Richard Thompson: Strict Tempo! CD Track Listing

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Richard Thompson Strict Tempo! (1981)
Originally Released 1981\nCD Edition Released September 25, 1992\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: While some listeners have expressed mixed degrees of enthusiasm with Richard Thompson's often down-beat work as a songwriter and his sometimes craggy vocals, no one has ever argued his gifts as an instrumentalist, and on Strict Tempo! Thompson lets loose on an instrumental collection of traditional British and Celtic jigs and reels, with a swinging Duke Ellington cover thrown in for variety and one new original offered as the finale. Thompson multi-tracks himself playing a variety of acoustic and electric guitars, basses, mandolins, and dulcimers with his usual (i.e., dazzling) degree of dexterity, with only percussionist Dave Mattacks for company on most of the tunes. If the performances don't quite match the head-spinning ferocity of the traditionally based folk-rock he pioneered with Fairport Convention on Liege and Lief and Full House, Thompson was certainly a better player in 1981 than he was when he left Fairport, and the arrangements reveal a degree of taste, imagination, and subtle wit that's second to none. Strict Tempo! was a pet project of Thompson's, originally released on his own label, and it sometimes sounds like it was created more for his own amusement than anything else, but even in its more esoteric moments, it shows one of the finest guitarists on Earth showing just how well he can play, and that's always a pleasure to hear. -- Mark Deming\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nRichard's best work ever!, March 25, 2007\nReviewer: N. B. Jolly "Neil Jolly" (Melbourne, Australia)\nI was given a vinyl copy of Strict Tempo from a friend who was cleaning out his record collection. I was given heaps of Fairport Convention, Sandy Denny, Maddy Prior, Albion Band records and this copy by an artist unknown to me at the time. Mind you this all happened 25 yrs ago! I was learning to play celtic folk music at the time on tenor banjo and I was blown way when I heard a polka played by Richard on the album (track 2: Vaillance Polka Millitaire/Belfast Polka) to be precise. I have loved this album ever since, only problem is- it is so expensive to buy a new CD copy. I don't like Richard's vocals so this instrumental album suits me fine. Richard is so versatile on nearly ever stringed instrumental using a plectrum. Get this album if you can afford it. \n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nWhat the Man Plays When He's at Home, June 11, 2004\nReviewer: JR Dunn (New Brunswick,, NJ USA)\nUsually, these "what I really dig" albums are an endless snoozefest ("wakeup call for Mr. Chaquico and Mr. Howe"), but this one is the exception.\nI'm not going to get into questions of Thompson's stature here--it's beginning to be a mystery as to why he's not well known for being not well known. This album wouldn't change things one way or the other, which doesn't affect its near-perfection one iota. Nobody but Thompson could have even considered making this disc, and nobody but Thompson could have brought it off. I mean, where else in the world are you going to find cavalry polkas, hornpipes, reels, Duke Ellington, and Moroccan mountain tunes played back to back? And all of it performed not with that 'ancien musique' dryasdust scholastic approach but as dance music, as it's supposed to be played in the first place? \n\nIs it a crime that this disc is out of print? Damn straight. Is it worth the thirty-odd bucks they're charging on the Marketplace pages? Hell yes!\n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nA Gem for Richard Thompson Enthusisasts, February 10, 1999\nReviewer: Greg Benson (Athens, GA USA)\n"Strict Tempo" stands as the only Richard Thompson album composed entirely of instrumentals (unless one counts his instructional guitar tapes). For that reason alone, it is an essential part of Thompson's body of work. Those who appreciate his guitar prowess will bask in the wide range of musical territory it covers; yet it never strays from Thoompson's distinct musical vision. I would give it the full five stars, but he's done so many albums that are even better that I wouldn't want to mitigate the value of his best work.\n\n\nHalf.com Details \nProducer: Richard Thompson \n\nAlbum Notes\nPersonnel: Richard Thompson (acoustic & electric guitars, mandolin, bass, harmonium, dobro), Dave Mattacks (drums, percussion, piano on "Ye Banks And Braes").\n\nRecorded at B.T.W. Studios, London and Woodworm Studios, Cropedy, England.\nIncludes liner notes by Richard Thompson.\n\nIndustry Reviews\n...where else are you gonna hear his formidable guitar chops on classics like 'The New Fangled Flogging Reel?'...\nMusician (04/01/1993)\n\n4 Stars - Excellent - ...one of the lesser-known delights of Thompson's catalogue...some of the gentlest, most lyrical work of his career...\nQ Magazine (11/01/1992)\n\n7 - Very Good - ...a collection of instrumentals featuring his multi-tracked playing on the guitar, the mandolin, mandocello, banjo, dulcimer and more...Toetapping, restful, exquisite...\nVox (12/01/1992)
This folk cd contains 12 tracks and runs 42min 19sec.
Freedb: b509e90c

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