TalkAwhile - The Folk Corporation Forum

hi guys,
i'm new to RT (and definately couldnt be called a folkie) and have just got the Sweet Warrior album. it's awesome!!
could anyone suggest which album i should go for next? :-\

Watching The Dark (3cd compilation) , Hand of Kindness, Shoot Out The Lights, Rumor & Sigh in that order methinks.

Mock Tudor.

Mirror Blue and Rumour and Sigh from the early 90s both have some great songs on them, and if you want a totally different side of the man - 1000 Years of Popular Music is wonderful.

But I reckon Sweet Warrior is his best yet.

Definitely Mock Tudor. You will love it.
And The Old Kit Bag.
And don't forget Front Parlour Ballads.
Oh, and a live recording, like Live from Austin or Live in Providence.  {:-) :) ;)

And don't forget to buy a ticket for one of the upcoming UK shows.

Enjoy!!!

Oh dear, I have tried, I really have, but I just can't get beyond the voice  :-[

I like 1000 Years because he shows us how well he can really sing.  

Sweet Warrior is growing on me - I think I like the electric sound.

The man rarely receives a bad review.  More than in the case of any other artist I can think of, I believe (although I'm something of an RT newbie myself), but I believe you are fairly safe buying almost anything with the man's name on it.

At the very least it might be easier to draw up a list of albums to avoid rather than ones to recommend.

Jules

See if they have any in the local library.

Listen and if you like buy.

as always in thesa cases i would suggest ,if youve got the inclination and funds,start at the beginning
"henry the human fly" and work your way forwards
the box sets "watching the dark" and "rt the life and music of RT" are worth getting as there is a lot of unreleased stuff on them,the various best ofs  dont have much thats not available elsewhwere

They had his 5-CD boxset in mine, as well as some others. Also, check out Richard and Linda Thompson. I'd go for I Want to See the Bright Light's Tonight. And get Mock Tudor as well. I got it last week for £4.95 from Borders.  :D

Across a Crowded Room isn't one I play very often and Industry isn't one I'd recommend to a newbie.

If you like his band stuff I'd go for Mock Tudor, The Old Kit Bag, Rumor & Sigh and Daring Adventures. But if you like him in acoustic mode I'd recommend You? Me? Us? and Front Parlour Ballads.

As for live acoustic albums there's Celtschmerz or Live at Crawley 93.

Although this may ultimately lead to a bit of duplication and extra expense (RT can be addictive), there are a couple of decent compilations:

"Action Pact" on Capitol is a good summary of his late 80's to late 90's work on Capitol
There is also an Island "Introduction to Richard and Linda Thompson", which cherry picks the better known material.

On the acoustic front, "Small Town Romance" is a good introduction to the solo acoustic side, taking in his career from Fairport days up 1982 or so.

If you enjoy Sweet Warrior, The Old Kit Bag would be the next logical stop on the stand alone albums.

It's got to be the Watching the Dark compilation - a vastly superior (in comparison with the 5 CD box) 3 CD compilation of the material to the end of the 80's.....bit of a bugger to get hold of these days though...

Hand of Kindness, which features most of FC plus Pete Zorn.

Mock Tudor which contains the track Cooksferry Queen which IMHO is about the best rock track ever. Listen to DM on the drums.

Best RT advice - get an increase in your credit card limit ;D

I have only two:  Action Packed and Sweet Warrior.  I loved Action Packed, but I think I need to get the live in Austin one.  I had a listen at the store, and it sounded amazing.  

I have been having some trouble getting into Sweet Warrior.  I like his live performance without the band, and I think the band kind of muddies up Sweet Warrior.  Not all of it, though--just some parts.  Sorry.  


Exit, stage left.  

Mock Tudor. Agree about Cooksferry Queen. DM's finest moment.

I am very fond of 'Industry', but perhaps not as an introduction to Richard's work, just one to be aware of later on :D

Pedantic Ed. (he's busy tonight!) points out that this is actually credited to Richard Thompson and Danny Thompson...  doesn't stop it being fab, mind  ;)

thanks guys and gals, knew i could rely on you to point me in the right direction.
have ordered a few from the library so will go from there.
would love to go see him but am spending all my time when im not at work studying so will have to wait till next time round.
am looking forward to exploring his records - tis always exciting finding someone new.

