The light humour of Loudon’s folktinged fancies has brought him a sizeable cult following to whom he’s so much more than just Rufus and Martha’s dad. But while Wainwright Sr is still a big draw on the live circuit, the bulk of his formative recordings have been out of catalogue for too long.
T Shirt, originally released in 1976, was his sixth album in as many years, its deft comic touches often disguising sharp social commentary. California Prison Blues manages to wring a few laughs out of the Manson Family and kidnapped heiress Patricia Hearst, while Talking Big Apple 75 sarcastically extolls the virtues of a then near-bankrupt and crimeridden New York (“If you like action, come to NYC/They got murder and rape and robbery”).
Like his nearest Brit counterpart Neil Innes, Wainwright has always been a dab hand at adopting the musical personas of others. The title track of 1978’s Final Exam is an eerily accurate pastiche of Van Morrison, while the closer, Watch Me Rock I’m Over 30, lampoons 60s stars busting a gut on the oldies circuit, with a hint of early Springsteen. Many other of his albums are ripe for rediscovery, although a well planned multi-disc anthology might, initially, be the best way forward.
