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Track Listings

Disc: 1

1	The Little Beggar Girl - Richard Thompson, Linda Thompson
2	Dragging the River - Richard Thompson, Linda Thompson
3	The Great Valerio - Richard Thompson, Linda Thompson
4	The Neasden Hornpipe / the Avebury Particle Accelerator / the Flowing Tide - Richard Thompson, Linda Thompson
5	I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight - Richard Thompson, Linda Thompson
6	Hokey Pokey - Richard Thompson, Linda Thompson
7	Georgie on a Spree - Richard Thompson, Linda Thompson
8	Ill Regret It All in the Morning - Richard Thompson, Linda Thompson
9	A Heart Needs a Home - Richard Thompson, Linda Thompson
10	Wishing - Richard Thompson, Linda Thompson
11	I'm Turning Off a Memory - Richard Thompson, Linda Thompson
12	A Man in Need - Richard Thompson, Linda Thompson
13	Withered and Died - Richard Thompson, Linda Thompson
14	New Fangled Flogging Reel / Kerry Reel - Richard Thompson, Linda Thompson
15	Shoot Out the Lights - Richard Thompson, Linda Thompson
16	It's Just the Motion - Richard Thompson, Linda Thompson
17	Back Street Slide - Richard Thompson, Linda Thompson
18	Night Comes in - Richard Thompson, Linda Thompson
19	Dimming of the Day - Richard Thompson, Linda Thompson
20	Modern Woman - Richard Thompson, Linda Thompson

Disc: 2

1	She Twists the Knife Again - Richard Thompson
2	You Don't Say - Richard Thompson
3	When the Spell Is Broken - Richard Thompson
4	The Angels Took My Racehorse Away - Richard Thompson
5	Valerie - Richard Thompson
6	Jennie - Richard Thompson
7	You Don't Say - Richard Thompson
8	Fire in the Engine Room - Richard Thompson
9	Wall of Death - Richard Thompson
10	Nearly in Love - Richard Thompson
11	Valerie - Richard Thompson
12	When the Spell Is Broken - Richard Thompson
13	Two Left Feet - Richard Thompson
14	Turning of the Tide - Richard Thompson
15	Simple Again - Richard Thompson
16	Ghosts in the Wind - Richard Thompson
17	Shoot Out the Lights - Richard Thompson
18	She Twists the Knife Again - Richard Thompson
19	Withered and Died - Richard Thompson
20	The End of the Rainbow - Richard Thompson

Disc: 3

1	Gethsemane - Richard Thompson
2	The Outside of the Inside - Richard Thompson
3	Wall of Death - Richard Thompson
4	Word Unspoken Sight Unseen - Richard Thompson
5	Kidzz - Richard Thompson
6	Did She Jump or Was She Pushed - Richard Thompson
7	The End of the Rainbow - Richard Thompson
8	One Door Opens - Richard Thompson
9	The Outside of the Inside - Richard Thompson
10	Let It Blow - Richard Thompson
11	Old Thames Side - Richard Thompson
12	Dad's Gonna Kill Me - Richard Thompson
13	Down Where the Drunkards Roll - Richard Thompson
14	I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight - Richard Thompson
15	Needle and Thread - Richard Thompson
16	So Ben Mi Ca Bon Tempo - Richard Thompson
17	A Hunting the Wren - Richard Thompson
18	See My Friends - Richard Thompson
19	Times Gonna Break You - Richard Thompson
20	William Brown - Richard Thompson
21	Meet on the Ledge - Richard Thompson

Disc: 4

1	Jet Plane in a Rocking Chair - Richard Thompson, Linda Thompson
2	A Heart Needs a Home - Richard Thompson, Linda Thompson
3	Night Comes in - Richard Thompson, Linda Thompson
4	I'm a Dreamer - Richard Thompson, Linda Thompson
5	I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight - Richard Thompson, Linda Thompson
6	Shoot Out the Lights - Richard Thompson, Linda Thompson
7	You're Going to Need Somebody - Richard Thompson, Linda Thompson
8	Dargai - Richard Thompson, Linda Thompson
9	Dimming of the Day - Richard Thompson, Linda Thompson
10	Pavanne - Richard Thompson, Linda Thompson
11	Just the Motion - Richard Thompson, Linda Thompson
12	Fire in the Engine Room - Richard Thompson
13	She Twists the Knife Again - Richard Thompson
14	Wall of Death
15	When the Spell Is Broken
16	Did She Jump or Was She Pushed
17	Wrong Heartbeat
18	Tear Stained Letter
19	She Twists the Knife Again

Product description

Product Description

Please note that the format of the DVD included in this box set is NTSC.

