Saut Crapaud Posted December 9, 2007 Share Posted December 9, 2007 i dated a girl a few years ago that adored 1952 Vincent Black Lightning. i heard it covered by reckless kelly on one of their live discs and went back to the original rt recording i had heard. it seems that a lot of his other material is fairly different than the vein of this recording. anyone know of any discs of his that might be more along the lines of the acoustic/alternate tuning, god i hate this word - "folky" and less full band, pop-oriented? This site has the most musically knowledgeable people so hopefully someone could give me some direction. thanks Quote Link to post Share on other sites
literary tonic Posted December 9, 2007 Share Posted December 9, 2007 i love the guy. Daring Adventures is a great album, as is the stuff he did with Linda "Shoot Out the Lights", there is a 3 cd best of collection out there and that would be the best place to start, I think. He hasn't really had a folk album versus a pop album per se, they're all kind of mixed. Rumour and Sigh is a great album too.. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Synthesizer Patel Posted December 9, 2007 Share Posted December 9, 2007 are you saying that you have/know all his more famous albums, but want to know which lesser known albums have songs like 1952 Vincent Black Lightning on them? or, are you saying that you want to know what are the best richard thompson albums to own, because you want to know where to start? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Analogman Posted December 9, 2007 Share Posted December 9, 2007 He has made a lot of albums. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LouieB Posted December 9, 2007 Share Posted December 9, 2007 He has made a lot of albums. That ain';t no shit.... Vincent is on one of his better known albums. Check out some of the best of compilations or go straight to the Richard and Linda Thompson catelogue, with Shoot out the Lights being one of the stand outs. More later I have to go get bagels. LouieB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
zoom Posted December 9, 2007 Share Posted December 9, 2007 If you are looking for solo acoustic material, the choices are limited. A lot of this material is scattered through his full band albums. His recent Front Parlour Ballads is acoustic and a pretty good effort. Small Town Romance, from some solo shows following the final Richard and Linda tour, has its moments. The box set has some acoustic material too, but it's a lot to digest and is geared more toward the completist. Your best bet, I think, would be to find some solo show recordings that are being traded out there. He reaches most of his catalog when he performs acoustically live, although one show is not enough time to cover much of what's out there. If you ever get a change to see him live either solo or in a band, don't miss it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LouieB Posted December 9, 2007 Share Posted December 9, 2007 1000 Years of Popular Music... LouieB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Saut Crapaud Posted December 10, 2007 Author Share Posted December 10, 2007 Wow! pretty much not a where to start question. funny how certain things slip by you. my parents played fairport convention when i was growing up, but in the middle of oklahoma you don't hear richard thompson talked about much. never put two and two together. what a schmuck. i've spent most of last year obsessed with pre-war minstrel, jug band, and blues. i could wax on and on about jim jackson, charley patton, or frank stokes, but this just passed me by. thanks for all the help and i'll try to research a little better before i post next time. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Synthesizer Patel Posted December 10, 2007 Share Posted December 10, 2007 Alright, I'm still not totally sure what you are saying you have and know, but if you don't have - Liege & Lief, I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight, Pour Down Like Silver, Unhalfbricking, and Shoot Out The Lights, then get them as soon as possible - they are some of the best albums ever made. Also get these ones too, at some point, if you like the other stuff - Henry The Human Fly, Full House, Hokey Pokey, What We Did On Our Holidays, Fairport Convention Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lizish Posted December 10, 2007 Share Posted December 10, 2007 (edited) I like Thompson when he's upbeat and happy and so this one is always my favourite: Tons of these songs have been covered by Nashville artists and seeing that tour in 1984 (?) was fantastic. Plus it contains Tear Stained Letter, which is usually played at every show. The album was the first time I started to appreciate the accordion as not an instrument of torture. Edited December 10, 2007 by lizish Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PopTodd Posted December 10, 2007 Share Posted December 10, 2007 1000 Years of Popular Music... LouieB You absolutely stole my answer.This one is a lot of fun, if not wholly representative of the man.It's RT solo/acoustic (as you wanted), but covering songs from -- as you could have guessed -- the last 1000 years. Literally. From Olde English and Welsh ballads to Cole Porter to Britney Spears.It's a lot of fun. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nettles Posted December 10, 2007 Share Posted December 10, 2007 Love RT, Great songwriter, bitching guitar player! Shoot out the Bright lights is a classic, 'Just the motion' can make me a proud man cry.I've been trying to find a copy of 'Pour down like silver', to no avail, but it's on my list of must get albums. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Synthesizer Patel Posted December 10, 2007 Share Posted December 10, 2007 Love RT, Great songwriter, bitching guitar player! Shoot out the Bright lights is a classic, 'Just the motion' can make me a proud man cry.I've been trying to find a copy of 'Pour down like silver', to no avail, but it's on my list of must get albums. The first three Richard & Linda Thompson albums were reissued in the UK a couple of years ago on cd, so they are easy to find on amazon even in the USA, or do you mean on vinyl? The remastering on them is really good, too. