The sun shines within your POLL: Rufus Wainwright - s/t (1998)

I think the album has 4 or 5 standouts, but "Beauty Mark," a charming tribute to his mom in both lyric and spirit, remains my sentimental fave.

the demos (on the House Of Rufus box set from some years ago) of these songs were incredible. Danny Boy and Beauty Mark especially.

you haven't heard Want One?? i'd rectify that at all speed.

I think this guy's undeniable talent was constricted by all the money thrown at him in the late '90s; some of the solid, intelligent tunes are buried beneath the production. I also have to make considerable allowances for his voice.

But I've got fond memories of this thing. I bought it the same month I came out. "April Fools," "Beauty Mark," "Matinee Idol," "Foolish Love" still get me. And "Imaginary Love" is my favorite of his closers.

yeah you're definitely right about the tunes getting buried. they fixed that on later albums IMO.

i had a weird experience with this. late '98 in Manchester i got mugged and had a bunch of newly-purchased clothes and jewellery and CDs in a bag swiped out of my hand 2 days before Xmas. this album was also in the mugger's haul. went out and bought it again a few weeks later still having never heard it. certainly the first and last time i ever bought an album not once but twice that i didn't know anything about.
saw him live about 6 times in the next few years and was obsessed for a while. this 30 second commercial was literally all i knew of him and it made me buy the debut unheard.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1idhwIW_n4

i went directly to poses and feel like i've been unable to crack this record as a result. it's a little too much. however i never feel more gay than when i'm listening to "april fools," so that one

Just bought the vinyl reissues of this and Poses last week. He definitely made better records than this but I still get a lot out of it.

Voting for April Fools which is still one of my favourite songs he's ever done.

Poses is the better record. That tour is still one of the funnest, funniest shows I've attended.

A boy I fancied asked me if I wanted to go to a RW concert and I wasn't very familiar, but he lent me <I>Poses</I> and I was hooked enough to go and buy <I>Want One</I>, and never really got into the S/T as a result, like Brad. He didn't fancy me, he just thought I'd have a nice time. Which I did.

I guess "Matinee Idol" though which is a porn film title, because of course it is.

My order would go

Want One
Poses
Rufus Wainwright
Want Two

Don't really rate anything after those. Going To A Town is possibly my favourite Rufus song but Release The Stars is one of the most disappointing albums I've ever bought by someone I love. I still think he could have become huge with that album if it had been better.

wasn't that album his biggest seller in the UK?

whoa -- had no idea Neil Tennant co-produced

It was his highest charting album but I kind of think it sold well on hype at first. He was getting play on Radio 2 and made some big TV show appearances which helped it go in at number two but it quickly fell out the charts. His profile was the highest it had ever been then. If he'd had an album as strong as Want One then he could have been much bigger. It needed a few more songs like 14th Street or I Don't Know What It Is on it.

Neil Tennant said something along the lines, that he just popped into the studio to listen back to songs and said "sounds good" and left.

apparently Chris Lowe didn't pop in, check out Wainwright's wardrobe, and say, "Needs work."

yeah RTS is crappy. Out Of The Game was/is a bit of a return to form.

Poses has a beautiful title song, and the name-check of Bea Arthur made me laugh at the time (gays refing Golden Girls didn't seem to be as much of a thing in 2001 yet) but it felt like an attempt to sand off some of his quirks in a way that struck me as disappointing after the debut. Most people that I knew at the time seemed to prefer Poses, though.

"One Many Guy" and "Shadows" are aces.

haha: "One MAN Guy"

This one's still his best, most consistent and cohesive front to back.

I voted "Danny Boy." I love the delayed gratification of how long it takes to get to the chorus.

I wish he'd work with Van Dyke Parks again…

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

great album. have to go with "foolish love", the opening line is so classic.

haven't really cared for anything else he's done, i think the van dyke parks type sound really worked splendidly.

"beauty mark" is great too..

voted for "April Fools" cuz who am I kidding

At 15 yrs old, "Danny Boy" caused me a dangerous surfeit of feels.

"In My Arms" probably next.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Now I wish I'd voted for "Millbrook." That's probably my second favorite.

You will believe in love

Imaginary Love 0

:/

Yeah, that definitely deserved a few votes. Hard to argue with that top three though. This sis a good album but it is very front-loaded.

is not sis obviously

His sis has not made any good albums

I really liked Martha's first album. Saw her live around the time it came out and she was great.

great album. have to go with "foolish love", the opening line is so classic.

haven't really cared for anything else he's done, i think the van dyke parks type sound really worked splendidly.

Brion's production was aces as well.

Also, I saw him in Austin when this came out. Martha opened for him. She was pretty good IIRC. He was fine but an absolutely insufferable personality on stage.

i LOVE this album, sorry i missed the poll. saw him as an opening act just after the album came out and it ended up being one of my favorite records as a sullen 16-year-old.

can't argue with the results although "Millbrook" and "Sally Ann" are my favorites of the ones that got zero votes.

He was fine but an absolutely insufferable personality on stage.

oh c'mon, i saw him several times around '98-01 and if you like Paul Lynde, ya gotta like Roofie

woulda voted "April Fools" of course, possibly "Matinee Idol" second

should've voted for "Imaginary Love."

yeah the couple times i saw him live i thought he was a ham and perhaps more drunk than he should've been but generally a good entertainer

when I saw him in early '02 he was out of his head but a total delight. He opened with "Grey Gardens" and closed iirc with "One Man Guy," which had excellent Martha W and Teddy Thompson harmonies.

man... if barcelona just cut out most of minutes 2-5 it would be a really great song in his catalog. sadly, it meanders for a few minutes and kills it. that opening/closing melody is achingly gorgeous tho.

Make sure I have all my papers
Laying out my summer clothes
Search for traps in vain like scratching
So my suitcase I can close
Fuggi Regal Fantasima