Something to cheer up your afternoon. Tucked away as a bonus track on the first Fairport Convention album is this stunning rendition of Reno Nevada, with a still teenage Richard Thompson peeling off an amazing guitar solo.
I’m not always a fan of bonus tracks, but this is real buried treasure, despite its audio shortcomings.
A very Quicksilver Messenger Service bit of soloing from the boy Thompson there. Looks about 16 years old there. Can still see the puppy fat on him.
Credit also to Martin Lamble on the drums. A truly tragic loss.
Yes, indeed! He’s got the fringed buckskin jacket – he just needed an SG with a Bigsby and we’d be in full-on QMS territory…
From the same session, my fave Fairports track, Time Will Show The Wiser. Featuring RT in proto-shredder mode.
Blimey…I have just began reading Richard’s “Beeswing” and he modestly passes through this period of early Fairport. That is a truly astonishing solo. Thanks for posting
Ruddy heck I can hear why it’s only a bonus track. I yield to no-one in my admiration for his skills these days, but strewth there are rather a lot of supremely wincetastic bum notes in Richard’s playing there. Ouch! Eeew! Oooh dear! Argh! etc. I bet he’s pleased that’s only sneaked out fairly recently. I know he was a whippersnapper but even so…
…he’s much better at the pace of Time It Will Show in the later clip.
I’d argue that the odd bum note simply adds to its in-the-moment charm. It still has tremendous impact and shows a shit-load of ambition
spot on
Totally. I’m not going to start counting the bum notes on my favourite Neil Young guitar parts.
I’m with VV. It’s a bit painful but hey. He became the best Brit guitarist who isn’t Jeff Beck so I can forgive him.
They were a phenomenal group in this period: young kids listening to the best of west coast acid rock and hip singer-songwriters, and gradually exploring British folk. Though there’s something to admire in most eras of Fairport, part of me wishes they’d stayed sounding like this. (Or anyone had stayed sounding like this; it’s lightning in a bottle stuff, and incredibly influential down the years)
It marks a transitional sweet spot that’s brilliant but fleeting. See also Beggars Banquet, Filles De Kilimanjaro, Heart Attack And Vine etc
Seeing Judy sitting down during the shredding reminded me of a recent episode of Jim Irvin’s Youre Not On The List podcast. She’d take her knitting along to gigs and sit with it stage-side while the boys made a racket.
Not many can say they jammed with Hendrix on knitting needles.