lyrics to 'The Home Stretch' are so honest, incredibly bitter and sad yet not without that comical edge. As such, his best work manages to capture both the lighter and darker side of life. Not a small feat.

It sometimes makes it hard to accept the inferior, depressing and melodramatic stuff of a lot (of today's) singer-songwriters. I'm not gonna start naming names here, it's a long list!

I agree it's also a beautiful version of 'Dreaming', that one gets me everytime.

While I'm at it, I'm gonna restate my recommendation of the 'Career Moves' album, you do need to hear that one, if only for 'Happy Birthday Elvis'  :)



Very enthusiastic review for "Strange Weirdos: Music from and Inspired by the Film Knocked Up" on allmusic. Can't wait to hear it!

"Who would have thought that at this stage in his career, Wainwright (with help from a very empathetic co-producer in Henry whose contribution is not to be underestimated) would come up with a recording like this: a treasure chest of truly great songs that communicate so effortlessly. As an album, its seamless, uncluttered, and virtually flawless."  

Have I told you all that Loudon is a genius?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2P4hw1kos8

What a song.

QuoteI actually just ordered the soundtrack today.  "Daughter" nearly brought me to tears when it was played during the film.  

Still waiting for this to arrive, I can't wait to get into this man.  The handful of songs I've heard I love.

Quote

QuoteI actually just ordered the soundtrack today.  "Daughter" nearly brought me to tears when it was played during the film.  

The handful of songs I've heard I love.

Here's another one then  :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FlWsGgzfww

I'm taking back the smiley in my previous post. It should be this one  :'(

Bought Album III & Unrequited last month. Haven't played Unrequited yet but Album III is excellent!
Can't wait to get to his later stuff  :)

Well, Strange Weirdos might just be my favourite album of 2007 so far.  It's just incredible.  "Passion Play" is an absolute masterpiece.

Now it's time for me to back-track.

Take a look at Mr. T's list Red.
I just ordered History & More Love Songs. Loudon is definitely my artist of the year so far, I'm so pleased I finally discovered his music.

Oh man, I got lots of catching up to do, but I sure don't object!  

Yeah, Strange Weirdos is my favourite album of the year, this weekend has been a very musically memorable one for me.  

Got More Love Songs & History in the post yesterday.
Pleased to see that Richard Thompson plays on & produces the former, can't wait to give that a spin.

My list so far in order:

Album III
Attempted Mustache
Unrequited (don't rate this one as highly as the other 2)

Gotta go with Career Moves next DB.

Or else we just can't be friends anymore  :-[





;)

They didn't have that one @ hmv.co.jp
I will order next time I go back to amazon  :)

I played More Love Songs 3 times in a row last night & am playing it again now. The opener Hard Day On The Planet throw a bit of a curve ball at me & I didn't think I was going to like it but there are some amazing songs on here!

I wanted to thank Mr. T for his recommendations, do you know where hi is Chills? I sent him an email last, haven't heard back from him. Hope he's doing OK!

QuoteI played More Love Songs 3 times in a row last night & am playing it again now. The opener Hard Day On The Planet throw a bit of a curve ball at me & I didn't think I was going to like it but there are some amazing songs on here!

I wanted to thank Mr. T for his recommendations, do you know where hi is Chills? I sent him an email last, haven't heard back from him. Hope he's doing OK!

Yeah he's doing ok. A little bit out of the fascinating message board world it seems, but that needn't be a bad sign  :)

Guess he'll answer your mail later?

Thanks Chills, just so long as he's OK  :)

I simply can't get enough of this album & am this close, this close to declaring it a masterpiece!

(http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/41E6WGWSRSL._AA240_.jpg)

No question Loudon's the best 'discovery' I've had this year.  I have not stopped listening to Last Man on Earth since I bought it last weekend - The title track and "Homeless" are masterworks.   Just ordered More Love Songs and it'll soon join Album II , I'm Alright and Strange Weirdos near the top of my shelf.  

Normally I'm not much of a fan of such 'personal' music, but Loudon's had me in awe (and near tears) many times in just a handful of months.  Looking forward to many years of loving this man.

Chills, Career Moves will be next.  After History...    ;) :)

love that song from knocked up but thats all i'm familiar with. might have to look into this.