Review

For long-term fans, this handsomely comprehensive box set boasting 58 (out of 61) songs presented on CD for the very first time, as well as a DVD's worth of TV performances, represents an essential purchase. As such, it admirably doubles as a remarkably thorough and revealing primer for those encountering the savage pleasures of Thompson's work for the first time.

With spiky renditions that occasionally outrank their studio counterparts, the tracks featuring his then-wife Linda's supple vocals from the early-70s sessions remain some of the most spellbinding items in a notable songbook that has spanned over 40 years.

Though his instrumental prowess is expressive and nuanced throughout, his vocal style is often hard and unforgiving. During the 1985 Late Night in Concert set on the DVD, amidst the bustle of a surging band, his voice transforms into a hectoring bellow not always suited to serving his eloquent wordplay.

Perhaps that's an inevitable by-product of the judgmental nature of his observations and the acerbic targeting of his subjects. Inhabiting a narrative the way an actor plays a part, the characters pronouncing and pontificating during several of Thompson's songs are exactly the kind of people you'd cross over the road to avoid if you saw them heading your way.

Whether it's the dead-eyed pessimism of End of the Rainbow, the cat-calling misogyny of Modern Women, or the sneering middle-age contempt of Kidzz (previously unreleased), the spittle-flying force with which Thompson hurls his invective makes for an emotionally taut, and occasionally tortuous, experience.

Though it's not always pretty, when he stares into the abyss and reports back on relationships predicated on varying degrees of self-interest, exploitation and weakness, it's an oddly thrilling and vicarious experience that keeps listeners coming back for more.

Some of the very best points come when it's just the voice and guitar, stripped back and momentarily vulnerable. The lonesome, confessional ache of Ghosts in the Wind, from a truly commanding 1985 session for Andy Kershaw, is simply priceless.

Coming as it does with a lavish, informative booklet containing the guitarist's reflections on these sessions (plus a useful and welcome perspective from Linda), this box set brings you about as close as can be to getting a real sense of the ferocious intensity that makes this artist tick.

--Sid Smith

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Product details

Is discontinued by manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 20.7 x 17.81 x 2.39 cm; 326.02 g
Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ Commercial Marketing
Label ‏ : ‎ Commercial Marketing
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B004WZ92BM
Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 4

Best Sellers Rank: 115,991 in CDs & Vinyl (See Top 100 in CDs & Vinyl)
- 5,369 in Folk & Songwriter
- 12,042 in Pop Rock
- 12,203 in Box Sets (CDs & Vinyl)

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Sordel

Solid Gold

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 21 June 2011

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Stretching from 1973 to 2009, this box is considerably more ambitious than the previous BBC boxed sets for Sandy Denny and Fairport Convention. I apologise in advance for the long review but if you order it right now it may have arrived by the time you finish reading. And you won't regret it. (Ordering, that is, I can't make any promises about the reading part.)

PACKAGING

This is again deluxe packaging on the lines of earlier sets in the series, with the decent booklet "bound" into the centre of a book-style set. The discs are not held by the same plastic trays, however, and I don't care for the very fiddly new system, that involves depressing tabs to remove each disc. There is no detailed personnel information in the booklet, which is an oversight, but the presentation is nevertheless good.

THE DVD

Many fans will head straight to the DVD: eighty minutes of reasonably high-quality video stamped with the BBC's occasionally odd fashions for performance footage. Speaking of odd fashions, it must have been cold under those studio lights, since Richard and Linda begin in 1975 with a brace of songs in woolly hats: a slightly uncertain "Jet Plane in a Rocking Chair" followed by a superb performance of "A House Needs A Home".

