Loudon Wainwright III



Loudon Wainwright III is an American singer, songwriter and sometime actor. His music has been variously described as folk, country and social commentary, and he is especially renowned as a disarmingly honest chronicler of relationships.

John Peel played his first album in 1970 and his first Peel session was broadcast on Top Gear in 1971. This was the start of a lasting relationship, with Loudon's fifteenth session being broadcast in late 2003. He twice performed joint live sessions for Peel and Kershaw during the time when their programmes were adjacent on the Radio 1 schedule, and in one of these Peel paid tribute to him saying "Andy and I wanted to get you in because we both think the world of you". He played live at Peel Acres in 1999, and he and Peel discussed producing an album of "standards", with Peel suggesting Willie Nelson's "Touch me" and Don Gibson's "Legend in my time". The final Loudon track played by Peel was probably Work In Progress from the 2003 session.



Festive Fifty Entries

 * None

Sessions
Sixteen sessions, including two live from Peel Acres. A selection of tracks was released on The BBC Sessions (CD, Strange Fruit, 1998). Unknown session tracks were also played on 22 September 1975, a special programme to mark the penultimate Top Gear show.

1. Recorded: 1971-05-18. First Broadcast: 22 May 1971. Repeat: 17 July 1971 (first broadcast of ‘Four Is A Magic Number’)
 * Sink The Bismark /School Days / Be Careful / There’s A Baby In The House / East Indian Princess / Medley: I Know I’m Unhappy/Suicide Song/Glenville Reel / Four Is A Magic Number

2. Recorded: 1971-10-11. First Broadcast: 13 October 1971. Repeat: 01 December 1971
 * Say That You Love Me / Samson And The Warden / Motel Blues / Trilogy (Circa 1967) / Plane Too

3. Recorded: 1973-06-11. First Broadcast: 12 June 1973. Repeat: 09 October 1973
 * Clockwork Chartreuse / A.M. World / Drinking At The Bar / Jerusalem Town / Lullabye

4. Recorded: 1975-05-06. First Broadcast: 12 May 1975. Repeat: 30 June 1975
 * Bi-Centennial Anniversary / Detroit's A Dying City / Unrequited To The Nth Degree / Hollywood Hopeful / Have You Ever Been To Pittsburgh Five Gold Stars

5. Recorded: 1976-08-09. First Broadcast: 26 August 1976. Repeat: 22 August 1981 (Peel's Pleasures)
 * Ingenue / Golfing Blues / Swimming Song / Prince Hal's Dirge

6. Recorded: 1976-11-23. First Broadcast: 09 December 1976. Repeat: 31 January 1977
 * Natural Disaster / Air Travel / Monkey In My Closet / Dick And Jane / It's Over The Hill / My Girl

7. Recorded: 1979-08-01. First Broadcast: 13 August 1979. Repeat: 11 September 1979
 * Saturday Morning Fever / The Acid Song / Vampire Blues / April Fools' Day Morn / Dump The Dog And Feed The Garbage

8. Recorded: 1983-04-09. First Broadcast: 14 April 1983. Repeat: 03 May 1983, 13 July 1983
 * Outsidey / I'm All Right / Screaming Issue / Career Moves / Not John

9. Recorded: 1985-09-17. First Broadcast: 30 September 1985. Repeat: 16 October 1985
 * Expatriot / No / You Kids Today / I Wanna Be On MTV / Hard Day On The Plane / Little Did I Know / I Wish It Was Me

10. Recorded: 1989-10-08. First Broadcast: 19 October 1989. Repeat: 28 November 1989
 * They Spelled My Name Wrong Again / Jesse Don’t Like It / Sunday Times / Sometimes I Forget

11. Recorded: 1992-10-01. First Broadcast: 07 November 1992. Repeat: 19 December 1992
 * The Birthday Present / Happy Birthday Elvis / A Handful Of Dust / So Good So Far

12. Recorded: 1993-08-14, live in the studio (jointly with Andy Kershaw). First Broadcast: 14 August 1993. This session is not listed in Ken Garner's The Peel Sessions, which is ironic since JP quotes from Garner's earlier In Session Tonight during the broadcast
 * A Father And A Son / Colors / Be Careful There's A Baby In The House / Just A John / Between

13. Recorded: 1999-07-29, live at Peel Acres. First Broadcast: 29 July 1999.
 * (Loudon Wainwright plays live on his first visit to the house, some 26 or 27 years after Peel first invited him. As he is preparing to sing a track requested by listeners, John forgets to open his fader and the ensuing silence causes the emergency tape to kick in, over which Loudon can be heard saying, "We're gonna have to do it again, I guess.")


