When Richard Thompson first heard the 'Beano' album with the Bluesbreakers he shit his pants and said who is that that can play guitar like that?. It was Clapton. Then Jimi came over and Richard shit his pants again. And I love Richard Thompson.
I know I'm nit-picking, but there's a 2-and-a-bit second timelag between the video and the audio which is so annoying when you're trying to follow his finger work.
I know I'm nit-picking, but there's a 2-and-a-bit second timelag between the video and the audio which is so annoying when you're trying to follow his finger work.
I saw this line up last week in Salisbury. They were phenomenal, the drummer especially. I'd go and see them again just to hear Sidney Wells done live. Awesome.
Clapton vs Thomspon. One of them is a little over rated, the other very under rated. Not only could Clapton not write vincent black lightning, he couldn't even play it. I have yet to see any one accomplish that.
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@EamonJgod Alright dude youre retarted this has to be one of the worst sounding solos ive ever heard eric clapton is a man of soul abd emotion and every note he plays the guitar sings it beutifally and youre trying to tell me this bum playing to 25 people is better? Youre a fucking idiot
@Limesquibbo I've seen him personally play to thousands and thousands of people live, by himself, and he plays like no other. ITs fine that you enjoy Clapton, but this man is no bum, Eric Clapton himself would smack you if he heard you say that.
@Limesquibbo: Only one idiot here. Thompson was #19 on Rolling Stone magazines Top 100 Guitarists of All Time. Clapton is a populist, blues-lite journeyman. Easy-listening for the smart denim set. Thompson is still, at 62, a fearsome guitarist, a true innovator who would sooner stick pins in his eyes than peel off a blues lick. Seen him live many times, acoustic and with a full band, and for a guitarist like me there are few finer experiences. Seen Clapton. Not bad. No Richard Thompson, though..
@Ironlungs777 I also like Zakk Wylde, Malmsteen, and Satch, but none of them match RT. Why? It's because he can do something they can't: Avoid the blues. Try to play like him. I dare you. I double-dog dare you. Wylde is the only one of those guitarists who really uses his right hand, but he can't do it like RT's hybrid style. Richard has had many better moments than this one clip too, and he rarely plays the same thing twice, unlike Wylde.
Clapton plays like an Anglo trying to reinterpret the old blues guys, and that's the sound you get - Cracker Blues; Ricky Nelson for another generation. Thompson stays closer to home, so you instead get agro-Englishman twisting a Fender apart while it's spewing his semi-twisted soul all over stage.
@randombeliefs Nice mention. John Williams can do just about anything with a guitar and no one knows him for that. I have a cd of borque music on guitar from him. It doesn't even seem possible to my ears.
If Richard Thompson could have written tears in heaven, then why didnt he?
Clapton plays with soul EVERY single time and also has his set style of music that he plays. Richard Thompson is v ery good at what he does, but should never have picked an electric guitar up because thats awful! Why can clapton sound good on anything he plays but Thompson evidently cant play lead guitar!
By now, I'm a pretty decent musician myself, and not a bad soloist. I know enough to be able to think along with guys like Clapton--not that I could do what they do myself, mind you, but I can tell where they're going and what they're trying to do. Not so with RT--his musical vocabulary is SO different, his knowledge of the fretboard and every possible guitar style is so thorough, he's always light years ahead of me. I just have to sit and listen in awe . . .
I've been to (I think) 14 of the Cropredy festivals, and RT never fails to amaze. Play any note you like, and then try to get out of it and back into the tune in a slick and stylish fashion... Now that's a seriously good way to approach playing the guitar.. .I've never looked back... Thanks for posting the vid
Ask any of the top guitarists and musicians, and they have, as to who they would all want to hear, and Thompson would be there as one of the tops. Not relying on old tried and tested formulae which most of the previously mentioned guitarists trip out, Thompson pushes the learning skills further than anyone today. Most people are "safe" with the old formulae as it feels comfortable. Thompson mixes old with new. Mark Knophler insisted on presenting Thompson with BBC Award on behalf of musicians.
