The Hollywood movie industry has long since clocked the power of the boxset, and it seems that the music world is just about catching up. It’s a medium that makes an entire musician’s back catalogue instantly available, and while often considered as only for ‘hardcore’ fans, it can also offer up a fantastic introduction to a world of music you never even knew existed.
The House of Rufus boxset is massive: it houses a mammoth 13 albums and 6 DVDs, making it the most comprehensive collection of Rufus Wainwright material available today. As well as his 6 studio albums, the set also features two live LPs and 4 albums worth of additional, previously unreleased music. It is, without a shadow of a doubt, incredible.
Darting from the prolific to the playful and back again, Wainwright masterfully blends many styles and sounds in his compositions. And sitting happily next to those are some superb cover versions, each with enough charm that they could easily be mistaken for a Wainwright original.
The task of covering over 13 hours of music is unquestionably a daunting one, so here are thirteen highlights from across this fantastic collection…
Hallelujah (Rufus at the Movies)
In recent years, Alexandra Burke and Jeff Buckley have battled the charts with versions of this Leonard Cohen classic. But the first time many music fans of my age would have heard the song was Rufus Wainwright’s version featured on the Shrek soundtrack. It’s a very affecting piano-led affair: deliciously tender and terrifically simple, and a perfect example of Wainwright making a classic his own.
Evil Angel (Poses)
For those who have only heard Wainwright’s lighter, poppier output Evil Angel may come as a surprise. It’s a dramatic and enthralling song, from the opening urgent strings to the fuzzy, powerful ending it is quite simply immense. It’s perhaps reminiscent of a Radiohead track, and Wainwright’s voice even sounds Yorke-esque at times.
In With the Ladies (Rufus Rarities)
This is a rather jazzy piece with a samba undertone: it’s upbeat and vibrant and very, very catchy. It’s on tracks like these that you really understand and appreciate the quality of Wainwright’s songwriting. Not only are his studio albums unbelievably good, but his ‘offcuts’ are also astounding.
Sonnet 43 (All Days are Night: Songs for Lulu)
Taking Shakespeare’s Sonnet 43 as a base and developing its themes and ideas, Wainwright creates an atmospheric soundscape where, unusually for music, the words take on more importance than the instrumentation. As the first of three of Shakespeare’s sonnets set to music on this album, it’s a fantastic blend of the literary and the musical.
Puttin’ on the Ritz (Rufus Does Judy at the Carnegie Hall [Disc 1])
During Wainwright’s tribute to one of his idols, Judy Garland, he performed this fabulous cover of Irving Berlin’s Puttin’ on the Ritz. It’s a swaggering swing number and Wainwright pulls it off perfectly, highlighted by the rapturous applause at the end of this live recording.
He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother (Rufus at the Movies)
Here’s another soundtrack contribution from Mr Wainwright, this time from hit Ben Stiller comedy Zoolander. It’s a lovely cover, and features Wainwright at his best amidst a luscious string arrangement.
Rebel Prince (Poses)
Rebel Prince is a lilting ballad, simple in its construction and very effective for it. It’s undoubtedly one of Wainwright’s softer moments, and provides a nice contrast against other tracks on the album like Evil Angel.
King of the Road (Rufus at the Movies)
This delightfully playful cover from the Brokeback Mountain soundtrack is light and bouncy. It’s an enjoyable romp through acoustic pop music and Wainwright’s arrangement very much leaves the listener wanting more.
Matinee Idol (Rufus Wainwright)
Matinee Idol could be the theme tune for a distorted carnival; it has an opulent, otherworldly feel to it and canters along at a reasonable pace. The mixture of piano, tuned percussion and woodwind only help to enforce the side-show atmosphere conjured up by the track.
Tiergarten (Release the Stars)
This is a beautiful pop tune, with an equally lovely harp accompaniment nestling gently in between the usual instruments. Songs like this can be easily lost in big collections, however Tiergaryen stands out as something a little bit special.
Tired of Wasting Time (Family and Friends)
This is a jaunty, country duet with Wainwright’s aunt, Sloan Wainwright. It’s short and sweet, and the finger-picked banjo and slide guitar give the track a homemade, relaxed aesthetic.
Ups and Downs (Rufus Rarities)
Ups and Downs is a good old-fashioned upbeat pop tune, where Wainwright’s instantly-recognisable voice shines through a typically melodic accompaniment.
Old Whore’s Diet (Want Two)
Amusingly titled and sonically epic, Old Whore’s Diet is a sprawling nine-minute track encompassing a variety of styles and sounds. With percussion clearly influenced by the sounds of Latin-America, it’s a blend of slick guitar work, succulent strings and powerful vocals both from Wainwright and his backing singers.
House of Rufus is out now via Universal.
ES
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