T Shirt (album)

T Shirt
Studio album by Loudon Wainwright III
Released	May 1976 [1]
Studio	Record Plant, New York City
Genre	Folk
Label	Arista
Producer	Loudon Wainwright III
Loudon Wainwright III chronology
Unrequited (1975) T Shirt (1976) Final Exam (1978)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Christgau's Record Guide	B+ [3]

T Shirt is a 1976 album by Loudon Wainwright III. Unlike his earlier records, this (and the subsequent Final Exam) saw Wainwright adopt a rock band (Slowtrain) - though there are acoustic songs on T Shirt, including a talking blues. According to Wainwright on the 2006 CD liner notes, it received a scathing review from Rolling Stone which depressed him so much he stayed in bed for five days. By the early 1990s, he disowned the album in a radio interview broadcast in Australia. However, by the time of the CD remaster (which included Final Exam) he admitted to a much more sympathetic view of the album(s), which he referred to as his 'puppies'.^{[ citation needed ]}

Track listing

All tracks composed by Loudon Wainwright III; except where indicated

1. "Bicentennial"
2. "Summer's Almost Over"
3. "Hollywood Hopeful" (Traditional; arranged and adapted by Loudon Wainwright III)
4. "Reciprocity"
5. "At Both Ends"
6. "Wine with Dinner"
7. "Hey Packy" (George Gerdes)
8. "California Prison Blues"
9. "Talking Big Apple '75"
10. "Prince Hal's Dirge"
11. "Just Like President Thieu"
12. "Wine with Dinner (Night Cap)"

Personnel

Musicians

• Loudon Wainwright III – guitar, banjo, bells, vocals
• Richard Davis, John Crowder – bass guitar
• Hank Jones – keyboards ^[4]
• David Sanborn – saxophone
• Marvin Stamm – cornet, trumpet
• Jimmy Maelen – congas
• Elliott Randall, Charles Brown III – electric guitar
• David Taylor – bass trombone
• Eric Weissberg – banjo
• Jeanie Arnold – vocals
• Jon Cobert – piano
• Joe Cocuzzo – drums
• Kenny Kosek – violin
• Richard Crooks – drums, spoons
• Ron Getman – steel guitar
• Don Hammond – alto recorder
• Jimmy Iovine – backing vocals
• Peter La Barbera – vibraphone
• John Lissauer – clarinet, arrangements
• George Marge – recorder
• Irwin "Marky" Markowitz – cornet, trumpet
• Charlie Messing – guitar, vocals
• Gwynne Michaels – backing vocals
• Glen Mitchell – clavinet, electric piano, organ
• Paul Prestopino, Maggie & Terre Roche – vocals
• Christie Thompson – backing vocals
• Stephen Tubin – organ, piano, synthesizer
• Joanne Vent – backing vocals

Technical

• Jimmy Iovine – engineer, mixing
• Benno Friedman – cover photography

Charts

Chart (1976)	Peak position
US Billboard 200 [5]	188
US Cash Box Top 100 Albums [6]	189

Release history

• LP: Arista AL4063 (U.S.)
• LP: Arista RTY127 (UK)
• CD: Arcadia ACAD 8142 (2 CD with Final Exam (U.S. 2007)

References

1. "Loudon Wainwright III". Associated Entertainment. Archived from the original on January 17, 2013. Retrieved April 26, 2011.
2. AllMusic review
3. 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.
4. "Hank Jones Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic .
5. "Loudon Wainwright-iii Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
6. "Cash Box Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Cash Box . June 26, 1976. p. 54. Retrieved November 29, 2024.

1. "Prince Hals Dirge" is a reference to Henry IV, Part II by Shakespeare
2. "Just Like President Thieu" references South Vietnam's recently deposed Prime Minister Nguyễn Văn Thiệu
3. "Bicentennial" is a sarcastic reference to the United States's upcoming 'birthday', where Wainwright celebrates heroes like Jack Ruby
4. "California Prison Blues" is a time capsule, referencing Charles Manson, 'Squeaky' Lynette Fromme, Patty Hearst (and her father), Timothy Leary, and Eldridge Cleaver.
5. "Wine with Dinner" mentions Dean Martin and Foster Brooks