Rumor And Sighby Richard Thompson

This is the best work of Thompson's since he broke up with Linda Thompson and went solo. While I am partial to "Henry the Human Fly" and his early work with wife Linda (for its greater mix of Celtic folk with rock), this is a near perfect work of his rock, or some call it his "Americanized" years. Starts off with the rocking, hilarious "Read About Love" in which a bewildered teen/ young adult is sheltered from any knowledge of sex and due to his desires he does all he can to educate himself on the subject, with mixed results. "I Feel So Good", a concert favorite, follows discussing a delinquent so bitter and devoid of empathy that he just wants to "break somebody's heart tonight" to a rollicking melody with great guitar work. Finishing the 1, 2, 3 punch is " I Misunderstood", a ballad of more confusion regarding the ways of male/ female relationships, with very heartfelt singing from Thompson. These three alone would be enough to recommend this album, but you also get "Vincent Black Lightning" (another concert favorite) a killer acoustic track with another story of love, outlaw style, with blazingly intricate acoustic guitar work from Thompson. "Psycho Street" is either hilariously funny or too disturbing to listen too, depending on your tastes, but it tells the tales of many more deviants doing what they do best: reeking havoc all over the neighborhood. Those are only some of the highlights, this album is chalked full of amazing lyrics, blazing guitar, and catchy melodies, with no filler. A great place to get introduced to the work of Richard Thompson, especially for those from the rock and roll background. If you are interested in Thompson's great work combining traditional English folk (via his original songs) with the Celtic instruments mixed with his great guitar work, look to his earlier work with Linda and "Henry the Human Fly", but for an amazing listen from his rock era, THIS IS THE ONE TO GET.