Acoustic Rarities
Author: Glenn Kimpton
View album and artist detailsAlbum and Artist Details
Artist/band: |
Richard Thompson |
Label: |
Beeswing Records |
Magazine Review Date: |
December/2017 |
If the recent Acoustic Classics II was an accessible introduction to Richard Thompson and his long career, then Acoustic Rarities is surely one for the connoisseur, a real treat for his audience. There is only one slight misfire: ‘What If’, with its strange ‘what if I was fabulous, fabtabulous?’ lyric. Otherwise, Acoustic Rarities is a string of gems. The dark waltz ‘They Tore the Hippodrome Down’ is splendid, as is the bonkers cabaret ‘I Must Have a March’. There's a classic Thompson narrative in ‘Seven Brothers’; the tune's simple finger-picked line and vocal is perfect and the whole thing feels sinfully short at less than four minutes.
What becomes clear as the album progresses is that, as Thompson admitted, it is a more interesting listen than the Classics volumes. This one surprises and delights the listener; the 1972 Henry the Human Fly absentee ‘The Poor Ditching Boy’, with subtle accompaniment, is lovely but is soon outmuscled by the excellent ‘Sloth’. Acoustic Rarities is a fast-paced and fun selection, less serious than one would expect and all the better for it. Even lightweight numbers fit in well and create an almost faultless set.
What becomes clear as the album progresses is that, as Thompson admitted, it is a more interesting listen than the Classics volumes. This one surprises and delights the listener; the 1972 Henry the Human Fly absentee ‘The Poor Ditching Boy’, with subtle accompaniment, is lovely but is soon outmuscled by the excellent ‘Sloth’. Acoustic Rarities is a fast-paced and fun selection, less serious than one would expect and all the better for it. Even lightweight numbers fit in well and create an almost faultless set.
