UKC

Them wot know, know...

For the rest of yer, do yourself a massive favour and try to see this bloke live before he - or you - corks it.

Sublime stuff.

  youtube.com/watch?v=K387mNCjTw8&

In reply to Clauso:

... And his ex-missus weren't too shabby either; Whispering Bob agreed:

youtube.com/watch?v=K387mNCjTw8&

In reply to Clauso:

And, lastly, some fiddling about with Dave Swarbrick:

youtube.com/watch?v=oeLDg-KWWQk&

In reply to Clauso:

My Richard Thompson live story: he was playing in Edinburgh in the Assembly Rooms. As he was playing he broke a string. Instead of stopping, he kept playing and at the same time pulled another string out of a pocket, replaced the string, tuned it and kept going. We couldn't quite believe what we were seeing. Thunderous applause ensued...

In reply to Clauso:

‘I guess that’s just the price you pay for the chains you refuse’ is one of my favourite lines in any song ever. The emotion, the wisdom, the regret, coming as it does towards the end of the story. I’m not familiar with much of his catalogue, but that’s one of my favourite songs of all time. 

In reply to ChrisBrooke:

It's a fantastic song. Full lyrics:

I was nineteen when I came to town

They called in the Summer of Love

They were burningbabies, burning flags

The Hawks against the Doves

I took a job in the STeamie

Down on Cauldrum Street

I fell in love with a laundry girl

Was working next to me

She was a rare thing

Fine as a beeswing

So fine a breath of wind might blow her away

She was a lost child

She was running wild, she said

As long as there's no price on love, I'll stay

And you wouldn't want me any other way

Brown hair zig-zag round her face

And a look of half-surprise

Like a fox caught in the headlights

There was an animal in her eyes

She said, young man, O can't you see

I'm not the factory kind

If you don't take me out of here

I'll surely lose my miind

She was a rare thing

Fine as a beeswing

So fine a breath of wind might blow her away

She was a lost child

She was running wild, she said

As long as there's no price on love, I'll stay

And you wouldn't want me any other way

We busked around the market towns

And picked fruit down in Kent

And we could tinker lamps and pots

And knives wherever we went

And I said that we might settle down

Get a few acres dug

Fire burning in the hearth

And babies on the rug

She said O man, you foolish man

It surely sounds like hell

You might be lord of half the world

You'll not own me as well

She was a rare thing

Fine as a beeswing

So fine a breath of wind might blow her away

She was a lost child

She was running wild, she said

As long as there's no price on love, I'll stay

And you wouldn't want me any other way

We was camping down the Gower one time

The work was pretty good

She thought we shouldn't wait for frost

And I thought maybe we should

We were drinking more in those days

And tempers reached a pitch

Like a fool I let her run

With the rambling itch

Last I hear she's sleeping out

Back on Derby beat

White Horse in her hip pocket

And a wolfhound at her feet

And they say she even marriend once

A man named Romany Brown

But even a Gypsy caravan

Was too much settliing down

And they say her flower is faded now

Hard weather and hard booze

But maybe that's just hte price you pay

For the chains you refuse

She was a rare thing

Fine as a beeswing

And I missher more than ever words could say

If I could just taste

All of her wildness now

If I could hold her in my arms today

Then I wouldn't want her any other way

In reply to ChrisBrooke:

From his best album, I think.

There's a tribute album, Beat the Retreat, which is worth seeking out.  Some of the covers are, predictably, awful but others are sublime.  Loudon Wainwright and Shawn Colvin's cover of A Heart Needs A Home surpasses excellence.

T.

In reply to Clauso:

Anyone who can turn 'oops I did it again' into a 16th century style song that is quintessentially them, evidently knows what they're doing.

1952 Vincent Black Lightening is probably the best story-telling song there is.

In reply to Nic Barber: 

 One of a my top ten songs about anything . If there is a finer song about motorbikes I’m yet to hear it .

youtube.com/watch?v=j0kJdrfzjAg&

“Said James, "In my opinion, there's nothing in this world
Beats a '52 Vincent and a Redheaded girl.
Now Nortons and Indians and Greavses won't do.
Oh, they don't have a Soul like a Vincent '52." “

In reply to Clauso:

I saw him in 84/85 or so in a sweaty basement in Cambridge. While I appreciate the musicianship, I find his folk stuff a drag to listen to. This tremendous live cover of Substitute on the other hand, has me going back to it time after time:

youtube.com/watch?v=4MeB_rP-Xgg&

In reply to mike123:

not sure it is better but Triumph 73 by the Felice Brothers is a great motorcycle song

In reply to Nic Barber:

Yes, 52 Vincent is very good. If you like songs with stories, check out Al Stewart.

