Dreamers Rise An Open Notebook And for those who choose the twisty road, prefer it to the straight Let joy beat out old misery, as love will conquer hate. Illustration by Henry L. Stephens from The Goblin Snob (ca. 1855) A sort of electronic broadside, composed of rants and reviews, conceits and speculations, and whatever else feels the need to be here. Issued as chance will have it. Short subjects (I) (Catching up on some odds & ends) Better thirty years late than never, I guess. In Concert, November 1975 is the apt if not particularly imaginative title chosen for this CD of live recordings from a tour of performances given by Richard and Linda Thompson more than three decades ago, when they were still man and wife. It's the first album-length live recording of the couple to be released (at least officially), though a few bits and pieces (including two of the cuts included here) have shown up on various compilations over the years. The material included is a mix of songs from I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight, Hokey Pokey, and Pour Down Like Silver, with a few covers and a set of tunes thrown in for good measure. Although Linda holds her own, the setlist doesn't really showcase her best work; there's no “Dimming of the Day” here, no “Has He Got a Friend for Me,” though there is yet another version of “A Heart Needs a Home” (which, strangely enough, I now think of more as her son Teddy's song, based on his fine duet with Richard on the out-of-print “official bootleg” Celtschmerz). The real reason to pick up this record, other than for the chance to hear what the Thompsons were like as an live act in their heyday, is RT's guitar playing, which is particularly brilliant on “Night Comes In,” “For Shame of Doing Wrong,” and “Calvary Cross.” Thompson can play loud and fast when he wants to, but what's notable here is the restraint with which he spins out his soloing: just a few notes here, a few notes there, varied subtly and played with a gorgeously rich tone. And in the background, constant but unobtrusive, is John Kirkpatrick's accordion, filling the same kind of musical space that the harpsichord used to play in baroque flute concertos. For some reason (record industry cluelessness seeming like the most likely explanation), the availability of this Island Records release in the US is very spotty. Amazon has it, but (as of this writing) only as a rather pricey import. You may be better off ordering it from Amazon UK or Amazon Canada, as I did, and waiting the few extra days. Other US merchants thus far don't seem to have picked up on it at all. August 24, 2007 [ Permalink ] Previous page Next page Home Index About Email me