Cropredy 2007: my jaw dropped the full 6'4" when this was happening - at this age one is supposed to be living of past glory not still stretching the envelope. At the IoW Hendrix had me nodding off - yes I'm that old. RT's had 30+ more years to practise and these days Hendrix couldn't live with him - heresy I know but like many heresies - true! As for shredders - RT and McLaughlin could shred them all but what for? Music is an art not a branch of athletics!
Cream usually finds its way to the top so I'd call him somewhere between whole milk and 2%. Technically he obviously knows his stuff but aesthetically he's not what I'd call readily accessible. Course I like some of Neil Young's one note solos, so maybe all my Pop-Tart taste is in my mouth.
i find richard and neil very similar and awesome. they are both masters of electric and acoustic, and they are not afraid to take risks or make mistakes.
To all the moronic idiots who are writing criticism - this man is recognized as a literal legend among musicians. He has been innovating and pushing the entire genre of guitar music forward longer than most "good" guitarists have been alive. What f*cking idiots.....
Playing the blues, I am sure. I won't try to convert anyone, but RT always traveled as far from the R&B ethos as he could. I always liked the atonality touches of his electric guitar solos. A bit of XXth century thrown on top of old folk songs with funny time signatures. Far out, man!!!
I've seen him playing the blues (aka Robert Johnson) and stringswing. He teached at a guitarworkshop in front of a bunch of early teenagers. He took "Smoke On the Water" back to the original roots, demonstrated, talked and lectured the youngsters in a very friendly, enlightening way. It was quite amazing just to watch how he got those Blackmore wannabies into actually listen, and try to understand why and how "Smoke On the Water" could be made. Ol' England missed a great teacher in RT.
That must've been a very enlightening session. Remember though, with much respect, the 'Smoke On The Water' riff is quite basic. It's power is its catchiness, surely.
I think he is a really cool guy and a very nice person. A guitarist? Well alright, yes, sort of. A guitarist's guitarist? Heck no!
If you listen to the likes of Bireli Lagrene, Wes Montgomery, John McLaughlin, Shawn Lane, Al DiMeola, Hendrix, George Benson, Andy McKee, Tommy Emmanuel, Larry Carlton, Lee Ritenour, etc, etc, it is very difficult to take Richard Thompson seriously.
Not sure i'd get a response, but i'd love to. however, RTs name comes up as an influence or respected pier more times than most other guitarist in interviews with respected guitarist. you many not like his style (i for one can't stand al dimeola, but i can still respect his ability).
Don't agree with your last comment at all,I not only listen to all of those you mention on a fairly regular basis, i try to copy them too.
I would put Mr Thompson above all of them, he never has tried to copy anyone else.
Being original is most important to him, above all else, his material comes from his life in Britain, when i return to his albums(and i have them all) after a long absence, his style of playing comes as a breath of fresh air.
If you were at all familiar with his work you would no there is very little "accidental" about what he's doing here. Unconventional and unexpected would be better descriptions. It is not by accident that it is "pretty cool".
Weaver man, caveman, you just don't get it do you, every note he plays for a reason, there may be the odd mistake here and there but the dissonant notes he CHOOSES are menacing perfection, any guitarist would loose a limb to be able to play with that kind of excitement without turning everything up to 10.
What do YOU know about guitar playing? Apparently more than David Gilmour, Bonnie Raitt, and Mark Knopfler? All of these and many more love RTs playing. Rolling Stone voted him in top 20 guitarists of all time!
He also jammed with Hendrix, is buddies with James Burton, and I've been trying to play like RT for over a year. When I told him that in person, he chuckled and said, "I personally hope you are unsuccessful".
@zaytuni Fair enough. But Thompson could not have matched Clapton's intensity when he played Crossroads with Cream, or his groove on I Shot The Sheriff, etc etc.
They're completely different artists and I think it's a waste to make silly comparisons of random songs written by either artists in the 90's. Why not just enjoy both?
@ekaminar Match his intensity? Clapton tried extremely hard to cop Richard's style in the seventies, but he was too doped up to make it past playing Bob Marley. Richard is barely blues-influenced too. How many rock players aren't just dripping with it? RT has managed to avoid all the norms, come up with a fairly original style, and not copy as many people Clapton did. Clapton was great in the sixties, but afterwards... Ouch.
