Richard Thompson: The Music Nerd's Guitar God

Welcome to my first blog post of 2011. This time round, I have decided to shine the spotlight on the great Richard Thompson.

In Nick Hornby's High Fidelity (required text for music dorks worldwide), the character Dick, in an effort to convert his new female friend in the ways of indie-boy fandom, describes Thompson as "England's finest guitarist". To music nerds like Dick, it is silly even to pause when asked who is the greatest guitarist of all time. While others will plum for one of the Jimmys or Clappers, Richard Thompson just seems to have a very special place in the hearts of many music fans' heart. He is the definition of the alternative guitar hero, the music boffin's choice.

The track above is one from the back catalogue of Fairport Convention, the band where Thompson made his first musical mark. He had grown up, during the 1950s, in a music-appreciative environment, soaking up his Scottish father's native folk ballads and bagpipe tunes, as well as his Django Reinhardt and Les Paul records. Thanks to his sisters, his ears were opened to the energetic sounds of Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis and Buddy Holly. Combined with a love of the new beat groups of the mid 1960s, young Thompson's precocious guitar style began to take shape. He formed a school covers band with future Stranglers' leader Hugh Cornwell, playing the hits of the day. However, his first serious musical exploits came when he joined the ranks of the fledgling Fairport Convention, a band whose musical outlook was very influenced by the West Coast sounds of The Byrds and Buffalo Springfield. Cover versions made up a big part of their early repertoire. Here is one of their first attempts at an English folk-rock sound.

This track comes from the group's second album, What We Did On Our Holidays, an album which marked the transition from the West Coast leanings of the group to a far more British folk influenced sound. Around this time, Richard began to refine his song-writing talent with tunes like Genesis Hall and Meet On The Ledge. Throughout this period also, Richard Thompson's exquisite guitar-work shone through, at time conjuring up the sounds of droning bagpipes and razor sharp fiddle, as well as the odd Django quote or James Burton twang. He is another track from Fairport's most celebrated work, Liege & Lief.

Thompson decided to leave Fairport in 1971, choosing to pursue a solo career and session work. He worked on albums for John Martyn, Sandy Denny and Nick Drake, as well as releasing the idiosyncratic solo debut, Henry The Human Fly. This album gave the world a first glimpse at Thompson skewed and humorous, yet sometimes bleak, world-view. However, while Thompson's first foray into solo territory was at best, misunderstood, or at worst, ignored, his musical partnership with his new wife, Linda Peters, would have critics and fans swooning for the next decade. Linda would become the voice for Richard's masterful tunes. Their debut, I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight, was a classic, its songs full of stoical imagery, Victorian gloom and somber tales. This slightly pessimistic view of the world gave the Thompsons an ill-found reputation for miserabilism. On the contrary, their concerts from the period were noted for Linda's soulful vocals and Richard's capricious, off-the-cuff remarks, as well as some truly inspired guitar-work. Here is the legendary live version of The Calvary Cross, a vehicle for Richard's thrilling playing. Please, play this mother loud!

The Thompson released two more albums, Hokey Pokey and Pour Down Like Silver, both to universal praise. It was around this period that Richard and Linda convert to Sufism, a mystic-based branch of Islam. Many have speculated as to how much this religious conversion affected Thompson's writing output. What is clear though is that Thompson felt he and his young family needed to move away from the music industry for a period in the late 1970s. He and Linda would slowly re-emerged in the wider public's eye with two albums in the late 1970s, only to hit their creative highpoint with 1982's Shoot Out The Lights. Sadly, martial problems would come to the surface during the pair's US tour of the same year, with a divorce following. Shoot Out The Lights remains one of Richard Thompson's great achievements. Here is the closing track, Wall Of Death.

After parting ways with Linda, Richard released a string of solo records during the 1980s and early 1990s that showcased his growing songwriting talent and ever-inspired guitar playing. Many classic Thompson tunes come from this period, She Twists The Knife Again, Tear Stained Letter, Waltzing's For Dreamers, Al Bowlly's In Heaven and many others. Here is Thompson's most requested number in recent years, from 1991's Rumor And Sigh.

As Thompson continued to produce great music in the 1990s and 2000s, he began to move further away from the mainstream. He now, instead of being contracted to a big record label, produces his own work and licenses it to small independents for distribution. He boasts an extremely dedicated following who follow their hero's output closely. His songwriting seems to get better and better with every release. Here is a belter of a track from Richard's 2007 album, Sweet Warrior, detailing the plight of a US soldier in Iraq.

One of Richard's more unusual and rewarding projects of the last decade is his 1000 Years Of Popular Music stage-show. Prompted by the turn-of-the-millennium fascination with documenting the greatest songs ever written, Thompson set out to chart the evolution of the popular song form throughout the centuries in an entertaining show. In each show, he includes material such as fugal tunes from medieval monks, Renaissance dances, Gilbert & Sullivan operetta songs, Victorian Music Hall, jazz standards, country & western songs, rock 'n' roll jukebox hits, even the odd Britney Spears classic.

My love for Richard's playing grows with ever new tune of his I hear. The man seems to be a bottomless pit of inspiring licks, jaw-dropping solos and consistently great songwriting. His guitar style is true unique, and very rarely strays into the blues-box cliches of other players. The main characteristic of Richard's style is his use of hybrid picking, a combination of pick and fingers to construct highly technical licks and riffs. He uses this technique for both electric to acoustic work. His electric tone is sharp, spiky, clear and jagged, while his acoustic tone is round, plummy and warm. He can enliven the most basic folk tune with a flurry of diverse licks that will leave any guitar-lover breathless. He is a pure musician, taking innumerable influences from many different sources and distilling them into a truly individual style. He remains a wondrous musical talent, hopefully with many years of rippin' solos left in him. Just like this one from his latest offering, Dream Attic.

Recommended Listening: Richard & Linda Thompson - I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight
 http://allmusic.com/album/i-want-to-see-the-bright-lights-tonight-r20101

Some Choice Thompson Tunes: She Twists The Knife Again (Across a Crowded Room), The Money Shuffle (Dream Attic), Waltzing's For Dreamers (Amnesia)