I have made no secret in previous Richard Thompson reviews on Folk Radio that I rate him up there with the likes of Bob Dylan and Neil Young. Not simply because his catalogue of songwriting is too consistently, prolifically strong to bear comparison with lesser artists, but also thanks to his live reputation. In fact, even more so than Dylan, to this day, attending a Thompson gig brings with it a near enough guarantee of the highest standards of musicianship and an ever-moving approach to repertoire that will always throw up a surprise or two. His gift is so natural and the empathy of the players he surrounds himself with (often including a bit of Fairport-related folk royalty) almost always lend any concert a unique plumage; this is not an artist dialling in a set that has the life rehearsed out of it, Richard to my ears sounds like he is always digging inside the songs in search of those lightning in a bottle moments.
So, for that reason alone, any live album that presents an entire concert just as it happened cannot fail to be of interest. In late 1986, Richard was signed to Polydor and touring the release of his ‘Daring Adventures’ album. It is a fascinating part of his career and often a little overlooked being followed, as it was, by the higher profile push and glossy production sheen of the late eighties/nineties Capitol Records period. Clearly, Thompson was seen as a peer to the likes of Elvis Costello, and rightly so, this is evident in the way that the focus heavily lent towards the electric rock side of his music. Around this time, he had enjoyed some exposure on college radio in the US and played live alongside up-and-coming legends such as REM and Crowded House. Above all, though, his writing was finding a very satisfying groove in a jangly folk-rock vein attaining, on tracks like the rollicking ‘Valerie,’ a fresh wave of punkish urgency.
Some Thompson classics were beginning to break through at this point, although it is curious to note that one of the greatest, ‘Al Bowlly’s In Heaven,’ was not performed in this show. Three tracks do appear from the final Richard & Linda Thompson album, ‘Shoot Out The Lights’; they are ‘Wall Of Death’, ‘Did She Jump Or Was She Pushed’ and the title track parading that phat crunching guitar sound credited with catching the ears of many an alt-rock head in Thompson’s newly adopted eighties US homeland. Predictably, that sound is recreated on this professionally recorded performance to amp-ripping satisfaction. Fans of the Linda years will also be delighted to hear the conviction behind renditions of ‘For Shame Of Doing Wrong’ and ‘Withered And Died.’ It is also lovely to catch Richard reigniting a connection to Sandy Denny’s music with a full-blooded take on her ‘John The Gun.’
Otherwise, this is largely an energised run-through of the man’s mid-eighties work. There is a good case to be made for these live workouts of rockers like ‘She Twists The Knife Again’ and ‘Fire In The Engine Room’ being far more vibrant here than their studio versions. The band, Christine Collister on vocals and acoustic guitar, Gerry Conway on drums, Clive Gregson on guitar and vocal (on this night he also got a lead vocal feature for his own ‘Summer Rain’) and Rory McFarlane on bass, were sailing an assured, receptive path behind their leader. Surprises are plentiful, but top of the tree for me are a light-hearted zip across Hank Williams ‘Mind Your Own Business’ and later a plugged-in cover of ‘Skull And Crossbones Blues’ by Robert Johnson contemporary Johnny Shines. It is always this way with Richard live, as his ‘1000 Years Of Popular Music’ shows demonstrated, his interest in all music is wide and eclectic, a passion spilling over into performances rarely sticking to obvious classics or heavily pushing a new album. In fact, casual listeners to this show would be forgiven for not knowing Richard had a fresh release out that year, he does not mention it once, in fact his only plug is for a forthcoming Sandy Denny box set.
So, this is an album that is worth a place in any serious Thompson collection because his live work is so dependably rewarding. The man needs a proper archive release series in the mould of Dylan’s Bootleg Series or the Neil Young Archive titles that come out regularly. However, should that come to pass, some more information in the sleeve notes would be a welcome addition. Close Thompson watchers may be confused by this release because only four years ago ‘Live At Rock City Nottingham November 1986’ dropped on Angel Air, an album with a completely different track listing to this one. There is nothing in the digipak text detailing anything about the concert, not even an exact date, on these two discs although it is clearly a Nottingham show as Richard mentions the city more than once in his announcements. Also, the suggestion in the title that this was a “historic” show is a little vague and ultimately meaningless. Obviously, that is a minor quibble when set against the main ingredient, the quality and sound of the music. It proves what a fascinating maze the Richard Thompson live concert archive promises to be, oh for the chance to explore the whole treasure trove in depth.