Oh man, where do I even begin? Brambles, Poses is most definitely a good place to start, I agree. Rufus is one of my top 5 favorite artists of all time, but I started to slightly lose interest with RTS. This was probably due to the fact that I consider his first 4 albums all masterpieces, especially Want One. That album produces such a feeling for me that I could almost cry just talking about it. It's so powerful. It's amazing, amazing music. I've listened to ADAN maybe twice all the way through. It's going to take time, but like ebby said, that piano work is probably the best of his career. I can tell that much. I've seen Rufus many times live, but nothing compares to the concert where he played Imaginary Love for the encore! I had met him before the show and asked him to play the song and after a long pause, he said "well, the chances aren't nill." He came out for the encore and said "someone asked me to play this and it's been a really long time, so I hope I don't fuck it up," or something along those lines. God, I wish I had an mp3 of that performance. It was at a Cleveland show on his tour with Ben Folds. Anyway, Rufus' music was a huge part of my early to mid 20s and he was the first artist to ever effect me the same way Tori did. So, I definitely hold a special place in my heart. I guess I'll need to listen to some Rufus today, it's been awhile! If I had to pick some favorites:

Go or Go Ahead
The Consort
Poses
Imaginary Love
Beauty Mark
Vicious World
The Art Teacher
14th Street
11:11
Grey Gardens
April Fools
Dinner at Eight

well, the list can go on and on and on...

Love me some Rufus.

in 2001 when Rufus opened for Tori on the Strange Little Tour, he regularly performed a song that was all in French. I remember it being particularly lovely. Does anyone know the song I'm referring to and if it's on any of his albums?

Maybe "Coeur de Partisienne- Reprise d'Arletty"? it's a bonus track on the Want Two album.

or L'Absence? A version (Live at The Fillmore) was released on I Don't Know What It Is single. I don't think his accent is quite as good as Martha's but this is my favourite of his foreign language outings...

Reviens, reviens, ma bien-aimée,
Comme une fleur loin du soleil;
La fleur de ma vie est fermée,
Loin de ton sourire vermeil.

The song is called Complainte de la Butte. It is on the Moulin Rouge soundtrack. While he performed it entirely in French in concert, the version on the Moulin Rouge soundtrack is in English and French. There is an all french version of the song that is harder to find. The recording was featured as a track on a bonus cd that accompanied his debut album when purchased in France. Funny enough, the title of the version on that bonus cd is called Moulin Rouge.

I was lucky enough to see Rufus and his dad Loudon last night at the Royal Opera House in London. It was fabulous. Loudon sang Poses with Rufus on piano and Martha on backups, which was somehow very moving. After Dinner at Eight, Loudon said "feel better, do ya?". They played an incredible song bluesy song apparently written by Rufus's grandfather Loudon II in 1952. And then the whole family did a breathtaking One Man Guy. Such an incredible show.

Mine each have two 'bonus' tracks, although I'm not too fond of any of them... or bonus tracks in general. If they were that good they'd be in the starting lineup! However Want Two has an bonus DVD with great live footage. That's a bonus worth having!

That's the night I'd have liked to have seen. Loudon doing Poses sounds great! To me it's Rufus's most perfect song.

Anyone get the House of Rufus box set?

I'm an admirer of Rufus, and there was a time when I could say I have all his albums (up to Release The Stars), but he's really having a strange career path. The Judy Garland thing leave me cold, I just don't get it. He's clearly not that interested in doing rock/pop albums (like Poses and Want). The fact that some great work on these hasn't been more widely appreciated is possibly the reason.

As an opera fan I wish he'd just commit himself to composing new operas, not getting bogged down with Prima Donna (his first) for years to come.

He's exasperating, and in answer to Andyland, I expect Elton John and other supporters would have got one, but I'm curious as to who would have actually paid for one. Maybe I should revisit the Rufus forum and see if anyone has bought it.

^ Release The Stars is his weakest album, in my opinion. I really love "All Days Are Nights: Songs For Lulu", and think it's one of the best things he has done.

The House Of Rufus got a really good review in attitude mag, and from a reviewer whose opinion I really respect. That intrigued me.

I believe his next album is rock/pop, and I think he's giving commercial success one more try, since he's working with Mark Ronson and the guy who co-wrote "Angels" by Robbie Williams. You can hear the co-written song, World War III, on his website.

"Don't bore us, get to the chorus"? No. Not good, and he's normally such a good lyricist.

Great performance! I like the song, although it does sound a little bit like it could be a Coldplay song.

I suppose that's the influence of the co-writer. I was a bit surprised by the radio programmers saying that this song could be a hit. True, it's mainstream for Rufus, but I still don't see it doing well on the charts. Though they were from the UK and not the US, so perhaps it's a different climate.

Who is the co-writer, anyway? I didn't recognize him.

I thought it was a nice enough song.

Rufus Wainwright to perform at Sting's anniversary celebrations

On October 1, 2011, join Sting at the Beacon Theater in New York City as he celebrates the 25th anniversary of his solo career on the eve of his 60th birthday with a very special concert event to benefit the Robin Hood Foundation.

Representing a cross section of Sting's vast portfolio of work and collaborations throughout his enduring career, special guest performers include Bruce Springsteen, Lady Gaga, Stevie Wonder, Mary J. Blige, Herbie Hancock, Robert Downey Jr., Vince Gill, Will.i.am, Rufus Wainwright, Branford Marsalis, Billy Joel, and Chris Botti. Throughout the evening, Sting will be backed by a band featuring his longtime guitarist, Dominic Miller, bassist Christian McBride, keyboardist David Sancious, drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, and backing vocalists Jo Lawry, Lisa Fischer, and Tabitha Fair. In keeping with long-standing tradition of being on stage during his birthday, this will be a truly unforgettable night.

While this show will not go on sale to the general public, a limited number of tickets have been reserved exclusively for Sting.com fan club members.

So I have a Rufus question; does the UK or any other version of Want contain all four bonus tracks (the two from Want One UK edition as well as the two added to Want Two)? Or does it only include the latter two? I'm getting mixed signals from wikipedia and the track listings on Amazon, which all have only 14 tracks on Disc 1, and the description on Amazon, which says that Velvet Curtain Rag and Es Mus Sein are included in the package.