@zaytuni actually, considering what a piece of shit song tears in heaven is, i don't think richard COULD have written it. also, he's more than capable of peeling off a blues solo (i.e. throwaway street puzzle or mr. lacey) he just chooses not to.
RIchard's pick technique is rather developed. He just chooses not to show it off most of the time. It's called having a technical command so your instrument.
Just because you can play really fast doesn't mean you have to.
On the other hand having rubbish technique (jimmy page) doesn't mean you can't be great.
Although having no technique doesn't necessarily mean you can!
Unique player. No-one sounds remotely like him.
Same as with all the good guys. The only real test.
This type of brutal guitar strangulation is what I love about RT. He can make me cry with Beeswing, then rattle my dental work with this profanity. Nice.
No, shredding is a style that won't die. Richard did it with Fairport, for God Sakes! All the stuff Vai does is tapping, and Satriani doesn't play fast most of the time. And there isn't anything wrong with playing fast: It's how you do it.
I like Vai's playing, especially when he really lets go. However, his position as a pro is that if he doesn't, for example, do the sweep/gliss bit from For the Love of God the audience will sue him. Kind of limits improvisation.
Check out Vai with PiL, for example, to hear where he can really stretch.
But Thompson, unlike Vai, can write great songs! (BTW - I wonder if he's in touch with Holdsworth - I could imagine them getting on famously over a real ale or two.)
I like Vai as well, but I don't think he's much of a songwriter, as you said.
Richard likes a lot of music that not everyone would expect... King Crimson for example. He met Fripp in the sixties, but hasn't since. I don't know if he knows Holdsworth, but he most likely likes him.
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Well, youre saying he should get rid of one of the fundamental sections of the song. He improvises a lot on stage, but not during for the love of god - thats not a song to improvise over. He can go off as much as he wants during songs like the animal or incantation, but his 7th songs cant really be messed with. And vai writes more challenging songs, not the radio friendly Thompson stuff. Honestly, I think that Vai is just a bit above you
Well he's a better guitarist than I am! But on that basis 99.999% should keep our opinions to ourselves :-)
As a listener, it's all to do with how much you get into somebody's personal world and how much it resonates with you. Everyone's into different stuff: don't let it annoy you.
I'm pretty forthright in my opinions when it comes to music, but I'm aware that's what they are. Lots of people think I'm mad for preferring Jonathan Kreisberg to Kurt Rosenwinkel, for example.
You are right indeed. The Satrianis of this world practise technique at home and then inflict it verbatum. RT is about searching. Improv.
John Mclaughlin is the master of masters though. His 'exstatic' playing is pure music and soul yet it is played with blood on the floor. Shits on the skills of any metal shredder with stuff flowing as it comes to him. The man.
I love MacLAughlin but think you are being a little hard on Satch who I don't really see as a shredder anyway. There are others more deserving of your comments - mentioning no names :-)
That was the best set/performance i have ever seen in my life, i don;t think anything could beat it! Every song he played that night was quality, and his guitar solo in this song (hard on me) is mind blowing - he keeps you captivated for its duration without getting repetitive or boring! RT is god!
It's an awesome solo. I've discovered Richard Thompson after listening to shredders, and he's definitely in their league, because even if his speed isn't mind-blowing, he plays perfectly all the time. He has remarkable command of tension.
How many other guitarists in the world can claim to possess this man's range? From hard as nails electric guitar solos to gentle acoustic folk ballads, complex fingerpicking, Cajun music, jazz standards, medieval music & avant-garde. Not forgetting his ability to couple these songs with lyrics and a dark wit that would rival the greatest poets of any age? A truly amazing guitarist's guitarist, musician's musician and songwriter's songwriter. A true Renaissance man!
What is there possibly to dislike !
other than the rest of the concert isn't here !
alikatpro 4 months ago
When Richard Thompson first heard the 'Beano' album with the Bluesbreakers he shit his pants and said who is that that can play guitar like that?. It was Clapton. Then Jimi came over and Richard shit his pants again. And I love Richard Thompson.
