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Track Listings
| Disc: 1 | |||
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| 1. Now that I am Dead | |||
| 2. Genesis Hall | |||
| 3. Josef Locke | |||
| 4. Willy O' Winsbury | |||
See all 20 tracks on this disc
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| Disc: 2 | |||
| 1. I Feel so Good | |||
| 2. Push and Shove | |||
| 3. Time to Ring Some Changes | |||
| 4. Cooksferry Queen | |||
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See all 17 tracks on this disc
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| Disc: 3 | |||
| 1. Valerio | |||
| 2. Don't Let a Thief Steal into your Heart | |||
| 3. Ghosts in the Wind | |||
| 4. Crash the Party | |||
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See all 11 tracks on this disc
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| Disc: 4 | |||
| 1. Substitute | |||
| 2. Tempted | |||
| 3. The Story of Hamlet | |||
| 4. Oops, I did it Again | |||
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See all 22 tracks on this disc
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| Disc: 5 | |||
| 1. Albion Sunrise | |||
| 2. How Many Times do you have to Fall | |||
| 3. Bad News Is All The Wind Can Carry | |||
| 4. Mrs Rita | |||
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See all 15 tracks on this disc
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Product Description
Review
Its an impressive achievement when your career has been so fruitful that an entire box-set can be made up of your rarities, but then this is Richard Thompson, the archetypal folk troubadour.
Dipping into live performances, demos and long-forgotten tapes, the 90-odd tracks take in his entire career from his days with Fairport Convention, through the years with former wife Linda, to his solo work.
There's several beautiful surprises in here, not least a fuzzed-up take on Plastic Bertrand's "Ca Plane Pour Moi", and a live medley of Who songs, which give more than enough to satisfy even the most die-hard Thompsonite.
There's little doubt that the reliance on low quality live recordings does become grating, but this box-set does something you wouldnt expect for an artist of Thompson's stature; it gives a chance to listen with fresh ears. --Chris Long
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CD Description
Consisting entirely of unreleased and impossible-to-find recordings, the set's five CDs explore all aspects of Richard's career - band member, solo, duo, composer and interpreter of other people's songs, live, studio and home demo; and naturally, guitar/vocal. All of Richard's classic songs are included - carefully selected with the help of fans worldwide, acknowledged Thompson experts and RT himself. Put together with Richard's generous and extensive co-operation throughout, the set draws on over thirty audio archives including those of the worlds most respected Thompson collectors and from Richard himself. From his early days with Fairport to two studio performances, recorded exclusively for this set, RT spans Richards's whole career of almost forty years. Comes with 172 page book which details his life, career and music.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
28 of 29 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This box set should be approached with caution by those seeking a "definitive" collection of Richard's work. Almost all the songs included are alternate, usually live versions, with a heavy emphasis on solo acoustic performances. As such, it provides more of an alternative history to the man's career. Those unfamiliar with Richard's songs would do better in the first instance to buy the early Fairport albums, Richard and Linda Thompson - I want to see the bright lights/Shoot out the lights and Action packed - the best of the Capitol years, all of which (amongst others) are essential. Any fans of Richard's who already own those can dive in without fear. The man is a genius, and there are many examples of that on this box set.
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
well.. i've finally listened to all of the 5 cds in this wonderful boxed set/anthology/retrospective/appreciation of RT's career from his days w/ Fairport Convention to the present. IF you happen to be a..reasonably serious fan of RT, i'd say you NEED this set. Yes..you probably have most of the songs..but you certainly don't have all, and, as the vast majority of performances here are live, which puts RT in his best light, there're going to be versions of songs that you already know and may well love that are significantly different, sometimes better, than the ones you're familiar with.
The set is organized in an odd, but effective, fashion. Each cd showcases a different facet of his work.
cd 1 "Walking the long miles home" - songs about "place" - often in and about London and the characters who inhabit those nooks and crannies of existence, as well as quirky responses to current events (ie a song about Madonna's wedding.."step we Guy'ly").
cd 2 "Finding better words" - fans' favorites..people on RT lists, fans etc. were asked to select the 3 RT songs they'd select to introduce someone to his songs. 17 songs, picked from amongst the 30 top choices (actually 11 more from the list are on other cds in the set..so 28/30 are found..The 3 songs i would've nominated, "I want to see the bright lights tonight", "Down where the drunkards roll" and "Dimming of the day" are all here!
cd 3. Shine in the dark - basically songs where RT highlights his guitar virtuosity ( which always is in service of the song..)..Both acoustic and electric workouts are found here.
cd 4. The songs pour down like silver: Lots of covers, some material from his 1000 yrs of popular music as well as RT doing some notable session work with other singers doing his songs..Songs by the Who, Squeeze, Frank Loesser, Buddy Holly as well as traditional songs (Shenandoah, Danny Boy, Loch Lomond, Napolean's Dream....)
cd 5 "Rarities" hithertoo unreleased in any form..several songs from semi-aborted groups that briefly rose out of Fairport Convention's ashes..as well as songs written for a projected childrens' cd, for TV and general oddities..
