Reviews
Artist: Richard Thompson Featuring Linda Thompson
Album: Live At The BBC
Label: Universal
Tracks: 80 (4 Discs)
Website:http://www.richardthompson-music.com
Sometimes things are forgotten that shouldn't be forgotten. Just such a thing is the versatility of guitarist Richard Thompson, a man that has managed to transcend typecasting by moving easily through the genres. And just like Doctor Who and the Flake Girls we all have the one that defines our era, whilst ultimately understanding that there are others who may or may not be better.
"Live At The BBC" takes a 3CD 1DVD sweep across the sessions that Richard laid down for Auntie. Many of the early sessions were recorded with Linda Thompson , his wife at the time, to the extent that she gains a "Featuring Linda Thompson" credit on the front of the box.
This 80 track spectacular, which includes live recordings as well as sessions, takes tracks from a wide range of sessions and pretty much covers every aspect of Richard's career after he left Fairport Convention and is also fascinating for the number of different DJ's which sort of provides a clue as to who was championing Thompson's career at various times. I hadn't realised, for example, that Andy Kershaw was responsible for laying down so many Thompson tracks.
I'm not a Thompson completist, so I can't tell you how many of the tracks featured here have already seen the light of day on other releases and to a degree it doesn't really matter as why this box does is provide a real sense on context.
There are few artists that have taken as rich and a varied music journey as Thompson and hearing it cheek by jowl really emphasises that point. A good example is the juxtaposition of having "Georgie On A Spree" as part of the same collection as "She Twists The Knife Again"
I've only once played the set from start to finish, most of the time, I'm either selecting out individual sessions or, on more than one occasion, just fed in all the tracks and set the player to random, highly recommended as not only do you not know what's coming up next, you really get to hear the strength of the songs as individual entities.
We've got a few samples for you on the player below. Please be aware that we are not providing the content and can't be held responsible, if it's no longer there.
Neil King