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Unveiled in May 1998, newcomer Rufus Wainwright‘s self-titled debut album was an unclassifiable amalgam of folk, rock, cabaret, and opera. Given that it was released at a time when Virginia rockers the Dave Matthews Band sat at the summit of The Billboard 200 and hip-hop ruled the US Hot 100, it was extremely bold, defiantly going against the grain of mainstream pop. Wainwright originally wanted to produce it himself but Waronker paired him up with Jon Brion, an experienced New Jersey multi-instrumentalist and studio musician whose credits included Aimee Mann. Assisted by noted session musicians, pianist Benmont Tench and drummer Jim Keltner, Wainwright, and Brion spent all of 1997 working on the album in a dozen LA studios, accumulating 62 reels of tape containing 56 songs. For Wainwright, the album’s pièce de résistance was its lush string arrangements written by Van Dyke Parks, which were recorded in Capitol Records’ famous Hollywood studio. “My goal was for someone of my generation to make a record that sounds expensive and is big and over the top and luscious and not trying to sound street at all,” explained the singer/songwriter, who had a clear idea of what he wanted to say with his first record. “Since I was doing it with Lenny Waronker, and it was DreamWorks and they had a lot of money, I figured why not go all the way?” Despite being largely overlooked by the broader public at the time, Rufus Wainwright was an impressive, trend-bucking debut platter whose appreciation has grown with time. Containing all the elements that came to define Wainwright’s core artistic persona – among them musical sophistication and theatrical presentation – it sowed the seeds for a career that would blossom spectacularly, resulting in a breathtaking spectrum of music; from heartfelt tributes to musical idols (Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall) and mainstream pop excursions (the Mark Ronson-produced Out Of The Game) to adventures in the world of classical opera (Prima Donna and Hadrian). This 25th Anniversary Edition adds 10 all-new bonus tracks and session outtakes!