Durf0110 5 months ago
Shuda been in Primus!
dazpatreg 6 months ago
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I know I'm nit-picking, but there's a 2-and-a-bit second timelag between the video and the audio which is so annoying when you're trying to follow his finger work.
But he is a genius.
yeoviljunction 1 year ago
I know I'm nit-picking, but there's a 2-and-a-bit second timelag between the video and the audio which is so annoying when you're trying to follow his finger work.
But he is a genius.
yeoviljunction 1 year ago
I saw this line up last week in Salisbury. They were phenomenal, the drummer especially. I'd go and see them again just to hear Sidney Wells done live. Awesome.
yeoviljunction 1 year ago 2
Clapton vs Thomspon. One of them is a little over rated, the other very under rated. Not only could Clapton not write vincent black lightning, he couldn't even play it. I have yet to see any one accomplish that.
EamonJgod 1 year ago
@EamonJgod — You got that right! Clapton be damned! Does anyone remember the crap version he did of John Martyn's 'May You Never'? Murdered the song!
mmcdonn2 1 year ago
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@EamonJgod Alright dude youre retarted this has to be one of the worst sounding solos ive ever heard eric clapton is a man of soul abd emotion and every note he plays the guitar sings it beutifally and youre trying to tell me this bum playing to 25 people is better? Youre a fucking idiot
Limesquibbo 1 year ago
@Limesquibbo I've seen him personally play to thousands and thousands of people live, by himself, and he plays like no other. ITs fine that you enjoy Clapton, but this man is no bum, Eric Clapton himself would smack you if he heard you say that.
EamonJgod 1 year ago
@Limesquibbo: Only one idiot here. Thompson was #19 on Rolling Stone magazines Top 100 Guitarists of All Time. Clapton is a populist, blues-lite journeyman. Easy-listening for the smart denim set. Thompson is still, at 62, a fearsome guitarist, a true innovator who would sooner stick pins in his eyes than peel off a blues lick. Seen him live many times, acoustic and with a full band, and for a guitarist like me there are few finer experiences. Seen Clapton. Not bad. No Richard Thompson, though..
iambingojesus 1 year ago 3
@iambingojesus That's true........
suttonhautot 1 year ago
@Limesquibbo Are you sick in the head? This is richard thompson. Have some respect.
Ryank1908 1 year ago
A man of many chord changes and complex time changes and swings. RT is the man.
zzzxxyy 1 year ago
@Ironlungs777 I also like Zakk Wylde, Malmsteen, and Satch, but none of them match RT. Why? It's because he can do something they can't: Avoid the blues. Try to play like him. I dare you. I double-dog dare you. Wylde is the only one of those guitarists who really uses his right hand, but he can't do it like RT's hybrid style. Richard has had many better moments than this one clip too, and he rarely plays the same thing twice, unlike Wylde.
BucksStudent 1 year ago
Clapton plays like an Anglo trying to reinterpret the old blues guys, and that's the sound you get - Cracker Blues; Ricky Nelson for another generation. Thompson stays closer to home, so you instead get agro-Englishman twisting a Fender apart while it's spewing his semi-twisted soul all over stage.
joynthis 1 year ago
englands Zappa
fosseseptique 1 year ago
@fosseseptique Scottish actually. Man, speaking of, can you imagine FZ and RT on stage, trading solos? That arena would be leveled.
zzzxxyy 1 year ago
Now hendrix is dead , we're left with .. John Williams and ... Richard Thompson :)
randombeliefs 1 year ago
@randombeliefs Nice mention. John Williams can do just about anything with a guitar and no one knows him for that. I have a cd of borque music on guitar from him. It doesn't even seem possible to my ears.
EamonJgod 1 year ago
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If Richard Thompson could have written tears in heaven, then why didnt he?
Clapton plays with soul EVERY single time and also has his set style of music that he plays. Richard Thompson is v ery good at what he does, but should never have picked an electric guitar up because thats awful! Why can clapton sound good on anything he plays but Thompson evidently cant play lead guitar!
Clapton is god
K1RKYD 1 year ago
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K1RKYD 1 year ago
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K1RKYD 1 year ago
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K1RKYD 1 year ago
nasty, dissonant, irritating, obnoxious -- this could not be any better!
jmorra 1 year ago
@jmorra Yes, that is what it's all about. Coomy394 just cant see it yet, if he perseveres he will in time.
