Richard Thompson guitar solo

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by onlyconnect, Jul 27, 2014.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. Jerryb

    Jerryb Senior Member

    Location:
    New Jersey
    Shoot Out The Lights with Elvis Costello

     
    conjotter and GetHappy!! like this.
  2. BrokenByAudio

    BrokenByAudio Forum Resident


    I've got it but haven't put it on yet. Picked it up off of what I heard on Amazon sound samples and my experience of having caught his solo/acoustic gig many times. I simply cannot believe it (Acoustic Classics) will be anything but brilliant. This description at Artist-Shop just now:

    THOMPSON, RICHARD - Acoustic Classics $12.98ACOUSTIC CLASSICS, a collection of newly recorded timeless Richard Thompson songs, features 14 tracks culled from his 40 plus year music career. 2014 release from the British Folk singer/songwriter, a collection of newly recorded timeless Richard Thompson songs. ACOUSTIC CLASSICS features 14 tracks culled from his 40 plus year music career. For the first time ever, acoustic versions of songs like “I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight” and “Dimming of the Day” mingle with cornerstone classics like “1952 Vincent Black Lightning” and “Beeswing” as well as other acoustically rendered gems. His last proper solo acoustic release was the live SMALL TOWN ROMANCE and that was more than 30 years ago! In the meantime, the acoustic shows have evolved as a full parallel to his band tours. Thompson was named by Rolling Stone Magazine's as one of the Top 20 Guitarists of all time and considered one of the UK's most outstanding songwriters and musicians. The recipient of a BBC Lifetime Achievement Award, Mojo's Les Paul Award and curator of the prestigious Meltdown Festival at the Southbank in 2010, Thompson was most recently honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriting by the Americana Music Association.
     
    keyXVII, Bill Cormier and Jerryb like this.
  3. gregorya

    gregorya I approve of this message

    I would add Lindsey Buckingham to the list....
     
    footlooseman and rstamberg like this.
  4. DJ LX

    DJ LX Forum Resident

    Location:
    Madison WI
    I'd also add Bill Nelson (albeit a bit under the radar without major label backing). The man's continuously finding new ways to express himself on the guitar.
     
  5. cc--

    cc-- Forum Resident

    Location:
    brooklyn
    yes, including the accompaniment by the rest of the band -- some real good players all around.
     
  6. moomaloo

    moomaloo All-round good egg

    I agree 100% with this. I first saw him live at The Birmingham Symphony Hall on the Mock Tudor tour and he utterly blew me away. It was a revelation and one I'm still reeling from all these years later.

    (Dr Faustus - I feel I should know you... Similar stamping ground (before I moved to Scotland) and you look familiar... maybe we rubbed shoulders whilst browsing at Swordfish or even the Plastic Factory back in the day... Ah I miss Brum...!)
     
    keyXVII likes this.
  7. Dr Faustus

    Dr Faustus A younger man now getting old

    Symphony Hall is a great venue for RT - the accoustics are amazing. It's hard to describe though; he was able to create emotions and worlds and colour with his playing. It's not just the technique, it's the whole thing.

    It's possible we ran into each other - I'm not from this part of the world though, I'm from the States. Been here for (yikes!) 10 years now. Funnily enough, lived in Aberdeen before I moved down south. Heard RT there as well - it was great, as it was a small venue and an acoustic show. Had third row seats too and really studies his playing. That was another great gig - does he ever play a bad one?
     
    keyXVII likes this.
  8. moomaloo

    moomaloo All-round good egg

    ..Ha! Almost certainly not - All RT gigs are good.

    The Symphony Hall is great but the acoustics can work against the place... I say this because (and I hesitate to admit this) mid-way through one of Van Morrison's 'off' nights I shouted, "C'mon Van, give us a smile"... I thought my spontaneous comment might be heard by just the people sitting around me but no... Needless to say, it didn't improve his mood.

    I didn't learn my lesson though because I also shouted, "Take it to the bridge" at a Tangerine Dream gig at the same venue. I was in an, erm, 'enhanced' state of mind at that one though...!
     
  9. citizensmurf

    citizensmurf Ambient postpunk will never die

    Location:
    Calgary
    I've listened to RT for years, but have only seen him live 3 times, solo acoustic. He was amazing, but I do hope to see him with an electric band one day.
     
  10. rstamberg

    rstamberg Senior Member

    Location:
    Riverside, CT
    If you don't know RT's MOCK TUDOR album from 1999, well then, you should. It's absolutely one of his best electric studio albums ever. It may be my favorite. RT says it's his favorite. The songs are accessible and the singing and playing may be his best, studio-wise. They caught his magic on this one.
     
    PHILLYQ, pdenny and Jerryb like this.
  11. Uncle Meat

    Uncle Meat Forum Resident

    Location:
    Houston, Tx, US
    This is a great album, a bit strange, but has some GREAT guitar work... I listen to this as much as I do the rest of the Richard Thompsons albums (though my favorite single song is the live version of "Flowers of the Forest" on mandolin I think, a solo performance that I have on a bootleg, but might be on Doom and Gloom as well, I can't remember... I have also loved Fairports "A Sailor's Life"...
     
  12. OneStepBeyond

    OneStepBeyond Senior Member

    Location:
    North Wales, UK
    I've not played all the videos in this thread yet, but what I've seen so far has been nothing short of brilliant IMO.
    So, I'm going to go back a little later and watch more; PLEASE keep them coming folks. :edthumbs:

    I first heard his name when I heard him on a BBC radio documentary about the Fender Stratocaster (they played a bit of Tam Lin) and not too much later, there was a Fairport Convention concert on tv; when he played the solo on Hand Of Kindness, I was like :eek:! Then I heard tracks over the next few years but had seek his music out for myself as nobody was playing it. Skipping forward...

