RE-UPPED! Some of our earliest posts, from March 2007, were these collections of Richard Thompson’s “Gathered Tracks” – officially released recordings (and a few that weren’t) compiled from countless live discs, various artists tribute CDs, festival shows, webcasts, official downloads and other nooks & crannies hiding RT material. We ended up with 6 (now expanded to 8) volumes in all (and still far from complete), with some help from our readers (including Wolfgang, who supplied covers, too). While putting together the Five Live Boxes, we we’re able to replace a few low bit-rate files along with two more volumes of radio performances and webcasts. All volumes have been spiffed-up for your listening pleasure.
Gathered Tracks Vol. 1
At the time of the original posting, “Dad’s Gonna Kill Me,” Thompson’s anti-war tune, was an advance download for the Sweet Warrior CD. Notable treats on Vol. 1 include RT’s righteous cover of Britney Spears’ “Oops! I Did It Again” and a searing, 10 minute live version of “Put Her There, Pal.”
Dad’s Gonna Kill Me (Advance Download from Sweet Warrior CD-2007)
Harlan’s Bounce (V/A Dreams With Sharp Teeth-2007)
The Uninhabited Man w/Spoken Intro (Live)
Blackleg Miner (Live On NPR-11/3/2003)
Shenandoah (Live On NPR-11/3/2003)
She Said It Was Destiny (Live On NPR-11/3/2003)
Tempted (Live On NPR-11/3/2003)
Oops! I Did It Again (Live On NPR-11/3/2003)
Banks Of The Nile (1000 Years of Popular Music Outtake-2002)
Persuasion (V/A Live At World Cafe-The Next Decade CD-2002)
Sights And Sounds Of London Town (V/A KGSR Broadcasts 8 CD)
Hand Of Kindness (Live In Somerville-1996-iTunes)
Put Her There, Pal (Live In Somerville-1996-iTunes)
Two Left Feet (Live In Basingstroke-1993-iTunes)
I Can’t Wake Up To Save My Life (ONXRT Live From The Archives 2 CD)
I Misunderstood (Live-”Read About Love” Maxi CD Single-1991)
I Feel So Good (Live-”Read About Love” Maxi CD Single-1991)
Dear Janet Jackson (www.richardthompson-music.com)
I Agree With Pat Metheny (www.richardthompson-music.com)
Gathered Tracks Vol. 2
Nifty inclusions; a beautiful version of “She Moves Through The Fair” from a Ben & Jerry’s Newport Folk Festival CD, some songs from the Mountain Stage Festival series and five acoustic tracks from RT’s “I Misunderstood” live promo CD.
Mingulay Boat Song (V/A Rogue’s Gallery CD-2006)
Red Wine Promises (V/A Songs of Lal & Mike Waterson CD-2006)
The Coo Coo Bird (V/A Harry Smith Project Live Vol. 1 CD-2006)
1952 Vincent Black Lightning (Capitol Live Promo CD 1991)
Now That I Am Dead (Capitol Live Promo CD 1991)
The Choice Wife (Capitol Live Promo CD 1991)
I Misunderstood (Capitol Live Promo CD 1991)
I Feel So Good (Capitol Live Promo CD 1991)
Mingus Eyes (UK Radio Show-1994)
I Can’t Wake Up To Save My Life (UK Radio Show-1994)
Shoot Out The Lights (V/A Live From Mountain Stage Vol.1 CD-1997)
From Galway To Graceland (V/A The Best of Mountain Stage CD-1991)
Beat The Retreat (V/A Folk Live from Mountain Stage CD-1997)
Skull And Crossbones (V/A Medium Rare Ryko Compilation CD-1993)
Sights & Sounds Of London Town (Semi-Detached Mock Tudor Outtake)
She Moves Through The Fair (V/A Ben & Jerry’s Newport Festival CD)
The Choice Wife (V/A Ben & Jerry’s Newport Folk Festival CD-1990)
Two Left Feet (V/A Ben & Jerry’s Newport Folk Festival CD-1990)
Introduction to “I Feel So Good” (V/A In Their Own Words, Vol. 1 CD-1992)
I Feel So Good (V/A In Their Own Words, Vol. 1 CD-1992)
Gathered Tracks Vol. 3
Pulled from four specific studio albums, including three tracks from Thompson’s own Capitol best of, Action Packed, which featured a few vinyl-only rarities. The 1990 various artists gathering, Hard Cash, features three RT contributions and there are the 2 albums from one of the oddest personnel configurations on record, French, Frith, Kaiser & Thompson. Thompson’s contributions for Live Love Larf & Loaf and Invisible Means include some great work, especially the bizarre “Dance of the Cosmetic Surgeons” and the essential tracks, “A Blind Step Away” and “The Killing Jar.”
