Final Exam | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1978 | |||
Studio | MZH Studios, New York City | |||
Genre | Folk | |||
Label | Arista | |||
Producer | John Lissauer | |||
Loudon Wainwright III chronology | ||||
|
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]
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]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [11] |
Christgau's Record Guide | B+ [12] |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [13] |
The New York Times wrote that Wainwright "deals primarily with a quirky kind of humor that seems almost to mask emotion." [14] 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." [15] The Journal & Courier praised Wainwright's acoustic guitar playing. [16]
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." [17] 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." [18] Reviewing the reissue, Music Week deemed it an "enjoyable [fusion] of his more traditional folk style with a harder, rockier edge." [19]
All tracks composed by Loudon Wainwright III
with:
Final Exam | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1978 | |||
Studio | MZH Studios, New York City | |||
Genre | Folk | |||
Label | Arista | |||
Producer | John Lissauer | |||
Loudon Wainwright III chronology | ||||
|
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]
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]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [11] |
Christgau's Record Guide | B+ [12] |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [13] |
The New York Times wrote that Wainwright "deals primarily with a quirky kind of humor that seems almost to mask emotion." [14] 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." [15] The Journal & Courier praised Wainwright's acoustic guitar playing. [16]
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." [17] 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." [18] Reviewing the reissue, Music Week deemed it an "enjoyable [fusion] of his more traditional folk style with a harder, rockier edge." [19]
All tracks composed by Loudon Wainwright III
with: