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 Richard Thompson Live Performance at His Best Aug 23, 2009
This is a wonderful performance by Richard Thompson. His is top notch and I highly recommend it.
1 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Al Bowlly's smiling Aug 07, 2006
It's Richard live and it's superb, of course. His performance of "Persuasion" which he co-wrote with Tim Finn would be worth the price of admission on its own.
Ummm, one small comment on the Amazon track listing though ... with thanks to Wikipedia.
"Albert Alex 'Al' Bowlly (January 7, 1899 (?)-April 17, 1941) was a popular singer in the United Kingdom during the 1930s, making more than 1,000 recordings between 1927 and 1941.
During the early-mid 1930s, such songs as "Blue Moon", "Easy to Love", "I've Got You Under My Skin", and "My Melancholy Baby" were sizable American successes -- so much so that Bowlly gained his own radio series on NBC and travelled to Hollywood to co-star in The Big Broadcast in 1936, which also starred one of his biggest competitors, Bing Crosby. Al Bowlly often worked with Ray Noble and His Orchestra.
In December 1931, Bowlly had married Freda Roberts, but the marriage proved a disaster, with Bowlly discovering his new wife in bed with another man on their wedding night. The couple separated after two weeks, and sought a rapid divorce. He remarried in December 1934, this time to Marjie Fairless, the marriage lasting until his death.
He was killed by the explosion of a parachute mine outside his apartment in London during the Blitz."
I guess it's entirely possible he went bowling at some point ...
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Click the 'Buy' button! This is RT at his best! Jan 01, 2006
This is rapidly becoming my favorite of all Richard Thompson's CDs. Of course, I will be listening to many of the others often, but as for pure enjoyment on many levels, this one is the one I grab first. The material is not new but the interpretations often are unique in the way that only live concerts can bring out. I do not find a weak song on the disc - each in some ways spotlights Thompson's multifaceted skills as a consummate composer, lyricist, guitarist and, yes, vocalist. (For some, Richard's voice lacks the control or perfection of a great singer, but this CD shows off his ability to communicate and connect with his voice equally as well as his guitar.)
Add to this the Austin City Limits venue and excellent musicians to surround Thompson, and you have the potential for a great CD. Whether better known songs such as `Shoot Out The Lights' or `1952 Vincent Black Lightening' or lesser known (to me, at least) songs like `Walking the Long Miles Home', the remarkable `Ghosts in the Wind' or haunting juxtaposition of foot-tapping music with the dark lyrics of `Al Bowlly's in Heaven', Richard Thompson is at his best.
To cap it off, the recording quality is outstanding, capturing the venue and the musicians in a way that will tax many audio systems to do it justice. Whether its the hard-edged guitar work on songs like `Shoot Out the Lights' or the remarkably subtle fingerings that often float in the background, barely audible, Richard's guitar simply sings. And Danny Thompson's bass, which often takes a lead role showcases his talent and, to a remarkable degree, accurately captures a very natural sounding bass in a way that is rare. One example amongst many is DT's bass on `Mingus Eyes' where his bass punctuates throughout with the `fat' sound and authority you usually only hear in a live performance, not on CDs. (BTW, I don't mean to slight Jerome's percussion - it is just that the guitar and bass performances are really the driving elements and they are captured wonderfully.)
Excellent compositions, lyrics, performances and a recording quality to match, this is a top notch Thompson CD!
6 of 7 found the following review helpful:
 Close, but not quite Nov 18, 2005
Like my friend Loce, I know most folks reading this have seen RT at least once and own one or more of the innumerable live recordings available. I have that heap at home as well, with glorious performances to be found all over. My favorite grouping has been the Danny, Pete and Michael foursome. Pete and Danny's musicianship is well known, but Michael is a fearsome percussionist, but that potency is often not as evident as it is on stage.
But this threesome (no Pete) creates a very attractive sound, a jazzier, more intimate tone, with a clearly audible and ferocious bass and brilliant drumming throughout. So the performances are nicely done. And the songlist is a winner.
So, where's that fifth star? Ah...I just can't do it. Somehow the verve, the intensity, the charge, the fire, the rawness of a live Richard Thompson show is missing. Everything sounds good, as it always does, yet somehow it's not as strong as Two Letter Words, which is my favorite of the live sets. Many pleasures to be had, but somehow missing that last ounce of electricity.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
+1/2 -- Well crafted live show from 2001 Sep 14, 2005
Thompson is probably one of the most famous cult favorites in popular music. With dozens of albums in his catalog (solo, with then-wife Linda, and with Fairport Convention), he's been lauded far and wide for his guitar playing and songwriting, and his songs have been the subject of two full tribute albums. His idiosyncratic convergence of British folk traditions and American rock 'n' roll has found favor among a broad audience of folk, pop, rock and country enthusiasts.
This latest volume of the "Live From Austin, TX" series captures Thompson and accompanists (Michael Jerome on drums and Danny Thompson on upright bass) as recorded for the U.S. television program "Austin City Limits." The original half-hour TV edit is extended to 79 minutes on CD, and to the entire 87-minute performance on DVD. Unlike the live discs Thompson's offered through his own website, this set captures a single performance arc, showing off not just the singer, songwriter and guitarist, but the showman.
The set kicks off with the rousing "Cooksferry" before settling in to the somber "Uninhabited Man." The trio resonates with jazz-like interplay across fifteen (sixteen on DVD) titles drawn in large part from 1999's "Mock Tudor," and dating back as early as 1982's "Shoot Out the Lights" and 1984's "She Twists the Knife Again." The quality of Thompson's songs remains uniformly high between Thompson's most well-known tunes ("1952 Vincent Black Lightning," who's introductory guitar gains a cheer from the audience) and most obscure (the soundtrack composition, "Mr. Rebound").
Neither a career overview, nor a greatest-hits volume, this is still a good place to get a sense of Thompson's art, and an enchanting opportunity for fans to spend some quality time with their hero. DVD notes: soundtrack provided in stereo, DTS and Dolby 5.1.surround, and the set's 8-minute closing track "Put it There Pal" is included on DVD but not on CD. 4-1/2 stars, if allowed fractional ratings. [©2005 hyperbolium dot com]
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