My partner in crime got to play "Meet on the Ledge" with him at this year's Cropredy.

He said that Richard gave him fashion advice :-)

Is it okay if I shit in this thread instead of the blue one?

I had never heard of Richard Thompson until about an hour ago. I kind of wish I'd never heard of him. He seems to embody everything I loathe about that particular brand of singer-songwriter. It's not the music -- although I don't particularly enjoy that, either (kind of a poor man's Springsteen or a rich man's Billy Bragg, with none of the power of either) -- but rather the delivery that irks me. That "I'm emoting the power of my lyrics" grimace. That beret. It's bad enough to wear a beret in the first place, but to wear it that wrongly is inexcusable. Ugh, berets: The only thing worse is the sort of person who wears one.

Anyway, point being: He's just not my thing, and "you're in for a treat" is more than slightly presumptuous.

*flushes, washes hands*

Reggie.... "not to my taste" wasn't sufficient?

Well, no, frankly.

Both this post and the one in the blue are so full of (with all due respect) disgustingly gushy superlatives that, to be perfectly blunt, it was either shit or barf. I simply went with the one I'm more accustomed to. Sorry if I overstepped, but....yeah.

With respect, then, maybe the right thing to do in this case is to not comment. At some level, there's not too much difference between "disgustingly gushy superlatives" and "insultingly negative criticism."

Rude, silly, uninformed, pointless, immature opinions aside... did you see that he's auctioning off a beautiful Ferrington guitar on his site for charity?

Forgive me, I don't mean to stoke the fires, but my good virtual friend eekacat is kind enough to send me music, which I generally love, but reading this, I thought to myself, is that the guy that I begged him not to send me any more of? Yes, it is!

eekacat says" "You're the first person I've come across who hates him with such vehemence. Don't worry, I'll never send you another tune of his, but I'm curious as to your reaction. Pretentious asshole?"

I said something like, yeah. Clever and cute doesn't equal an opinion or a passion.

I also don't like They Might Be Giants for sort of the same reasons.

That said, essexjan, I do like much of the stuff you like, so hey, everybody, enjoy your Richard Thompson.

For me Thompson is fantastic. A truly great guitarist and a great songwriter.

But yeah, like Dylan, Neil Young and a whole bunch of other artists, it's impossible to sit on the fence.

And aren't those often the best?

Yeah, dodgy. Neil Young is a God. Dylan I can't stand. I know he's written some great songs but, christ, that fucking voice of his does my head in.

Yeah, dodgy. Neil Young is a God. Dylan I can't stand. I know he's written some great songs but, christ, that fucking voice of his does my head in.

Ha ha! For me it's the polar opposite - I cannot stand Neil Young. I cannot see what the fuss is about. And don't give me any of the CSN(Y) stuff, either. It did take me a while to get into Dylan, but I got it in the end. Young, though. Nope.

*swats TheDonF across the face with a glove*

"Pistols at dawn, Sir!"

Yes, I agree, dodgygeez, they are often the best. No fence sitting.

I get Neil Young and don't get Dylan, too, eejjj.

Okay, so it is! I'll bring the latest Dylan album and you bring the latest Young one.

Unless you mean to battle it out with Sex Pistols albums?!

MUSIC WAR!!!

Guns of Navarone vs. Guns of Brixton

RESULT: The Clash WIN! (but only just)

Bikini Girls With Machine Guns vs. Swords of a Thousand Men

RESULT: The Cramps WIN!

The Battle for Straight Time vs The Battle of Evermore

RESULT: AC Newman's pop is no match for the might Zep!

the Clash win!? No way! Which version of Navarone guns are you thinking here?

heh heh heh

NO ONE CAN RESIST MUSIC WAR!!!!

I get Neil Young and don't get Dylan, too, eejjj.

Thirded, which makes me sad right now because this movie sounds intriguing (and I like Todd Haynes a lot), but I know even if I see it, I won't fully be able to appreciate it as Dylan non-fan.

I like RT but it seems like it's a Joanna Newsome thing. Love or hate with a lot of I MUST TELL YOU behind either one. Thanks for this EJ.

I like Dylan AND Neil Young AND Richard Thompson AND Joanna Newsom. What do I win?

Oh, yes... now I remember: Joy.

1952 Vincent Black Lightning - Del McCoury Band

Embarrassing side note: For awhile I got into Teddy Thompson, Richard Thompson's son. He played with Rufus Wainwright, which is sort of hilarious because they're both heirs to music legacies of some sort. Anyway, Teddy Thompson's music never even made it onto my iTunes. I think I might still have the album I bought, collecting dust somewhere.

(This is embarrassing because anyone who has ever heard Teddy Thompson knows he is not a very good musician.)

Anyway, it was because of Teddy that I listened a bit to Richard. I could see his music was good, but I still didn't like it. Alas!

Hmm, you all are lumping Thompson in with Dylan and Young? I don't hear that, but then I'm not really into any of these three.

