HOLLYWOOD--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--Dec. 13, 2000 --
19-Track Compilation Contains Studio Recordings Plus 3 Bonus Tracks from
Critically Acclaimed Troubadour's Capitol Releases
"Action Packed -- The Best of the Capitol Years," the first ever "best
of"
compilation highlighting Richard Thompson's years on the label, will be
released March 27, 2001.
The collection features songs from his distinguished catalog of Capitol
recordings, including the Grammy Award nominees, "Rumor & Sigh" and
"You? Me? Us?." Other highlights include three bonus tracks: a live
version of "Persuasion," with an appearance by his son, Virgin recording
artist Teddy Thompson, plus two previously unreleased on CD, "Mr.
Rebound" and "Fully Qualified Man."
Hailed as a great folk-rock romanticist for his dark wit and sardonic
lyrics and admired for his biting guitar playing, Thompson has been
cited as an influence by many of today's top artists including R.E.M.,
Bruce Springsteen, Beck, Bonnie Raitt, Los Lobos, Linda Ronstadt, David
Byrne and Nanci Griffith, to name a few. His songs have been recorded by
a wide spectrum of artists including Raitt, Ronstadt, Griffith, Elvis
Costello, Shawn Colvin, The Pointer Sisters, Evan Dando, Bob Mould and
Patty Loveless.
Richard Thompson has been a critics' favorite for more than 30 years
starting with his days in the pioneering British folk/rock group
Fairport Convention. Critical acclaim followed Thompson through the 70s
and 80s with many successful solo recordings on various labels. His solo
career continued with his first Capitol recording, 1988's "Amnesia."
Songs such as "Turning Of The Tide" and "Waltzing's For Dreamers" showed
Thompson writing with fresh energy and strength after a period where his
music had been influenced by the break-up of his marriage to his
longtime musical partner, Linda Thompson. Three years later, he enjoyed
one of his biggest successes to date with "Rumor & Sigh."
Found on Capitol's new "best of" are four tracks from the critically
acclaimed "Rumor & Sigh" album, "1952 Vincent Black Lightning," "I
Misunderstood," "Keep Your Distance," and the animated video-driven "I
Feel So Good".
"Mirror Blue," the 1994 follow-up to "Rumor & Sigh" is highlighted on
"Action Packed -- The Best of the Capitol Years" by, "I Can't Wake Up to
Save My Life," "King Of Bohemia," and the beautiful acoustic ballad
"Beeswing."
Thompson's 1996 double CD, "You? Me? Us?" contained a blend of electric
material ("Voltage Enhanced") and acoustic ("Nude"). "Action Packed --
The Best Of The Capitol Years" contains the "Voltage Enhanced" version
of "Razor Dance," which, according to Rolling Stone, is better than the
"Nude" version: "Of the two versions, the hot splatter of blood and
tears on the electric take better suits the song's deceptively exuberant
chorus and sense of mounting crisis," stated the magazine in a review
which described the album as "full of disturbing and wondrous moments"
and praised the performances for being "uniformly marvelous."
Other tracks from "You? Me? Us?" include "Cold Kisses," which deals with
jealousy over a previous lover, and "The Ghost Of You Walks." "Bathsheba
Smiles" is among the four songs taken from "Mock Tudor," the 1999 album
Thompson recorded with Beck and Elliot Smith producers Tom Rothrock and
Rob Schnapf. From that album also comes the opening track, a tale of a
club owner's transformation from gangster to hippie called "Cooksferry
Queen," "Uninhabited Man," and "Walking The Long Miles Home."
Track Listing:
1. Turning Of The Tide
2. Waltzing's For Dreamers
3. 1952 Vincent Black Lightning
4. I Misunderstood
5. I Feel So Good
6. Keep Your Distance
7. King Of Bohemia
8. I Can't Wake Up To Save My Live
9. Beeswing
10. The Ghost Of You Walks
11. Razor Dance ("Voltage Enhanced" version)
12. Cold Kisses
13. Bathsheba Smiles
14. Cooksferry Queen
15. Uninhabited Man
16. Walking The Long Miles Home
17. Persuasion (LIVE version with Teddy Thompson)
18. Mr. Rebound (previously unavailable on CD)
19. Fully Qualified Man (previously unavailable on CD)
BEST OF RICHARD THOMPSON: THE CAPITOL YEARS 1988-2000
Street Date: March 27, 2001
Label: Capitol Records
