Hey, do you guys like Loudon Wainwright III?

[Rae]

One of my favorite songwriters is Loudon Wainwright III, better known these days for siring Rufus and Martha Wainwright with his ex-wife, Kate McGarrigle. He's been receiving a little bit of exposure in the last 5 years or so through ardent fans like Judd Apatow, who's cast him in several of his projects including Knocked Up and Undeclared, and Noah Baumbach, who used his music prominently in The Squid & the Whale. Still, I think that most of his back catalog hasn't really gotten the recognition that it deserves. His early work is dense and funny, honest and self-deprecating, insightful and sometimes vicious. He's got a knack for creating characters (usually boozers who are too smart for their own good) and he's got a sort of macho intellectual vibe that reminds me of some of my favorite literary writers like Richard Brautigan. Many of his songs are also infused with a child-like sense of enthusiasm and wonder that balances his analytical side-- take the unbridled joy of tunes like "The Swimming Song".

Anyway, I was going to gauge interest in a comp. I might need some help compiling it-- I have all of his records up through Therapy, but they're all on vinyl (which I have yet to figure out how to properly rip). I also don't have later albums like Last Man on Earth, which definitely have some worthwhile tracks on them.

Anybody else already into him? Anybody willing to be converted?

~Rae

[Snowbunny]

I only really know one song by LW III, but its a pretty good one. Was on a comp from an old friend who done me wrong, but that's story is best left as the future lyrics of a country & western song.

Pretty Good Day - Loudon Wainwright III

I slept through the night, I got through to the dawn
I flipped a switch and the light went on
I got out of bed and I put some clothes on
It’s a pretty good day so far

I turned the tap, there was cold there was hot
I put on my coat to go to the shop
I stepped outside, and I didn’t get shot
It’s a pretty good day so far

I didn’t hear any sirens or explosions
No murders coming in form those heavy guns
No UN tanks, I didn’t see one
It’s a pretty good day so far

No snipers in windows, taking a peak
No people panic, running scared through the streets
I didn’t see any bodies without arms, legs, or feet
It’s a pretty good day

There was plasma bandages and electricity
Food, wood, and water; and the air was smoke free
No camera crews from my TV

It was all such a strange sight to be home
Nobody was frightened, wounded, hungry, or cold
And the children seemed normal, they didn’t look old
It’s a pretty good day so far

I walked through a park, you would not believe it
There in the park, there were a few trees left
And on some branches, there were a few leaves

I slept through the night, got through to the dawn
I flipped the switch and the light went on
I wrote down my dream, I wrote this song
It’s a pretty good day so far

I'd love to hear more from him. I think he far outshines his kids when it comes to vocal style.

[Stone]

Many of his songs are also infused with a child-like sense of enthusiasm and wonder that balances his analytical side-- take the unbridled joy of tunes like "The Swimming Song".

~Rae

"Dead Skunk" was one of my favorite songs as a kid. I'd be up for hearing a comp.

[audiobill]

Hey, Rae:

Great description!!! Your wording makes me want to hear this guy. I have several CDs by his famous son and by Martha. I'd definitely be interested in a comp of sorts. I'll have to check out the Squid and the Whale, now, since I've reached for it many times at the rental store, but changed my mind last minute.

Great turns of phrase, man.

Bill

[Jim Clark]

Hey, Rae:

Great description!!! Your wording makes me want to hear this guy. I have several CDs by his famous son and by Martha. I'd definitely be interested in a comp of sorts. I'll have to check out the Squid and the Whale, now, since I've reached for it many times at the rental store, but changed my mind last minute.

Great turns of phrase, man.

Bill

I'd be interested in hearing some more of Martha! She guests on the last Snow Patrol album and it's the best track on what is a pretty strong record. Well, strong for me at least.

Which album should I be looking for?

jc

[audiobill]

I'd be interested in hearing some more of Martha! She guests on the last Snow Patrol album and it's the best track on what is a pretty strong record. Well, strong for me at least.

Which album should I be looking for?

jc

She has just one jc. It's her 2005 self-titled debut. Very impressive and imho good from beg to end.

BTW., there's a great new punk-folk band I just discovered the band Against Me's 2007 release "New Wave" & I was thinking of you -- I think it's right up your alley & if you'll recall we had discussed how few good punky albums were released this past year.

I'll PM you with a request for an email. From there on in I can arrange things.

Cheers,

Bill

[bobsticks]

I'm all in for the comp---educate me, oh wise one.

[Davey]

Last one I have is History. Hard to believe that's about 15 years ago now. Some pretty nice songs on that one. Talking New Bob Dylan, funny stuff, and the especially poignant one about hitting his daughter in one of those mindless moments that he knows he can never get back. Really nice record, probably one of his best.

[Rae]

I would be glad to put a comp together (I even pulled out some of my records last night & put together a pretty decent tracklisting for one that draws solely from his early 70s stuff), but I don't know where it's going to be sourced from. Like I said, I only have this stuff on vinyl and don't know how to rip it to a digital format. Unless you guys want cassettes! But I understand that everyone is not set up to play them anymore. Any suggestions?

~Rae

[JDaniel]

I'd be interested. I have a coupel of L.W. lps.

Why not post your questions/issues with transferring and LP to cd. I do it all the time, and other than it being time consuming, isn't that difficult.

JDaniel

[Rae]

Ah, but my overarching issue is that I don't have a home computer. I get online at work, at the library, at friends' apartments, etc. I know some people that don't mind letting me use their CD burner for the afternoon, but no one that's set up to transfer vinyl to a digital format. Is it really that easy? I mean, I know people that have a turntable and a computer (conflicted souls, those), and if it's as simple as running some AV cables and downloading freeware, then I'm on it. But if it requires nice components to get a decent result, or lots of calibrating, then it's probably a lost cause.

~Rae

[JDaniel]

Don't know about freeware. But the overall quality and success depends in large part on your soundcard. I run my tt to amp out to my pc. I capture using Nero Wave Editor. Very clean vinyl is the key, or you'll get a lot of noise. If there's a really noticeable pop/click, I edit with Nero W.E.

Breaking it into tracks is also time consuming, and I usually just record sides.

Worth the effort though. I rarely buy anything on cd anymore.

Or if you prefer to transfer the comp to tape, I could convert it to cd for you. Or someone locally perhaps. The offer is there if you need it. Stone did this for me years ago on an old comp, before I had figured out how to do the transfer. He used a stand alone CD Recorder I think.

JD

[Rae]

Yeah, I was hoping someone would just step up in a Stone-like fashion and tell me that they happen to have the CDs.

The vinyl is probably not up to audiophile standards. What if I got the stuff off iTunes? Would we be running into a sound quality issue?

~Rae

[Rae]

Okay, I was able to oink lossless versions of Album I, Album II, and Attempted Moustache, so I actually have most of the tracks I need. Does anyone happen to have Album III or Unrequited on CD that could help me finish it?

~Rae

[Rae]

Okay, a very helpful oinker hooked me up with lossless versions of the other two records as well, so this will probably be going out within the next week. I've got 'em going to Stone, Suz, Bill, JDaniel, and bobsticks. I'll PM for the addresses that I need. If anyone else wants one, just let me know.

~Rae