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Loudon Wainwright III - So Damn Happy Audio CD

A fair review of the Loudon Wainwright III "So Damn Happy" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Loudon Wainwright III reviews here, or go back to the Loudon Wainwright III tabs.

Loudon Wainwright III Band: Loudon Wainwright III
Title: So Damn Happy
Rating:
Release Date: 2003-08-19
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Much Better Bets 2: So Damn Happy 3: Between 4: Picture 5: Cobwebs 6: Heaven 7: Something for Nothing 8: Dreaming 9: Westchester County 10: Tonya's Twirls 11: Year 12: You Never Phone 13: 4 X 10 14: Sh*t Song 15: Primrose Hill 16: Home Stretch 17: Men

I shall say it ten times ...
Went to his concert in Brisbane and loved the fact that live or recorded, he sounds the same. I have purchased, yes paid for, ten of Loudon's CD's. I guess I'm a true blue fan, so what else is there to say ?.


So Damn Happy
Ironically, it was introduced to me by my much younger son, proving that the music is somewhat timeless. This cd is a reminder of youth but my real reason for the purchase was the song about he and his sister and the feelings it evoked when seeing the picture of them on the piano and remembering their lives. I enjoy the entire recording but that is by far my favorite!.


A Great Sense of Humor.....and of HUMAN
Wainwright at the Philidelphia Folk Festival in 1973, and though I'd been listening to him for a while, it was great to be in his presence. I first saw Mr. At the time his big hit was "Dead Skunk". And I've listened to his life as told in his songs for many years. One of my favorites is called "Homeless" which I believe is a tribute to his late Mother and is on the "Last Man on Earth" album. It rang deep and true having recently lost my Mother. A wonderful humanist who is not afraid to live up to his human mistakes and share them with other humans. Are there any left?. . . . . . I like this album because you can experience some of the repore that he easily shares with his audiences. The way he engages you in his story.


Poignant, touching, insightful & witty...
There are 17 songs that are very nicely balanced between being poignant, touching, insightful or witty. This is a very entertaining live album from the most talented member of the Wainwright family. A couple of the more humorous songs are "Heaven" which paints such a pretty picture of drinking, smoking and orgies you almost can't wait to die. "Something For Nothing" is about illegally downloading songs `besides those guys from Metallica are getting too fat'. The band is basically Loudon with his guitar along with Van Dyke Parks on piano and Dave Mansfield on violin with appearances by Richard Thompson playing some really nice guitar on "The Home Stretch" and daughter Martha Wainwright singing a very funny duet titled "You Never Phone". Excellent banter from Loudon and strong participation from an attentive audience enhances the live experience. .


Funny, endearing, poignant, irascible and witty
His songs, pose contrasts to brilliant dramatic and literary effect: humor against anger, a capella singing against spoken interjections, creating a rich catalog of emotion from which he draws. As impressive as Wainwright's work has been over the past 35 years, this live album shows that the burnish and perspective of age has only deepened the quality of his work. Add a devoted crowd and the effortless musical backing of long-time friends (and family), and you get a live album that perfectly frames Wainwright's mastery as a singer, songwriter and stage performer.

Wainwright's trademark humor is on full display, with his vision of Woody Allen's "Sleeper" future taken to the afterlife in "Heaven" ("There'll be lots of drinking in Heaven / Smoking, eating and sex / What you didn't do in this life bad for you / Will be totally cool in the next. "). He pokes a sharp, ironic stick at file sharing ("Something for Nothing"), and revisits the tragedy of Tonya Harding ("Tonya's Twirls") in a song that, removed from its historical currency, is still surprisingly moving. Equally moving is the deeply sentimental autobiography of "The Picture," a lovely ode to his sister and their shared childhood.

Wainwright's masterful stage presence, and the fluidity with which he sings, plays and interacts with the audience is truly staggering. The product of many, many nights just like these (taped in 2002 at Largo in Los Angeles, and the Mystic Theater in Petaluma, CA), Wainwright is completely effortless in the limelight. His accompanists (Van Dyke Parks on piano, David Mansfield on violin) and guests (Richard Thompson on guitar, and Martha Wainwright on vocals) weave their way perfectly in to his colorful tapestry.

With a collection of his songs that stretches from the early 80s to the late 90s, this is a nice introduction to the last 20 years of Wainwright's writing and a singularly compelling look at his perfect showcase, the stage.


You can see a complete list of all Loudon Wainwright III discography, or go back to the Loudon Wainwright III tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.

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