Search - Loudon Wainwright :: Social Studies

Too Topical?

Blake Watson | Winnetka, CA USA | 11/14/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"A collection of songs written over about a ten year period on the latest fads and fashions, about as far from his usual stuff as you could get. An informal survey of Loudon fans had them all agreeing that this wasn't his best stuff, but no agreement on which songs were representative of decline in quality.I offer this opinion: They're all good, but how you view them has a lot to do with how personally you take the issue being addressed. Hate the (now common) practice of digging up a dead musicians tapes to record new songs? "What Gives?" is bound to resonate.A smoker forced to relocate to the streets in the current atmosphere of "no smoke tolerance"? "New Street People" is the song for you.The strongest songs on the album are probably those which are still startlingly relevant, whether through the cleverness of the songwriter or by accident of current events. "Leap of Faith" and "Inaugural Blues" apply depressingly to the current election. "Bad Man" and "Christmas Morning", about troubles with dictators and the middle east, will probably never go out of fashion. "Tonya's Twirls", though about ice skater Tonya Harding, has a nice twist in it that makes one reflect on the Olympics in general. "Carmine Street" and "Pretty Good Day So Far" are fair estimates of what being exposed to the news media can do to a person, both good and bad.You probably won't like all the songs or think some of them are just "so so", but it's almost guaranteed to be two or three on here that will be "worth the price of admission alone"."

As good as Loudon gets.

Jack Stamps(jstamps@sbec.tetn.net) | Texas | 06/25/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I heard Loudon sing most of these songs at the Cactus Cafe in Austin, Texas last month. AS usual, I was blown away by his wit, humor, sensitivity and musical prowess. Mr. Wainwright, no matter how you spell his name, is a real charmer."

Musical satire

Peter Durward Harris | Leicester England | 05/02/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The album opens with What gives, which pokes fun at musical legends of the past, many of them now dead. I confess that I fail to see what message Loudon was trying to get across but it's a good trip down memory lane so I don't mind.The remaining songs are much easier to understand. Some of them may seem dated but they are often interesting for what they symbolize. For example, Tonya's twirls (about the ice-skater, Tonya Harding) reminds us about the pressures of competitive sport and the cheating that some are tempted into.Other songs deal with smokers, the trial of O J Simpson, Santa Claus, Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, Saddam Hussein and premium telephone lines. Loudon is sympathetic to smokers as they face ever more restrictions but pours scorn on the others. More seriously, Carmine Street is about somebody barricading themselves inside their house because of rioting in the streets. It was about Los Angeles but would be just as relevant to riots in London or anywhere else.With an album like this, it is difficult to know whether to recommend it or not. I enjoy listening to it occasionally despite the fact that most of the events that inspired the songs are old news. I try to relate them to something topical and in that way I still find most of them relevant, therefore still amusing."