:goodvibes:

Not even close. If you don't believe me, check out his earlier work. I second the 'Shoot out the Lights' recommendation.


mig7 wrote:

Gordon O' Lightfoot

Hannio wrote:

Thank's for the link. He indeed look's great in a kilt.
And thanks, Bill, for a cut in addition to "52 Vincent".
Love his voice and playing, but that particular story line didn't do it for me.

Great writer and instrumentalist...have loved him since before he and Linda split. For those not familiar with RT, may I suggest the "Shoot Out the Lights" CD? He and Linda at their best musically, and their worst, personally. The sharply expressed emotions on that CD are quite poignant.

That said, this song is wonderful!

Thanks, RP.

Hannio wrote:

hee hee...kilts on guys RULE! Especially with a black t-shirt on top.

ThirdRail_33 wrote:

And he doesn't look bad in a kilt, either.

ref: http://www.richardthompson-music.com/catch_of_the_day.asp?id=204

What everyone else below me has already said, and some very eloquently -- just exceptional.

Had the pleasure of seeing him perform at the Backyard here in Austin about 5 years ago. He was terrific. Sang this as well as many more. What a fluent guitarist he is.

Discovered him in the early 80s, when it was Linda and Richard Thompson. First impression was not that great, but sure love the material he's done since then.

Enjoy Vincent '52 a lot, even the Del McCoury (sp?) band's bluegrass version of it.

Thompson is a real talent.

Nobody does it better. He simultaneously breaks my heart and uplifts me with his talent and voice.

alicewonderland wrote:


Amen!! MORE RT on RP!!!

One of my favourites by RT. That's how I like my songs bittersweet indeed.

What is there to say about Richard Thompson? What can you say? The man is a genius. I'd love to hear more of his material on RP. Mirror Blue, the album that Beeswing comes from, is possibly my favourite "recent" RT album. Throw King of Bohemia, from the same album, on the playlist and I'll be a happy woman indeed.

What a lovely song. Thank you RT and RP!

Wish I could give it a 20!

Rockabobbie wrote:

Yeah agreed. Roy Bailey does this song, and it's almost as good. But Not as good as this: a jewel of a song.

Quite possibly the most beautiful lament I have ever heard. RT can spin a yarn like few others, with even more impressive guitar skills. I always get a great upwelling of emotion listening to this cut. The story itself is archetypal and connects in a primal way. Especially to anyone who has closed a younger chapter on the wildlife and settled into raising a family.

And I see Nick Drake is following. Two of the finest songwriters to ever try to capture the essence of longing.

Thanks for the break in the day, Bill.

Stopped me cold. What a beautiful song.

Wow. I've never heard of this guy before, but...wow. This is great.

RICHARD THOMPSON...I just discovered him about 6 months ago. If you aren't familiar with him, all I can say is do so...immediately!

Oh, you made my morning!

But sorry, I'll have to shut down Radio Paradise and listen to the rest of the album this morning.

How about "MGB-GT" sometime?

quaid wrote:

Quaid, you write like you're a songwriter yourself...

I agree, this is a 10, hands down. The live version (from World Cafe) is amazing as well...

i
love
this
song!

Sometimes when I hear this song, I think of the first time I heard it. I'm a relatively late Richard Thompson fan, so hadn't heard "Beeswing" until a headline night at Strawberry Music Festival.

I'm sure some of you were at Strawberry that time -- it was the time _after_ RT's "Tear Stained Letter" was sung long into the night. This time he came knowing that the Strawberry audience was perfectly made for his genius grip, and he saved "Beeswing" for the encore, sucked in everyone's romantic soul, shredded it and rewove it, and hung it up to dry in the starry sky over the Sierra with the last note of "Beeswing".

Then he launched into "Tear Stained Letter". What a ham! In a good sense - I felt like my emotions were just another instrument that RT plays so well.

I had to rate this a 10.

- quaid

And they say her flower is faded now
Hard weather and hard booze
But maybe that's just the price you pay
For the chains you refuse

Thompson is exactly the sort of artist I love to hear on RP.

Godlike indeed --- whew what a song! What an artist!
--Shari

Hey, I agree. Go ahead and gush, the guy earns all our gushiness.

heartbreakingly beautiful! I love it. can we hear some more of this artist's work?

Yes, indeed. I confused that title with an essay I once read about the song Young American, called Wild Is The Wind, from the book called De Luchtgitaar (The Airguitar) , written by Roel Bentz van den Berg, a Dutch writer and presentator of mostly (very imaginative) radio and sometimes tv programs.
So sorry for you it's in Dutch or I could send a copy of it.