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nettles Posted December 10, 2007 Share Posted December 10, 2007 The first three Richard & Linda Thompson albums were reissued in the UK a couple of years ago on cd, so they are easy to find on amazon even in the USA, or do you mean on vinyl? The remastering on them is really good, too. I was looking for the vinyl, but should probably just pick up the disc. Thanks for the info! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LouieB Posted December 11, 2007 Share Posted December 11, 2007 I was looking for the vinyl, but should probably just pick up the disc. Thanks for the info!Many of his records are available on vinyl used. I bought most of them that way and still see some of them in the used record stores. Hand of Kindness is an excellent RT disk. Small town is okay, but kind of low key, but just him by himself. LouieB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LouieB Posted December 11, 2007 Share Posted December 11, 2007 You absolutely stole my answer.This one is a lot of fun, if not wholly representative of the man.It's RT solo/acoustic (as you wanted), but covering songs from -- as you could have guessed -- the last 1000 years. Literally. From Olde English and Welsh ballads to Cole Porter to Britney Spears.It's a lot of fun.I was half kidding, because I think it is for fans only, but having said that, I have a copy (I think there are a couple versions, but not sure) and have enjoyed listening to some of it alot, mostly the really really old stuff. LouieB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ianshaw Posted December 11, 2007 Share Posted December 11, 2007 If what you're looking for is a recording highlighting Thompson's acoustic guitar playing, I will concur that "Small Town Romance" might be a great place to start - it is just him and his acoustic, largely performing material from the catalog he amassed with Linda prior to their divorce. I will not say that "Small Town Romance" is my favorite RT album though. There's great playing and some stellar songs, but I think it's uneven. The man is a phenomenal electric guitar player as well though. He is one of my favorite guitarists, and I think any fan of AGIB and onward Wilco would appreciate what RT does with a Strat on his live outings. I do think the 3 CD "Watching the Dark" is a great overview (although '52 Vincent isn't on the set). There's an earlier CD - "Guitar, Vocal" that has some great stuff on it, and might have a little more of the acoustic focus you're looking for. I'm not as crazy about "1000 Years of Popular Music" but the acoustic playing there does shine. There's a new CD (import though) of a '75 RT and Linda Thomposon CD out that likely will be mostly acoustic. I haven't heard / seen it yet, but the CD / DVD of the "Live in Austin, Tx" from Austin City Limits looks like largely acoustic RT and a good set. The "You, Me, Us" is a 2 CD album with 1 cd electric the other acoustic. My fave RT albums would include "Watching the Dark," "Shoot Out The Lights," "Mirror Blue," and (if you want to track it down "Two Letter Words" - a live 'fan club' CD. I do have a strong preference for his live stuff to studio. I also would agree the Captiol era stuff (from which Rumor and Sigh and 'Vincent' come) were pretty poppily produced by an artist who isn't really a pop artist. Hope this helps. Ian Quote Link to post Share on other sites
uncool2pillow Posted August 11, 2014 Share Posted August 11, 2014 Released within the past month, Acoustic Classics is so good. Acoustic re-recordings of some of his best. Some originally acoustic, some not. All good! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
worldrecordplayer Posted August 11, 2014 Share Posted August 11, 2014 Released within the past month, Acoustic Classics is so good. Acoustic re-recordings of some of his best. Some originally acoustic, some not. All good!I didn't realize it was Re-recordings. I assumed it was a compilation of tracks previously released. I love RT, I will get a disc of new recordings of his acoustic playing of those songs. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
uncool2pillow Posted August 11, 2014 Share Posted August 11, 2014 I didn't realize it was Re-recordings. I assumed it was a compilation of tracks previously released. I love RT, I will get a disc of new recordings of his acoustic playing of those songs.That's kind of what I thought too. These are some fantastic renditions. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LouieB Posted August 11, 2014 Share Posted August 11, 2014 Having seen him play acoustic and electric just this summer I can assure you that if anything his playing is better than ever. I have not picked up this disk yet, but I am sure it is great. There was a version of Vincent he released on a RSD single a couple years ago that is good as well. LouieB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Chez Posted August 11, 2014 Share Posted August 11, 2014 One of my favorite performers. I've seen RT live around 15 times. He is a force -- especially when he' plugged in. The electric show I saw this summer at Space was my favorite RT show ever. As others have posted, Shoot Out The Lights, I Want to See The Bright Lights Tonight and Pours Down Like Silver are all essential. One overlooked solo album that I enjoy is You? Me? Us? Two discs -- one electric, one acoustic. Across a Crowded Room is also great -- hell, most of his releases are great. Go see him in concert. Close your eyes and you'll think there are three guitarists on stage. Also, Del McCoury does a damn good bluegrass version of '52 Black Vincent. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
uncool2pillow Posted August 11, 2014 Share Posted August 11, 2014 So do these kids: And, yes, those are solid albums. Across a Crowded Room seems to get forgotten a lot. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
uncool2pillow Posted June 8, 2015 Share Posted June 8, 2015 Now streaming on NPR http://www.npr.org/2015/06/07/412042921/first-listen-richard-thompson-still Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Chez Posted June 8, 2015 Share Posted June 8, 2015 He's playing at the Vic Theater in Chicago on Wednesday. I would normally be all over this, but the I'm going to stay in and watch the Blackhawks instead. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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