Hey Oz, I did get a chance to see a little bit of Richard Thompson on a various DVD. Sounded pretty good to me.

Rick
That's a start. Now if you ever get the chance to see him
live, go for it. For someone who appreciates the guitar greats like Stevie, and Duane and some of the other people I have seen you post about liking, he is a no brainer. The nice thing is he usuallly plays smaller venues. I'm seeing him Nov 4th. I can't wait.
oz

Oz, what do you think about the Grizzly Man stuff? I haven't been able to pull it out of my CD player since I got it. Besides the fact that it's Richard doing only instrumentals (pretty close to a perfect CD already, just on paper), it sounds absolutely incredible through my Axioms.

Haven't listened to Beat the Retreat in quite a while, but I've got a couple of mixed CDs with Bonnie Raitt's version of "When the Spell is Broken". She does a lovely job on that, IMHO.

Do you own or have you heard "The World is a Wonderful Place"? For the most part I'm not really crazy about a lot of the versions on there, but the title song is worth the purchase price alone. Previously unreleased R&L circa early 70's, and it's not even listed on the CD track list. Good stuff.

Hey Mike
I really like the Grizzly Man cd. I would really like to see the movie to put it in context a bit. I have heard other people say that they think of Thompson and Knopfler as similar. As far as guitar technique and vocal style. I myself never saw the similarities. I think Thompson is drawing from a much larger creative pool. Now before I get scorching posts from Brey and some of the other Mark Knopfler fans let me say I love his work both solo and with Dire Straits. I just think Richard can play virtually any style and this adds to his diversity and his ability to keep me interested for so many years. That said I do see some similarities on the Grizzly CD. This is probably because it is a sound track and Knopfler has done so much of that kind of work.

There is another cd of just instrumental stuff that Richard has done that is out of print. If you don't already have it keep you eyes out for Strict Tempo. This is a cd of traditional folk, jigs and reels. He has minimal accompaniment and he plays a variety of stringed instruments. It is really nice. Unfortunately I have not heard the Grizzly Man on the Axioms. I have only listened to it at work through some old Pioneer 3 ways and in the bedroom through my 901's.

I have not heard The World is a Beautiful Place. I would probably pick it up if I stumbled across it in the used bins. I like the Beat the Retreat CD quite a bit.
I love cranking it up in the car. It would be a good one For Amie's "What CD do you like to kick off the weekend with" thread. Most if not all off the cover’s due Richard's music proud. I have had this CD for years and never tire of it.
Bonnie's version of when the spell is broken is outstanding. I would love to be at a concert and see one or the other invite the other one onto the stage and do a real guitar workout. I think Bonnie is really a very under rated slide guitarist. People only think of her as the voice. After all she had to have picked something up from Lowell George in those early years.
Enjoy the music!
oz

In reply to:

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I myself never saw the similarities. I think Thompson is drawing from a much larger creative pool.

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Agreed. I'm a tremendous fan of Knopfler as well. Making Movies and Sailing to Philadelphia would probably be somewhere on my desert island discs list. But the thing about Richard is that he's pulling ideas from musical places that are pretty alien in western pop music.

Pick your standard guitar god -- Clapton, Page, Beck, Knopfler, Vaughn, whoever -- they're all drawing from a foundation that's primarily blues-based. It might be a fancier version of Chuck Berry or Robert Johnson or Son House, but it's basically hopped up blues. When Richard takes a solo there are so many elements that just don't make sense to the casual ear because they're unfamiliar. I've played guitar since I was nine, and I can't count the number of times I've heard him slip a lick in a song that makes me go, "What the #$@ was that?" Very often it's atonal and it seems like he's backing himself into a corner but he consistently finds thrilling ways through a song. You've seen him enough to catch one of those solos. Heck, they're far more frequent than you'd think was possible. I can't count the times where I would have been less impressed had he started to fire laser beams from his eyeballs and begun to levitate on stage.

I do have Strict Tempo, by the way. The only one I don't have is First Light and that's just because I think it's his weakest album by far -- a genuine anomaly in his catalogue.

Explained as only another musician could. Very accurate Mike. I have seen and heard that many times. You mention atonal... I love jazz for that same reason. There was someone, I think it was on this board, that described different music as if it was food types and how they are consumed and digested. I can't remember who it was but it was very good. Can anyone here help me on this? Richard's music is not always easily digested or accessible. But when you get it, it can nurture and sustain and always stands the test of time.
oz

Happily dancing about Buda and Pest with young master Johannes.

Jeff Buckley (Grace), Robert Plant (Mighty Rearranger) & The Rolling Stones (Some Girls)

Wrapped up 'Electric Blue Watermelon' by the North Mississippi Allstars a few minutes ago and right now it's Stevie Ray's 'In Step'...Lucinda Williams 'Car Wheels On A Gravel' is next up from the bullpen.

Can 'yall tell I'm a Bud Light kind of guy?

No wonder we don't see you in the beer thread.