Final Exam (album)

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Final Exam
Studio album by
Loudon Wainwright III
Released1978
StudioMZH Studios, New York City
GenreFolk
LabelArista
ProducerJohn Lissauer
Loudon Wainwright III chronology
T Shirt
(1976) 		Final Exam
(1978) 		A Live One
(1979)

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]

Production[edit]

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]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[11]
Christgau's Record GuideB+[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]

Track listing[edit]

All tracks composed by Loudon Wainwright III

  1. "Final Exam"
  2. "Mr. Guilty"
  3. "Penpal Blues"
  4. "Golfin' Blues"
  5. "The Heckler"
  6. "Natural Disaster"
  7. "Fear with Flying"
  8. "Heaven and Mud"
  9. "Two-song Set"
  10. "Pretty Little Martha"
  11. "Watch Me Rock, I'm Over Thirty"

Personnel[edit]

  • Loudon Wainwright III - guitar, vocals
Slow Train
  • Ron Getman - steel guitar, guitar, vocals
  • John Crowder - bass, vocals
  • Glen Mitchell - keyboards, vocals
  • Stephen Tubin - keyboards
  • Richard Crooks - drums, percussion

with:

Technical
  • Harvey Hoffman - recording and mixing engineer
  • Peter Cunningham - cover photography

Release history[edit]

  • LP: Arista AB4173 (U.S.)
  • LP: Arista SPART1042 (UK)
  • LP: Poopik Productions AB4173 (Europe)

References[edit]

  1. ^ Sullivan, Jim (20 Nov 1981). "Loudon Laughs at Life". Arts. The Boston Globe. p. 1.
  2. ^ Takiff, Jonathan (4 Apr 1978). "School Daze". Philadelphia Daily News. p. 36.
  3. ^ Daoust, Phil (23 May 2007). "G2: Radio: Pick of the day". The Guardian. p. 32.
  4. ^ Terrell, Steve (11 Aug 1995). "Everything About Wainwright Is in His Lyrics". Pasatiempo. The Santa Fe New Mexican. p. 44.
  5. ^ Patterson, Rob (16 May 1978). "Final Exam Loudon Wainwright". The Cincinnati Post. NEA. p. 15.
  6. ^ Wainwright III, Loudon (2017). Liner Notes: On Parents & Children, Exes & Excess, Death & Decay & a Few of My Other Favorite Things. Blue Rider Press. p. 190.
  7. ^ Bledsoe, Wayne (29 Mar 1996). "Wainwright's Motto: If You Live It, Write It". Knoxville News Sentinel. p. T10.
  8. ^ a b c McNally, Joel (9 Apr 1978). "On his new album...". Arizona Daily Star. SPS. p. 4G.
  9. ^ a b Seigendall, Jane (15 Apr 1978). "Records". Weekender. The Morning Call. p. 49.
  10. ^ Mullinax, Gary (30 Apr 1978). "Wainwright: Caught". The Morning News. p. D2.
  11. ^ "Final Exam Review by Mark Deming". AllMusic. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  12. ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: W". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 21, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  13. ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press.
  14. ^ Rockwell, John (7 Apr 1978). "The Pop Life". The New York Times. p. C22.
  15. ^ Dawson, Walter (2 Apr 1978). "Stay up and listen". The Commercial Appeal. p. 19.
  16. ^ Arganbright, Frank (9 Apr 1978). "Final Exam". Journal & Courier. p. D10.
  17. ^ Carr, Tim (14 Apr 1978). "Records". Star Tribune. p. 2C.
  18. ^ Tucker, Ken (9 Mar 1983). "Wainwright Is Back with One of His Best". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. E7.
  19. ^ "Loudon Wainwright III T-Shirt/Final Exam". Music Week. Apr 28, 2007. p. 30.
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