MITCHWILD 1 year ago
it sounds like hes playing in the wrong key. hendrix for the tonedeaf
Coomy394 1 year ago
@Coomy394 Menacing dissonance conveys anger and madness perfectly.
MITCHWILD 1 year ago
that's heavy shit....wow
thelenis 1 year ago
Imagine growing up in the Thompson house hold,
Ya got Richard,Linda....Teddy.....I'll bet'cha they played music every day....It was never boring,I'll bet....
HippieJimi 2 years ago
frm "Hard on Me" -- great song
apacolipps 2 years ago
At one point it actually sounds like the guitar is breathing.
TheBanyanEmperor 2 years ago
OMFG, RT is my guitar hero....have I said that before? I am in love.
violundomiel 2 years ago
By now, I'm a pretty decent musician myself, and not a bad soloist. I know enough to be able to think along with guys like Clapton--not that I could do what they do myself, mind you, but I can tell where they're going and what they're trying to do. Not so with RT--his musical vocabulary is SO different, his knowledge of the fretboard and every possible guitar style is so thorough, he's always light years ahead of me. I just have to sit and listen in awe . . .
mando3b 2 years ago 2
@mando3b spot on.
duck97 1 year ago
Brilliant. loads of textures and styles thrown in, bit of fun live. Yeah, brilliant.
wungabunga 2 years ago
Nobody else plays like this.....'nuff said.
TheNigelr 2 years ago
The boy done good..
Tommo rocks !!
I've been to (I think) 14 of the Cropredy festivals, and RT never fails to amaze. Play any note you like, and then try to get out of it and back into the tune in a slick and stylish fashion... Now that's a seriously good way to approach playing the guitar.. .I've never looked back... Thanks for posting the vid
robbolandsvids 2 years ago
Ask any of the top guitarists and musicians, and they have, as to who they would all want to hear, and Thompson would be there as one of the tops. Not relying on old tried and tested formulae which most of the previously mentioned guitarists trip out, Thompson pushes the learning skills further than anyone today. Most people are "safe" with the old formulae as it feels comfortable. Thompson mixes old with new. Mark Knophler insisted on presenting Thompson with BBC Award on behalf of musicians.
ClempFilms 2 years ago
When is his birthday?
MITCHWILD 2 years ago
Cropredy 2007: my jaw dropped the full 6'4" when this was happening - at this age one is supposed to be living of past glory not still stretching the envelope. At the IoW Hendrix had me nodding off - yes I'm that old. RT's had 30+ more years to practise and these days Hendrix couldn't live with him - heresy I know but like many heresies - true! As for shredders - RT and McLaughlin could shred them all but what for? Music is an art not a branch of athletics!
RatherLargeAllan 2 years ago
"he's never compromised his ar
t"
Notwithstanding the Britney Spears cover?
Kidding, I love that one too. Ooops I did it again .....
ITubeSheTubes 2 years ago 2
I love this man
apacolipps 2 years ago 2
Cream usually finds its way to the top so I'd call him somewhere between whole milk and 2%. Technically he obviously knows his stuff but aesthetically he's not what I'd call readily accessible. Course I like some of Neil Young's one note solos, so maybe all my Pop-Tart taste is in my mouth.
zubernick 2 years ago
i find richard and neil very similar and awesome. they are both masters of electric and acoustic, and they are not afraid to take risks or make mistakes.
olafbigandglad 2 years ago
This guy has never gotten the respect he deserves...
DreadShred 2 years ago 4
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octarhaberee 2 years ago
Horrible -
misakisheraz 2 years ago
To all the moronic idiots who are writing criticism - this man is recognized as a literal legend among musicians. He has been innovating and pushing the entire genre of guitar music forward longer than most "good" guitarists have been alive. What f*cking idiots.....
revjwh38 2 years ago 3
bad musicianship
BOOLsheet 2 years ago
heard better guitarists down at the amatuer blues club last week...
candymintz 2 years ago
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octarhaberee 2 years ago
Playing the blues, I am sure. I won't try to convert anyone, but RT always traveled as far from the R&B ethos as he could. I always liked the atonality touches of his electric guitar solos. A bit of XXth century thrown on top of old folk songs with funny time signatures. Far out, man!!!
