Richard Thompson

[Stevo]

Been reminded of how great a guitarist Richard Thompson is on hearing a bit of the '85 set from Mississippi Nights. I'm still only familiar with the material he cut with Fairport Convention & then wife Linda as well as a smattering of live sets across his career. So i'm wondering what of his solo studio stuff is nigh on essential or getting there.
Stevo

[Dohol]

His solo stuff has it's ups and downs, but Thompson rules.

This one's a good place to start:



If you can find this one..well..it has it's moments:

[dala]

My favourite is 'Henry The Human Fly'. It generally seems to be considered a 'false start' album and I recall that he's pretty dismissive of it himself, but I love it.
'Pour Down Like Silver' and 'Shoot out the Lights' are both great. I find his albums are frequently kinda patchy but when he's on form, he's amazing.

[Stevo]

His solo stuff has it's ups and downs, but Thompson rules.

If you can find this one..well..it has it's moments:

That should be pretty easy to find, both it & it's successor were reissued over the last couple of years. Was it Fledg'ling that did them? I know the label came out of a fan thing of his (zine or site? can't remember).
I had the older cd of the 1st one and it has its moments. Was thinking more of his own solo stuff than collaborations like that. Think i might have picked that up for the other players too, though I prefer Frith as a guitarist than bassist. Loved the guitar sound he had on Concerts. Anybody getting the HC box sets btw?

[Dohol]

His solo stuff has it's ups and downs, but Thompson rules.

If you can find this one..well..it has it's moments:

That should be pretty easy to find, both it & it's successor were reissued over the last couple of years. Was it Fledg'ling that did them? I know the label came out of a fan thing of his (zine or site? can't remember).
I had the older cd of the 1st one and it has its moments. Was thinking more of his own solo stuff than collaborations like that. Think i might have picked that up for the other players too, though I prefer Frith as a guitarist than bassist. Loved the guitar sound he had on Concerts. Anybody getting the HC box sets btw?

Actually, I think Frith is a really good bass guitarist..

I haven't heard the CD re-release ( didn't know there was one..) I've only heard Rhino LP.

[Alastair]

Anybody getting the HC box sets btw?

I am.

[Salty Swift]

His solo stuff has it's ups and downs, but Thompson rules.

This one's a good place to start:



If you can find this one..well..it has it's moments:

Both albums are classic in my mind....there was a second Frith Frenck Kaiser Thompson album that was just as good as this one. I think there may be a reissue of that one as well??

[JrF]

arghh - why am i going to say this - it'll just piss people off. I can't stand Thompson. It's far too 'look at what I can do' style of playing - understated my arse ! & he bloody ruined the Nick Drake tracks !

seriously though, I've had to work with his music in the past (distribution of releases) & i'm afraid for me he's like the Eric Clapton of the folky world - all flash & nothing else.

so, ignore my rant perhaps !

[Drinky]

I just started listening to Thompson over the past year through a handful of the Richard & Linda albums and Unhalfbricking which has pretty much become one of my favorite albums. And I'm going to have to say that I like his contributions to the Nick Drake albums just fine as well. I also have to say that his best songwriting moments leave Clapton in the dust.

I'll definitely be taking the recommendations in this thread into consideration.

[Dad Noise]

It doesn't exactly answer Stevo's question but a lot of my favourite Thompson work is on other people's albums. I'm thinking, in particular, of Sandy Denny's The Northstar Grassman and the Ravens (practically a duo Denny/Thompson album), where his playing on Blackwaterside is, for me, possibly *the* high point of British folk rock. It's also worth investigating his acoustic work on Mike & Lal Waterson's wonderful Bright Phoebus, though I admit to finding it hard to know what's Thompson and what's Martin Carthy.

[JrF]

Thompson's playing on 'Bright Phoebus' was very minimal - it's mainly Carthy who's up front in the mix.

Lal & Mike's album is a classic & is highly recommended - however DO NOT buy the cd version that CM / music direct sells ! This person is, shall we say, not exactly operating with the best interests of the artists in mind & much of the leader catalogue has been plundered for years without any payments being made to artists. Furthermore there is a huge question mark over the rights & if all that wasn't enough many of the tapes of this & other classics (like the Nic Jones albums - now there's a hell of a guitarist !) were stored for years in a leaking attic room !