Fairport Convention - Autopsy - 'What We Did Instead of Holidays’ Clinton Heylin

 An advert on Route for the wonderful book 'What We Did Instead of Holidays' has just been released in a new paperback edition and they used this track to illustrate it.

"Conscious that shipping and customs costs are a barrier, we have issued the paperback in a way to avoid such problems and thus make it more accesible to international readers. "

All links here: https://www.route-online.com/.../what-we-did-instead-of...

Fairport Convention - Autopsy (Unhalfbricking)

Produced by Joe Boyd. 

Sandy Denny - lead vocals.

Richard Thompson – electric guitars, electric dulcimer.

Simon Nicol – guitar.

Ashley Hutchings – bass, backing vocals.

Martin Lamble – drums.

Go buy it! it is seriously one of the best books Route have publilshed and certainly the best book (other than Richard Thompson’s own!) on the Fairports

Folk on Foot - Folk in The City!

 

Songs in the City: Johnny Flynn, Richard Thompson, Stick in the Wheel and more

The hum of traffic, the echo of footsteps, the rhythm of life — even in the busiest places, music finds its home.

Join Folk on Foot for Songs in the City — a journey through urban soundscapes where some of Britain’s finest musicians bring folk music to the heart of the city.

From Hackney Marshes to Soho’s backstreets, from Liverpool’s community halls to Birmingham’s canals, these performances capture the soul of the city — raw, intimate, and full of character.

🎶 Featuring:

Johnny Flynn – Ghost of O’Donahue (Hackney)

Richard Thompson – Walking the Long Miles Home (Soho)

Jon Wilkes – The Pretty Girls of Brummagem (Birmingham)

Jamie Webster – This Place (Liverpool)

Stick In The Wheel – Four Loom Weaver (Spitalfields)

Frank Turner – The Ballad of Me and My Friends (Holloway Road)

Kerry Andrew – Cuckoo (Brockwell)

🎥 These exclusive performances come from the Folk on Foot on Film Archive, usually available only to our Heroes who support us with £10 a month. To help keep us walking and filming across Britain and Ireland — and to see hundreds more song films — join us today.

Folk On Foot

Waltzing’s For Dreamers - Richard Thompson [Amnesia]

Waltzing’s For DreamersRichard ThompsonAmnesia

A rare thing a bees wing . . . . . This from Brother Jobe over at Vlogbase camp HQ (FLOPPY BOOT STOMP to you)

 Richard Thompson - A Rare Thing

This is possibly (probably) my favourite era Richard Thompson and contains most if not all of my favourite songs by him at the time and still

Awesome post from brother Jobe wonder who he dedicated this one too!?

🤔

The Pretenders’ James Walbourne on Discovering Richard Thompson | Floppy Boot Stomp / Voodoo Wagon Facebook page

Floppy Boot Stomp - Voodoo Wagon

The Pretenders’ James Walbourne on discovering Richard Thompson | Louder

LOUDERSOUND.COM

“I never thought his music would be my bag. But he never plays the same thing twice and your mind is blown”: The Pretenders’ James Walbourne on 

MAESTRO : Great another Richard Thompson from his prime 1985

Richard Thompson - BBC Sessions, Volume 1: In Concert, Barrymore's Music Hall, Ottawa, Canada, 1985

Paul says: In the BBC poll I did back in February 2025, Peter Gabriel got the most votes. The second most went to Richard Thompson. So I posted a couple things from Gabriel recently, and now here's something from Thompson. More albums from more musical acts will be coming soon. This is a full concert from 1985.

From about 1972 to 1982, Richard Thompson was in a duo with his then-wife, Linda Thompson. After their marriage and musical partnership broke up in 1982, he got serious with a solo career. In 1983, he released the album "Hand of Kindness," and then in 1985, he released the album "Across a Crowded Room." This concert features him on tour promoting that latter album. For the tour, he recruited another male and female musical duo to join his band, Clive Gregson and Christine Collister. Collister, in particular, added female vocals that kind of filled the role Linda Thompson used to fill. Both Gregson and Collister got their own lead vocal songs during this concert, with Collister singing "Warm Love Gone Cold" and Gregson singing "Summer Rain."

In my opinion, Thompson's songwriting was especially good during this time period, with his 1982 album with Linda Thompson, "Shoot Out the Lights," being my favorite. It also was his most poppy and accessible. That continued with these albums. So I think this concert is an excellent introduction to his solo career, with him playing the best songs from his two recent solo albums plus key songs from earlier in his career.

