Richard Thompson - BBC Sessions, Volume 1: 1984-1987 | Albums That Should Exist

Richard Thompson - BBC Sessions, Volume 1: 1984-1987

Paul says; "Just two weeks ago (as I write this in mid-May 2025), I posted what I thought was Volume 1 for a long series of BBC albums from British singer-songwriter Richard Thompson, a concert from 1985. I was wrong. As I was getting ready to post this album, I stumbled across a song I wanted to include from 1984. That predates the 1985 concert. So this is the new Volume 1. That other album is now Volume 2.

You can get the revised version here with new cover art and mp3 tags and so forth:

https://albumsthatshouldexist.blogspot.com/2025/04/richard-thompson-bbc-sessions-volume-1.html

This album is a collection of studio sessions, plus a live performance that was too short to make its own album. The first song is from the "Old Grey Whistle Test" BBC TV show in 1984. The next three are from a BBC session in 1985. Then the majority of the album, tracks 5 through 13, are a live performance recorded for the BBC radio show "Folk on Two." It took place at the Bloomsbury Theatre in London on May 20, 1987. Finally, the last song is a live performance from the Cambridge Folk Festival in 1987.

Tracks 2, 3, 4, and 14 have been officially released. The first three are from the album "Live at the BBC," and that last one is from the "Life and Music Of" box set. Everything else is unreleased.

I plan on posting many more Richard Thompson BBC albums. However, there are four BBC concerts that I know exist and I can't find. Here they are. If you have any of them, please let me know:

BBC In Concert, The Venue, New Cross, London, 11-10-1983
Celtic Connections Festival, Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow, 1-17-1998
Cambridge Folk Festival, Cherry Hinton Park, Cambridge, 7-28-2001
Cambridge Folk Festival, Cherry Hinton Park, Cambridge, 7-28-2006 

Note that if someone finds that first one, I'll have to make that Volume 1 and rename everything after. So hopefully that can happen sooner rather than later, before I post more albums.

Also note that this album contains two versions of "She Twists the Knife Again." That's kind of unfortunate, but at least one was done in the studio while the other one was in concert. "

This album is 49 minutes long. 

01 Tear-Stained Letter
02 You Don't Say
03 She Twists the Knife Again
04 When the Spell Is Broken 
05 Genesis Hall 
06 Wall of Death
07 Valerie
08 talk 
09 Air for Morris Ogg - Mrs. MacLeod's Reel [Instrumental]
10 She Twists the Knife Again 
11 talk 
12 Al Bowlly's in Heaven 
13 I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight 
14 Drowned Dog Black Night 

and again as I was one of the folks who asked Paul if he could find any more Richard Thompson there is this!