Here is one of the most perfect pieces of guitar playing as I can find

[The Polack MSgt]

Last edited Sun Jun 20, 2021, 03:14 PM - Edit history (1)

[Ziggysmom]

1. Awesome! Have you heard Rodrigo y Gabriela?

[sprinkleeninow]

2. I researched Richard Thompson -- of Fairport Convention fame.

I remember them from the 60's.

You don't mind I coattailed this/your offering in another post?

🙂 ♥️

[WheelWalker]

3. Great performance.

This old goat has still got some skill as well...

[thucythucy]

7. This is amazing.

I love his album "Speechless." It'entirely instrumental, which shows off his chops and how.

But he does it all: melodies, lyrics, musicianship.

Thanks for posting this.

[wyn borkins]

4. That's A Magically Good Rendition

Hoping you don't mind, but I long(ed) for the lyrics, so here's a link (to 1952 Vincent Black Lightning with chords by Richard Thompson) and his words (from Verse 4) just below:

Said young James in my opinion, there's nothing in this world
Beats a 52 Vincent and a red headed girl
Now Nortons and Indians and Greeveses won't do
They don't have a soul like a Vincent 52
And he reached for her hand and he slipped her the keys
He said I don't have any further use for these
I see angels on Ariels in leather and chrome
Swooping down from heaven to carry me home
He gave her one last kiss and died
And he gave her his Vincent to ride.

[Straw Man]

5. Abso-bloody-lutely!

Pardon the overused word, but Richard Thompson is a genius, going all the way back to the Fairport days. He's equally masterful on acoustic or electric, fingerpicking or flatpicking or both at the same time.

If you've got 10 or so minutes to kill, check out this one from Fairport Convention's album Unhalfbricking, released in 1969, light years ahead of its time. It's one take, live in the studio, and the extended jam between Thompson and fiddler Dave Swarbrick is positively transcendent.

That's Richard Thompson in your left ear and Dave Swarbrick in your right, unless you've got your headphones on backwards. Drums (Martin Lamble), bass (Ashley Hutchings), rhythm guitar (Simon Nicol), and Sandy Denny's angelic voice are all mixed roughly center. Consider also that when they made this record, the band members were in their late teens and early '20s, except for Swarbrick, who was -- gasp! -- 28. I don't know where people get this much musical sophistication at such an early age. Probably the same way you get to Carnegie Hall.

[ZZenith]

6. One of my favorite musical performances by anyone, anywhere -

So, so brilliant...