Customer Reviews

RT: The Life and Music of Richard Thompson

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

He's not dead yet so all the better to celebrate the music of Richard Thompson. Fan- The word derives from fanatic. It perfectly describes the Richard Thompson fan (myself included) who would purchase this sprawling look back at the man and his music to the present. First don't let some of the other reviews scare you off. Yes the sound quality varies and yes some sound as good as good MP3s while others sound exceptional. That's because a lot of the material here was pulled from Thompson's own collection of older, rare recordings. The notes in the 160 page book point out that everything was done possible to improve sound on all the tracks and nothing is less than acceptable.

Free Reed's excellent anthlogy "The Life and Music of Richard Thompson" isn't the best place to become aquainted with Thompson's vast body of work but it is essential for fans of the man. While sound quality varies (remember many of these performances were never meant to be heard by the public and it includes many demos, live tracks recorded for the artist to keep and/or fan recordings, etc.)but on the whole Free Reed has done a splendid job of assembling rarities for Thompson fans.

We have five discs here. "Muswell Hill to LA" consisting of performances from 1972 with Richard's former wife Linda to 2005 with live recordings, demos, etc. opening ironically with "Now That I Am Dead" which originally appeared on the French, Frirth, Kaiser and Thompson CD "Invisible Means" opens the set with a nice dose of dark humor. Here Richard sings it (John French sings it on the original CD release). "Killerman Gold Posse" originally recorded for the F,F,K & T CD "Live, Larf and Loaf" appears in its original demo form here. The CD closes with the marvelous "Outside of the Inside" in a studio demo recording. I love the live recording of "Madonna's Wedding" coupled with "Nobody's Wedding".

CD 2 also features a treasure trove of Thompson tracks including "I Feel So Good", "Dimming of the Day" (from 1981 live recording with Linda Thompson), ""Crazy Man Michael" (a new recording for this set) a song that had its genesis in the death of his girlfriend in 1969 in a car accident involving the members of Fairport Convention. Thompson hasn't tackled this song for ages because of the depth of anguish he felt about this over the last 35 years. Again, sound quality varies from fair to exceptionally good depending upon the source, age, etc. Some of these are pulled from cassettes as early as the 70's. I suggest keeping expectations a bit realistic when listening to material this old. Personally, I'm much more focused on the performances some of which are astonishing.

CD 3 features cover songs (some of which appeared on 1000 Years of Popular Music), live recordings and some session work. Haven't been able to dig into this completely yet. It does sound pretty good so far. Likewise CD 4 so the four stars is based more on the first two discs and the bonus 5th disc which I popped in right away. That one also has varying sound quality. This collection isn't meant to be an audiophile's dream. That said could these have been cleaned up more? Sure and you could also be paying a lot more for it as well or never heard any of it for that matter.

The book accompanying the set is over 160 pages long with rare photos providing a biography of sorts (as much musical as personal). Nice packaging is a highlight of this set. I personally like what Free Reed has done here. There's also an excellent interview with Thompson as well as bits of trivia related to Thompson's music that are sprinkled throughout the booklet. This set certainly isn't for the casual fan but definitely worthwhile for fans who want various rare performances (including some they might have attended)and interesting one-off performances. It's a fun set that captures Thompson's spirit, wit and style with a guitar and lyric. Well worth it for fans of the man.

While this isn't necessarily the place to start if you're entirely new to Thompson's music [either Action Packed or Mock Tudor is a more accessible FIRST cd], this is the collection to go for if you like Thompson but still aren't quite sure what all the fuss is about. Certainly, at least one of these five cd's [six, if you get the Free Reed bonus -- a hoot!] is the one that every RT fan has always been waiting for, the cd that is sure to convert everyone who hears it -- that would be the 3rd cd, "shine in the dark," the cd that features RT's fantastic live improvisations, both acoustic and electric, on some of his best guitar songs. This cd on its own is worth buying the entire set for, even if the other cd's weren't so good in their own right. The 2nd cd, of 'essential' RT songs [as voted by his fervent fan base], is also one of the best cd's currently available for showing off RT's range as a live performer, singer, and songwriter. While it's true that the 'rarities' and 'covers' cds might be most appreciated by the RT fan who mistakenly thought s/he had everything, both feature winning tracks that newcomers will find just as appealing as some of his more famous songs.

