Search - Loudon Wainwright :: Album 1

What a debut.

T. Gadd | Tasmania, Australia | 10/03/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Loudon Wainwright was a wanabee actor turned songwriter, who debuted with this album, in 1970. And what a stack of songs!



Wainwright's first two LPs were acoustic guitar/vocals, and starker than his mid 70's output, which was propelled by 'Dead Skunk.)



Still going stronger than ever, now in his early 60's, and still singing about getting old, I can't help but note that the first line of the first song of his first LP is "In Delaware when I was younger" (he must have been all of 23.)



Wainwright has mixed up comedy, irony and tragedy, tenderness and brutal honesty throughout his career, and if his late material tends more toward the tender and honest, go back to 1970 and check out songs like the brutally sad 'Hospital Lady', or the pull-no-punches 'Four is a Magic Number' or 'Glad to See You've Got Religion' ("Everytime I sit you down to tell you what is true / For safety's sake remember please, I would shutup if I knew.")



'Black Uncle Remus' would probably not even be released today ("You start calling for Jesus or your mama maybe / When your life's gummed up in the old tar baby")



This is not Loudon's best album, but with such an avalanche of classics to choose from, that means little ('History', 'More Love Songs', 'Last Man on Earth') - but it is the best of his early works."

Finally - Loudon's 1st is on CD

V. Decarlo | Morristown, NJ United States | 02/03/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There's nothing like this album (now CD!). It's an honest observation as a teenager - hope you were lucky enough to listen to it as a teenager. "School Days" is for anyone who liked the movie "Bridge To Terabithia". "Glad To See You Got Religion" would make a good flip side 45, it reverses the players. "Uptown" IS NYC. "Four Is A Magic Number" falls back to pre-Terabithia days. Now the best, nothing like it ever, "Central Square Song". There's no studio trickery here. I saw Loudon do it live and his tongue action is what you are hearing - WOW!!!

Love ya's - Vic"