Quote

Chills, Career Moves will be next.  After History...    ;) :)

Yeah, gotta have Career Moves.
I think I never laughed as hard as the first time I saw Loudon live. There's some pretty funny banter on Career Moves as well, especially the intro to They Spelled My Name Wrong Again  ;D

I definitely need to pick up some more loudon!  I've heard stuff off his newest on WFPK.

Also, the DVD of Undeclared has a solo performance by him that was very good.

Undeclared, btw, is a great show that got canceled too early like most of Fox's good shows.

Just added Career Moves and History to my last Amazon order of 2007.  

QuoteJust added Career Moves and History to my last Amazon order of 2007.  

Add More Love Songs to your list K, it's definitely my fav so far  :)

Quote

QuoteJust added Career Moves and History to my last Amazon order of 2007.  

Add More Love Songs to your list K, it's definitely my fav so far  :)

Already got it on order from my (somewhat) local independent record shop!

!!!

http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003677508

Quote!!!

http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003677508

Cool!

Hey K, are you familiar with Joe Henry's solo work?

Definitely worth a listen.

QuoteHey K, are you familiar with Joe Henry's solo work?

Definitely worth a listen.

I'm not, and I was actually going to ask you how they were.  I've noticed that his two latest were released on the wonderful Anti- label, so that definitely piqued my interest, not to mention that he produced two of the best albums this year (Strange Weirdos and Mary Gauthier's Between Daylight and Dark).  

Any recommendations on a starting point (after I divulge in a few more of Loudon's albums)?

Quote

QuoteHey K, are you familiar with Joe Henry's solo work?

Definitely worth a listen.

I'm not, and I was actually going to ask you how they were.  I've noticed that his two latest were released on the wonderful Anti- label, so that definitely piqued my interest, not to mention that he produced two of the best albums this year (Strange Weirdos and Mary Gauthier's Between Daylight and Dark).  

Any recommendations on a starting point (after I divulge in a few more of Loudon's albums)?

The albums I've heard are all pretty equal in quality (=good to very good).
But I'm really into "Shuffletown", that one has some really beautiful tracks (Drowning In The River Half Laughing springs to mind).

Also, his latest release "Civilians" is one of the best of the year.

Happy listening  :)  

More Love Songs is beyond incredible.  I go from laughing out aloud through "Synchronicity" to near-tears during "Your Mother and I".  

Yeah I think More Love Songs is my fav. Still haven't played Career Moves yet...need to give that a spin.

QuoteYeah I think More Love Songs is my fav. Still haven't played Career Moves yet...need to give that a spin.

Ooh, you're in for a treat.  "On the Road" is such a killer opening.  It's a good drink(s) in hand album.  I may have given myself an idea for this coming weekend...  ;D

I love the swimming song. I don't know what album it's on but a friend of mine put on a compilation cd. the banjo is so perfect on it and the lyrics are great:

This summer I went swimming,
This summer I might have drowned
But I held my breath and I kicked my feet
And I moved my arms around, I moved my arms around.

This summer I swam in the ocean,
And I swam in a swimming pool,
Salt my wounds, chlorine my eyes,
I'm a self-destructive fool, a self-destructive fool.

This summer I swam in a public place
And a reservoir, to boot,
At the latter I was informal,
At the former I wore my suit, I wore my swimming suit.

This summer I did the backstroke
And you know that's not all
I did the breast stroke and the butterfly
And the old Australian crawl, the old Australian crawl.

This summer I did swan dives
And jackknifes for you all
And once when you weren't looking
I did a cannonball, I did a cannonball.

Out August 19:

(http://store.yeproc.com/view_image.php?filename=covers/1610756931.jpg&maxsize=1&newxsize=450&newysize=450)

1. "Black Uncle Remus"
2. "Saw Your Name In The Paper"
3. "School Days"
4. "The Drinking Song"
5. "Motel Blues"
6. "Muse Blues"
7. "New Paint"
8. "Be Careful There's A Baby In The House"
9. "Needless To Say"
10. "Movie Are A Mother To Me"
11. "Say That You Love Me"
12. "Old Friend"
13. "Man Who Couldn't Cry"

More info here: http://www.rosebudus.com/wainwright/Recovery.html

QuoteOut August 19:

(http://store.yeproc.com/view_image.php?filename=covers/1610756931.jpg&maxsize=1&newxsize=450&newysize=450)

