House of Rufus week: Wainwright Family Photos

With the release of Rufus Wainwright’s definitive House of Rufus 19 disc collection looming (it’s out on July 25th), Drowned In Sound gets a sneak peak at some of the set’s never-before-seen content.

Here we take a look back at the life of the iconic song writer, through some of the set’s unseen photographs:

1. Rufus and Martha with their mother, Kate. Family celebration circa 1976
2. Rufus and his father Loudon circa 1978
3. Rufus and his mother Kate McGarrigle circa 1990
4. Rufus teaching Martha to swim, circa 1981
5. An impromptu rehearsal with Kate & Martha circa 2008
6. One of Rufus’ collages, this one was used in his debut album Rufus Wainwright
7. Rufus, Kate and Martha on stage together

If you’re interested to delve deeper into this extensive collection, here’s what else you can expect to uncover:

6 studio albums;- Rufus Wainwright, Poses, Want One, Want Two, Release the Stars and All Days Are Night - Songs for Lulu, now all with additional previously unreleased bonus material.

2 concerts on CD; Milwaukee at Last!!! and the legendary Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall (2CD) now with previously unreleased songs from the show.

4 additional CDs; Disc 1 features previously unreleased songs and rarities. Disc 2 contains many of the songs Rufus has recorded for soundtracks including ‘Hallelujah’ from the film Shrek. Disc 3 is drawn from Rufus’ collaborations with friends and family members such as Leonard Cohen, Teddy Thompson, Loudon Wainwright 111, Martha Wainwright, Kate and Anna McGarrigle, The Pet Shop Boys, and Burt Bacharach. Disc 4 is made up of the demos from the tape which secured him his first record deal. 6 DVDs; Live at Fillmore, Rufus Does Judy at the London Palladium, Milwaukee at Last!!!, Release The Stars album commentary and live performance. Two feature length documentaries; All I Want and Prima Donna, the Making of An Opera.

The collection is all housed in a red velvet encased, 90 page hardback book containing; rare and unseen photos, Rufus’ early hand drawn tour posters, handwritten lyrics, 4 art prints and other memorabilia, extensive sleeve notes with interviews with Neil Tennant, Martha Wainwright, Linda Thompson and Lenny Waronker and an introduction by Rufus.