RICHARD THOMPSON PART ONE: Thompson's Tudor

A Few years back I saw Richard Thompson solo at this close to 700 set venue.  I have seen him in smaller venues, but this place was different.  This place was like a movie theater type venue. It is also my new favorite venue.  I went with a friend who never saw him.  I was very excited to hear his reaction to the music that he really liked, but never saw live.  When we sat down we sat near an older gentleman.  I think this guy saw the dawn of time I thought to myself.  I asked him how many times he saw Richard.  He looked at me and said this is number 20, but I saw him with Fairport Convention with Sandy Denny in 1968. As my jaw dropped to the floor I asked him more questions.  What was it like I asked. Another question was about Richard's guitar playing and another question was how about Sandy's voice.  It was a surreal moment.  I wish I was around to see a young Richard and Sandy just blow peoples mind with their performances. I will save that for a Fairport Convention post in the near future.    

I have seen Richard Thompson a dozen times in my life and wished I have seen him more then twenty. Every show is amazing and different then the previous shows I have seen. His shows blow my mind because not only is he amazing, but his back up musicians are just on par with his greatness. I got into his music at an early age and glad I did. I was 18 when I did and wondered what my life would be like without Richard's music to listen to. I think my life would be boring listening to crappy music and my life would be dull and mundane. Richard was 18 when he joined Fairport Convention and according to music producer and all around smart guy Joe Boyd his jaw went to the floor and did not think an 18 year old can do that.

Richard Thompson in Fairport Convention turned Fairport into one of the most respected and influential bands. Another person in that band a young lady named Sandy Denny did as well. Both of them together was more then magic, it was the one of the best bands in the world. I wrote how important Fairport was in a previous blog and all that is true, but once you hear it you will be totally amazed on how great Richard guitar is and Sandy's voice. It was a brief moment that sounded just about perfect, and of course when I hear it I feel once again wish I was the product of the 1960's.

Richard Thompson was the first artist I did not buy any of his albums, nor did I borrow then at the library. He was the artist where I bought the Box set of his music. His 3CD package Watching The Dark was all I needed to get ahead of his wonderful music. It was the only thing that was around at one point because most of his great music was out of print. This Box set collected many of his best work and some of his unreleased stuff. The box set was great because it collected some of his better known songs and had enough gems for me to explore more of his material. I loved it and at one point it was the box set that I always listened to. I even at one point put it about my copy of Eric Clapton's Crossroads.

Richard's music was full of all kinds of genres. He had great folk music from his early solo career. He even had music with his then wife Linda Thompson and even had music that was from his tenure in Fairport Convention. Some of the music showcased his unrated talent for being a great guitar player. If you take anything from his shows is the fact he can really I mean really play guitar. He does not show off, but he effortlessly makes it sound good. His solo acoustic shows are amazing too, because he will tear down a great song he wrote and make it even more special. If the song is got a great rock feel he will turn it around and make it so beautiful that you are crying by the end of the song. Richard Thompson to me is my guitar hero.

So when it came to choose an album I had to sleep on it. I had no idea what to pick because each album has a uniqueness that is great sometimes feels like it's got a classic written all over it. The one thing that should also be mentioned is his lyrics. His lyrics are amazing and right to the bone. They are smart and tackle a variety of subjects and ideas. He is to me a wonderful songwriter and tells it like it is. Here is a prime example. Taken from the album Mock Tudor. It opens up the CD and is a great rockin' song. The song is called "Cooksferry Queen."

Well there's a house in an alley
In the squats and low-rise
Of a town with no future
But that's where my future lies

It's a secret, but no secret
It's a rule, but no rule
Where you find the darkest avenue
There you'll find the brightest jewel

Now my name it is Mulvaney
And I'm known quite famously
People speak my name in whispers
What higher praise can there be

But I'd trade my fine mohair
For tied-dyes and faded jeans
If she wanted me some other way
She's my Cooksferry Queen

She gave me one pill to get bigger
She gave me one pill to get small
I saw snakes dancing all around her feet
And dead men coming through the wall
Well I'm the prince of this parish
I've been ruthless and I've been mean
But she blew my mind as she opened my eyes
She's my Cooksferry Queen

Yeaaaaah

Well she's got every rare perfection
All her looks beyond compare
She's got dresses that seem to float in the wind
Pre-Raphaelite curls in her hair

She could get the lame to walking
She could get the blind to see
She could make wine out of Thames river water
She could make a believer out of me

Yes I'd trade it all tomorrow
All the wicked things I've been
She's my bright jewel of the alley
She's my Cooksferry Queen

Yes I'd trade it all tomorrow
All the wicked things I've been
She's my bright jewel of the alley
She's my Cooksferry Queen

It's one of Richard's best rocking songs on Mock Tudor and still blows my mind. The song never gets tiring and if you want to hear Richard playing great guitar, this song is the proof. Thompson structured the album as a portrait of suburbia, tackling a different subject with each song. It's not all about desperation, although there certainly is a lot of that there. Instead, Thompson is at the top of his form, offering subtle shadings in his lyrics and remarkably catchy, memorable melodies throughout the album.(AM) Even the lyrics to the last song are brutal and full of hate and anger, but it's a Richard Thompson signature. The song called "Hope You Like The New Me."

I stole your style
Hope you don't mind
I must try to be all I can be
It suits me more
Than it ever suited you
Hope you like the new me

I stole your laugh
So bright and breezy
It stops parties in mid-air
It makes me feel more devil-may-care
Hope you like the new me
Hope you like the new me

We all need friends to lean on
Any time, any place, anywhere
Feel free to lean on me
But please don't do it right now
Yes I'm much too busy right now

I stole your walk
The one with purpoise
That says there is no mountain I can't climb
It fools people all of the time
Hope you like the new me

I stole your jokes
Just the good ones
How the gang all laughed with glee
I also stole
The way that you tell them
Hope you like the new me
Hope you like the new me

To steal is to flatter
What a compliment to pay
All those things that I stole from you
Well I might give them back someday
Yes I really might someday

I stole your wife
Hope you don't mind
She was looking bored don't you think
I'll soon have her back in the pink
Stop by and see us for tea

I stole your soul
When you weren't looking
I reached inside and cut it free
It suits me more
Than it ever suited you
Hope you like the new me
Hope you like the new me

So If you take anything from this post it's one thing. Richard Thompson should be listened to. I put up Mock Tudor for a reason. This is a great and accessible album to listen to. Try it and I am sure you will be hooked just like me. Enjoy a true legend in music who is full of no frills and wonderful music and great musicianship. Rock out Richard Thompson and thanks for letting me hear some of the best music in the world. Enjoy!!