Richard Thompson: Sweet Warrior

[Chris]

Some friends of me went to an 'instore' at Amoeba Records in LA last night - Thompson/Thompson/Jerome/Zorn, 7 tracks all from the new album, and ir went down great. I suspect that the new stuff may sound better with a bit of live 'muscle' behind it.

I think I've read that in another thread on this board this year.....! Maybe the problem is catching?

One of them works for the US record company, apparently SW sold 7000 copies in the first week (in the US), which I'm told is good going.

Strange - Billboard quotes sales of 6,500 in the first week....

[Sir Martin]

Some friends of me went to an 'instore' at Amoeba Records in LA last night - Thompson/Thompson/Jerome/Zorn, 7 tracks all from the new album, and ir went down great. I suspect that the new stuff may sound better with a bit of live 'muscle' behind it.

I think I've read that in another thread on this board this year.....! Maybe the problem is catching?

One of them works for the US record company, apparently SW sold 7000 copies in the first week (in the US), which I'm told is good going.

Strange - Billboard quotes sales of 6,500 in the first week....

This could be rounding error - 'slightly bellow 7000' = 6500 depending on how you round.

[Thor-Rune]

Just checked Radio 1 Album chart and it is in with a bullet at number 39

Number 21 in Norway this week. His best ever position here by a mile, I think. Haven't grown accustomed to it yet, myself. Haven't played it enough yet. I find RT albums take their time to find their place these last ten years.

But I can't believe anyone would call Mirror Blue his worst album. "The way that it shows", "King of Bohemia", "Beeswing", "Mascara tears" and "Taking my business elsewhere" are all amongst my RT favourites. And I like "MGB-GT", "Easy there, steady now" and "Mingus eyes" a lot, too.

T-R

[Mr Cat (Lewis)]

I didn't say Mirror Blue was his worst album, for what its worth, just that I was surprised by my RT loving friend preferring Mirror Blue over Mock Tudor to the extent that he sold his copy of Mock Tudor to a second hand shop within days of acquiring it!  That said, Mirror is not my favourite album and I suspect the reason is that it tries to replicate too closely the successful formula for Rumour and Sigh; I have enjoyed seeing the songs performed live, but the studio versions do not excite me..But there we are, I'm sure everyone on this board has different views as to the best RT album..  

[Thor-Rune]

I didn't say Mirror Blue was his worst album, for what its worth, just that I was surprised by my RT loving friend preferring Mirror Blue over Mock Tudor to the extent that he sold his copy of Mock Tudor to a second hand shop within days of acquiring it!  That said, Mirror is not my favourite album and I suspect the reason is that it tries to replicate too closely the successful formula for Rumour and Sigh; I have enjoyed seeing the songs performed live, but the studio versions do not excite me..But there we are, I'm sure everyone on this board has different views as to the best RT album..  

I know. It was your friend I was referring to. I see your point about replicating R&S, but I just love them both. Mock Tudor is the only RT album to really excite me since Mirror Blue. But this is probably because RT's quality past has become his own competition, in a sense. He's spoilt me, I suppose.

I am still working on the new one, but I can already say I like it better than FPB and TOKB. I was quite disappointed with the last two and I now hardly ever play any of 'em. But I'm very unsure whether I'll be able to say SW is a return to form. No individual track has grabbed me yet. Which in itself is no big thing, cos RT albums tend to grow on you in time. But most previous albums have had something that just shook me immediately. Even TOKB ("Word unspoken, sight unseen" - although I prefer it acoustically live. The song tends to be obscured by the electric studio set-up, I think).

T-R

[PLW (Peter)]

Number 21 in Norway this week.

Astonishing. Who's number one in Norway at the moment?

[Thor-Rune]

Number 21 in Norway this week.

Astonishing. Who's number one in Norway at the moment?

Linkin Park. Oh, well...could be worse, I suppose.

[davidmjs]

Number 21 in Norway this week.