The set is annotated w/ a terrific 130+ page musical biography of RT and then a detailed notes about every song on the set.
Are there some songs that I miss, that i'd love to hear redone, remastered? of course..in my case "Hard Luck Stories" and "Jet Plane in a Rocking Chair" but this set is, for me, the musical highlight of the last year.
bob
- oh yeah..there's a copy of an advertising insert from 1952 - describing the 1952 Black Vincent motorcycle.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I bought this set from Free Reed as soon as it came out. My expectations of it were high, but they were for the most part exceeded by the generosity of this collection, which is a completist's wet dream. The sheer breadth and depth of RT's unique talents - his writing, guitar playing, singing, humour and pathos - are all on display here in live performances drawn from a period of more than thirty years. The box is literally stuffed with material - most of the CDs are over 70mins in length, the book contains fascinating details of interest to even the most die-hard RT fan, many of the songs were previously hard (or impossible) to find, and little extras like the advert for the 1952 Vincent Black Lightning make this a benchmark compared to which other collections from much bigger companies - who often appear more out of touch with their artists and audiences - appear miserly.
It's hard to find something to criticise, although the sound quality is (as others have mentioned) sometimes startlingly variable, and there simply isn't enough detail about the source materials for the dedicated fan (giving only the year from which a recording comes is totally insufficient). Finally, maybe because Free Reed is a folk label, there's a disproportionate lack of RT's work with the excellent bands he's fronted over the years. But this is hardly to complain, because it's impossible to decide whether he's better on acoustic or electric guitar, solo or in a band - for the simple reason that he's just incredibly good.
It's hard to find something to criticise, although the sound quality is (as others have mentioned) sometimes startlingly variable, and there simply isn't enough detail about the source materials for the dedicated fan (giving only the year from which a recording comes is totally insufficient). Finally, maybe because Free Reed is a folk label, there's a disproportionate lack of RT's work with the excellent bands he's fronted over the years. But this is hardly to complain, because it's impossible to decide whether he's better on acoustic or electric guitar, solo or in a band - for the simple reason that he's just incredibly good.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A Collection of Ragged Beauty.
As a fellow reviewer has already made clear, this is not a collection for someone new to Thompson's work, nor should it be seen as either an anthology or retrospective of his body... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Sentinel
Too much filler
I bought this simply because Richard Thompson is a genius songwriter and guitarist and I already have most of his recordings. Read more
Published 21 months ago by jonthemonster
An Absolute Classic Box Set..and then some
Richard Thompson is one of the greatest guitarists in the world.A quite brilliant songwriter and possesses a good voice to go with them. Read more
Published on 21 Aug 2008 by P. Clack
A fitting tribute to one of the UK's greatest singer songwriters
If you're into the music of Richard Thompson then you will love this set. 5 CDs (6 if you get one of the early sets and send off to Free Reed for the bonus disc) full of fantastic... Read more
Published on 16 Nov 2006 by Simon Warren
Too Late To Stop Now
Having read some of the early previews of this collection I initially decided not to bother - it looked like a completists special. Read more
Published on 10 Mar 2006 by delmartian2
Totally engrossing
Greatly anticipated, even greater enjoyment. The five CD boxed set (six cd’s if you write into Free Reed for the sixth) represents the high point in the art of the boxed set... Read more
Published on 3 Mar 2006 by "skulpit"
Worth every Penny.
I've only listened to the 1st 2 disks so far and already I'm a happy customer.
The solo version of 'Crazy Man Michael' recorded for this set is just one of... Read more
The solo version of 'Crazy Man Michael' recorded for this set is just one of... Read more
Published on 1 Mar 2006 by Nj Martin
Genius at work
Various other reviewers have mentioned that this is not a best - of; rather, it's a snapshot of a forty year career that's still going strong, and contains a number of... Read more
Published on 15 Feb 2006 by Rob Spence
The British Bob Dylan
This is a brilliant set of songs and confirmation of the incredible talent of the man. Pity about the poor design of the album sleeves and badly proof-read book - but it is the... Read more
Published on 15 Feb 2006 by J. H. Bretts
Well worth it
I was amazed to find 'Dragging the river for you' in this wonderful collection, taking me back to RT's days with the pedal bass as he struggled after Fairport and... Read more
Published on 14 Feb 2006 by Dr. Peter G. Upton
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