1 Now That I Am Dead - Richard Thompson, Blair
2 Genesis Hall
3 Josef Locke
4 Willy O'Winsbury - Richard Thompson, Traditional
5 Don't Sit on My Jimmy Shands
6 Nobody's Wedding
7 Madonna's Wedding
8 Walking the Long Miles Home
9 Withered and Died
10 Beat the Retreat
11 The Great Valerio
12 Walking on a Wire
13 Never Again
14 The End of the Rainbow
15 King of Bohemia
16 Killerman Gold Posse
17 Lotteryland
18 Now Be Thankful
19 Shoot out the Lights
20 Outside of the Inside
21 I Feel So Good
22 Push and Shove
23 Time to Ring Some Changes
24 Cooksferry Queen
25 Waltzing's for Dreamers
26 I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight
27 I Misunderstood
28 Meet on the Ledge
29 Down Where the Drunkards Roll
30 Gethsemane
31 Tear-Stained Letter
32 Wall of Death
33 1952 Vincent Black Lightning
34 From Galway to Graceland
35 Crazy Man Michael - Richard Thompson, Thompson, Richard
36 Dimming of the Day
37 Beeswing
38 Valerie
39 Don't Let a Thief Steal into Your Heart
40 Ghosts in the Wind
41 Crash the Party
42 For Shame of Doing Wrong
43 Calvary Cross
44 Sloth
45 Night Comes In
46 Drowned Dog, Black Night
47 Put It There, Paul
48 Morris Medley: Flying Saucers/Rock 'N' Roll - Richard Thompson, Traditional
49 Substitute - Richard Thompson, Townshend, Pete
50 Tempted - Richard Thompson, Difford, Chris
51 (The Story Of) Hamlet - Richard Thompson, Loesser, Frank
52 Oops, I Did It Again - Richard Thompson, Sandberg
53 Ça Plane Pour Moi - Richard Thompson, LePryck
54 Why Don't Women Like Me? - Richard Thompson, Cottrell
55 Time Has Told Me - Richard Thompson, Drake, Nick
56 Shenandoah - Richard Thompson, Traditional
57 Danny Boy - Richard Thompson, Traditional
58 Move It - Richard Thompson, Samwell, Ian
59 Willie & The Hand Jive/Not Fade Away - Richard Thompson, Otis
60 Loch Lomond - Richard Thompson, Traditional
61 Job of Journeywork - Richard Thompson, Traditional
62 Napoleon's Dream - Richard Thompson, Traditional
63 Sally Rackett - Richard Thompson, Traditional
64 God Loves a Drunk
65 The Angels Took Me Racehorse Away
66 Poseidon - Richard Thompson, Owen
67 Wall of Death - Richard Thompson, Thompson
68 You'll Never Walk Alone - Richard Thompson, Rodgers, Richard
69 I Ain't Marching Anymore - Richard Thompson, Ochs, Phil
70 The Who Medley: My Generation/Can't Explain/Substitute - Richard Thompson, Townshend, Pete
71 Albion Sunrise
72 How Many Times Do You Have to Fall
73 Bad News Is All the Wind Can Carry
74 Mrs. Rita
75 Shady Lies
76 Lucky Life, Unlucky in Love
77 Dragging the River
78 Alexander Graham Bell
79 Someone Else's Fancy
80 Modern Woman
81 Woman or a Man
82 My Daddy Is a Mummy
83 You Got What You Wanted
84 In Over Your Head
85 Dear Janet Jackson

From Amazon.com

don't hesitate if you are a fan of Fairport to recent

 Album Rating: (5 of 5 stars)

Review Comments: I give this box 5 stars due to the labor of love that was poured into it like Silver (sorry, couldn't resist). my personal thoughts: I'm a big fan of the RT era from '90 up till now. I got about 2 solid cd's worth of must have songs from this box. Hearing the older stuff certainly turned me on to some stuff i was unaware of but at the same time the fairport years and even most stuff w/ Linda's vox I can't stand.
Since I'm a die-hard collector in general, this box did a great job of exploring all avenues of RT. There are some typos in the booklet and the "up-selling" the label tries to do within the RT booklet of their own back catalogue is a bit fishy. Otherwise this is a great find and my copy even has the mail-away only cd you got the voucher for in first pressings. Book is very detailed but the graphics on the cd covers & in the book look like this was done at home on a matrix ink printer.
The mesmerizing music that comes out of this box is well worth the minor hassles though. If you are a devotee to RT then grab this up! He is only the best singer/guitarist/songwriter that has ever lived! The different genres, styles and moods you get on this cd is almost overwhelming.