    I had the good fortune today to find the Richard/Linda album Hokey Pokey on CD for pennies! I shall be giving that a good listen tonight. Aside from I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight and Action Packed: The Best Of The Capitol Years, I know little of his solo works (with the Fairports, I'm a lot better as I have a number of their albums and they mostly are from the 1st era when he was part of the group. I've been listening to them a lot recently and are adding to the collection, steadily. I have the next one on the way to me in the post...)

    To me, the logical question I have to ask is... could somebody please recommend a live album - or albums by him (or him and Linda)?

    Thank you! :)
     
  13. mrjinks

    mrjinks Optimistically Challenged

    Location:
    Boise, ID.
    If you want to hear him shredding live, my vote would be "More Guitar", which was mentioned upthread. The version of "Can't Win" on that (also available on his Watching the Dark set) was labelled his "best solo ever" by Mojo or Q or something years ago, and I don't disagree. They rated top guitarists and had an example for each of their best-ever work...
    His new Acoustic Classics cd is a stunner, tho. Beautiful playing and his singing has never been better, IMO.
     
    OneStepBeyond and Jerryb like this.
  14. smctigue

    smctigue Forum Resident

    Get Pour Down Like Silver and Shoot Out The Lights for Richard & Linda. Pour Down is a top fiver for me.
     
    OneStepBeyond likes this.
  15. bhazen

    bhazen ANNOYING BEATLES FAN

    Location:
    Deepest suburbia
    The More Guitar album features a few solos that would give Robert Fripp nightmares ...
     
    Fletch likes this.
  16. GubGub

    GubGub Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sussex
    There are several live albums with an electric band that are worth having. Ducknapped, Faithless, Semi Detached Mock Tudor, Live Warrior. My personal favourite is Two Letter Words but I think it is out of print at the moment. For an acoustic set I would go for Celtschmerz or The Chrono Show.

    For Richard & Linda there is only one but it is essential.

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/Concert-Nov...3751&sr=1-4&keywords=richard+&+linda+thompson

    My two personal favourite solos were extraordinary performances of Put It There Pal at Cropredy in about 1997 and Hard On Me at Cambridge Corn Exchange in I think 1999. Not sure if there are You Tube clips of either of them but I'll have a look.
     
    OneStepBeyond likes this.
  17. jeff1951

    jeff1951 Forum Resident

    There has been one song posted already from the Richard Thompson "Across A Crowded Room" concert video that first came to my attention on a Japanese Laser Disc in the mid- 1980's.
    The following link is to a playlist that includes a separate video for each song from that concert. The audio quality is terrific and the video, while not prime does manage to place the listener in the room. The group is intense!
     
    Last edited: Jul 29, 2014
  18. Steve Baker

    Steve Baker Forum Resident

    Location:
    Columbia, Maryland
    He is starting to get the recognition he deserves. As a guitar player seeing him live was like going to school and LOVING it. If you have not seen him live do so , if you have not heard him play, you need to do yourself a favour and start NOW.

    Acoustic or Electric the man has no equal. Most are brilliant at one or the other. He is the only performer I've seen who is a true master on both. I have been trying to learn "Vincent Black Lightening" for over a year now and still can't get it right. He is so effortless it is crushing my hopes. I thought Clapton was hard until I tried to play RT 's songs.
     
    keyXVII, Atmospheric and davmar77 like this.
  19. davmar77

    davmar77 I'd rather be drummin'...

    Location:
    clifton park,ny
    I was fortunate to see three shows on that tour. amazing!
     
    OneStepBeyond likes this.
  20. Rose River Bear

    Rose River Bear Senior Member

    He is IMO one of the greatest hybrid pickers ever.
     
  21. Meurgley

    Meurgley Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sweden
    One of a dozen favourite solos is from Hard on Me from the album Mock Tudor. It's been an aweinspriting solo for 15 years now. The solo that comes in at 2.00 is in itself fantastic. It continues for a minute until the verse comes back. That solo in itself would be a contestant to best ever, but RT has more up his sleeve. That was just an aperitif: He gets down to serious business at around 4.40 and continues for another minute. Some will say that the live version on Semi-Detached Mock Tudor tops the studio, but I disagree. Because I heard this first.

    And it just so happens that I will see him in a day; he and Neil Young is playing the same festival... Two legends crossing paths...
     
    mrjinks, OneStepBeyond and Jerryb like this.
  22. Meurgley

    Meurgley Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sweden
    Another solo I came to think of is from a recording from Trondhem, Norway, in 1995. Here, Richard goes off on a spectacular solo on That's the Way That it Shows. I have no words really to describe this monster other than to say that he even manages to play some lines by Grieg. It rips my heart out.
     
    Jerryb likes this.
  23. Fletch

    Fletch Senior Member

    Location:
    Nowhere, man.
    You missed an amazing show.
     
    footlooseman likes this.
  24. D_minor

    D_minor Senior Member

    Location:
    Ontario, Canada
    I love this song and I love this solo.
     
  25. ceevert

    ceevert Forum Resident

    Location:
    Fullerton, CA, USA
    Thank you for posting that. I didn't know there were videos of this band. For those unfamiliar, this is a track from Norma Waterson's first solo album. The backing band is Martin Carthy, Eliza Carthy, Richard Thompson, Danny Thompson, and Roger Swallow. Now that was a band…
     
    Arie, Jopin and alankin1 like this.
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine