Folk music is supposed to be the sound of people describing their own lives and communities, but how many of the countless folk singers from the suburbs sing about private schools and country club dances? Loudon Wainwright... more » III does. Country clubs are too easy a target for anger, so on this live album, Wainwright pokes fun at the absurd customs of "Westchester County" where he grew up. He's a very funny guy, and the album's 19 songs (not to mention the between-song patter) wring new laughs out of such well worn subjects as Christmas, swimming pools, Elvis Presley, and sex. Wainwright isn't much of a singer, and he's less of a guitarist, but he's a clever wordsmith with a real knack for pushing the inherent absurdity of common situations out into the open. Career Moves is divided between unaccompanied songs and those performed with fiddler/mandolinist David Mansfield and banjoist Chaim Tannenbaum. Six of the songs have never been released on an album; the other 13 are drawn from all phases of a 25-year career. All in all, the album makes a good introduction to Wainwright for newcomers and a fine summary for old fans. --Geoffrey Himes« less
Folk music is supposed to be the sound of people describing their own lives and communities, but how many of the countless folk singers from the suburbs sing about private schools and country club dances? Loudon Wainwright III does. Country clubs are too easy a target for anger, so on this live album, Wainwright pokes fun at the absurd customs of "Westchester County" where he grew up. He's a very funny guy, and the album's 19 songs (not to mention the between-song patter) wring new laughs out of such well worn subjects as Christmas, swimming pools, Elvis Presley, and sex. Wainwright isn't much of a singer, and he's less of a guitarist, but he's a clever wordsmith with a real knack for pushing the inherent absurdity of common situations out into the open. Career Moves is divided between unaccompanied songs and those performed with fiddler/mandolinist David Mansfield and banjoist Chaim Tannenbaum. Six of the songs have never been released on an album; the other 13 are drawn from all phases of a 25-year career. All in all, the album makes a good introduction to Wainwright for newcomers and a fine summary for old fans. --Geoffrey Himes
"After reading the previous reviews I wanted to add my comments. I feel this album is the best place to start listening to Loudon Wainwright III. First because it is LIVE and he is a great "live" performer. Second because it contains a good sampling of "something old, something new". If you don't like LW III on this album you are likely to not like any of his other stuff. Some of his earlier studio work was over produced, while others thought that his "live" and solo work was too "empty" with just a guitar backing. He even put out a 1/2 studio, 1/2 live album to try to please both factions of his fans.He is a VERY funny writer and at the same time insightful. He can poke fun at the most unexpected targets; his favorite seems to be himself. Some songs are hilarious and others "straight from the heart". ALL are well written. His words are well chosen and most of his melodies are pleasant and memorable, some are wonderful.I disagree with Geoffrey Hines. I think Loudon's voice is just fine and his guitar playing is distinctive (I can listen to 4 bars of playing and know it is LW III) and proficient.All I can say is, if you want voice buy Pavoratti, if you want guitar buy Knopfler, if you want a really good album that you'll listen to again and again, buy this CD."
Loudon knows how to do it
Matej | Slovenia | 09/25/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"First of all, I don't think Mr. Himes is a big musical expert, if he's saying Loud is a bad guitarist and singer. He is a brilliant singer and guitarist, perfectly in tune with his songwriting skills. Second: I don't see how everybody sees him as a merely *funny* guy. I think he's not *funny* (in the classic sorta way) at all; he's more on the sarcastic side, which *is* funny, but at the same time hardweighty painful. Take One Man Guy as an example; you can't say it is a funny song, do ya? It's bitterly sarcastic, I'd say. Anyway, this CD is great. I strongly recommend it."
Nearest thing to being there.
Kevin Wilson | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | 09/11/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"If you can't get to a Loudon Wainwright concert, you should buy this CD. It is almost as good as being part of the audience at The Bottom Line in New York. The quality of the recording makes this live compilation as good as any produced in a studio. Loudon walks with you through his musical history with the older tunes mixed in with his more recent works. When he is joined on stage by some of his regular backing musicians, they perform together like a well oiled machine to give new and lively renditions of some of his classic songs.This is a must for any serious Loudon Wainwright fan to have in their collection."
Like the 23rd Psalm
Bruce P. Barten | 04/23/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"There is so much on this single CD that there is some danger that anyone who buys it might not be listening by the time it gets to my favorite here, "Tip that Waitress." Anyone who would be offended by the humor of the idea, "her brother's a Quaker, her dad was a nun" might not like my enthusiasm for this work, but the logic is great. What I haven't liked about the packaging is that the list of songs on the back of the case does not include the track numbers. If I could remember to open the case, I could read the numbers inside, but I have a habit of pushing the skip button without that kind of planning. I am bound to forget that the waitress who knows all the words to the 23rd Psalm is in selection 23 of this CD. If you are only interested in music, and humor might spoil that experience for you, you won't like this demonstration of stagecraft as much as I do. You might not even like "The Man Who Couldn't Cry" or "Id Rather Be Lonely." I used to listen to this so much when I was married that getting a divorce started to make sense. Some people might not like that, but a lot of lives are like that now. The listing of songs on the outside of the album doesn't include some great introductions, like "A Fine Celtic Name" which might be useful for people who have to know how to spell his name to order this. With web links, I think you can order this without having to worry about how to spell. Good luck."
Almost captures the feel of a live performance.
Blake Watson | Winnetka, CA USA | 06/09/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Loudon is a singer-songwriter-PERFORMER, with a much heavier emphasis on the PERFORMANCE aspect than is commercially profitable in this day and age. When Loudon's on-stage, he's there, he communicates, his audience feels the connection (except, I suppose, on a "day off", as his song "Home Stretch" describes).This CD almost manages to capture that feel, with its inclusion of between song banter, short dialogues involving audience requests, and his deft maneuvering from comic to serious and back again. The musicianship is definitely there, showing what a man with a guitar (and occasionally with a couple of his friends) can do.It's not quite "being there", though, and the album suffers a bit for it. More of a condemnation of this album--which is a solid overview of a 25 year career, along with some otherwise unavailable comic gems like "Happy Birthday, Elvis" and "Tip That Waitress"--though, this should be taken as a recommendation to go see "the ol' Loudo" when he comes to your town.By the way, the lyric in "Tip That Waitress" is "her brother's a quaker, her dad was in 'nam.""