Rufus Wainwright - Classic or Dud?

new record, still annoying

Classic on songs written by other people (like "What Can I Do" off the Antony and the Johnsons record or "I'll Build a Stairway to Paradise"), but I'm not a huge fan of his own songs (I haven't heard that much, though)...it might just be the production, though.

He's still a genius.

(Haven't picked up Release the Stars yet, plan on doing so soon)

I liked his first two records; now he's a certifiable menace. Has Neil Tennant exercised quality control on this one?

Want One was great though! and Want Two was worth hearing despite the massive overreach. It's the debut I'm not into but I've only given it half a listen. He was great on Letterman last week. I don't know what he was going on about but he belted it out, whatever it was. In lederhosen.

I think, when he's on form, he's a fucking amazing melodicist (and a very good singer, obv.) and he's got just enough control alongside his camp to keep his arrangements just the right side of audacious (i.e. impressive rather than pompous).

I also think he hit an unarguable melodic peak circa Want One, and that Want Two was a serious step backwards, totally over-reaching. The new one gains some control back, definitely, and some of the arrangements are amazing, but there's nothing quite as melodically spectacular as the first four tracks on Want One. This is only off a couple of listens, though.

Expect to see choice phrases from this post in a Stylus review near you later this week...

Perversely (of course) I think Want Two is his best work, certainly the record of his that I play most.

Not quite sure about the new one yet; veering perilously close to writing about His Privileged Life at times and while some of the bitching about previous/failed lovers is quite entertaining he cuts deepest on the America-as-lover-extended-metaphor ballads, e.g. "Leaving For Paris" and especially "Not Ready To Love" which is a quite stunning marriage of Fairport Convention and Art of Noise (both R Thompson and N Tennant making their influence felt). The one with Sian Phillips going mad at the end is also pretty fab.

enjoyed but wasn't blown away by Judy at Carnegie Hall last year, though I'm certainly thrilled I got to go. haven't found my way into the new one yet; first half-listen sounds good.

Richard Thompson vs the horn section on "Slideshow" = stunning. Things start tailing off for me after that, though. I think he overdoes the trick of starting relatively downbeat/unadorned/vulnerable, piling on the orchestral layers, and ending on a note of triumphal resolution, having turned so many musical corners that the end of each track bears scant relationship to its beginning. Don't get me wrong, it's a *great* trick - but it's also somewhat overplayed. I like the dissatified-nomad-in-exile qualities which "Going To A Town" sets up and "Tiergarten" develops, and I don't miss the more overtly campy playfulness which punctuated previous albums.

It's as if he's trying to convince himself that he's happy.

Musically, though, Richard T is man of the match - I noticed those little Derek Bailey scribbles in "Slideshow"...

Very interesting point. (All those bolted on Garland-esque triumphal flourishes - do we necessarily believe them, even if RW might want us to?)

...and, yeah, big love for Want Two, which marked the point where it all came together for me and RW. (I admired Want One, but I *adored* Want Two.)

wait, richard thompson plays on this?

He should do a Randy Newman and just farm his songs out to someone who can actually sing.

Classic moment at Electric Picnic last year:

"I tried to dance, To Britney Spears/ I guess I'm gettin' on in years But I still look pretty good huh?!! HAHAHAH!"

He's got a fantastic voice.

No, it's terrible, and ruins some excellent songwriting, but I don't think this discussion is going to go very far.

i hate his voice so much it makes me want to scratch my skin off

and get a load of this interview :( i just feel like DOES HE HAVE TO TRY THAT HARD TO BE CUTE. I MEAN HE MIGHT AS WELL HAVE JUST ANSWERED "OH AND I'M SOOOOOO WITTY!" IN RESPONSE TO EVERY QUESTION

http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2008/12/rufus_wainwright.html

Name: Rufus Wainwright
Age: 35
Neighborhood: Chelsea
Occupation: Singer-songwriter, performing tomorrow evening at the McGarrigle Christmas Hour at Carnegie Hall.

Who's your favorite New Yorker, living or dead, real or fictional?
-Some gorgeous woman I once saw hailing a cab while walking out of her apartment on Fifth Avenue facing the park.

What's the best meal you've eaten in New York?
-I’m not saying this to be nice: my boyfriend’s Wiener … schnitzel. [Ed. note: He loves this joke.]

In one sentence, what do you actually do all day in your job?
-Presently I’m orchestrating an opera, which means that basically every day is a board meeting with the dead. I do most of the talking, of course, still, I pay serious attention to notes.

Would you still live here on a $35,000 salary?
-No way; this city is for the rich. Mind you, things could change very soon.

What's the last thing you saw on Broadway?
-August: Osage County — Estelle Parsons is a living legend.

Do you give money to panhandlers?
-Yes, and always to someone singing or playing music. That could be me one day!

What's your drink?
-Tap water.

How often do you prepare your own meals?
-I can’t prepare my way out of a paper bag.

What's your favorite medication?
-Clorox bleach, good for foot fungus. I’m a real blast, trust me!

What's hanging above your sofa?
-A Robert Wilson painting.

How much is too much to spend on a haircut?
-A life.

When's bedtime?
-Usually after The Rachel Maddow Show or, if I’m adventurous, Amy Goodman on Democracy Now, which ends at 2 a.m.

Which do you prefer, the old Times Square or the new Times Square?
-Every day I pine for the old Times Square, and I just got a tiny whiff of it in the late eighties. It must have been amazing.

What do you think of Donald Trump?
-He should make friends with some decent architects.

What do you hate most about living in New York?
-All those insane apartments going up everywhere that look like they should be in Toronto.

Who is your mortal enemy?
-The Bravo Network. Bar-lowerer extraordinaire. And what an ironic name!!