Something that's always surprised me about RT is his consistency. If you like his sound you can pick any album from his career - solo, duo or band - and not be disappointed.

I struggle to pick out a "best" album because I can't think what his "worst" is! For most artists there is at least one album which I find myself avoiding playing because it is not up to standard. This doesn't happen for me with RT. He has hit the mark with every single album in my opinion.

So get whatever you find out of the library and give it all a whirl...

Cheers

Nick

...and that's the way I'm doing it.  Started with Fairport, picked up Henry The Human Fly (still my favourite), and then the early ones with Linda, but then I hit a brick wall because First Light and Sunnyvista are out of print.  So I picked up those two boxed sets recently and am playing them while I hunt high and low for the two Chrysalis albums on CD...

Jules

Does anyone know if Daring Adventures is out or coming out. I normally buy an old cd only to find it re-released remastered a week later.

I've done that a few times myself.  It's a right royal pain, isn't it?  It hurts every time I look at my Todd Rundgren CDs and remember the remasters that came out the week after.  Ditto my 70s Beach Boys CDs.  It's so hard to summon up the enthusiasm to buy an album you already have, but it's so hard to be enthusiastic about an album you know has just been reissued sounding even better.  Sometimes I steal myself and just go out and buy it again.  But there's no consistency there - I mean, I have two copies of Gottle O'Geer for God's sake!

 ::)

Jules

I think you have invented a whole new definition of inconsistency, here.  Congratulations, Jules  ;)

AMEN

One of my colleagues, who reads 7 newspapers a day and is very interested in music, gave me some brilliant reviews of "Sweet Warrior", because he knows that I am a RT fan. He did not know RT´s music, so I gave him the "SW".
He was hooked and asked for more.
So this morning I handed over a big bag with some Cd's, including the Box Set. He will have a perfect weekend  {:-)

Or at least a whole new definition of masochist.

 ;D

Jules

I've just discovered that one of the libraries in our state-wide network has a copy of this ... needless to say, it will be out of their possession temporarily.



Edit: Oh! And another library has Watching the Dark!

Why didn't I think to check out this resource before? >:(

I was starting to think there was something wrong with me.

Consumate guitarist, songwriter pas excellence but ............  

I have to admit: I missed out on a lot of great music for several years there because I could not get past the voice.

Then, one day, something clicked, and I have been spending the past couple of years playing catch-up.

The man is a genius, his guitar playing is out of this world and his lyrics are sheer poetry, but ... his voice doesn't move me in the way that Messrs Nicol*, McTell and Knightley do.  I cannot account for it.




* the 'S' version, of course! :D

I do remember what produced the "click" for me: it was hearing "Don't Renege on our Love" for the first time a few years ago on a Live365 internet radio station. All of a sudden, I could get past the voice and start listening to the song, as well as the brilliant guitar work. That was when I started actively seeking his music, instead of restricting myself to the FC classics.

I'd suggest "Bright Lights" and "Rumour and Sigh".

Maybe not at the same time.

Funny old world. I've always loved his voice.

Me too.  Very surprising debate - his has never struck me as one of those love them or hate them voices (Dylan, Neil etc)....

Kevin Coyne. But that's another story.

Oh I can see that he does have 'one of those voices' - he's not a regular sort of obviously gifted singer.  And his voice has become more...how would I describe this?..more 'pinched' and less open throated over the years, but his limited range has remained quite steady.  I just like how 'human' his voice sounds.  Besides I was already a Dylan and a Neil fan, so I wasn't going to have much trouble with RT really.

Jules

Looks like this is the chap...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Thomas_%28musician%29

"...Thomas worked with a variety of musicians including guitarists Richard Thompson and Philip Moxham, and Henry Cow alumni bassonist/oboist Lindsay Cooper and drummer Chris Cutler."

Ahh! I've just figured out the correct search terms to plug into Google to get the skinny:
"Bird Land" lyrics

Pere Ubu, eh? I've never listened to any of their stuff ... any good is it?

Edit: Just found them in Rhapsody - I'll just say it's not for me ...

