I first became aware of Richard Thompson back in the day; I was a young folkie kid, and so was he. He played guitar for Fairport Convention. I didn’t pay any attention to him. There was too much other stuff going on.
Then one day not quite 20 years ago, I found a copy of Rumor and Sigh in a used record bin for only $3. I was hooked as soon as I listened to it! It was earth-shattering. I felt the same way when I first listened to Hendrix, or to Ry Cooder, and stood in awe of another master of the fretboard. Since then I have collected so many Richard Thompson records, CDs, cassettes, boots, official and otherwise, that the RT section of my collection is bursting at the seams! And I still can’t get enough.
So, when Cat asked me to review Live Warrior … well, I couldn’t say no. I look at the date of release and see that it says 2009! That’s a long time ago in RT years. I can hardly believe it’s been that long. I slipped the disc into the player and was struck by the familiarity of the sound. That tone, that style, that precision, and all in the first few notes — there’s no mistaking that this is Richard Thompson. Not that the song is an old one, but he writes the most distinctive melodies and plays the most unique riffs anywhere. A little dissonance, the drummer matching the beats of the guitar, all over the fretboard RT’s fingers dance. Then that voice, not unpleasant and not Dylanesque, it’s just what RT sounds like. There’s nothing standard about this guy! He’s simply his own man, and the world of music thanks him for that.
When I ran into him on the way to the stage one summer day in Denver, he teased me for wearing a Web-site T-shirt, because it was not from his newly minted site but rather from a discussion group. Then he jumped up on the stage and played acoustic versions of his songs for ninety minutes. Just him and the Lowden. It was extraordinary. But on Live Warrior, it’s all electric, the green Strat-styled axe that Danny Ferrington made for him. Even the sound that he wrings from that block of wood and wires sounds decidedly like … nothing but Richard Thompson. Right from those first few notes, you know what you’re getting.
Since 2001, Thompson, after experiences with Polygram and Capitol Records, has funded the recording of his own albums and leased them out to smaller labels (like Shout Factory), and he has seen healthier sales due to healthier promotion! He also has released a series of self-released live albums, which true RT fans treasure. From the acoustic duo disc Live at Crawley (recorded with long time bassist Danny Thompson) to Live Warrior these albums have been collector’s treaures. Live is the way to appreciate Richard Thompson, and as good as his studio albums might be, when he grapples with a song in concert it becomes a living breathing thing!
Live Warrior documents a series of shows in places like Nurenberg, Albany, Gateshead, Saratoga, and Columbus. The band included Michael Jerome, Danny Thompson or Taras Prodaniuk, and old friend Pete Zorn on guitar, mandolin, saxes, and vocals. Eight songs from Sweet Warrior appear in live versions, which open up spaces for more guitar work. The recordings are wonderfully done by Tom Dube, who’s been traveling with Thompson for years. The Warrior tracks are complemented by a half-dozen classics from Richard’s song bag. He’s got hundreds of them! He reaches back as far as 1982′s Shoot Out the Lights for “A Man in Need” also touching on the albums Hand of Kindness (’83), Daring Adventures (’86), Amnesia (’88), and my old favourite, Rumor and Sigh from 1991. Not just the hits, but great songs every one. And dynamite performances too.
Richard Thompson tours with an electric band, or with an acoustic guitar. He records in the studio in different formats too. But, however he presents his powerful songs, he is a master. Funny, with a biting wit, always ready to comment on modern life, through a sensibility (and knowledge) of the history of song that stretches way back (check out his 1000 Years of Popular Music), Richard Thompson is more than a guitar hero, more than just another singer-songwriter. He’s one of a kind, and this CD (like the studio album it documents) just adds to the proof.
(Beeswing Records, 2009)
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