 * When I'm At Your House / Be Careful There's A Baby In The House / The Doctor / One Time At A Time / Pretty Good Day / At The End Of A Long Lonely Day

14. Recorded: 2001-09-27, live at Peel Acres. First Broadcast: 27 September 2001
 * (02 October 2001: Peel describes previous Thursday's show with Loudon Wainwright III as "one of the best programmes I've ever been involved with, I felt. I enjoyed myself so much and I thought Loudon was just magical.")


 * I'm Not Gonna Cry / One Man Guy / Donations / Cardboard Boxes / Colours / I'd Rather Be Lonely / Surviving Twin / No Sure Way

15. Recorded: 2002-04-21. First Broadcast: 16 July 2002. Repeat: 21 November 2002:
 * Half Fist / Heaven / No Sure Way / Something For Nothing / The Final Frontier

16. Recorded: 2003-07-16. First Broadcast: 27 August 2003. Repeat: ?
 * Here Comes The Choppers / To Be On TV / Nanny / When You Leave / Work In Progress

Other Shows Played
(The following list was compiled only from the database of this site and Lorcan's Tracklistings Archive and is certainly incomplete, due to the lack of available data particularly from the 1970s. Please add more information if known.)


 * 1972
 * Radio Luxembourg Tracklistings 2: Motel Blues (LP - Various: The New Age Of Atlantic) Atlantic Records
 * Radio Luxembourg Tracklistings 4: Medley (LP - Album II) Polydor


 * 1973
 * 02 August 1973: Down Drinking At The Bar (LP-Attempted Mustache) CBS

1980
 * 1979
 * 18 January 1979: unknown
 * 12 July 1979: Schooldays
 * 24 July 1979: Glad To See You've Got Religion (LP – Loudon Wainwright III) Atlantic
 * 04 September 1979: Down Drinking At The Bar (LP – A Live One) Radar
 * 10 September 1979: School Days (JP meant to play Suicide Song but picked the wrong track)
 * 19 September 1979: Clockwork Chartreuse (LP - A Live One) Radar
 * 26 September 1979: Hollywood Hopeful (LP – A Live One) Radar
 * 03 October 1979: Red Guitar (LP – A Live One) Radar
 * 27 October 1980: Wine With Dinner (album - T Shirt) Arista ARTY 127


 * 1985
 * 12 August 1985: Cardboard Boxes (single) Demon
 * 20 November 1985: Screaming Issue (album - I'm Alright) Demon
 * 26 November 1985: Screaming Issue (album - I'm Alright) Demon

1989
 * 1986
 * 14 October 1986: I Eat Out (album More Love Songs)
 * 11 September 1989: T.S.D.H.A.V. (album - Therapy) Silvertone ORE LP 500
 * 14 September 1989: Bill Of Goods (album - Therapy) Silvertone ORE LP 500


 * 1992
 * 08 March 1992: T.S.D.H.A.V. (album - Therapy) Silvertone ORE LP 500
 * 31 August 1992 (BFBS): When I'm At Your House (LP - History) Charisma
 * 05 September 1992: Men (CD Sampler for album - History) Virgin
 * 19 September 1992: A Father And A Son (LP - History) Virgin
 * 25 September 1992: Hitting You (LP - History) Charisma
 * 26 September 1992: 4 x 10 (album - History) Virgin
 * 03 October 1992: Men (album - History) VirginV2703
 * 13 November 1992: A Father And A Son (album - History) Virgin


 * 1993
 * 03 April 1993: Bill Of Goods (v/a album - The Best Of Mountain Stage Volume One) This Way Up 514 494-2
 * 10 July 1993: Five Years Old (CD – Career Moves) Virgin
 * Peel Summer 1993: Just A John 14 August 1993 (weatherman22: I recall LW being a studio guest and though Ken's book lists a session repeat on this date, it is 9 months since his last session, and this track was not on it. This is a beautiful, passionate and powerful rendition.)
 * 03 December 1993 (BFBS): Suddenly It's Christmas (7" Single) Virgin
 * 10 December 1993: A Father & A Son (LP-History) Virgin (JP: "A track that's upset me as much as any track ever has in the whole of my life, I think. Every time I hear it, I get upset.")