Seven songs from 1981 include Linda's lovely performance of Denny's "I'm a Dreamer" and a very nice "Shoot Out The Lights". An excellent "Dargai" is played alone rather than as the endpoint of "Dimming of the Day", although fans of that song will not be disappointed by the version here, in a distinctive arrangement with accordion and banjo. "Pavanne" from a Jake Thackray programme confirms the initial conclusion that this is a great set for fans of Linda's voice.

Disappointingly, the songs from 1985, though broadcast by the BBC, constitute footage from the concert commercially released as Across a Crowded Room, which many fans of Thompson will own already. It's very good footage, but not complete and not new, so only valuable if you don't have it. Fans of Thompson's hats will not want to miss the one he wears on the climactic performance of "She Twists The Knife Again".

Overall, the DVD is a definite plus of the set, with sound quality and a quality of performance that means that it is included for more than curiosity value.

THE CDS

At nearly four hours, the audio tracks here - almost all apparently new to CD - offer an enormous haul of new material.

For the first few tracks, audible tape hiss is an acceptable sound defect that cannot blight a lively performance of "I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight" with a live brass band, nor a strong, accordionless "Hokey Pokey". "A Heart Needs A Home" with a piano is one of several intriguing arrangements that follow. An extensive live set from 1982, right at the end of Linda's time with Richard, shows her voice touchingly ragged on "Withered and Died". A more conventional "Dimming of the Day", accompanied solely by guitar, will be a treat to many despite the fact that the source tape is not the best. We say goodbye to Linda at the end of the first CD.

Disc 2 takes up the story in 1985 with an Andy Kershaw session full of unexpected pop appeal. Next we are in an extended live set from 1986 whose highlights include a beautiful take on "Jennie" and an especially firey "Fire In The Engine Room", before ducking back to the Andy Kershaw session for ten solo tracks. These acoustic versions are well recorded and quite a treat: they include a performance of "When The Spell Is Broken" that contrasts enormously with the band version at the start of the disc. If you haven't heard the solo guitar version of "Shoot Out The Lights", be ready to be amazed. The solo session ends with "The End of the Rainbow": a moving end to a set of performances that is pretty much essential listening.

Disc 3 flashes forward to the new century but carries over the solo acoustic guitar vibe. I found this the most intriguing part of the set, because there were several songs here that I did not know in acoustic versions: "Gethsemane", "Outside of the Inside", "Did She Jump Or Was She Pushed?", "One Door Opens", "Dad's Gonna Kill Me". There is a comparative rarity too in the non-album track "Kidzz". The penultimate session on the boxed set features solo performances of songs from 1000 Years of Popular Music including the beautiful "A-Hunting the Wren", which to the best of my knowledge has not been previously released. "Time's Gonna Break You" was a new Thompson original to me, and a typical example of his pet genre: "songs of menace and resentment". The set concludes, aptly, with the Fairport anthem "Meet on the Ledge", providing a point of return for this weighty post-Fairport retrospective.

The absence of band from these later sessions will disappoint those primarily drawn by Thompson's reputation as a great electric guitarist, but collectors will be pleased at getting so many versions that vary from album versions. I have skated over the issue of duplication; certainly several of these songs appear in multiple guises, but there is probably enough variation in them to head off complaints. Listeners looking for a representative collection will nevertheless be shocked at many of the omissions: no "Beeswing" or "1952 Vincent Black Lightning", for example. Long-term fans will not be troubled that this set does not even attempt to be a "best of".

Despite the narrowness of its focus upon a limited number of appearances and configurations, however, this is an absolutely stellar addition to Thompson's discography that is absolutely essential for fans of his work with Linda, his 1980s output and his solo acoustic work. A landmark boxed set.

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John Firth

Mostly good

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 April 2013

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There are big, important parts of his career that aren't covered: did the BBC stop asking him to work for them? What's there is great, and the video stuff is mostly excellent: but the bit from 'A Little Night Music' is infuriating. Why did that prat of a producer cut 'Night Comes In' into chunks, why didn't he show all of it, and why didn't he show the musicians? What did the photos have to do with the music?

