Top 10 Richard Thompson Tracks

10. Where the Wind Don't Whine
9. The Calvary Cross
8. Tear-Stained Letter
7. When the Spell is Broken
6. I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight
5. Gypsy Love Songs
4. Keep Your Distance
3. Man in Need
2. Shoot Out the Lights
1. Wall of Death

 

I'll play.

Beeswing
Down where the drunkards roll
1952 Vincent Black Lightning
She cut off her long silken hair
Dimming of the day
I feel so good
I want to see the bright lights tonight
For shame of doing wrong
Cavalry Cross
Hide it away

Could easily have picked another ten great RT tracks.

 

Gosh, that is hard

I will try these ones but like he says I could easily pic another 10 or 20

I Misunderstood
Beeswing
Walking On A Wire
The Calvary Cross
1952 Vincent Black Lightning
From Galway to Graceland
Jennie
A Heart Needs A Home
Missy How You Let Me Down
Sibella

 

This is an impossible question.
For starters, how 'bout I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight. Only 10 tracks on that one.

 

This'll take a lot of thinking, and will be a pleasant distraction from work today... but Beat The Retreat will be way up there. I love his miserable ones.

 

The Poor Ditching Boy x 10

 

"Tracks," meaning recordings? Or songs, best written and conceived songs?

I have no opinion about his best tracks, but maybe my favorite of his many brilliant songs are:

1952 Vincent Black Lightning
Al Bowlly's in Heaven
Waltzing's for Dreamers
How Will I Ever Be Simple Again
Dimming of the Day
Wall of Death
When the Spell Is Broken
I'm Taking My Business Elsewhere
Another Small Thing in Her Favour
From Galway to Graceland

I have a hard time leaving "When I Get to the Border," "For the Shame of Doing Wrong," "Walking on a Wire," "The Snow Goose," "Burns Supper" and others off the list. "King of Bohemia," "The Ghost of You Walks," so many great songs.

Greatest tracks? Those live '88 performances of "Can't Win" and "When the Spell Is Broken" on More Guitar are epic. The "Jeanie" from Semi-Detached Mock Tudor. His recording of "Rockin' in Rhythm" on Strict Tempo is a pretty freakin' great track.

 

Meet on the Ledge
Genesis Hall
Farewell, Farewell
When I Get to the Border
I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight
Hokey Pokey
Night Comes In
Jet Plane in a Rocking Chair
Dimming of the Day/Dargai
1952 Vincent Black Lightning

 

10? How about top one hundred?

 

This week:

Bethsheba Smiles
When The Spell Is Broken
Keep Your Distance
Dimming of the Day
When I Get to the Border
Uninhabited Man
Wall Of Death
Heart Needs a Home
Did She Jump Or Was She Pushed?
Down Where the Drunkards Roll

 

The Poor Ditching Boy
Down Where The Drunkard's Roll
Cooksferry Queen
Beat the Retreat
Devonside
Al Bowlly's in Heaven
Why Must I Plead?
Dark Hand Over My Heart
Cooksferry Queen
One Door Opens

 

Genesis Hall
Crazy Man Michael
When I get to the Border
The Great Valerio
The Calvary Cross
Night Comes In
A Heart Needs a Home
Dimming Of The Day
Strange Affair
Shoot Out The Lights
Just The Motion
1952 Vincent Black Lightening
Beeswing

OK so that's actually 13 but I coud easily list 30 favourites and I just couldn't bring myself to lose a single one of the above gems

 

Farewell, Farewell
Meet On The Ledge
Devonside
Beeswing
Hand of Kindness
When The Spell Is Broken
How I Wanted To
King Of Bohemia
Keep Your Distance
Nearly In Love

 

no love for "the angels took my racehorse away?" don't really feel i should make a list as i only know his work with fairport-his first solo record and four records with linda.i will say those discs have several of my favorite all time songs!

 

Beat The Retreat
Dry My Tears And Move On
First Light
The Calvary Cross
Walking On A Wire
Dimming Of The Day
Solitary Life
Died For Love
Turning Of The Tide
Waltzing's For Dreamers

 

At the moment...

1952 Vincent Black Lightning
For Whose Sake?
Genesis Hall
Hard On Me (Live)
Meet on the Ledge
Persuasion
Shoot Out the Lights
Wall of Death
When I Get to the Border
Why Don't Women Like Me? (Live) *

* I know it's a cover, but I do love the version on the RT box set

 

Pretty much all the songs already listed but my #1 above and beyond all others hasn't been mentioned as yet and that is the sublime "The Angels Took My Racehorse Away". One of my fave songs of all time by any artist. Just magnificent.

 

This covers just the Fairport and Richard/Linda years:

Genesis Hall
The Poor Ditching Boy
Withered and Died
I'll Regret it All in the Morning
Hokey Pokey
A Heart Needs a Home
Beat the Retreat
Dimming of the Day
Night Comes In
Walking on a Wire
Wall of Death

I'd need to start over with the solo career (post-1983).

 

I passed up a chance to see Richard perform live a few years ago to go to a company Christmas party. Yikes. Doh!

1) Crazy Man Michael (Sandy Denny on vocals)
2) Down Where The Drunkards Roll
3) Cavalry Cross
4) Night Comes In
5) Sam Jones
6) A Heart Needs A Home (Linda on vocals)
7) Vincent Black Lightning
8) Shoot Out The Lights
9) Gethsemane
10) When I Get To The Border

 

I'll come up with a top 10 later but for now - why hasn't anyone mentioned Poor Will And The Jolly Hangman?

Find it on the LP "Guitar, Vocal" or the CD reissue of "Full House".

 

It would change by the moment but

burns supper
calvary cross
poor will and the jolly hangman
meet on the ledge
wall of death
the ghost of you walks
among the gorse among the grey
king of bohemia
uninhabited man
shoot out the lights

 

Everyone has already named a lot of my top 10's but a few others of mine are ...

Withered And Died
Valerie
Walking The Long Miles Home....for all his dark,downer stuff,this track makes me feel giddy and in a good mood every time.

 

Put It There Pal
Drowned Dog Black Night
Beat The Retreat
Don't Renege On Our Love
Shoot Out The Lights
I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight
The New St. George
The Way That It Shows
Bank Vault In Heaven
The Ghost Of You Walks

(I had to do a list without Beeswing or 1952 Vincent Black Lightning. Not that I have anything against those obvious crowd-pleasers...)

 

Impossible... but I think "God Loves a Drunk" should get mentioned.

"Guns are the Tongues" is a modern masterpiece, "Cold Kisses" deserves acclaim... and I've got a soft spot for "Sunset Song"...

 

Dimming of the Day
Night Comes In
Heart Needs A Home
Keep Your Distance
Beeswing
How I Wanted To
End of The Rainbow
When Love Whispers Your Name
1952 Vincent Black Lightning
Meet on the Ledge