Because RT and the compilers of this collection worked so hard to put together a collection that has such appeal for everyone from newcomers to fans who have everything [and then some], I can't agree at all with the reviewers who have been quibbling with the sound quality. The quality is excellent for each song per se, even if going from live track to live track means there's some inevitable discrepancy in sound between two consecutive tracks [louder to softer, crisp to resonant, etc]. At any rate, I think it's silly to expect perfectly consistent quality when RT and Free Reed have worked so hard to make available such a treasure trove of previously unreleased recordings and demos. The bio is a nice addition, with some great trivia, excellent pictures, and a fine interview. But it's the music here that's such a revelation, even as compared to some of the fabulous live compilations RT's label has self-produced over the last ten years.

While this set certainly sates the converted, for those wondering what the hype may be about, why Thompson is so severely underappreciated, this set resoilves any and all questions. sweeping aside whatever you may think of any other guitarist who dares wield a Fender, Gibson or Martin, save maybe Robert Fripp, but then......
In any case, what's on offer here, dear punters, is something so much more sublime than the definitive collection (Watching The Dark did that in spades). Instead you have a cross section of the man himself - there are the obligatory ("Shoot Out The Lights"), the wittily perverse ("OOps I Did It Again") and the brilliantly executed (any and all of the live cuts with Danny Thompson), assembled here to show you why this gent, when he relinquishes the keys to his Vincent 1952 will never be duplicated, replicated, sampled or cloned with anything like the genuineness he has brought to his craft from Fairport on through to his Front Parlour.
The incision he makes on the human psyche has a nearly Hannibal Lechter-like glee in the resulting spillage of emotions and compulsions. Thompson investigates the psyche, the heart and the soul with a ruthlessness unmatched by any other writer, and convincingly portrays the collection of sots and scapegoats, fools and charlatans, the innocent and the guilty with an Olivier's command of their inner sanctums. And on top of that, the man can play his axe. No one, absolutely no one, save the aforementioned Fripp, has commanded their instrument with the same technique and power. And the best of all of these protean talents is presented with an Hitchcockian sneer for your consideration. This is the box set before which you may sacrifice all other box sets, and after which there is no need for anyone else to approach this pinnacle.
Like Wagner in opera, Thompson sweeps all away. In rarities, live cuts ans studio demos, this set makes it clear that NO ONE writes like Richard Thompson, NO ONE bares his soul like RT, and NO ONE sings as though his life depended on it being convincing than RT. It is an exhilarating ride, and unlike with so many boxes, you shall return to these treasures because they are each brilliant and sound incredibly alive in a fantastic mastering. A 168 book is included for those who still don't get it. For every one else, the time watching the dark is over, the exit from Plato's Cave leads through Richard Thompson.

I love the set, but it's not really for everyone. If you've been to Richard Thompson's concerts and enjoy cuts like "Dear Janet Jackson," and "My Daddy's a Mummy" and want to hear more live numbers like you heard them at the concert--this is your CD compilation. If you prefer studio renditions and not straying off the path, this is going to be too esoteric for you.

Didn't realize there WAS a 5th disk till I looked at the RT page on Amazon. Turns out that a few boxes got shipped without it, including mine. Called Free Reed in the UK and was told to email info@free-reed.co.uk and request the disk be sent to me.

As for the music in the set, it's overwhelmingly good stuff. Richard's voice and guitar have never sounded so good on many of the songs. Unfortunately, some of the tracks sound like bootleg recordings, including a solo version of Meet on the Ledge. Too bad.

Was it worth the price? Absolutely. You won't be sorry.

I am a long time and devoted RT fan. It's not RT I object to about this box, it's the box itself -- selections, packaging, booklet and quantity. I can't imagine that anyone unfamiliar with RT is going to be interested in this huge collection, so this is mainly for those already convinced of RT's talents as a writer and performer, who most likely already have some or a lot of his albums. (If you're a newbie and you want a compilation ablum, get 1993's collection, "Watching The Dark: The History of Richard Thompson" -- it's much better in every way than this box -- then get some of the classics (e.g. "Bright Lights", "Pour Down Like Silver", etc, etc.) and one or two since 1993 ("Rumor & Sigh", "Mock Tudor") If you're already a fan, spend your money instead on a few of the official bootlegs on RT's official web site, "Beesweb".)