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Eduardo

Eds review

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 August 2011

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Well this is a timely addition to the Richard Thompson canon supplementing previously releases career compilations such as the excellent "Watching the Dark" compilation released by Haannibal some years ago.Everything youd ever want to know about Richard Thompsons post Fairport career from the partnership with Linda Thompson through his solo work backed at various times by a cast of exemplary musicians.Im particularly fond of the 1985/86 period with Clive Gregson and Christine Collister in tow ,the sound throughout this CD is magnificent.The solo stuff is exemplary,check out the solo session playing "Wall of Death" and youll see what I mean.And to add to the delights of the audio material theres a fourth CD of video material from various sessions for programmes such as the Old Grey Whistle Test and more obscure TV appearances.A must buy for all you Thompson fans and a great introduction for those less familiar with his work.

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Robert Hall

I LOVE IT

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 12 May 2014

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Always delivers. been a fan for 30 years.While i can't see this winning many new fans- action packed-best of will do that- this is just a great addition.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 February 2014

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Fantastic collection of recordings to sit beside the Free Reed box. Not just for completeists the tracks stand up amazingly well.

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Partly in touch

And yet .... I'm left wondering if for obscure (but not to RT, no doubt) reasons there are .........

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 21 September 2012

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Pretty much providing most of the missing classic performances I am overall pretty pleased with the purchase. And yet .... I'm left wondering if for obscure (but not to RT, no doubt) reasons there are perhaps superior performances which have been omitted. Oh well. Meanwhile the preceding reviews from others here are in the main accurate in my view despite their contrasting observations. [...]

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G. Johnson

Thompson doesn't make bad records.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 18 May 2015

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Sheer class. Thompson doesn't make bad records.

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MAC

Quality performances throughout as you'd expect from Richard Thompson.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 January 2015

A nice boxset to showcase where Richard Thompson's real talent lies, playing live. This 3cd and 1dvd box set really demonstrates his amazing song writing talent not to mention his great guitar work. From his early stuff with Linda Thompson to the the late noughties, it's all here. OK some of the recordings are not great, but it's still of historic value. The set itself is presented in a nice format as show in the photos, with a decent booklet bound into the centre spine of the box set. So this is a must for all RT fans. I'd give it 4 and half stars.

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JackFrost

Einfach ...

Reviewed in Germany on 24 July 2019

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… gesagt, tolle Musik, dargeboten sowohl für die Ohren, als auch für die Augen. Wer R & L Thompson mag, wird dieses Set mögen. Nebenbei noch ihre gemeinsamen Alben und Freude herrscht. Ich bin entzückt.

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Stefy

Alive and very well

Reviewed in France on 20 January 2016

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Ce type devrait vraiment être plus connu. Non mais faut voir le niveau. Et comme ça, sans forcer, ça respire l'humilité, l'honnêteté, la force tranquille. Et ça vibre d'humanité. C'est bien simple, ce gars n'a jamais pondu un mauvais disque. Jamais. De tout son être émane de la musique. Sincère et incroyablement proche de nous. Alors quand un coffret vient nous proposer ses sessions BBC, on se précipite et on remercie les cieux de ce cadeau. Trois CDs de plus de 75 minutes et un DVD pour les passages télé live. Le premier disque couvre la période avec se femme Linda. Très très bon. Le deuxième, c'est le début de l'ère solo, au milieu des années 80. La moitié des titres provient d'une mirifique session solo acoustique de toute beauté. Et qui annonce le troisième CD, entièrement en solo acoustique, de 2001 à 2009. Ce troisième CD est ahurissant: pourtant tout seul, Richard Thompson trouve le moyen d'être passionnant d'un bout à l'autre de ces presque 80 minutes extatiques. Il renvoie tout le monde dans les cordes, pulvérisant toutes les performances du genre, même celles réalisées par des géants rompus à cet exercice. Springsteen et Young peuvent être verts de jalousie. La prestation de Thompson n'est pas ennuyeuse une seule seconde. Alors on ne sait ce qu'on doit le plus louer ici car chez Thompson, tout est étroitement imbriqué: son jeu de guitare absolument sidérant, ses compositions toujours excellentes, sonnant vraies, réellement bien tournées, son implication totale dans l'exécution des titres, sans pourtant jamais non plus en rajouter, toujours dans la juste mesure et le sentiment noble ? On notera aussi que ces performances exceptionnelles, de toute beauté, datent des années 2000. Car Thompson, bien au contraire de nombre de ses pairs, ne cesse d'évoluer, de maîtriser au mieux son idiome, l'enrichissant constamment d'influences diverses et variées, au gré de sa curiosité insatiable. L'homme est passionné et nous le fait bien partager. Il est capable de tout et, donc, continue d'avancer, ne s'appuyant nullement sur ses faits d'arme seventies. Partant du folk, il a accumulé les richesses et, tout en conservant son style propre, a su faire évoluer son art. Ainsi son jeu de guitare, tout aussi stupéfiant en acoustique qu'en électrique, un jeu unique, toujours au service de la musicalité et du morceau, jamais bavard pour rien, jamais bavard tout court, d'ailleurs, juste juste et vivant. Ce troisième CD est bien un incroyable tour de force. Essayez juste "Dad's Gonna Kill Me": il faut l'entendre pour le croire. Le frisson. Et c'est comme ça pour tout ce CD. Mais les deux autres sont excellents également, aucun souci. Juste: ils bénéficient d'un son pas toujours excellent, un peu criard, un peu trop brut. Egalement, on ne conseillera pas forcément ce coffret au débutant: il manque à mon avis quelques grands morceaux du monsieur et le déséquilibre entre acoustique et électrique est ici trop prononcé. Un truc comme le coffret 3CDs "Watching The Dark" vous garantie un plus vaste et juste panorama (il contient d'ailleurs pas mal de morceaux live de toute beauté). Pour ceux qui connaissent déjà Thompson, là, par contre, on peut foncer. Pour le fan, c'est un bonheur sans fard et inaltérable.