Cheers, David

In reply to Clauso:

All rise for the hangman. His pleasure is that you shall rise

He's the judge and the jury at the jesters assize

Thompson era Fairport is when he really starts to find his feet. 

In reply to David Myatt:

RT was guitarist on Love Chronicles.

In reply to mike123:

Great song, I like the cover by Sean Rowe as well.

In reply to Clauso:

Saw him do a marvelous acoustic set a couple of months ago at Fairport's Cropredy Convention. At one point he did Vincent Black Lightning followed by Beeswing followed by From Galway to Graceland. I can't think of another English songwriter capable of such narrative brilliance. An hour later he reappeared with his Strat to tear it up in an anniversary performance of the Full House album. Inimitable.

In reply to mike123:

youtube.com/watch?v=IfniG-AdSC4&

In reply to aln:

hmmmmmm. Great rock  song . However  Here’s a selection of the lyrics :

I've got a silver machine
I've got a silver machine
I've got a silver machine
I've got a silver machine
I've got a silver machine
I've got a silver machine
I've got a silver machine
I've got a silver machine
I've got a silver machine
I've got a silver machine

In reply to mike123: as opposed to :

Says Red Molly, to James, "Well that's a fine motorbike.
A girl could feel special on any such like."
Says James, to Red Molly, "My hat's off to you.
It's a Vincent Black Lightning, 1952.

In reply to aln:

It's about a bicycle not a motorbike

In reply to mike123:

Thought that was a song about laundry?

My mum's got a washing machine....

In reply to Clauso:

Hell of a guitar player.

In reply to toad:

Live '79! Cracking album. Apparently the song's about Bob Calvert's push bike. 

In reply to ericinbristol:

I saw him in Leeds 20 odd years ago and he hit a bum note on the intro to Vincent Black Lightning and tried again. Chap in audience shouted out: "It's in there somewhere!" RT stood up, somewhat  miffed, held out his guitar and said" Is it sir,? Do you think so? Want to come and find it?"

In reply to Clauso: just realised that the version of Vincent black lightening linked to above is from a song writers circle show with Suzanne vega and loud in wainwright . Excellent series of shows  . Here’s a clip with them all playing together . Nice .

youtube.com/watch?v=RBzRz-Hcj18&

In reply to mike123:

Yes, I've seen that series before. Great stuff.

.. I love the look on the faces of the other two as Thommo rips up the fretboard.

In reply to mike123:

Not quite all there is to it. 

I should probably have said that I also love the Thompson song. 

In reply to DaveHK:

Probably my favourite RT song. The steamie in Caldrum St mentioned is in Dundee, my mum and gran used to go to it. 

In reply to IM:

Ace!... He's nowt if not authentic.

In reply to Clauso:

Given he's an English man who's lived in LA for40 yrs or so!

I was immensely happy after learning to play the intro/fingerpicking for this over the last lockdown. (maybe slightly simplified!) 

Also has 2 of my favourite verses ever: 

Brown hair zig-zag round her face

and

 And they say her flower is faded now

In reply to Clauso:

I absolutely love this performance of God Loves a Drunk, at least partly for the audience response:
youtube.com/watch?v=P-noSz2XsIY&

Do we have any drunks in the audience this evening? (Whoops and cheers from the audience.) This one's for all the drunks! (More whoops and cheers.)

(Music begins)

Will there be any bartenders up there in heaven (Whoop! Yeah!) will the pubs never close will the glass never drain

Will there be no more DTs, no shakes and no horrors, and the very next morning you'll feel right as rain (silence)

In reply to Nic Barber:

I'm a fan of Thompson, and that's a great song. But your claim suggests that you haven't listened to much real country music. Country is absolutely full of great story telling songs.

In reply to mike123:

Then you probably have not heard Motorcycle Michael by Jo Ann Campbell. 

In reply to toad:

New Jersey, these days.

In reply to Clauso:

Just realised that I'd buggered the link up.

Here she is in all her glory:

youtube.com/watch?v=HqViJyweNV0&

In reply to DaveHK:

Anne Briggs, the hugely influential folk singer and free spirit who was one of the inspirations for Beeswing got a rare outing on R3 this morning:

youtube.com/watch?v=-P86wCfXNkY&

In reply to Blue Straggler:

That's terrible!