Since this box features RT, there's bound to be some great stuff in it of course. Goes without saying. But there's just too much junk to wade through to get to it. Many of the alternative or unreleased or whatever versions of familiar songs are just not as good as the ones we know and love -- no doubt that's why these other versions never saw the light of day (go figure, eh!). And most of the stuff hitherto unreleased should have remained that way.

And the booklet (or telephone book) which comes with this box is just ghastly. It certainly contains a great deal of information, but it's really too much, even for a devoted fan. And it's all over the place -- scattered, disorganized and disjointed. Some may think this cool. I found it annoying and time wasting. I'm still tring to find a simple listing in this enormous document of what's on each of the five discs, which is really a most important thing in a box this size. But you have to wade through a thousand words about each track instead. Tedious, tedious, tedious.

I feel guilty about slagging anything by RT. I've been promoting his music wherever I could for as long as I can remember. But I just can't recommend this. Newcomers and Converts alike -- go elsewhwere.

I had a trip to Japan and, happily, this came in the mail just before I left, so I got to listen to everything in one sitting and go back for more when not chatting up a stewardess or catching a wonderfully cheesy yakuza movie on the Japan Air Lines flight.

This set is essential for the deeply committed (or committable) fan.

I won't give a blow-by-blow track-by-track review but will mention a few items. The band live recordings of "Calvary Cross" and "Night Comes In" are the best committed to recording yet, and I really love these songs so that's saying a lot. We all like RT to go nuts, and he does in other places. Repeatedly. It's wonderful. There are plenty of acoustic recordings, mostly all quite good. The early songs from long, long ago clearly show that the spark was there then. I appreciate the inclusion of the "novelty songs," such as 'Dear Janet Jackson.' It's nice to have them.

A couple recordings are below par in terms of sound recording, but only a couple. Sadly, for me, one of them is "Put It There, Pal" which sounds muffled. I'll get over it. It makes the whole production edgy, which is good. Can't be too perfect.

The accompanying book is a great read. Lots to learn.

Look, I'm no Richard Thompson obsessive, I'm not an audiophile & I'm not a fan of box sets. All that aside, this is essential listening for Thompson admirers & fanatics alike. Where the "Watching The Dark" collection was designed for popular consumption---this one is for the fans.

If you have a tin ear & an attention span lasting longer than 30 seconds, you can't help but notice Richard Thompson is one of the finest and most versatile guitarists Rock ever produced. As a songwriter, he's up there with the idiosyncratic likes of Dylan, Tom Waits & Townes Van Zandt.

True, the book weighs more than the music & is written by a Fairport Convention devotee who has a tendency towards the trivial and pedantic. One gets the sense of an overexcited academic, who's note cards are out of order. Even the interview with Thompson is fairly unrevealing. Thompson mischeiviously pulls the carpet from under with the quote: "To give a definite explaination would spoil the fun". But you're not buying this for the book.

The music speaks for itself. The box is a generous trove of unreleased rarities both studio & live. There's also a free write in disc of others covering Thompson. Making it 6 discs in all.

Highlights certainly include, "Crazy Man Micheal", "Meet Me On The Ledge" & "Sloth"---all of which show their strenghts outside of Fairport Convention's musical anachronisms. Live versions of classics like "Calvary Cross", "Shoot Out The Lights" & "1952 Vincent Black Lightning" never disappoint. On the contrary, they go to show how jaw droppingly solid the songs are. Not to mention the performer.

But its the near out of print, live & lost material that will leave long time fans reeling. I'm talking about things like, "Ghosts In The Wind" & "Drowned Dog Black Night". Stunning workouts & guaranteed to raise the hair on your neck. On the flip side, the initmate acoustic rarities, "Josef Locke" & "Mrs. Rita" would only enhance any Thompson release.