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Clare Vancouver

Wonderful Edition, Fabulous Packaging

Reviewed in Canada on 12 June 2014

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I knew we would just rip this onto our iPods, but the packaging is wonderful. And Richard Thompson is such an amazingly underrated British musician. Highly recommended

Sammy

A tremendous box set

Reviewed in the United States on 15 September 2011

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Another five-star review from this RT fan. The variety of songs from these sources will enhance the collection of any true fan. Disc one is a treasure of Richard and Linda doing absolute gems. True, the first few songs aren't the greatest in terms of audio quality, but no matter, you will love these tracks. We have stunning versions of Richard solo and band in the next two discs. The dvd is fabulous, especially the Richard and Linda tracks. The booklet is almost worth the price itself. Now, despite the rave, five-star star designation, two minor flaws: the audio discs have some curious repetition as choices; "i want to see the bright lights tonight" is a great song, but it comes three times (although the treatment is admittedly quite different); the dvd is wonderful but the seven great tracks on "a little night music" are marred, for me, by the constant and irritating intrusion of "artistic photo essays," which add nothing to the music and much to distract the viewer. there are places where richard takes off into a solo and we're watching ridiculous photographs. this, of course, was the way the production was originally shot and could not be edited. the segment comprises almost a third of the dvd's content but doesn't completely block one's enjoyment of the content. one more complaint--perhaps i am just a klutz, but i find the "push-button" holders of the discs to be tricky and a pain to eject and sometimes push back. anyone else encounter this problem? well, enough carping--this wonderful box set belongs in any RT fan's collection. just keep those fingers nimble when you take out the discs!

10 people found this helpful

ＭｏｒｅＧｕｉｔａｒ　　

ありがたきBBC音源！

Reviewed in Japan on 17 July 2011

Verified Purchase

RTのファンならこのリリースにいくらでも感謝したくなるでしょう。
放送用音源なので安心音質、曲良し、演奏良しのそろい踏みです。
全てが貴重音源で聴き応え充分、満腹感で動けません!
Disc１ではリンダとの活動をダイジェストで収録、Disc2は来日メンバーとのライブ、
アコギでの弾き語り、Disc3はRTのギターファンなら思わず仰け反るギター三昧です。
Disc4はDvD、神聖なごとく歌うリンダにリチャードのギターが寄り添いS・ニコル、D・マタックス、
ｊ・カークパトリック、p・ゾーン達が絶妙に絡みます。カメラの前でニコリともしない演奏の中
p・ゾーンの動きが笑えたりもします。
８５年のライヴは２回目の来日記念時に販売していたビデオと同じ画像でしたが初DVD化なのでお許しを…。
最後の最後にとどめの１曲！エレキギターでの「ナイフアゲイン」これで決まり！！！！！

13 people found this helpful

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