Английская Википедия:Final Exam (album)
Шаблон:Infobox album Final Exam is an album by the American musician Loudon Wainwright III, released in 1978.[1] He supported it with a North American tour.[2] The album was re-released on Telarc in 2007, coupled with his 1976 album, T Shirt.[3] In 1995, Wainwright acknowledged that it was his least favorite of his albums.[4]
Production
The album was produced by John Lissauer.[5] Wainwright was backed by the band Slow Train.[6] "Pretty Little Martha" is a tribute to his daughter Martha Wainwright.[7] "Heaven and Mud" is about an attempt at sobriety.[8] "Golfin' Blues" is about the golfing life, in the style of a Delta blues song.[8] "Mr. Guilty" is a parody of the tropes of country music.[9] The title track is addressed to a high school student taking spring semester exams.[10]
Critical reception
Шаблон:Album ratings The New York Times wrote that Wainwright "deals primarily with a quirky kind of humor that seems almost to mask emotion."[11] The Commercial Appeal considered Final Exam to be Wainwright's best, writing that he "operates without the philosophical cleverness of Randy Newman, preferring instead to use a straightforward, crazed style to push his point across."[12] The Journal & Courier praised Wainwright's acoustic guitar playing.[13]
The Arizona Daily Star noted Wainwright's "mind like a steel trap ... a warped steel trap."[8] The Star Tribune opined that "the clever cynic ... has become a television sit-com writer."[14] The Morning Call determined that Wainwright "furthers his reputation as an unconventional, witty songwriter ... but there are no real standouts."[9]
In 1983, The Philadelphia Inquirer labeled the album "self-pitying and melodramatic."[15] Reviewing the reissue, Music Week deemed it an "enjoyable [fusion] of his more traditional folk style with a harder, rockier edge."[16]
Track listing
All tracks composed by Loudon Wainwright III
- "Final Exam"
- "Mr. Guilty"
- "Penpal Blues"
- "Golfin' Blues"
- "The Heckler"
- "Natural Disaster"
- "Fear with Flying"
- "Heaven and Mud"
- "Two-song Set"
- "Pretty Little Martha"
- "Watch Me Rock, I'm Over Thirty"
Personnel
- Loudon Wainwright III - guitar, vocals
- Slow Train
- Ron Getman - steel guitar, guitar, vocals
- John Crowder - bass, vocals
- Glen Mitchell - keyboards, vocals
- Stephen Tubin - keyboards
- Richard Crooks - drums, percussion
with:
- Arlen Roth - slide guitar
- John Hall - guitar
- Eric Weissberg - banjo
- Errol "Crusher" Bennett - percussion
- Kenny Kosek - violin
- John Lissauer - clarinet
- Hugh McCracken - guitar
- Larry Packer - violin
- The Roches - backing vocals
- Technical
- Harvey Hoffman - recording and mixing engineer
- Peter Cunningham - cover photography
Release history
- LP: Arista AB4173 (U.S.)
- LP: Arista SPART1042 (UK)
- LP: Poopik Productions AB4173 (Europe)
References
- ↑ Шаблон:Cite news
- ↑ Шаблон:Cite news
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- ↑ Шаблон:Cite book
- ↑ Шаблон:Cite news
- ↑ 8,0 8,1 8,2 Шаблон:Cite news
- ↑ 9,0 9,1 Шаблон:Cite news
- ↑ Шаблон:Cite news
- ↑ Шаблон:Cite news
- ↑ Шаблон:Cite news
- ↑ Шаблон:Cite news
- ↑ Шаблон:Cite news
- ↑ Шаблон:Cite news
- ↑ Шаблон:Cite magazine