I recently found out about Richard Thompson when someone I follow on Twitter in large part due to their musical taste tweeted about him. I was very curious, never having listened to Richard Thompson, nor even heard of him before, so I went onto Apple Music and saved an album of his to check out. Apple Music describes Thompson as an iconic figure in British folk-rock, and a great combination of a singer/songwriter/guitarist. He was in the band Fairport Convention, which I have heard of, but have never listened to, due to my checking out of and listening to bands like Steeleye Span and Pentangle this year. Just saw that this album is an instrumental one, so that ought to make for an interesting experience. I’m already super intrigued, so I’m going to go ahead and jump into the music on this one.
“New-Fangled Flogging Reel / Kerry Reel” immediately has me incredibly interested in the tune. The guitar has some super interesting twang to it, but it’s got the feel of an Irish folk tune at the same time with the rhythm. There’s a light jangling acoustic in the background while the electric guitar just keeps going, with what I would say is a quite strict tempo. Oh wow, this is super unique. The rhythm section changed up a bit. It feels almost like a strange square-dance tune at this point. I’m super interested and looking forward to the rest of the album at this point.
“Vaillance Polka Militaire / Belfast Polka” keeps that Americana feel with the tonality of the instrumentation. It sounds like a banjo of some sort, but perhaps is just a tinny mandolin sound. Meanwhile there’s a real polka feel provided by the drum beat and the soft bag-pipes in the background. I really dig the delicate jangling acoustic guitar softly playing in the background. Now there’s a mandolin playing alongside the banjo and guitar, adding some intriguing chords and notes to the mix. Wow, this is pretty sweet. Oh wow, the outro hits some absolutely awesome notes that released tension I didn’t even know had built up.
“Scott Skinner Medley: Glencoe / Scott Skinner’s Rockin’ Step / Bonny Bachory” has a really different feel and tempo from the previous couple of songs, with a slower, almost heavier vibe compared to the previous songs. Wow, there’s a real bluegrass country river sort of vibe to this one. Holy smokes, things change up big time as the electric guitar starts going in while the bass and drums keep a super tight 2-step feeling tempo. The mandolin comes in and seems to lead what the guitar plays. Oh wow, this brings a bit of British folk into the mix with what the guitar(s) and mandolin are playing. It’s such a natural progression from a sort of bluegrass vibe to a British folk tune – absolutely awesome.
“Banish Misfortune” has an incredibly intricate and cool acoustic guitar intro that takes on a sort of bluesy bluegrass country vibe but naturally weaves itself to be something of a European folk tune as things progress. Holy smokes this is awesome. I’m really reminded a decent amount of Bert Jansch, but at the same time it sounds totally different. It’s almost like this song is taking me gently down an isolated country river in a canoe. Wow.
“Dundee Hornpipe / Poppy-Leaf Hornpipe” takes things back to the European folk area with a bit of a polka feel with the rhythm section while the acoustic guitar and other stringed instruments (I’m not even sure what the lead one necessarily is in this song) weave an intricate soundscape around. I think the instrument in the background giving that polka vibe might be the harmonium alongside the bass guitar, while I think there might just be multiple acoustic guitar parts that are the instruments I’m struggling to necessarily identify. Very neat song.
“Do It For My Sake” starts out things with a delicate mandolin part, or possibly mandocello, or both. Regardless of the instrument, what’s being played is being extremely delicately played and plucked. The acoustic guitar sort of rings out some chords of the notes being played in a more intricate way than I’m currently stating. Absolutely lovely song.
“Rockin’ In Rhythm” might be the only non-original on the album, as this was originally by Duke Ellington, though I don’t think I’d ever really listened to it before. Regardless, these instruments are giving a really folksy, bluegrass sort of breath to this jazz tune. Oh wow, things get pretty groovy as that bass instrument sort of switches up a bit. Meanwhile the mandolin is really jamming out alongside the acoustic guitar. The drums have a nice short, airy high hat that really drives the song forward a bit as it continues. Really sweet song, and very cool version.
“The Random Jig / The Grinder” definitely sounds a lot like an Irish jig off of an album by someone like Planxty. Honestly, I’m pretty astounded how many songs have already played on the album, as time has absolutely been flying by. This song is pretty sweet, and definitely one I’ve sort of gotten lost in as it plays. I really dig the sudden ending too.
Holy smokes, “Will Ye No Cam Back Again / Cam O’er the Stream Charlie / Ye Banks and Braes” has a super lovely start that sounds like something a jug band in the old south might have played on the porch of a farm, while still maintaining a British folk flavor through the rhythm section, and as the guitars slowly work there way around to something of a British folk music lick or riff. I really dig that marching drum beat that sort of just rattles and rolls off in the background as the shakers give the rhythm an almost waltz-like vibe that is eventually picked up by the piano. Oh wow, I’m not even sure what instrument is being played right now, perhaps the dulcimer? Regardless, I’m totally digging the strange mash-up of sounds in this one.
“Rufty Tufty / Nonsuch a la mode de France” has a totally fresh feel to this one with the bass guitar featured a bit more prominently alongside the pennywhistle, while the acoustic guitar lightly jangles in the background. The drums also have this sort of hollowness to certain beats, while feeling totally solid on others. Oh wow, the guitar evolves this song so much. The electric guitar sounds like some sort of 80s dream pop guitar from the south in terms of the tone – I keep getting drawn into the album more and more as it plays.
“Andalus / Radio Marrakesh” has a unique vibe to it, and sounds almost like it has an Arabian folk feel to the style of play at the moment with the soft acoustic guitar or mandolin in the center. The electric guitar, or perhaps an electrified acoustic, comes on and really adds a lot of depth to what the melody is centered around. There’s another guitar part on the other side of the soundscape that adds a whole different layer to the mix, wow. Now there’s like a lonesome cowboy folksy feel to what’s being played. Wow, this song is sweet. I’m reminded a lot of Bert Jansch at the end, but once again there’s a totally different feel at the same time.
Oh wow, “The Knife-Edge” starts out hitting some notes that seem to resolve a whole lot of tension I didn’t even know was there. It feels like it’s some sort of song that would be great for a lonely cowboy’s voyage down a desolate river, and almost even has some psychedelic vibes to it. Wow, there’s quite a bit of country inflected folk rock vibes in this one. Oh wow, the song sort of hits a stride and changes up at about the midpoint. The twang is absolutely delicious from the electric guitar, that feels like it’s ringing out a bit more as the drums pick up and so does the rest of the instrumentation. Holy smokes, the final part of this song brings everything back together with a country inflected British folk jig or something of the sort. Oh wow, there are some absolutely awesome notes hit by the electric guitar as the song nears the end. Great song to end a great album.
Wow, this album is awesome. At this point I’ll be checking out more of Richard Thompson as well as Fairport Convention pretty soon. This album was awesome for fans of basically any European or American folk music or fans of bluegrass and related genres. I think I’m going to buy this one on vinyl if that’s even possible. This album was incredibly interesting from start to finish, and I would recommend this one to music likers, lovers, and/or enthusiasts interested in what I believe to be very interesting music. If you do check this album out, I do sincerely hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A