Persuasion (Action Packed CD-2001)
Mr. Rebound (Action Packed CD-2001)
Fully Qualified To Be Your Man (Action Packed CD-2001)
Time To Ring Some Changes (V/A Hard Cash CD-1990)
Mrs. Rita w/June Tabor (V/A Hard Cash CD-1990)
Oh I Swear (V/A Hard Cash CD-1990)
Killerman Gold Posse (FFK&T Live Love Larf & Loaf CD-1987)
Drowned Dog Black Night (FFK&T Live Love Larf & Loaf CD-1987)
A Blind Step Away (FFK&T Live Love Larf & Loaf CD-1987)
Tir-Nan-Darag (FFK&T Live Love Larf & Loaf CD-1987)
Begging Bowl (FFK&T Invisible Means CD-1990)
The Killing Jar (FFK&T Invisible Means CD-1990)
Peppermint Rock (FFK&T Invisible Means CD-1990)
March of the Cosmetic Surgeons (FFK&T Invisible Means CD-1990)
Gathered Tracks Vol. 4
Includes RT’s naturally dark reading of Joni Mitchell’s “Woodstock,” from a televised tribute concert and three live performances from a German promo single that accompanied 1985’s Daring Adventures. The 10 minute live “Jerusalem On The Jukebox” from the Reckless Kind E.P. CD is just blistering beyond belief. Some are vinyl rips and over the air broadcasts, so the quality varies. But it’s all good.
Beeswing (V/A Live at The World Cafe, Volume I CD-1995)
Dimming Of The Day (V/A Bringing It All Back Home BBC Soundtrack CD-1991)
Woodstock (An All-Star Tribute to Joni Mitchell-TV Broadcast-April 6, 2000)
Turning Of The Tide (V/A Ben & Jerry’s Newport Folk Festival ’88 Live LP)
Don’t Tell Secrets (Daring Adventures German Bonus Live Promo 45-1986)
Shoot Out The Lights (Daring Adventures German Bonus Live Promo 45-1986)
The Great Valerio (Daring Adventures German Bonus Live Promo 45-1986)
Turning Of The Tide (Reckless Kind E.P. CD, Live at the Bayou 11/7/88)
When The Spell Is Broken (“You Don’t Say” B-Side, Live in Chicago-3/28/85)
Jerusalem On The Jukebox (Reckless Kind E.P. CD, Live at the Bayou 11/7/88)
Black Crow (An All-Star Tribute to Joni Mitchell-TV Broadcast-April 6, 2000)
1952 Vincent Black Lightning (Guitar Legends Festival, Radio 10/1991)
Keep Your Distance (Guitar Legends Festival, Radio Broadcast-10/1991)
Jerusalem On The Jukebox (Guitar Legends Festival, Radio 10/1991)
Gathered Tracks Vol. 5
Listen for Richard’s stunning Byrds cover, “Here Without You” with Gregson & Collister, a lengthy version of Donovan’s “Season Of The Witch,” from the Crossing Jordan soundtrack and RT’s bizarre live rendition of “Heartbreak Hotel” with John Cale, Tim Berne, David Sanborn & others.