Astonishing. Who's number one in Norway at the moment?

http://allcharts.org/music/norway/albums.htm

[Mr Cat (Lewis)]

I didn't say Mirror Blue was his worst album, for what its worth, just that I was surprised by my RT loving friend preferring Mirror Blue over Mock Tudor to the extent that he sold his copy of Mock Tudor to a second hand shop within days of acquiring it!  That said, Mirror is not my favourite album and I suspect the reason is that it tries to replicate too closely the successful formula for Rumour and Sigh; I have enjoyed seeing the songs performed live, but the studio versions do not excite me..But there we are, I'm sure everyone on this board has different views as to the best RT album..  

I know. It was your friend I was referring to. I see your point about replicating R&S, but I just love them both. Mock Tudor is the only RT album to really excite me since Mirror Blue. But this is probably because RT's quality past has become his own competition, in a sense. He's spoilt me, I suppose.

I am still working on the new one, but I can already say I like it better than FPB and TOKB. I was quite disappointed with the last two and I now hardly ever play any of 'em. But I'm very unsure whether I'll be able to say SW is a return to form. No individual track has grabbed me yet. Which in itself is no big thing, cos RT albums tend to grow on you in time. But most previous albums have had something that just shook me immediately. Even TOKB ("Word unspoken, sight unseen" - although I prefer it acoustically live. The song tends to be obscured by the electric studio set-up, I think).

T-R

Thanks for proving my last point about opinions: for me, TOKB is the best RT album since Rumour and Sigh!  

[Thor-Rune]

Number 21 in Norway this week.

Astonishing. Who's number one in Norway at the moment?

http://allcharts.org/music/norway/albums.htm

Try this for the Top 40, to actually see RT himself on 21. I rare do these things, so sorry if I mess up. But worth i try. So here goes:

http://lista.vg.no/show_list.php?ListsOp=showWeek&listID=2

[Bob Barrows]

Gethsemane - essential ... IMO 'course

[Ollie]

http://arts.independent.co.uk/music/features/article2615238.ece

Day in the Life of RT. Interesting read

[Adam]

Having listened to Sweet Warrior all the way (and back) on a tedious drive to Northampton from sunny Bournemouth, I think that it is a fantastic record. I love 'Johnny's far away', with its juxtaposition of traditional and modern themes, 'I'll never give it up' makes me want to pogo, and 'Poppy-red' with its ambiguous lyrics. I don't understand you fine folks who think that it is by the numbers lyrically: "By and by they get back to the job of man and wife, back to the comfort of the old missionary life" is a fantastic line!

I thought FPB was extremely dull, and You?Me?Us? is my absolute fave, mainly due to the stark, raw bleakness of the final three songs (Cold Kisses, Sam Jones, Woods of Darney) - perfection!

I also like the happy stuff as well!!

Cheers

Adam

[Ollie]

I also like the happy stuff as well!!

Cheers

Adam

RT wirtes Happy stuff    

[Andy]

He certainly does. 1952.... (name that tune) MY Daddy is a .... (name that tune) etc etc

[Mr Cat (Lewis)]

Slightly off point, but I am reading Peter Robinson's "Piece of MY Heart": there is a scene in 1969 where a police officer goes to interview a mechanic and admires a motorbike in the shop..its Vincent Black Lightning 1952.  As Robinson is a fan of RT (previous novel was "Strange Affair"), I thought it was a neat tip of the hat to Mr. T (RT that is, not the idiot from the A-Team).

[PLW (Peter)]

Was in Borders today. No 4 in their album chart.

[Tim Fletcher]

Having had a couple of listens at home I put SW on shuffle on the iPod for the journey home on the tube this evening. It is definitely quite strange listening to Mr T surrounded by people heading home on a Friday evening - one wonders what stories they have that could turn up in a Thompson song. The other thing is that this album is really growing on me and I find myself wondering which songs we will get at Cropredy. I hesitate to match it against other albums as they have gained an aura of familiarity - and I think this one will turn out to be a match for all the others. Naturally we all have our favourites (albums and songs), that's the great thing about music.

Off at a slight tangent - I am sure he played Johnny's Far Away at the Barbican last year - can anyone coroborate this?

[Bob Barrows]

No, but I can confirm he played it at the Fall River gig I attended last Nov.

[Tim Fletcher]

No, but I can confirm he played it at the Fall River gig I attended last Nov.

The Barbican show was earlier in the year so it seems very likely my ears weren't deceiving me. Thanks.