The Life & Music Of Richard Thompson [Box]

The British folk label Free Reed are doing fans of British folk-rock a nice service by issuing box sets of the genre's most important artists, and they've done a doozy with THE LIFE AND MUSIC OF RICHARD THOMPSON. With five CDs full of rare and largely unreleased material and a beautiful 168-page booklet full of photographs, interviews, biographical information, and exhaustive notes, this collection is a monster, and a must for any devoted fan of this seminal singer-songwriter.
The CDs are organized by theme, and include autobiographical songs, live performances, cover versions of songs by other artists, and demos and outtakes. That Thompson is a uniquely skilled guitarist and a songwriter of remarkable sensitivity and craftsmanship is well known, and those qualities are presented in a new light on this mammoth set. Still, beginners will want to pick up Thompson's Fairport albums and his first few records with then wife Linda before diving into LIFE & MUSIC; rabid Thompson collectors, however, will be surprised and delighted by the wealth of excellent unreleased material included here.|