RICHARD & LINDA THOMPSON Hokey Pokey
(Over The Rainbow LP, Live at The Rainbow-March 16, 1975)
RICHARD & LINDA THOMPSON The World Is A Wonderful Place
(The World Is A Wonderful Place: The Songs of Richard Thompson CD-1993)
RICHARD & DANNY THOMPSON The May Day Psalter
(Circle Dance: The Hokey Pokey Charity Compilation CD-1990)
RICHARD & SHAWN COLVIN Oh I Swear
(Live at Town & Country Club, London August 18, 1991)
RICHARD & CLIVE GREGSON & CHRISTINE COLLISTER Hickory Wind
(Time Between: A Tribute To The Byrds CD-1989)
RICHARD & CLIVE GREGSON & CHRISTINE COLLISTER Here Without You
(Time Between: A Tribute To The Byrds CD-1989)
RICHARD & HENRY KAISER Annihilation in Allah
(Henry Kaiser/Hope You Like Our New Direction CD-1991)
RICHARD & TIM FINN Persuasion
(Blue Vinyl Jukbox Single-1993)
RICHARD & T-BONE BURNETT Welcome Home, Mr. Lewis
(T-Bone Burnett/Behind The Trap Door CD-1984)
RICHARD THOMPSON Les Flammes d’Enfer (The Flames Of Hell)
(Evangeline Made: A Tribute To Cajun Music-2002)
RICHARD & LINDA THOMPSON Living in Luxury
(“Don’t Renege On Our Love” Single/B-Side-1982)
RICHARD THOMPSON Shine On Love
(Across A Crowded Room Outtake-1984)
RICHARD THOMPSON Season Of The Witch
(Crossing Jordan Original Soundtrack CD-2003)
RT, JOHN CALE, DAVID SANBORN & TIM BERNE Heartbreak Hotel
(Night Music with David Sanborn, Live TV Broadcast, 1991)
FAIRPORT CONVENTION Meet On The Ledge
(Heyday, Cassette Version-1969)
Gathered Tracks Vol. 6
Comprised of live bonus and unreleased tracks from three Richard & Linda Thompson reissues and the Linda Thompson retrospective, Dreams Fly Away. A lot of cool tracks here, though, from what I’ve read, RT was less than thrilled with the reissues and had nothing to do with their release. The Linda comp includes two tracks from the aborted 1980 Gerry Rafferty Sessions for the R&L classic Shoot Out The Lights. And, it’s great to hear these tapes in crisp and clean fidelity.
I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight (Live At The Roundhouse)
Together Again (Live At The Roundhouse)
Calvary Cross (Live At The Roundhouse)
Richard & Linda Thompson-I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight Bonus Tracks
Wishing (BBC John Peel Session)
I’m Turning Off A Memory (BBC John Peel Session)
A Heart Needs A Home (BBC John Peel Session)
Hokey Pokey (Live At The Roundhouse)
It’ll Be Me (Live At Oxford)
Richard & Linda Thompson - Hokey Pokey Bonus Tracks
Streets of Paradise (Live)
Night Comes In (Live)
The Dark End Of The Street (Live)
Beat The Retreat (Live)
Richard & Linda Thompson - Pour Down Like Silver Bonus Tracks
Walking On A Wire (Gerry Rafferty Sessions, Sept/Oct 1980)
First Light (Demo, Doom & Gloom From The Tomb Vol 1, Dec. 1977)
Pavanne (Live On Rockpalast, January 10, 1980)
The Great Valerio (Live At The Rainbow Theatre, March 16, 1975)
I’m A Dreamer (Gerry Rafferty Sessions, Sept/Oct 1980)
Linda Thompson - Dreams Fly Away Previously Unreleased Tracks
Gathered Tracks Vol. 7
A gathering of radio performances from 2002-2007. Most are for various National Public Radio shows, like Fresh Air, World Cafe and other live, on-air studio sessions. Two tracks come from an appearance on WNYC in New York. There’s some song repetition as a result – three versions of “Let It Blow” and “Old Thames Side,” for instance – but, so what? You also get RT’s unreleased “Hots For The Smarts” and his grim, 9/11 response, “Outside Of The Inside,” written by RT from the point of view of the Taliban. Great sound.
Let It Blow (NPR’s World Cafe Live Session – September 5, 2005)
Old Thames Side (NPR’s World Cafe Live Session – September 5, 2005)
Hots For The Smarts (NPR’s World Cafe Live Session – September 5, 2005)
Hokey Pokey (NPR’s World Cafe Live Session – September 5, 2005)
1952 Vincent Black Lightning (NPR’s World Cafe Live Session – Sept 5, 2005)
Needle And Thread (NPR’s World Cafe Studio Session – September 25, 2007)
Dad’s Gonna Kill Me (NPR’s World Cafe Studio Session – September 25, 2007)
Take Care The Road You Choose (NPR’s World Cafe Studio Session – 9/25/07)
Sunset Song (NPR’s World Cafe Studio Session – September 25, 2007)
Let It Blow (NPR Studio Session – August 20, 2005)
Old Thames Side (NPR Studio Session – August 20, 2005)
A Solitary Life (NPR Studio Session – August 20, 2005)
For Whose Sake? (NPR Studio Session – August 20, 2005)
Outside Of The Inside (NPR Fresh Air – September 11, 2002)
Shenadoah (NPR Fresh Air – September 11, 2002)
Let It Blow (Live on WNYC – June 28, 2005)
Old Thames Side (Live on WNYC – June 28, 2005)
Gathered Tracks Vol. 8
Two radio/webcast performances. One is from Club Lek in Amsterdam, recorded February 19, 2003. The other comes from The Cutting Room in Manhattan, June 30, 2005. I’ve seen the Cutting Room show listed with a couple of additional tunes, but I’ve had this direct station download for a while and it never included “Persuasion” or “Old Thames Side.” It’s possible the station recorded, but never played or posted those particular tunes. I’m not sure. We did, however, edit the 10 minute conversation with the DJ/host. The set’s long-winded introduction might explain why.