Ah, thanks Colin. Should have refreshed the thread before posting my followup ...

If your bank balance can stand it I'd go with Jim and say start with Henry and work your way forward. Ignore the fact that Warner's rated Henry as their worst ever selling album, great lyrics, free flowing guitar and a youthful and engaging voice. Onward through the CDs is a wonderful journey and you can see how the music has evolved. Bright Lights is an important landmark and was my first purchase after a borrow from  a library. I gradually aquired everything after that. After Don't rush it, give each album a while to tell it's story, there isn't a duff album in there. If funds are more limited I'd go with Action Packed for a safe choice or Rumur and Sigh for a great all rounder nearer to the SW style. Of the recent stuff You Me Us is a fascinating album but less obviously commercial.  Hand Of Kindness is also a stunning piece of work that stands out for the emotional intensity. Happy listening or that not what RT is about?  ::)

Shoot out the Lights is brilliant too - very emotionally charged.

Letting your personal life affect your work isn't always a bad thing

How did I overlook that one? A very powerful and engaging set of songs. I think Rolling Stone rated it very highly. RT's songs work on many levels but these are very direct and moving.

The 333rd best album ever according to Rolling Stone in 2003  :)  I'm still waiting to hear the majority of the other 332...........

Why not just go to youtube and find the [7] parts of the "Solitary Life " documentary. Narrated by John Peel, a comprehensive history. For someone so obviously private, he discloses a huge amount of fascinating personal detail. And there are some great scenes from the"Shoot out the Lights" tour. Including Simon Nicol (the opening chords from "Walking on a Wire" could have come from nobody else) explaining why it was painfully necessary to establish an escape route from stage.

i got that from the library today - only listened to it twice but its brilliant in a different way to SW.
think i'm gonna enjoy this journey tho it may take me some time to save up to actually buy them. still at least i'll know which ones i'm buying when i do go shopping!
have to thank you all again - tis daunting to have such a huge back catalgue to discover but has been made less so thanks to your views.

It must have been really,really hard for RT to play "Farewell,Farewell" at Cropredy this year. especially to come on and do his own set immediately afterwards.  

I'd love to know how he did it.  It was on my mind throughout the FC '69 set.

Chipping in a bit late, I'd leave Henry The Human Fly and Industry until you really do have the RT bug, when you'll love them, along with everything else.

i agree to an extent about Industry but Henry is a wonderful lp not at all difficult to love
if you dont like Henry you dont like rt.

Have to disagree there. Can't be doing with Henry at all but absolutely love most other things RT has done. Fortunately didn't hear Henry first otherwise I don't think I would have got any further and would have missed out on some stunning stuff

rachel

Henry's a curious album. . .some truly great songs: Poor Ditching Boy, Angels Took My Racehorse Away; Nobody's Wedding etc etc, but somewhat muddy production. The vocals are mixed a bit too far down for my taste.

Daring Adventures. It's a typical RT album. Then you can work forward or back as you feel fit. Mind you that might just be because I'm listening to it.    

One of the greatest albums of all time and so far it's still my favourite RT release.  Essential!

Jules

One RT-related album I'd highly recommend is the tribute album Beat The Retreat. I bought it having only heard a couple of his albums so knew the covers before I heard the originals. There's a great version of When The Spell is Broken by Bonnie Raitt with the Five Blind Boys of Alabama which takes the song to a whole new level. Other stand-out tracks are :

Shoot Out The Lights by X
Turning of The Tide by Bob Mould (much heavier than the original)
I Misunderstood by Dinosaur Jr (ditto)
For Shame of Doing Wrong by Syd Straw & Evan Dando

and an unaccompanied version of Genesis Hall by June Tabor. I'm not a big fan of unaccompanied singing but her version really grew on me.

The album came out in 94 on Capitol.

...and was last seen in HMV in Reading by me for less than a quid!

At that price I hope you picked it up even if you already had it!

Jules

Worth a good ten times that for the Bob Mould alone.... it's one of the best 'tribute' albums, which I recognise is damning with faint praise, but still....

 ;)

And REM's version of Wall of Death.

...which is great!  In fact I may even prefer it to Richard and Linda's original.