 * 1994
 * 01 January 1994 (BFBS): A Father & A Son (album - History) Virgin


 * 1995
 * 27 January 1995 (with Shawn Colvin): A Heart Needs A Home (compilation CD: Beat The Retreat - Songs by Richard Thompson) Capitol
 * 15 September 1995: 1994 (CD: Grown Man) Virgin
 * 29 September 1995: A Father And A Son (CD-History) Virgin
 * 06 October 1995: Grown Man (CD: Grown Man) Virgin
 * 20 October 1995: Treasures Untold (CD: Grown Man) Virgin
 * 28 October 1995: That Hospital (CD: Grown Man) Virgin
 * 04 November 1995 (BFBS): That Hospital (CD: Grown Man) Virgin
 * 24 November 1995: Dreaming (CD: Grown Man) Virgin


 * 1997
 * 23 October 1997 (BFBS): Our Own War (CD-Little Ship) Virgin
 * 05 November 1997: Our Own War (LP: Little Ship) Virgin
 * 27 November 1997 (BFBS): What Are Families For? (CD-Little Ship) Virgin


 * 1998
 * 11 November 1998: School Days (LP: The BBC Sessions) BBC Music / Strange Fruit
 * 16 November 1998 (BFBS): School Days (CD-BBC Sessions) BBC Music / Strange Fruit
 * 19 November 1998: Carmine Street (LP: The BBC Sessions) BBC Music / Strange Fruit
 * 29 November 1998 (BFBS): AM World (CD-The BBC Sessions) BBC Music / Strange Fruit
 * 01 December 1998: A Father And A Son (LP: The BBC Sessions) BBC Music / Strange Fruit
 * 09 December 1998: The Swimming Song (LP - The BBC Sessions) Strange Fruit (Peel relates how he got up on stage halfway through the debut UK gig of Loudon Wainwright III to tell people to stop talking)


 * 1999
 * 20 April 1999: Dead Skunk (LP - III) CBS
 * 22 July 1999: Carmen Street (CD-Social Studies) Hannibal
 * 27 July 1999: The Swimming Song (CD-The BBC Sessions) BBC Music / Strange Fruit


 * 2000
 * 03 October 2000: I Am The Way (Columbia)


 * 2001
 * 21 August 2001: I'm Not Gonna Cry (LP - Last Man On Earth) Evangeline
 * 23 August 2001 (Radio Mafia): Out Of Reach (album - Last Man On Earth) Red House
 * 28 August 2001: I'm Not Gonna Cry (LP - Last Man On Earth) Evangeline
 * 29 August 2001: Surviving Twin (LP - Last Man On Earth) Evangeline
 * 17 October 2001: Out Of Reach (LP – Last Man On Earth) Evangeline
 * 24 October 2001: I'm Not Gonna Cry (LP – Last Man On Earth) Evangeline
 * 27 November 2001: Homeless (LP – Last Man On Earth) Evangeline
 * 04 December 2001: Donations (LP - Last Man On Earth) Evangeline


 * 2003
 * 08 July 2003: The Picture (LP- So Damn Happy) Sanctuary
 * 22 July 2003: The Picture (LP- So Damn Happy) Sanctuary
 * 31 July 2003: Men (LP - So Damn Happy) Sanctuary
 * 26 August 2003: Men (LP- So Damn Happy) Sanctuary
 * 28 August 2003: Primrose Hill (LP- So Damn Happy) Sanctuary
 * 30 August 2003 (BBC World Service): Primrose Hill (LP- So Damn Happy) Sanctuary
 * 11 September 2003: You Never 'Phone (LP - So Damn Happy) Sanctuary


 * Other
 * 31 October 2004 (Andy Kershaw) (Peel tribute programme): One Man Guy
 * 10 November 2004 (Rob Da Bank): ‘A Father And A Son’ (History) - (Virgin)
 * Partners In Dispute: A Father And A Son
 * Pop Depresija (Pop Depression): I'm Not Gonna Cry / One Man Guy (Peel Session)