I listened to all four songs. The one I liked (actually, fell in love with) was Bee's Wing. The other three didn't do anything for me.

Alright, RT haters, here's the deal: You can't beat something with nothing. Provide us with *your* idea of a musical artist who would be a treat to hear.

Anything goes, but extra points for somebody in the singer/songwriter folk-rocky vein. Apples to Apples and whatnot.

"... Anything goes, but extra points for somebody in the singer/songwriter folk-rocky vein. ..."

Ah, there's your trouble.

Thompson is one of my favorite artists and even when he has a song that doesn't hit the nail fully on the head, he still manages to have at least something in it still worth hearing. Although I prefer his Polygram and Capitol years (Accross a Crowded Room through Mirror Blue), he's been pretty consistant through his entire career. He excels at both deeply personal songs and hilarious character studies, which is one of the reasons I love him so much. He's near the top in my book for his lyrics and songwriting alone, but then add to it the fact that he's one of the best guitarists out there.

All this thread proves is that true musical artists are not SUPPOSED to appeal to everyone.

(Generally if everybody likes a singer, off my list they go. I never bought Frampton Comes Alive, I hate Elvis with a passion, and how Britney ever became famous is past me. )

Oh, and I'm Team Neal if I have to pick. Dylan is okay but Neal Young has all my childish memories.

"... Provide us with *your* idea of a musical artist who would be a treat to hear. ..."

In the rare case I'm called upon for a folk recommendation, I point to Bert Jansch or John Renbourn, and, personally, I keep hoping for a re-union of the original Pentangle line up, but that would be like trying to re-capture lightning in a bottle.

I like Griffin House.

"The Battle of Evermore" is infinitely helped by having Sandy Denny, which AC Newman shall never do. (Neko Case ain't that great, sorry.)

I adore Richard Thompson, always have. I think Sandy slays him on many levels, but he's a rare and true artist. No fencing for me either.

Richard Thompson is indeed a great musician. He (and his ex-wife Linda) have a song in my 300(streaming audio included).

OK, my name was dragged into this by my best mecha friend, so I'll comment now that everyone else has had a chance, and no one will read this.

I've been a fan of Richard Thompson since the early 80's. I went to a concert of his with his band because I read that he was a great guitarist who shared a sound with another guitarist I liked at the time, Mark Knopfler. I had no idea what to expect having not heard any of his music, and out came the band, complete with accordion player, and this goofy guy in a blue track suit with an old Fender Stratocaster. I left having seen one of the more amazing guitar performances in my life. The guy can flat out play. After that I started buying albums (yes the vinyl round thingies), and then saw him again about a year later, this time acoustic and solo. Again, I was blown away by his talent on the guitar, but also how his songwriting comes across that way. Stripped down, and just him and his voice. I've seen a lot of people over the years play acoustic and solo, and Leo Kottke is great as long as he doesn't sing, and him and Richard Thompson are all I can stand to listen to for a whole show, and want to hear more. I've probably been to 10 or 12 Richard Thompson shows over the years, and I've never been disappointed.

Here's the deal. He's a guy who's an incredibly talented guitar player. I don't think anyone would deny that, even his haters. I think he writes some really great songs as well, but I can understand if you don't like the style they are written in. The kind of criticism I find stupid and absurd is that you don't like his facial expressions when he plays or that he wears a beret. "I don't like his attitude" is just moronic pap, and really shows true ignorance about music. In all honesty, that's plain stupid. Now if you said that about someone like Kenny G who has really good chops, but no musical talent, then I'd understand it. Or perhaps Bono, who has an obnoxious persona, no musical talent, and can't sing or play any instrument to boot.

I don't care for Bob Dylan myself. He's written some great songs in his early years, but I don't think he's particularly musically sophisticated in his writing or his performance. Nor has he written anything in the last 25 years or so that measures up to his early stuff. I will say he was good at he did. As I get older I find Neil Young more compelling. Again he's a good songwriter, but he's not really sophisticated musically. Love these two or hate them, there's no denying their talent. These two are standing on their songs alone, which most of the time isn't enough to sustain me. I need to have real musical talent to keep me interested. Richard Thompson does that for me. If it doesn't for you then fine, but don't give me some stupid shit about a beret.

For whatever it might be worth, I am a fan of Thompson, Dylan, and Young. I think all three are past their prime, but since all of them can still bring the goods on occasion I'm willing to cut them a little slack.

As far as Thompson goes, I think he did his best work with Linda, his ex-wife. Those of you who are interested should look into I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight and Shoot Out The Lights. Richard's solo stuff has been spotty, but I'll never ever fault his playing. He wrote his best lyrics for a woman with an amazingly heartbreaking voice, but he's able to reach those same emotional points with his guitar. That works for me.

it was either shit or barf

Either way, do it in your own fucking toilet.

That beret. It's bad enough to wear a beret in the first place, but to wear it that wrongly is inexcusable. Ugh, berets: The only thing worse is the sort of person who wears one.

Relax. It's a hat.