When's the last time you drove a car?
-Last weekend. I tend to "weekend."

Who should be the next president?
-First things first.

Times, Post, or Daily News?
-Times, but I only look at the pictures.

Where do you go to be alone?
-My piano bench.

What makes someone a New Yorker?
-Everyone in the world is a New Yorker!

i'm not really sure why i'm reacting this way to rufus today but there it is.

I rebought Lewis Furey's second album - 'the Humours of...' - over the weekend to replace an unreturned loan; everyone should hear that and the even better S/T debut - Rufus certainly has, but he's like Jeff to his Lewis' Tim

Estelle Parsons is in August: Osage County?!?!

Oh wait, I was thinking Estelle Harris, haha. Estelle Parsons is a good choice.

i was thinking of estelle getty

i hate his voice so much it makes me want to scratch my skin off

Yes, I have this exact same reaction.

And to say something nice about him: once walked past him in a street in Glasgow and he was quite handsome.

he really must hang out on streets a lot

Oh, Rufus, dear Rufus, the one who got away! I was 20 minutes away from interviewing him over the summer, before getting pulled into a meeting and having to hand my questions over to someone else. It still hurts.

i thought until just now that "california" said "i fell for a straight girl"

haw

LOL @ THIS from his shop!

http://hifidelity-rufuswainwright.11345.com/detail.php?item_id=351603

http://hifidelity-rufuswainwright.11345.com/art/items/detail/RW_BUST.jpg

Ivy Nichols has been sculpting for over 15 years and is one of the most prolific sculptors in the United States today. She has worked on literally hundreds of sculptures including both one off commissions for individuals and pieces intended for the retail market. She was the lead model maker for a line of reproductions of the stone products that were originally designed by noted architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Ivy has also been commissioned to create large public sculptures for public institutions and resort destinations.

I have a collection of busts. A Wainwright bust would be especially hawsworthy amongst these.

bustymuzak

!

i loved him on "wait wait don't tell me"!

Ned's pumped, guys:

Rufus' New Album: Release Dates and Tracklisting Revealed
Feb 12, 2010

Rufus Wainwright's 6th studio release, All Days Are Nights: Songs For Lulu, has been set for release on March 23 in Canada, April 5 in the UK and April 20 in the US. To the left is a sneak peak at the album cover, and you'll find the complete track list below. Stay tuned for more details and your first taste of the album soon.

All Days Are Nights: Songs For Lulu tracklisting:

1. Who Are You New York?
2. Sad With What I Have
3. Martha
4. Give Me What I Want and Give It To Me Now!
5. True Loves
6. Sonnet 43
7. Sonnet 20
8. Sonnet 10
9. The Dream
10. What Would I Ever Do With A Rose?
11. Les Feux d'artifice t'appellent
12. Zebulon

Just him and the old Joanna all the way through, no other instrumentation at all. Surprising certainly.

a *19* disc Rufus Wainwright box set you say? YOURS for $250!
http://www.rufuswainwright.com/Store/Product.aspx?id=SM001008
' a red velvet encased' box; you can probs buy some decent red velvet curtains for that price.

Right now I'm visiting Baltimore. Several years ago and the only other time I visited Baltimore, I bought Poses based on what I heard being played at the CD store I went to by the marina. It was well worth the money. I keep finding a couple goodies on each album since then but none of them have been as solid. $250 box set seems like a ridiculous idea (even though I know The Grateful Dead were able to rake in mega$$$ with their recent humongous box set).

hey Lorax, i didn't know you were in town, we should hang! which store was it, the Sound Garden?

New album. Anyone care? It may be my first Rufus purchase since 2003.

Read a good review and reserved it at the library for a trial run. If great, will end up picking it up. Haven't heard anything since "April Fools", tbh.

i too am a lapsed fan who's only heard one of the albums since Poses. so far this suonds pretty good, though. am going to try to listen to his dad's new one too since they released albums a week apart.

Want One is still one of my fave ever albums by anyone but he's not done much i've liked since weirdly. i still love him tho.
looking forward to him in upbeat mode again, the last one was teh bleakness (understandably given the subject matter).

I've listened to this once, it was better than I was expecting. He's really gone for that 70's pop sound and mostly pulled it off. The single is by far the worst thing on there.

I was a massive fan around Want One but I've just lost interest since then. Want Two was half brilliant (Art Teacher, Gay Messiah, Memphis Skyline) half rubbish (Old Whore's Diet, Little Sister) Release The Stars had one great song (Going to a Town) and a lot of songs that sounded like tired retreads of his earlier work. I can't remember a single thing about the last album. It's nice that he finally seems to have woken up.

it's interesting to me that he seems to have picked up a lot of fans mid-career since for me the first album was a front-to-back classic and it's just been a lot of hit and miss since then. this album sounds really good, though, yeah.

i'd pretty much agree with every word re his post Want One stuff there Kitchen Person. i'd like to forget Release The Stars ever happened and the less said about his embarrasing Glastonbury appearance the summer it came out the better. the last album had So Sad on it which is amazing i think but little else.

I bought the first album a few months after its release, and while it meant a great deal – I was just coming out - quite a few songs are loaded with arrangements that Wainwright's voice wasn't up to singing. Poses was a huge improvement, and the MIami date on that tour was one of the best shows I've seen in ten years. Since only 60 people came we were shouting requests and he was shooting the shit with us.

Little since 2003 has moved me.

the debut was audacious and heartfelt and overreaching just as a good debut should be. Poses has some great songs but i think maybe the pop stardom he was still somewhat plausibly aiming for that point take it in a slightly blander direction.

This radio session is good:
http://www.kcrw.com/music/programs/mb/mb041201rufus_wainwright

i just don't like his voice unfortunately. i'm working his concert next wk, wish i was excited.