Jules

The one track I'm not keen on is Maddy Prior and Martin Carthy's version of Farewell, Farewell. Quite different to the original.

But the rest is all top notch.

I didn't have it previously so was very pleased to buy it at a budget price.

There's a Bob Mould compilation for the mid 90's with an excellent live take on Shoot Out the Lights..

You're right....it's called Poison Years and it fills in the classic solo years between his time in Husker Du and Sugar

Oh! That Bob Mould! I thought someone was thinking they were posting in Keith's Fun with mould thread!  ;D ;)

Well..... I probably have about 30 RT albums and I still cannot get over the sheer brilliance of the man.

After 20 years of collecting RT music, I finally got disappointed ...."Sunnyvista"....


The rest ...............MAGIC!!!!!!!!!!!


Andy

"Can't Win" .... brings up deep and tortured feelings in me! WOW........true catharsis!!!!!!!!!

 :o  I love it...

Just checked the album, and was surprised to see Glen Tilbrook included in the (extensive) personnel listing...

Well he did cover Tempted.....

Jules

20+ years later

I like the 1000 years of music. I got the limited edition that has a dvd and 2 cds of the bimbos sf show. (I should have gone, but went somewhere else that night...DOH!)  One thing I like is the tiny guitar bit in oops I did it again that sounds medieval. But the disk is great.

My favorite RT solo song has got to be Vincent Black Lightening.

I couldn't get anyone to listen to RT until they'd heard that Bob Mould and had REM covered them.  ::)
And then one night at Cropredy there were tears at about the time James Avery died. "Oh my goodness - I never expected that" she said.
If in doubt, buy the new album. It'll be like most of the others in that there'll be a cracking opener, the third track will be brilliant, and the last track on the album will be odd, but engaging.  

I didn't know about the tribute album, so i shall have to go and investigate it.

I've been trying to pick a favourite RT song over the last wee while and i just can't do it. I find that i keep going back to Persuasion with Teddy Thompson, but it's certainly not my fave.  :-\

Has anyone mentioned The World Is a Wonderful Place? It's a "tribute" compilation, with a hidden track from Richard and Linda. The Plainsong version of Galway to Graceland is exquisite, and Chris Collister's ow Will I Ever be Simple Again are wonderful. As is Ivor Cutler's Wheely Down in its own way. 1993, Hokey Pokey Records.

Hard Cash is a very special album.

Not strictly a RT album in the true sense, but one of his collaborations with former Climax keyboard player Peter Filleul, comprising of a whole host of fine performances from Martin Carthy, June Tabor, Gregson and Collister and many others.  RT performs on almost all the tracks, and contributes "Time to ring some changes" as a solo offering.

The Album came out as part of a BBC project studying the darker side of Labour History in Britain.  I think that the series was canned before it was aired, so the album was a bit of an oddity in that respect.  If the series has aired, then it would probably be the soundtrack.

Every song tells a unique story.

The last track "Good with my hands", sung by Christine Collister, is one of the most emotive pieces of music I've ever heard.

It is probably still available.  Thankfully, it has had sporadic re-releases over the years.

Hmmmm...don't think it is currently released but plenty of premium priced copies out there!

http://tinyurl.com/2jdpy5

Or you can wait 4-6 weeks for the Green Linnet copy - same album, different cover.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hard-Cash-Various-Artists/dp/B000005CSK/ref=sr_1_11/203-4554029-4434300?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1191198316&sr=1-11

There is a good review on Amazon though......

The thing with the songs is that they show all sides.  The employers as well as the employees.  

And Michael Marras "The Guernsey Kitchen Porter" is about someone who has tried to vanish, and doesn't really want to be found.....

RT offers another solo piece - "Oh I Swear", written specially for the project.

It's well worth getting.

I suspect 4-6 weeks is a 'unlikely to obtain it, but we'll look around for you'

However, there are used copies on that link from under £8

Me, too.  

Um..unfortunately Green Linnet records was swallowed up by Compass Records last year. They were down to a handful of releases a year by the time of their demise, unlike their heyday not too many years before. Compass is a great company (yeay Alison Brown), but I have not heard what the status of Green Linnet's massive back catalog will be.