I believe this concert was almost the end of the tour, with just one more concert a day later. So, to document the tour, this concert was recorded for both audio and video. A version edited down to an hour was shown on British TV, called "Across a Crowded Room Live." That also was broadcast on BBC radio. Seven of the tracks from it appeared on the DVD portion of the album "Live at the BBC" in 2011. Then, in 2019, the full concert was released, called "Across a Crowded Room - Live at Barrymore's 1985." Normally, I don't like to post stuff that's officially released already, but I'm doing that here since it's a good way to start a series of Thompson's BBC albums, the vast majority of which is unreleased.  

This album is an hour and 45 minutes long. All songs Richard Thompson except wehere noted 

01 Fire in the Engine Room 
02 She Twists the Knife 
03 Shoot Out the Lights
04 You Don't Say 
05 Warm Love Gone Cold (with Christine Collister )
06 Wall of Death 
07 How I Wanted To 
08 Little Blue Number 
09 When the Spell Is Broken 
10 Did She Jump or Was She Pushed 
11 The Wrong Heartbeat 
12 talk 
13 Summer Rain (with Clive Gregson )
14 For Shame of Doing Wrong
15 I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight
16 talk 
17 Nearly in Love 
18 Love in a Faithless Country 
19 I Ain't Going to Drag My Feet No More 
20 talk 
21 Tear Stained Letter 
22 talk 
23 Withered and Died 
24 Skull and Cross Bones 

I have said before (ad nauseum - ED - RUDE!) that it was artist Graham Dean who turned me on to Richard Thompson’s solo work and Daring Adventures, Across a Crowded Room You Me Us etc all mean(t) a great deal to me and I have followed everything he has done before and since but this is around the time I first got the bug again and this set is peerless! Turn it up and dance around the living room to Fire in The Engine Room but watch out for she will twist the knife again . . . . . . . 

Richard Thompson - Crazy Man Michael [Acoustic Classics II] | jt1674

 

https://www.tumblr.com/jt1674/782073603739041792/richard-thompson-crazy-man-michael

BIRTHDAYS | Richard Thompson (76)

Happy birthday to Richard Thompson, born in Notting Hill, London on this day in 1949. 

Richard Thompson performs "1952 Vincent Black Lightning" at the 2012 Americana Music Awards

When The Spell Is Broken 

I think it was around the time of this song that I was first introduced to the work of Richard Thompson by the fine Fine Artist Graham Dean ( a fellow scouser no less) and prime pencil squeezer!

Thank you Graham . . . . . .this song tore my heart out . . . . . . lost love and betrayal! Indeed

More Sunday sounds - Meet On The Ledge (Live) - Richard Thompson

 

https://www.tumblr.com/jt1674/777469206556966912/richard-thompson-meet-on-the-ledge

Richard Thompson - So Ben Mi Ca Bon Tempo [1000 Years of Popular Music] | jt1674

 

https://www.tumblr.com/jt1674/777368441933955072/richard-thompson-so-ben-mi-ca-bon-tempo

Richard and Linda Thompson - I Want to See The Bright Lights Tonight (Live)

 Well it is SATURDAY!

https://www.tumblr.com/jt1674/772374228364361728/richard-linda-thompson-i-want-to-see-the

Songwriters’ Circle : RICHARD THOMPSON, LOUDON WAINWRIGHT III & SUZANNE VEGA | Albums That Should Exist

Richard Thompson, Suzanne Vega & Loudon Wainwright III - Songwriters' Circle, BBC, London, Britain, 9-26-2010

Paul says : In my constant search for more BBC material, I've come across some unusual things. Such as this. It's a concert where Richard Thompson, Suzanne Vega, and Loudon Wainwright III were all on stage the whole time together and took turns playing their own songs. But the other two didn't just sit and listen when it wasn't their turn. They'd practiced some in advance, or often sang or played guitar. Thompson, in particular, is an excellent lead guitar player and frequently added his guitar skills to the songs by the other two. It's a very interesting three-way musical interaction by three great musical artists.

Apparently, this "songwriter's circle" is something the BBC has been doing since at least the 1990s. The format is always the same, bringing three musicians together to take turns playing songs. I'll try to post more, but these are hard to find since they don't get the interest a show by just one artist does, yet they aren't various artists shows with tons of different acts either. If you have any others, please let me know.