ITubeSheTubes 2 years ago
I've seen him playing the blues (aka Robert Johnson) and stringswing. He teached at a guitarworkshop in front of a bunch of early teenagers. He took "Smoke On the Water" back to the original roots, demonstrated, talked and lectured the youngsters in a very friendly, enlightening way. It was quite amazing just to watch how he got those Blackmore wannabies into actually listen, and try to understand why and how "Smoke On the Water" could be made. Ol' England missed a great teacher in RT.
JacKass00001 2 years ago
That must've been a very enlightening session. Remember though, with much respect, the 'Smoke On The Water' riff is quite basic. It's power is its catchiness, surely.
candelise 2 years ago
I think he is a really cool guy and a very nice person. A guitarist? Well alright, yes, sort of. A guitarist's guitarist? Heck no!
If you listen to the likes of Bireli Lagrene, Wes Montgomery, John McLaughlin, Shawn Lane, Al DiMeola, Hendrix, George Benson, Andy McKee, Tommy Emmanuel, Larry Carlton, Lee Ritenour, etc, etc, it is very difficult to take Richard Thompson seriously.
jjmatashi 2 years ago
I doubt any of those guitarists would take your opinion seriously.
octarhaberee 2 years ago
Why not ask them and see?
jjmatashi 2 years ago
@jjmatashi
Not sure i'd get a response, but i'd love to. however, RTs name comes up as an influence or respected pier more times than most other guitarist in interviews with respected guitarist. you many not like his style (i for one can't stand al dimeola, but i can still respect his ability).
velocity500 2 years ago
Don't agree with your last comment at all,I not only listen to all of those you mention on a fairly regular basis, i try to copy them too.
I would put Mr Thompson above all of them, he never has tried to copy anyone else.
Being original is most important to him, above all else, his material comes from his life in Britain, when i return to his albums(and i have them all) after a long absence, his style of playing comes as a breath of fresh air.
MITCHWILD 2 years ago
really too sloppy and accidental for my taste... pretty cool though...
HOWYOUDOIN884 2 years ago
If you were at all familiar with his work you would no there is very little "accidental" about what he's doing here. Unconventional and unexpected would be better descriptions. It is not by accident that it is "pretty cool".
octarhaberee 2 years ago
What song was he playing? "When I Get To The Border" ?
kevinunderscorevance 2 years ago
The song is "Hard On Me". The full version of the song is (or at least was) on YouTube somewhere.
RTFan52 2 years ago
Aren't the best artists the
completely unique ones.
nobody else like him.
Traditional on 5,000 volts
celtic ancestors would be proud...
ben909ben 2 years ago
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MITCHWILD 2 years ago
Weaver man, caveman, you just don't get it do you, every note he plays for a reason, there may be the odd mistake here and there but the dissonant notes he CHOOSES are menacing perfection, any guitarist would loose a limb to be able to play with that kind of excitement without turning everything up to 10.
MITCHWILD 2 years ago 5
I do and RT is among the world's best axe men. How's your own right hand? Active, I bet.
1960fjp 2 years ago
he's not top20 - he's the best, by a mile
orgelallan 2 years ago 18
What do YOU know about guitar playing? Apparently more than David Gilmour, Bonnie Raitt, and Mark Knopfler? All of these and many more love RTs playing. Rolling Stone voted him in top 20 guitarists of all time!
JStrange13 2 years ago 6
He also jammed with Hendrix, is buddies with James Burton, and I've been trying to play like RT for over a year. When I told him that in person, he chuckled and said, "I personally hope you are unsuccessful".
BucksStudent 2 years ago
Holy mother of apples!
edgluhrs 2 years ago 3
Ridhard Thompson could have written Tears in Heaven. Eric Clapton could not have written 1952 Vincent Black Lightning.
zaytuni 3 years ago 24
@zaytuni Fair enough. But Thompson could not have matched Clapton's intensity when he played Crossroads with Cream, or his groove on I Shot The Sheriff, etc etc.