Gethsemane (Club Lek, Amsterdam – February 19, 2003)
Crawl Back (Club Lek, Amsterdam – February 19, 2003)
God Loves A Drunk (Club Lek, Amsterdam – February 19, 2003)
I Misunderstood (Club Lek, Amsterdam – February 19, 2003)
A Love You Can’t Survive (Club Lek, Amsterdam – February 19, 2003)
I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight (Club Lek – 2/19/03)
Introduction (The Cutting Room – June 30, 2005)
Hokey Pokey (The Cutting Room – June 30, 2005)
Walking On A Wire (The Cutting Room – June 30, 2005)
Crawl Back (The Cutting Room – June 30, 2005)
Cooksferry Queen (The Cutting Room – June 30, 2005)
Hots For The Smarts (The Cutting Room – June 30, 2005)
Let It Blow (The Cutting Room – June 30, 2005)
When The Spell Is Broken (The Cutting Room – June 30, 2005)
Wall Of Death (The Cutting Room – June 30, 2005)
Bathsheba Smiles (The Cutting Room – June 30, 2005)
50 Comments
Britain's Best Guitar Player……..Never enough of Mr Thompson Thank you
These are wonderful. Thank you so much
Thank you so much! I grabbed Vol 4 right away as soon as I saw what I was looking for: "Turning of the Tide" live solo acoustic from the Ben Jerry's Newport album. A folk DJ from the Phila area Gene Shay would play that particular version & I always wanted it. Have to try the other volumes too. Thanks again for all that you do. Big fan of this place!
Wow! what a treasure trove of Thompson. Thanks so much for compiling all this and making it available for everyone.
Thanks, mate. Loving the collection & burning copies as I type. Cheers.
Yeah thanx for these.
I see that Fairport's Liege and Leaf has been given the deluxe treatment.
My doctor when I first moved to london in the 70's was Simon Nichol's dad and he still was at the house called 'Fairport' in Muswell Hill that they used to rehearse in when they started.
such a gtr player.
the best (English) in my opinion is between him, John Martyn and Nick Drake.
regards/
Thanks Mona,
Personally, I don't think anyone can touch him on an acoustic, but my knowledge of Martyn is limited. Had the pleasure of meeting RT in the early 90s (I knew the show's promoter). He was as gracious a guy as you'd imagine and he took a moment to show me how to play "Substitute" on guitar.
Phew! That version of 'season' is astonishing and i have never been a Donovan fan but what also struck me was how much Tom verlaine is indebted to RT's guitar sound. i do remember interviews at the beginning of Television when he said he really like all that Joe Boyd produced stuff.
Back to listen to more.
regards/
Hello and greetings from Australia…I am loving this RT music…as I type I am listening to Welcome Home Mr Lewis and it is…um..exquisite…Many thanks Nasty Nigel
Thanks for the RT and thanks for all the posts over the past two years. I appreciate the effort to find the more obscure tracks by these fine artists. They may not realize it, but blogs like yours do a lot to help preserve music. Thanks!
Good to hear that. Thanks for all the comments.
This is a great set. Thanks.
Stephen Parkin
You put in a lot of work on this. Nice Job!
Great, great, great!!
This is the most magnificent music download I had the pleasure of making in the last 15 years :)
Thanks, thanks, thanks!!!
my hat is off to you Capt. Willard – an amazing undertaking. Now, not to be greedy, but when you get around to volume 7, how about seeking out two gems from Live (More or Less) – the steaming version of Cavalry Cross (as Night Comes In did make it on to the Pour Down Like Silver CD) and the lovely, lovely alternate version of A Heart Needs a Home (first dance at our wedding reception, 25 years ago this November).
Hi – thanks for taking the time to put these together in such a friendly format. There isn't enough RT stuff out there for those of us who don't do torrents! Not sure how I came across your blog, but very glad I did.
This has made the last 6 hours in the car whizz by. Many thanks. RT Rules!