This show is officially unreleased. But, as you'd expect from the BBC, the sound quality is excellent. You can watch the whole thing on YouTube.

This album is an hour and four minutes long.

00 talk 
01 Keep Your Distance 
02 talk 
03 Marlena on the Wall 
04 talk 
05 One Man Guy 
06 talk 
07 1952 Vincent Black Lightning 
08 talk 
09 Luka 
10 talk 
11 Dead Man
12 talk (
13 Down Where the Drunkards Roll 
14 talk 
15 Frank and Ava 
16 talk 
17 House 
18 talk 
19 I Feel So Good
20 talk 
21 Gypsy 
22 talk 
23 Be Careful There's a Baby in the House 
24 talk 
25 Genesis Hall
26 talk 
27 Tom's Diner 
28 talk 
29 The Swimming Song 

As Paul listed a link to this from the Songwriters’ Circle series featuring Richard Thompson, Loudon Wainwright III and Suzanne Vega  I thought it worth posting it properly here . . . . click the link above or in the original post to go there its really worth it . . as Paul mentions this series is under exposed and its like the BBC didn’t really know what to do with it and tucked it away on a dusty shelf but it pays off if you find them . . . .  

Sandy Denny - It’ll Take A Long Time |jt1674

 

https://www.tumblr.com/jt1674/771849748564066304/sandy-denny-itll-take-a-long-time

Richard Thompson - The Knife Edge (Strict Tempo)

 Well maybe not so strict eh, Richard?

https://www.tumblr.com/jt1674/771399150130610176/richard-thompson-the-knife-edge

Start the day with some Richard and Linda! | Richard and Linda Thompson ‘Hard Luck Stories 1972 -1982 | Richard & Linda Thompson ‘Died for Love’ | Thanks tumblr jt1674

Hard Luck Stories

jt1674

Died for Love

New Single | ZARA PHILLIPS - BLOW WIND from the film ‘Somebody’s Daughter'

 

Zara says:

fillips ‘Blow Wind"Very excited to share with you my new music video!!!

'Blow Wind' This is the title song for my film 

'Somebody's daughter'(on streaming platforms soon)

This song is 

For all of us that have to put our trust in the universe!! and especially my peeps that are searching.

And of course to all my siblings that I have reunited with along the way.

Thank you again to my wonderful team! "

Written by Zara Phillips

Produced by Richard Thompson - RT

All instruments played by RT except

Violin David Mansfield.

Director Liam Galvin

Producer Yvette Rowland

Executive producer Zara Phillips

Make up Zana Moses

Richard says:

"Zara's new video features the closing song from her film Somebody's Daughter - I play lots of instruments, and David Mansfield guests!

Shot in the Medway Estuary..."

Fairport Convention: Discography 1968 - 1971 + Meet On The Ledge | Urbanaspirines

 Wow this is incredibly flattering name checked an all and Kostas pulls out all the stops here with a profile of Fairport Convention dedicated to yours truly this is indispensable if you don’t have anything or even that much. 

I think I first bought the single Si Tu Dois De Partir by them as a single and we loved it, playing it at house parties and the local youth club until mine wore thin! We scarcely knew it was a Bob Dylan number sold or pushed through Tin Pan Alley of the day. We simply didn’t care (then!) 

I think I followed them avidly ever since and certainly Unhalfbricking and What We did On Our Holidays fell into the vaults collection upon their first release. I caught up with Richard solo work around the time of Across a Crowded Room and Daring Adventures his solo outing thanks to fine artist Graham Dean who sang his praises and I have bought everything ever since. Cropredy is just a few miles away from where I live and we have been across a few times to the little (sic) festival there . . . . . . . Kostas tells us:

Widely accepted as being the first great English electric folk group, Fairport Convention is that and far more. It would be safer to say they are simply one of the greatest English groups of all. They began their career with a repertoire of traditional material, some originals and a veritable jukebox of American new folk, they soon developed their own niche as interpreters of murder ballads, sly tales of yore and deeply thought out, planned and executed concept pieces. . . . . . read on

Seven (count ‘em!) official first albums and the compilation double album Meet On The Ledge!  THE CLASSIC YEARS 1967 - 1975 released in 1999

Superb effort from Kostas here and once again I have no idea how he masters such output so fast and so thoroughly frequently daily! This is most welcome and doubtless sorts my playlist for the next few months!

Here . . . . . .