Richard Thompson on Nightmusic

[julietaron]

Hiram's no slouch either!

[Tamapeaone]

I have never liked this song and I think this around this point was the beginning of his artistic slide. I much prefer the work he did with Linda and in the first few years afterwards.

[DarkeningSkies1]

@Tamapeaone His artistic slide began 22 years ago? I must have shitty taste, because I think he has released many, many wonderful albums in that time.

[daf827]

Yes, shows like NM are too good to last, except perhaps on public TV (think "Austin City Limits" which obviously has funding). As for RT he is simply too edgy, too literate, too ironic and too sophisticated for the masses. It's not so much

a matter of RT flying below the radar as flying ABOVE it.

[mrgb46]

@daf827 Well,he is going to be on Spectacle with Nick Lowe and Levon Helm..

[daf827]

I know! I was at the Apollo Theater for the taping! Wonderful! Thank goodness for cable (in this case, the Sundance channel) !

[mrgb46]

You lucky b*******!!! How I envy you...I bet it was excellent!

[daf827]

It was excellent. And yes, I was lucky. RT's website announced that they had a bunch of tickets available by lottery. When I saw the posting on Beesweb, the lottery had already been closed. But, thanks to a cancellation I managed to get a pair of tickets.

[bandcouver]

Have to look up the lyrics to this song. A fine, energetic performance ,but, some of the lyrics are a little heard to make out.

[Smudgefizz]

Funny, I just realized that on this song that he reminds me of Pete Townsend visually, vocally, & songwise... Richard is twenty times the lead guitarist though! If you want to check out some incredible ambient guitar playing by Thompson on video, rent the DVD "Grizzly Man" & watch the Bonus Features - It's a couple of hours of him recording the improvised soundtrack live in the studio with some other great musicians!

[ak47doubletap]

Great to know/ have the CD of Grizzly Man - will rent the DVD!

esp. love Treadwell No More on the CD

and the last song on CD [not by RT] it is coyotes, Great CD

[HullBloke1313]

Awesome! Always a good song, though never a particular favourite of mine, but here it reaches new heights as a result of inspired playing from both RT and the incredible hired guns of the backing band. Talk about synergy!

[Zepster77]

Wow! Sanborn had the mad professor look down-pat at this time, dinnit he?

[vegetablemagnetism]

Chris Lloyd stole it for Back to the Future, I reckon!

[walterdufresne]

If talent was a vaporous dispersion throughout an artist's body, then Richard Thompson has more talent in his cast-off toe nail clippings than that contained in the entire bodies of some popular artists. We're lucky to be alive at a time when he's actively creating.

[pazisad]

this is great,you assholes

[aasiabora]

aweinspiring, verve-y, crackly electric

[gtrvoc]

.. continued .. he almost seems embarrassed to be there .. until he starts playing .. what a giant!

[gtrvoc]

RT is a ridiculously good guitar player .. he uses the same vocal mic as me !! .. that's about the only comparison. HB plays a great solo too .. (check his Little Wing solo) ... I love RTs gawkiness

[chelobes]

that looks like Victor Wooten (Bela Fleck and the Flecktones) on bass.

[erikjanus]

F'ing fabulous!! Hiram et al. and RT are a tremendous combo on this tune that really needs some attitude to pull off. Probably one of the greatest moments this show ever had....

[Pegsneggle]

I made a mistake. Hiram's guitar is not a Rory Gallagher replica. It does look similar though.

[Pegsneggle]

As a long term (30 years) Richard Thompson fan and an even longer Rory Gallagher fan, I was touched to see Hiram Bullock using a Rory Gallagher replica guitar.

[neve1073]

behind the naff sense of fashion, RT is one of the wittiest, most amazing musical forces around.

[mothermoore]

Night music was the best thing that ever hit TV-of course it had to end,the general low end mind set of America fueled and feed by MTV could never support such a show-pity

[daf827]

Totally agree, mothermoore. I LOVED that show. They had people you would never see on network TV otherwise, e.g. Daniel Lanois, whom I discovered on NM, which was too sophisticated for network TV, which is ALL about ratings, sad to say.

[bandcouver]

I taped NM when I could because I had a feeling it was too good to last. My God, ratings a concern even late at night?!! Viewers have let network TV and media in general make them dummied-down and docile consumers. Unable to appreciate a fine unique talent like RT because his music and lyrics are actually of consequence. Sad.

[pfswasp]

this baking band kicks mighty butt! Check them out backing SRV

[MarkStrat]

Great ! That's Hiram Bullock on guitar. Don't know the bassplayer. Anyone ? Have never seen this before.

[fabadoo]

The bass player is Tom Barney. Dunno much about him, but he did do a couple of tours with Steely Dan.

[daf827]

Actually, the bass player is Marcus Miller, who also worked with Miles Davis, and is one of the pioneers of the thumb slap bass technique. Omar Hakim on drums.

[fabadoo]

You might want to look again. While Marcus Miller was involved in the first line-up of the Night Music band, but after that Tom Barney held the bass chair for most--if not all--of the subsequent shows. He's not nearly as well known as Marcus, but he's a great player in his own right. His father was a musician, he studied with Bob Cranshaw (who was playing with Sonny Rollins last time I saw him), and he's played with more people than you can name.

[lawrenceforde]

The bass player is Tom Barney!

[royal1leroy]

I remember seeing this performance. Loved it then, love it now.

[RTFan52]

It's certainly a great backup band - they really seem to give RT a kick. That's Omar Hakim on drums, I think.

[kabybb]

Thanks for posting this - great - when did it take place? I've just remembered I've got a DV tape of Richard at Camridge Festival when Loudon WIII joined him, or vice versa - I'll have to dig it out and post it.

[rufie710]

I love this man

[FakusNamus]

Thanks for posting the RT Nightmusic clips. I've been wanting to see these for a long time.

[jon73]

FANtastic!

[mjanovec]

A pretty rockin' performance from RT here.