Customer Reviews

I'm Alright

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If LW3's albums of the '70s are uneven, his albums of the '80s are enlightening. In this album in particular, we get a taste of Loudon's range.

The opening tune is "One Man Guy". Loudon pokes fun at himself, at society, and ends with the sort of pathos that raises a gag-song to the level of classic.

It's a "folksy" tune, but it's followed on the album by a song that hearkens back to the '30s, by "the happy blues" of the title track, with the thrash rock of "How Old Are You?", the pre-school-ish "Animal Song", and the Dixieland Jazz "Daddy Take A Nap".

Looking over the list of songs, it's hard to say why this whole album doesn't get five stars. Any particular song would get a smile and raucous applause at a concert, but as a whole the album doesn't maintain the sort of emotional resonance and humor of the albums that would follow it.

But I'd guarantee that most intelligent listeners would find at least two or three songs on this album that they considered "indispensible".

I was introduced to Loudon like most of my generation, through the novelty tune "Dead Skunk," and a recurring role on M*A*S*H*. Then I forgot about him, but he never went away. This 1984 release found him teamed with one of my favorite guitar legends, Richard Thompson, and in top form. Running the emotional range from sincere and profound to his more tongue and cheek, quirky, and sardonic, there are several compositions on this album that rank with the best singer/songwriters of the last 30 years: Dylan, Springsteen, Graham Parker, Elvis Costello, Neil Young. Lost Love is a bittersweet, almost country ballad, complete with a great fiddle lead by Ric Sanders. The title cut features Thompson cutting loose with a growling, oily electric guitar lead that undercuts Loudon's firm denial that his life is falling apart and that he's barely hanging on by the skin of his teeth. Not John is a brilliant epitaph to Lennon, that echoed every fan's reaction to the news that he'd been murdered after returning to public life on that sad December night. Cardboard Boxes is a great ode to the phenomenon of moving oneself, with the help of "a few strong buddies," which anyone whose ever been through that ordeal should hear. Screaming Issue may be my favorite Loudon song ever, describing a father's helplessness trying to calm his crying newborn child. The Animal Song is a great singalong for the little ones, which shows he can be a lot of fun without cussing, cracking wise, or dripping sarcasm between the lines. And Out of this World is another epitaph, only this one somehow hopeful, if you accept it at face value, looking at it as a blessing, looking forward to brighter future in the next life. The last cut, Career Moves (also the title of a later live album that captures some of the best moments of this mid-eighties era) is a frank reflection on his own career- funny at turns, self-deprecating and insightful at others. Certainly, this album would stand out if only for the lyrics, which are incredibly moving and evocative throughout. The one fault I typically find with Loudon doesn't apply here- sometimes he can get too caught up in his own wordplay and overshadow his own story, but the delivery and musicianship blend together here to really propel this album into a level that ranks among the best. I only wish Richard Thompson had been coaxed into singing a few duets on this, or some of their other collaborations- still, these two did some real magic together, especially on this outstanding effort. I've never played I'm Alright for anyone that wasn't impressed by the depth, emotion, and power of this recording. A transcendent moment in a great career, bravo LWIII.

Several nice songs here, with his trademark amusing lyrics and thrashy guitar. I'm Alright (the song) is fun, and Not John can have you laughing and sad at the same time (John Lennon and his wife Yoko, Oh no, not John).

Probably my second favourite after More Love Songs

This album goes from great to ok. Loudon sings an account of a birth of one his his daughters in Screaming Issue that is haunting. The song has similarities to a Leonard Cohen song. Also Not John is a beautiful ballad about John Lennon. His sense of humor is alive as usual but not all the songs appear to have the same degree of inspiration. I would not buy this album for your first taste of Loudon, but I would recommend it for anyone hooked on him like I am.

I have an "Out of This World" feeling sometimes. The emotional range of all the songs in this collection expands my mind and allows me to feel that "Not John" was a very human lesson: all you heroes best beware. "Screaming Issue" is incredibly sweet. Just saying that how "I'm Alright" sums up mind in music is so much like Martin Luther's justification by faith is readier now than we'll ever be.

I am about to give up on him. He seems to be rehashing his old songs and compiling them into poorly produced albums, or his songwriting on new pieces does not break new ground. Loudon -- dig deep into that creative spot and give us something really new that knocks our socks off. An exception on this is the One Man Guy, that one is great.

For me, Loudon's best work was on the trio of studio albums he did for Rounder: Fame and Wealth, I'm Alright and More Love Songs (the latter two co-produced by Richard Thompson). I'm Alright finds Loudon on the top of his game with several "wit meets pathos" classics, including One Man Guy (later covered - perhaps with double meaning - by his son Rufus) and the title cut. Cardboard Boxes is a great acoustic rocker about the woes of moving and Daddy Takes a Nap has a great last line. Loudon mostly avoids the sometimes too personal musings of his later work (starting, IMO, with the first post-Rounder album), but the most personal song here, Screaming Issue (about daughter Lucy Roche), manages to touch the heart without making you cringe. And a great band, too, featuring several of Thompson's collaborators and at least on Fairporter.