They're completely different artists and I think it's a waste to make silly comparisons of random songs written by either artists in the 90's. Why not just enjoy both?
ekaminar 1 year ago
@ekaminar Match his intensity? Clapton tried extremely hard to cop Richard's style in the seventies, but he was too doped up to make it past playing Bob Marley. Richard is barely blues-influenced too. How many rock players aren't just dripping with it? RT has managed to avoid all the norms, come up with a fairly original style, and not copy as many people Clapton did. Clapton was great in the sixties, but afterwards... Ouch.
BucksStudent 1 year ago
@zaytuni actually, considering what a piece of shit song tears in heaven is, i don't think richard COULD have written it. also, he's more than capable of peeling off a blues solo (i.e. throwaway street puzzle or mr. lacey) he just chooses not to.
olafbigandglad 11 months ago 2
Holy Motherfather! How does he do that?
broadpath 3 years ago 3
He might be an alien.
marvy1118 3 years ago
If Neil Young could play as well as RT, this is what he would sound like.
marvy1118 3 years ago
Again, I disagree my friend, FAR FAR FAR too clean and faultless for Neil imho.
eccentricman87 3 years ago
I heartily agree. He has a list of talents that I would be honoured to posess one of. Richard Thompson should live forever.
MrRik2 3 years ago
There is a Moslem sect that calls itself Sufi, but as any of the great Sufi masters would tell you, anyone who calls himself a Sufi isn't one.
It's a highly effective way of identifying frauds.
Vlodec 3 years ago
I did not say it was separate. I only said he was a Sufi, because Muslim is too broad.
BucksStudent 3 years ago
And it's 'tee-totaller' from T for Total (as in total abstinence) or T for Temperence and originates from the UK Temperence movement.
doctordunc 2 years ago
I posted that almost a year ago.
BucksStudent 2 years ago
RIchard in touch with Allan I mean :-)
beanabus77 3 years ago
RIchard's pick technique is rather developed. He just chooses not to show it off most of the time. It's called having a technical command so your instrument.
Just because you can play really fast doesn't mean you have to.
On the other hand having rubbish technique (jimmy page) doesn't mean you can't be great.
Although having no technique doesn't necessarily mean you can!
Unique player. No-one sounds remotely like him.
Same as with all the good guys. The only real test.
beanabus77 3 years ago
Christ on a bike.
This is just so insanely good.
I went to cropredy the year before this and didn't get anything as substantial as this. Ack.
whellybob 3 years ago
This type of brutal guitar strangulation is what I love about RT. He can make me cry with Beeswing, then rattle my dental work with this profanity. Nice.
kc7fys 3 years ago 3
that one swingin drummer!
jxw137 3 years ago
Michael Jerome is not to be trifled with.
vlock1 3 years ago
There is noone like Richard, noone. Truly outstanding.
Hvitiris 3 years ago 2
all that can be said is DITTO !!!!
awesomeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
ak47doubletap 3 years ago
No, shredding is a style that won't die. Richard did it with Fairport, for God Sakes! All the stuff Vai does is tapping, and Satriani doesn't play fast most of the time. And there isn't anything wrong with playing fast: It's how you do it.
BucksStudent 3 years ago
I like Vai's playing, especially when he really lets go. However, his position as a pro is that if he doesn't, for example, do the sweep/gliss bit from For the Love of God the audience will sue him. Kind of limits improvisation.
Check out Vai with PiL, for example, to hear where he can really stretch.
But Thompson, unlike Vai, can write great songs! (BTW - I wonder if he's in touch with Holdsworth - I could imagine them getting on famously over a real ale or two.)
beanabus77 3 years ago
I like Vai as well, but I don't think he's much of a songwriter, as you said.
Richard likes a lot of music that not everyone would expect... King Crimson for example. He met Fripp in the sixties, but hasn't since. I don't know if he knows Holdsworth, but he most likely likes him.
BucksStudent 3 years ago
On the other hand wouldn't Thompson be tee-total with being a Muslim and all?
beanabus77 3 years ago
He's a Sufi, not Muslim.
