| | Life & Music Of Richard Thompson CD Richard Thompson Discography of CDs
 (8 Customer Reviews)
The CDs are organized by theme, and include autobiographical songs, live performances, cover versions of songs by other artists, and demos and outtakes. That Thompson is a uniquely skilled guitarist and a songwriter of remarkable sensitivity and craftsmanship is well known, and those qualities are presented in a new light on this mammoth set. Still, beginners will want to pick up Thompson's Fairport albums and his first few records with then wife Linda before diving into LIFE & MUSIC; rabid Thompson collectors, however, will be surprised and delighted by the wealth of excellent unreleased material included here.
Box set includes five full length themed CD's, a 172 page full color book with detailed discography, image archive, and career overview. First 5,000 copies include a write-in voucher for bonus 6th CD.
The British folk label Free Reed are doing fans of British folk-rock a nice service by issuing box sets of the genre's most important artists, and they've done a doozy with THE LIFE AND MUSIC OF RICHARD THOMPSON. With five CDs full of rare and largely unreleased material and a beautiful 168-page booklet full of photographs, interviews, biographical information, and exhaustive notes, this collection is a monster, and a must for any devoted fan of this seminal singer-songwriter.
Personnel: Richard Thompson.
Rolling Stone (p.70) - 4.5 stars out of 5 -- "Thompson's guitar firepower and parched wit are everywhere here....Loving archaeology, in every detail."
Entertainment Weekly (p.137) - "[H]e has inhabited a dizzying number of personas...visionary hurdy-gurdy man, molten-hot electric-guitar hero, restless musical explorer, spiritual searcher, comedian." -- Grade: A
Uncut (p.116) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "Thompson is an exceptional guitar player, a fine songwriter, and a decent singer. Listening to RT's five discs, you get the sense that the guitar is his true voice."
Dirty Linen (p.53) - "[Thompson is] a thoughtful man with rare insights into the human condition who, as it happens, is a pretty fair musician and songwriter, too."
Global Rhythm (Publication) (p.45) - "The set makes a good case that he is the best guitar player in the world....but it makes an even better case for his songwriting."
Mojo (Publisher) (p.116) - 5 stars out of 5 -- "[A] true bonanza....Wit, pathos, humility and chops enough to sway Jimmy Page. Thompson had -- and still has -- it all." Life & Music Of Richard Thompson Music Average Rating: (3.4 out of 5 stars)   List All Reviews A different Richard Thompson
I had great expectations when I heard that there would be a new box set from Richard Thompson. While the box set is exceptional, it is a notch below his best work. Free Read is a folk label and most of the tracks here are what you would expect from such a label. Some, but not a lot, of electric guitar. I would have preferred to hear more of that version of RT.
What you do get is an exceptional amount of fine music. Tracks come from all phases of his career. CDs are grouped thematically. Each contains RT playing in a variety of settings. The 5th CD contains tracks that most are unlikely to have heard before. A standout is "Dear Janet Jackson" in which Thompson responds to her breast baring display at the Super Bowl.
Throughout this set, you get alternative versions (most of them live) of classic songs. The musicianship is, of course, outstanding. If you are a fan, you should seriously consider laying out the bucks for this set.
Submitted by kennethduesing (Merrimack, NH) 
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No 1 of 1 found this helpful.
preaching to the converted
This probably won't gain any new converts to Richard Thompson's quirky brilliance as a songwriter, singer and guitarist, but it's a real treat for the fans. Lots of interesting stuff, but it loses a star due to the wildly differing quality of the cuts. Some show studio fidelity, while others sound (and probably originated as) B- audience boots. The great big book with it is full of pix, recording info and assorted trivia. If you've got most of the rest of RT's output, what the hell - go for it.
Submitted by Tony (Brooklyn NY)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No  AWESOME! - What a box set SHOULD be.
I have spent 6 hours over the last couple days listening to the cds in this set and I am blown away. Having listened to Richard intently for the last 20 years and collecting virtually everything he's done on cd, I am so refreshed to have either new versions of most of the songs or totally new unreleased songs. I will admit that the quality of a few of the recordings leaves something to be desired, but I will gladly sacrifice pristine sound for a chance to hear a truly brilliant songwriter, guitarist, and singer captured live in a small venue (warts and all) baring his soul. And the booklet accompanying this wonderful music is the best I have ever seen and I collect box sets. It almost justifies the price of the box itself if you're a Richard fan. I think this box is for true die-hard Richard fans looking for a deeper, more intimate look. Enjoy!