Would it be possible to access the FULL-SIZE artwork (covers) to these and all the other offerings on the site, perhaps in clickable links?
Thanks for EVERYTHING so far.
We rarely do full size artwork. You can use Google for that function. If it's unique artwork, like these, we include it in with the download. Sometimes they're full size, sometimes not. Art has never been our main concern.
I'd made the comment a couple of months back about Live More or Less and the long version of Calvary Cross – this, and the alternate version of A Heart needs a Home, are apparently both on the somewhat maligned Best of R & L Thompson – the Island Years collection. So there we are!
Volume Six, thanks.
Thank you so much!wonderful stuff!
M
Always glad to see RT gettin' his due – he's one of those troubadours troubadour kind of guys with an ability to simultaneously blend melody and rhythm on his guitar in a songwriting style few possess.
I had the pleasure of taking my daughter (26) and son (17) to see him this past October and my only regret is that the show was a shared bill (w/LWIII) and he didn't play alone nearly long enough for me – I was enraptured.
He had done a string of 3 shows in New York the week before, alone, and I have recordings of two of those nights and they fill 3 discs each of just him!
Incredible mix you've assembled with only one thing missing – a solo live acoustic rendering of "Pharaoh" – there are some great ones he performed at St. Annes Church in Brooklyn NY in the 80's and later in the 90's with David Byrne on the bill with him – full of haunting echo – there's a few on youtube
Check the Five Live boxes in the archives.
I appreciate the heck out of this. Am I missing something or is there only a link to Vol. 6?
It's not you… it's me. Thanks for the alert. here you go…
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Find them all HERE.
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You can never have enough Thommo!
Thank you oh great one…
My thoughts exactly. Uh… the never having enough Thompson part, that is.
Nice! This represents a lot of work, and all should appreciate it! Great stuff.
I'd like to point out that the title to track 3 in Vol. 3 is actually "Fully Qualified to Be YOUR Man," not "A Man."
Thanks for the thumbs up, and the catch.
You are the greatest. Don’t disappear like Nargo
Thanks. I’ll do my best.
So glad to have you back. I could not find your blog under it’s old name for months and I thought it’s vanished. Today I was only googleing a picture of Richard Thompson, and there you are again.
Especially your giant Dylan and Thompson posts are fantastic. I really appreciate your work with these (and the rest, too).
I’ve seen RT a few weeks ago (wonderful solo acoustic concert), on YouTube you can find 5 songs in a playlist (quite good audio, bad video) when you search for Richard Thompson, 2011 Vienna.
Many thanks.
Captain Willard the permalink to these seems to be down
Thanks
Carl
MANY, thanks Carl. Always appreciate it when we get alerts. They should all be up and running now.
Thanks for the new vol 7 & 8
One of the greatest singer/songwriter/guitarists ever.
Thanks for this, Willard!!
Big Thompson fan here. I am trying to find a link to download these music. Can anyone tell me where they are?
Klas
comment #26
I missed that! Have them now, thank you.
You’ve got yourself another reader from now on too!
Belated thanks for all this – I’ve only just discovered these sets; but does anyone else find that Vol.6 is too long to burn onto a single CD?
sorry, the above comment (42) was from me. I didn’t add a name- very bad manners!
The length is my fault. I was just grouping all the CD stuff together without regard to burning. Cheers.
No problem, sir, a pleasure to be able to access this material at all. Many thanks!
This is amazing and I’m not sure I ever said thanks. The version of Joni’s Black Crow might be one of my fave ever Thompson performances. I’d love to hear the whoe broadcast if you have the whole thing? Leads me on to a question. I used to have (guitar, vocal) on Cd but lost it along the way. Mostly the stuff has appeared on reissues but there are a couple of tracks that haven’t any chance you or your helpers would be able to lay your hands on these? The Hip-o-select reissue of Shoot out the Lights had an extr live disc that came and went so quickly…
Not related to Thompson but the Neil Young Archive release had some extra downloads which I’ve never managed to track down and might be something in the scope of what you do?
I don’t have the Joni broadcast and don’t know how much Thompson was involved in it, as it was a various artist thing. Don’t deal much with video, anyway. Haven’t kept up on the reissues either… need to catch up myself. Sorry. As for Neil’s catalog. That might be an undertaking. My biggest problem is keeping up with all the new stuff that comes out.
Hi,
I don’t understand how to use the site I’m sorry. Is there a link to a download or are these for listening only?
Thanks,
Ivan
Comment #26
Thanks! Fabulous…!!