Rumor And Sigh - Richard Thompson > Reviews > A Return To Form

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	Mixed
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Good
Value for Money

Advantages:	An accessible introduction to the work of Richard Thompson
Disadvantages:	The album lacks the spontaneity of earlyer records .

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

For many Rumour and Sigh marked a return to the form Richard Thompson was during the early 80's period of "Shoot out the lights" and "Hand of Kindness". Those classic's in Thompson's cannon were as much the result of the fine production work of Joe Boyd as the brilliant songwriting and guitar playing of Thompson.

The mid 80's produced a serious of albums which today sound dated by the production techniques employed on them, although this is not to say that they are completely flawed; Many tracks improved upon there introduction into Thompson’s live shows, yet album version of crowd pleasers such as Valerie (from the 1986 album “Daring Adventures”) sound weak and diluted in comparison. This probably has more to do with the introduction of new producer Mitchell Froom than Thompson taking influence from the Human League!

Amnesia (1988) was a solid album, but lacked the spontaneity of the Boyd era albums. Rumour and sigh however went some way to deal with this and from the opening song “Read about love” to the closing anti neighbours anthem of “Psycho Street”, this was an album of classic proportions, and Thompson’s best selling to date. The album also sees Thompson returning to the use of the ballad structure to construct the acoustic showpiece of the album, “1952 Vincent Black Lightning” a fast pace love story centred around the Vincent motorcycle! As usual with Thompson albums, the guitar playing is first class featuring solo’s of particular of note on “Mystery Wind” and “Mother Knows Best” and features guest contributions from fellow Fairport Convention founder Simon Nicol as well as the wonderful Accordion player John Kirkpatrick.

So, if you’re fed up of being told that Richard Thompson is the forgotten jewel of English songwriting, or one of the greatest guitar players on the planet, then go out and discover him!! This album is as good a starting point as any…