Final Exam (album)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Final Exam | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1978 | |||
| Studio | MZH, 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]
Critical reception
| 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]
Track listing
All tracks composed by Loudon Wainwright III
- "Final Exam"
- "Mr. Guilty"
- "Penpal Blues"
- "Golfin' Blues"
- "The Heckler"
- "Natural Disaster"
- "Fear with Flying"
- "Heaven and Mud"
- "Two-song Set"
- "Pretty Little Martha"
- "Watch Me Rock, I'm Over Thirty"