Submitted by Hans (Yardley PA USA)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No
 Sloppy
Has anyone noticed the dozens upon dozens of typos in the book and in the cd inserts? Did anyone proofread it before it went to the printer? That plus some very poor sounding tracks makes this a 2 star box.This should have been a 5 star box!!!
Submitted by Mark (Ohio)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No
Not What A Boxset Should Be!!!
The problem here is that the sound quality on most of the songs is awful and if you have a really good stereo system it just makes it even harder to listen too.If you have a cheap pair of speakers or a boombox setup it might not sound so bad.I've heard bootleg recordings that sound far better than this.I make cds of mp3s I download that sound better than this after I've cleaned up the sound!
Submitted by Kevin (Mass.)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No List All Reviews | Have you heard this album? |  |
Click on price to add to cart | Neil Young On The Beach CD (1974) Remastered
 $8.99    
After working his way through loss and chaos on the brilliant TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT (recorded in 1973, but not released until 1975), Neil Young deftly exorcised any lingering demons with 1974's ON THE BEACH. The album opens with the saunter ...
| | Lucinda Williams Live @ The Fillmore West CDs (2005) Digipak
$14.89
Never one to tread the expected path, Lucinda Williams followed her big breakthrough album, CAR WHEELS ON A GRAVEL ROAD, with a pair of low-key records full of sad, quiet, fragile songs (interrupted by the occasional barn-burner). LIVE @ THE ...
| | Gram Parsons Complete Reprise Sessions CDs (2006) Remastered; Boxed Set
$24.29
Taking the place of the obligatory cd two-fer of GP and GREVIOUS ANGEL, Gram Parsons's THE COMPLETE REPRISE SESSIONS covers it all and then some for Grampires of all stripes. Produced by Emmylou Harris and Parsons cohort James Austin, this ...
| | No Direction Home Soundtrack - Bootleg Series 7 No Direction Home: The Bootleg Series Vol. 7 CDs (2005)
$16.09
The soundtrack to Martin Scorcese's two-part PBS documentary on Bob Dylan, NO DIRECTION HOME is a two-disc affair consisting almost entirely of previously unreleased material. One couldn't start any further towards the beginning of Dylan's career than this collection's first ...
| | Richard Thompson In Concert November 1975 CD (2007) England
$10.59
2007 release featuring an entire show from November '75 including encores. All but two of these tracks are previously unreleased. 15 tracks including 'I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight', 'Calvary Cross', 'Night Comes In', 'Together Again' and more. ...
| | Teddy Wilson & His All Stars CD (1995)
$13.25
This 1976 recording of the great swing pianist Teddy Wilson is one of the best of his later period. It's packed with fine versions of tunes such as "So Beats My Heart for You," "Lonesome and Sorry," "June Night," and ...
| | Cachorros De Juan Villarreal Vol. 2-15 Hits CD (2008)
$9.85 | | Sandy Posey Platinum Collectors Series CD (2005)
$15.15 | | Numbers We're Animals CD (2005)
$13.85
WE'RE ANIMALS, the fourth album by the San Francisco-based group Numbers, and their first on the Kill Rock Stars label, is a beautiful blast of arty noise-rock, New Wave electro-pulses, Kraut-rock inspired grooves, twitchy IDM, and classic indie rock. The ...
| | Slade B-Sides CDs (2007) England; Remastered
$16.29
One of the greatest quests in Slade collecting has been to gather up each and every one of the non-LP B-sides that punctuate their career. From the outset, the band was almost religious about ensuring there was more to every ...
| | J Wagner Desert Needle Grass CD (2008)
$18.95
In crafting this Album, Wagner filled journals with tales about the people he met, and the poems, songs and folklore he fell in love with while living for a year in the Mojave Desert near the town of Joshua Tree ...
| | Carley Wolf Set Sail CD (2009)
$13.15
Carley’s debut CD, "Set Sail," was recorded at Steve Collins’ Troubadour Studio in Lockhart and features Carley on vocals, guitars, double bass, mandolin, keyboards, banjo and pump organ. Konya and Collins (Deadman) add a variety of sounds; Daniel "Deemo" Moss ...
|
|
|
5515 
Email a Friend
