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Richard Thompson Band: Live In ProvidenceDirector: Eric Masunaga Rating: E approx 89 minutes Cooking Vinyl/Shock First of all, this is a live recording of "A" Richard Thompson Band, rather than "THE" RT Band. As the bonus material on this DVD shows, Thompson has had a number of players accompany him over the years - Simon Nicol and Dave Pegg (Wall Of Death, Old Grey Whistle Test 1984), Clive Gregson and Christine Collister (three tracks from the 1985 'Across A Crowded Room' video) and the inimitable double bassist Danny Thompson ('Austin City Limits' 2001) to name but a few. Two of the band members on the main feature are also included in some of the earlier footage: Rory McFarlane on bass and multi-instrumentalist Pete Zorn, showing the fluid nature of the group over the decades. The new face is American drummer Earl Harvin who proves to be a real find, in terms of both his power and sympathy to the music. The main section is a straightforward performance video recorded at Lupo's in Providence, Rhode Island, as part of Thompson's 2003 US tour. There is no great camera wizardry, but it would be unnecessary anyway with the sparks regularly flying from the stage. The selection of songs naturally focuses on his then-current CD 'The Old Kit Bag' but older songs such as Walking On A Wire and Man In Need are also included, and sound just as comfortable in his current repertoire. It must be noted that whatever the era, each song comes across as strong and self-contained, with its own unique dynamics. This leads to a sense of "where will he go from here?" which is part of the general attraction of the performance. The set starts strongly with Tear Stained Letter, the energy level of which would be enough for most people's final song. We are then taken through intelligent pop/rock (Razor Dance, Gethsemane), astounding electric workouts (Can't Win and a mesmeric Shoot Out The Lights) and sublime acoustic playing on songs such as 1952 Vincent Black Lightning and Al Bowlly's In Heaven. The latter song is a jazzy number featuring solos from all band members - Pete Zorn wins the award for most instruments played overall though, switching from sax to acoustic guitar to occasionally demented mandolin with ease, as well as providing backing vocals. Of course, the lyrics are typically intelligent and/or inscrutable - and Thompson's playing? Well, gaze upon his fingers, guitarists, and weep. The audio and video quality is of a high standard, although for some strange reason there is no "Play All" function for the bonus material, which must be accessed one track at a time instead, which is slightly annoying but worth persevering with for the rarity of what is there. It is a foregone conclusion that 'Live In Providence' will and should find its way to any Richard Thompson fan's collection. Then it's simply a matter of which tracks to pick to show non-fans what they have been missing all this time!  |
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