And I don't know what tee-total means.
BucksStudent 3 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Well, youre saying he should get rid of one of the fundamental sections of the song. He improvises a lot on stage, but not during for the love of god - thats not a song to improvise over. He can go off as much as he wants during songs like the animal or incantation, but his 7th songs cant really be messed with. And vai writes more challenging songs, not the radio friendly Thompson stuff. Honestly, I think that Vai is just a bit above you
ibanezbloke 3 years ago
Well he's a better guitarist than I am! But on that basis 99.999% should keep our opinions to ourselves :-)
As a listener, it's all to do with how much you get into somebody's personal world and how much it resonates with you. Everyone's into different stuff: don't let it annoy you.
I'm pretty forthright in my opinions when it comes to music, but I'm aware that's what they are. Lots of people think I'm mad for preferring Jonathan Kreisberg to Kurt Rosenwinkel, for example.
beanabus77 3 years ago
You know you're awesome when you can wear overalls to a concert.
Romulan07 3 years ago 2
You ever see Calvin Russell's slide player? He wears coveralls with no shirt and only one side fastened at the top. And boy can that man play!
hinamauka 3 years ago
You are right indeed. The Satrianis of this world practise technique at home and then inflict it verbatum. RT is about searching. Improv.
John Mclaughlin is the master of masters though. His 'exstatic' playing is pure music and soul yet it is played with blood on the floor. Shits on the skills of any metal shredder with stuff flowing as it comes to him. The man.
OneBigRetard 3 years ago
I love MacLAughlin but think you are being a little hard on Satch who I don't really see as a shredder anyway. There are others more deserving of your comments - mentioning no names :-)
beanabus77 3 years ago
richard is a GREAT guitarist, one of the best of our time, but this solo is all over the place tempo-wise, and too sloppy for my taste
pifive5 3 years ago 2
Anybody identify the song? Crawl Back? (Doesn't matter, really, in the face of such genius.... just interested.)
µ
markiliff 3 years ago
Oops - should have waited until the end. "Hard On, Me?", obviously.
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markiliff 3 years ago
Great playing...great drumming...and good amateur camera work to....thanks
geordie1833 4 years ago
I think thats me screaming at the end:P
That was the best set/performance i have ever seen in my life, i don;t think anything could beat it! Every song he played that night was quality, and his guitar solo in this song (hard on me) is mind blowing - he keeps you captivated for its duration without getting repetitive or boring! RT is god!
ollythedolly 4 years ago
I was there! Amazing. Nuff said
olimandolin 4 years ago
It's an awesome solo. I've discovered Richard Thompson after listening to shredders, and he's definitely in their league, because even if his speed isn't mind-blowing, he plays perfectly all the time. He has remarkable command of tension.
Revelations 4 years ago
He can kick their asses man! Right on! I mean, Zakk Wylde couldn't even play with his fingers like Thompson!
BucksStudent 3 years ago
that was the most beautiful solo i ever heard. such genius
guitarboyjg 4 years ago
Richard, I think you could use a raspberry beret once in a while. It would be a nice and fair "port de tête" convention. ;-).
you would still be Prince of the guitarists.
chevalsauvage 4 years ago
Wonderful - I was there, trying to watch this solo through binoculars, but couldn't focus because I was literally laughing with Joy!
Pragjag 4 years ago
世界で一番上手いと思ふ
fulltuneguitar 4 years ago
see you there. Under the clock!
gone46 3 years ago
How many other guitarists in the world can claim to possess this man's range? From hard as nails electric guitar solos to gentle acoustic folk ballads, complex fingerpicking, Cajun music, jazz standards, medieval music & avant-garde. Not forgetting his ability to couple these songs with lyrics and a dark wit that would rival the greatest poets of any age? A truly amazing guitarist's guitarist, musician's musician and songwriter's songwriter. A true Renaissance man!
rtguitarfreak 4 years ago 5
Once you've picked your jaw off the floor from watching the guitar solo, its worth having a look at what the drummer is doing too ... outstanding !!
RTFan52 4 years ago
nice one
red777photo 4 years ago
outstanding. real music!
WCSLdglas 4 years ago