All The Wind Can Carry

 Album Rating: (4 of 5 stars)

Review Comments: Look, I'm no Richard Thompson obsessive, I'm not an audiophile & I'm not a fan of box sets. All that aside, this is essential listening for Thompson admirers & fanatics alike. Where the "Watching The Dark" collection was designed for popular consumption---this one is for the fans.

If you have a tin ear & an attention span lasting longer than 30 seconds, you can't help but notice Richard Thompson is one of the finest and most versatile guitarists Rock ever produced. As a songwriter, he's up there with the idiosyncratic likes of Dylan, Tom Waits & Townes Van Zandt.

True, the book weighs more than the music & is written by a Fairport Convention devotee who has a tendency towards the trivial and pedantic. One gets the sense of an overexcited academic, who's note cards are out of order. Even the interview with Thompson is fairly unrevealing. Thompson mischeiviously pulls the carpet from under with the quote: "To give a definite explaination would spoil the fun". But you're not buying this for the book.

The music speaks for itself. The box is a generous trove of unreleased rarities both studio & live. There's also a free write in disc of others covering Thompson. Making it 6 discs in all.

Highlights certainly include, "Crazy Man Micheal", "Meet Me On The Ledge" & "Sloth"---all of which show their strenghts outside of Fairport Convention's musical anachronisms. Live versions of classics like "Calvary Cross", "Shoot Out The Lights" & "1952 Vincent Black Lightning" never disappoint. On the contrary, they go to show how jaw droppingly solid the songs are. Not to mention the performer.

But its the near out of print, live & lost material that will leave long time fans reeling. I'm talking about things like, "Ghosts In The Wind" & "Drowned Dog Black Night". Stunning workouts & guaranteed to raise the hair on your neck. On the flip side, the initmate acoustic rarities, "Josef Locke" & "Mrs. Rita" would only enhance any Thompson release.

As I said, I am not an audiophile. I wouldn't let sound quality stand in my way of enjoying the many pleasures of Robert Johnson or Charley Patton, not to mention the Harry Smith Folk Anthology. So yes, the sound quality is less than stellar on Thompson's home demos & ferocious but murky live recordings like, "Put It There Pal". But overall, the folks at Free Reed did a great job of dusting out the nooks & crannies.

In terms of the unreleased studio material, "Bad News Is All The Wind Can Carry" is as beautifully bleak as it gets. The fragment, "In Over Your Head" captures Thompson at his most vulnerable & questioning. Revealing to say the least. That's not to say that stuff like "Dragging The River", "Alexander Graham Bell" & "My Daddy Is A Mummy" aren't great infectious fun.

As for the covers disc highlighting Thompson's "1000 Years In Popluar Music"--- the likes of "Substitute" & "Tempted" are always welcome. Both are just as, if not more heartfelt than the originals. The conviction of his version of "You'll Never Walk Alone" serves only to mock his sarcastic stab at Britney Spears',"Oops! I Did It Again".

Great as Page, Beck, Hendrix, Clapton & Richards are---none have proved themselves to be as consistantly strong as Thompson in the songwriting department. The double threat Thompson so consitantly weilds often sets him apart.

Despite long standing critical acclaim, his low key personality, twisted sense of humor, and willingness to go to the "dark place" may have hampered him in terms of popular consumption. But Thompson's weathered through it all with his integrity intact. True, he always looked more like your High School History professor than a Byronic anti-hero. But perhaps, its Thompson's stubborn sense of "Englishness" that's kept him from American superstardom. Its something he makes no apology for & has never tried to bury. He has always remained loyal to his roots but has always dared venture far beyond the genre known as "Folk". So, look beyond the whims of fashion and find the unpretenious grit so many strive for. Its all here waiting for you.

An Original Classic Artist In Need Of Your Support

 Album Rating: (5 of 5 stars)

Review Comments: Okay RT!
I got the money and now have this massive set.

Great box set!
I have heard it and find it to be very nicely done and well crafted.
Some say the sound lacks, but I find it to be satisfactory and above par.
NO complaints here just pure bliss...

thanks for the good times
sincerely
A Man In Need

Love it or leave it

 Album Rating: (5 of 5 stars)

Review Comments: This is gonna be short. Wonderful Box Set. If you love Richard, buy it. Must have for fans. If you don't like him, don't buy it. If you don't know him but want to, see him live first. Not many people could go on after a stellar performance by a group that had T-Bone Burnett, Elvis Costello & Emmylou Harris (Like a couple of weeks ago at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass fest in SF) and not only hold his own (solo, no less) but surpass.

RT is God

 Album Rating: (5 of 5 stars)

Review Comments: O.K. I'll let you guys quibble over varying sound quality, but how do you give these performances anything less than 5 stars? I am listening as I am writing this and all I can say is.......OH MY GOD!!! I WANT MORE!!!