1. "Black Uncle Remus"
2. "Saw Your Name In The Paper"
3. "School Days"
4. "The Drinking Song"
5. "Motel Blues"
6. "Muse Blues"
7. "New Paint"
8. "Be Careful There's A Baby In The House"
9. "Needless To Say"
10. "Movie Are A Mother To Me"
11. "Say That You Love Me"
12. "Old Friend"
13. "Man Who Couldn't Cry"

More info here: http://www.rosebudus.com/wainwright/Recovery.html

It's highly suspicious enjoyable.  I can't recommend it enough.

i didn't know there was a loudon thread!! 'daughter' is one of my favorite songs of all time

Quote'daughter' is one of my favorite songs of all time

That was the song that hooked me on Loudon, I think it's kinda funny that he didn't write it.  

Listened (intently) to History for the first time last night and it blew me away.  Absolute masterpiece.

My signed copy of Recovery is probably the best purchase I've made this year.  I'm not a big autograph fan, but damn I love looking at it on my shelf.  


[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2P4hw1kos8[/media]

i came to loudon's music in a round about way:  two of the times i saw the roches he performed a song or two with them.  i'm also a joe henry fan, so when i saw they were collaborating i got to hear him then.

boy, he is wonderful to hear and see.  such a hoot, too! glad this thread got a bump.  i'm going to review that "must have" list on the first page

every single time i listen to career moves the album blows me away.  tonight being no different.  one of the best live albums ever recorded.  

Considering LWIII has a new career spanning retrospective coming out may 3rd (pic and descrition below) I'd figure I'd bump this thread. LWIII is one of my all-time favorite singer-songwriters and he definitely flies under the radar. Got to meet him last year after a show and he was incredibly nice, signed a few vinyls I own and his grammy winning cd high wide and handsome! Here is a list of albums I own (I believe he has 21 studios and 4 live at this point (inc BBC sess)) and how I would rate them; for anyone who is interested PM for more info about specifics as I can talk about his music all day (don't judge I'm bored at work)  ::) :
Studio
Album I - 3/5
Album III - 4.5/5
Attempted Mustache 4/5
Unrequitted - 3.5/5
T-Shirt - 3.5/5
Final Exam - 2/5
I'm Alright - 4/5
More Love Songs - 4.5/5
Therapy - 4/5
History - 5/5
Social Studies - 3/5
Last Man On Earth - 5/5
Strange Weirdos - 4/5
Recovery - 4.5/5
High Wide and Handsome - 4.5/5
10 Songs for the New Depression - 4/5

Live Albums
A Live One - 5/5
Career Moves - 4.5/5
So Damn Happy - 5/5

New Retrospective
(http://worldmusiccentral.org/wp-content/uploads/Loudon_Wainwright_III_40_Odd_Years.jpg)
40 Odd Years into an exceptionally prolific and storied career, Loudon Wainwright III is being celebrated with an aptly named career-spanning 4-CD/1-DVD box set, including a 40-page book, with an essay by renowned journalist/author David Wild and an introduction by filmmaker and box set co-producer Judd Apatow.

40 Odd Years features songs from throughout Wainwright's career, including works of brilliance such as "The Man Who Couldn't Cry" from 1973's Attempted Mustache, which Johnny Cash would record with producer Rick Rubin decades later, to the genuinely odd "Dead Skunk," which became a #16 pop hit and thus a true novelty in the Wainwright canon, to highlights from his most recent projects, including cuts from the Grammy®-winning album High Wide & Handsome: The Charlie Poole Project. The 3+ hour DVD includes an extremely rare documentary made for Dutch television entitled One Man Guy, TV appearances on the BBC, Saturday Night Live, and Austin City Limits, as well as several unreleased concert performances.

Famed comedy powerhouse Judd Apatow, who co-produced the set with Wainwright, and who credits the artist as a great influence on his own career, writes in his introduction "I wanted to do what he has always done: to be brutally honest, emotional, hilarious and sweet all at the same time. Whenever I wonder what my tone might be, if I am confused, I just listen to a Loudon Wainwright song."

Regardless of prevailing trends or commercial pressures, Wainwright has always continued to follow his beautiful, often heartbreaking muse, no matter what the consequences. This is why his music endures, 23 albums and 40 odd years later, and why Loudon remains a true American treasure to this day.

It's all enough to make you hope for another 40 Odd Years.