As I said, I am not an audiophile. I wouldn't let sound quality stand in my way of enjoying the many pleasures of Robert Johnson or Charley Patton, not to mention the Harry Smith Folk Anthology. So yes, the sound quality is less than stellar on Thompson's home demos & ferocious but murky live recordings like, "Put It There Pal". But overall, the folks at Free Reed did a great job of dusting out the nooks & crannies.

In terms of the unreleased studio material, "Bad News Is All The Wind Can Carry" is as beautifully bleak as it gets. The fragment, "In Over Your Head" captures Thompson at his most vulnerable & questioning. Revealing to say the least. That's not to say that stuff like "Dragging The River", "Alexander Graham Bell" & "My Daddy Is A Mummy" aren't great infectious fun.

As for the covers disc highlighting Thompson's "1000 Years In Popluar Music"--- the likes of "Substitute" & "Tempted" are always welcome. Both are just as, if not more heartfelt than the originals. The conviction of his version of "You'll Never Walk Alone" serves only to mock his sarcastic stab at Britney Spears',"Oops! I Did It Again".

Great as Page, Beck, Hendrix, Clapton & Richards are---none have proved themselves to be as consistantly strong as Thompson in the songwriting department. The double threat Thompson so consitantly weilds often sets him apart.

Despite long standing critical acclaim, his low key personality, twisted sense of humor, and willingness to go to the "dark place" may have hampered him in terms of popular consumption. But Thompson's weathered through it all with his integrity intact. True, he always looked more like your High School History professor than a Byronic anti-hero. But perhaps, its Thompson's stubborn sense of "Englishness" that's kept him from American superstardom. Its something he makes no apology for & has never tried to bury. He has always remained loyal to his roots but has always dared venture far beyond the genre known as "Folk". So, look beyond the whims of fashion and find the unpretenious grit so many strive for. Its all here waiting for you.

This set is assembled with a lot of respect and perhaps even affection for the artist. Thompson had (and reportedly exercised) right of veto over every aspect of this set. He also provided the compilers with access to his own personal archives of tapes and photos.

It's not the regular retrospective box-set. Whilst many of the songs are familiar to the Thompson fans, the recordings are nearly all unique to this set. Less than a handful of these tracks have appeared on major label releases, and a similar amount are taken from live albums released on Thompson's "not for retail" boutique label. The vast majority of the tracks are making their debut here.

There is a good deal of treasure here for the Thompson fan: Songs demoed for but not included in his first solo album; Live Richard and Linda recordings; A disc full of in-concert covers; A whole disc of epic live performances.

The considerable range of the man's skills and artistic palette is on display here. With the five discs being themed ("Essential songs", "Songs based on real people and places" etc) the set has more cohesion than you might imagine from a collection of this size (80 plus songs, 5 1/2 hours of music).

For your money you also get a comprehensive 168 page book with as good a potted Thompson history as you're likely to find, track notes and an exclusive interview, as well as a reproduction Vincent Motorcycles catalog bearing the signature "James Adie" - a playful nod in the direction of "1952 Vincent Black Lightning", the best-loved of Thompson's songs.

This set is a must for Thompson fans. It demonstrates resoundingly that Thompson has not grown tired or complacent over a long career and has, if anything, sharpened skills that were already formidable when he left Fairport Convention in 1971.

Firstly, this box set is very well produced. The book is nicely set out with lots of interesting photos and titbits. Nice touch with the reproduced Vincent M/cycle brocure.
The musical contents aren't for the casual listener and no doubt were never inteneded to be . While the songs and track selections are fine, as some previous reviewers have mentioned ,the audio quailty on some is not good.
A few tracks seem to have alot of echo around the vocals, whether this is from the original recording or from editing I'm not sure but the annoying thing is that better quality versions of those songs do exist.
A case in point is Willy O'Winsbury on cd1. There is a much cleaner version on the bootleg from the 1992 Bottom Line shows.
Since the compilers stated that they sourced material from Thompson experts and collectors around the world it seems odd that some of the better quality soundboard recordings seem to have been bypassed.
That said I still feel this is a worthwhile investment for the committed Thompson fan. Look on it as a superior bootleg , after the style of Neil Youngs Rock and Roll Cowboy but with better sound.