Live at Crawley
Encyclopedia
Live at Crawley is a live album
by Richard Thompson recorded in 1993 and released in 1995.
Thompson is a widely bootlegged
artist. He is vociferous in his opposition to bootlegs on the grounds that not only does the artist not gain by them, but that they also deprive the artist of control over the quality of his output.
Recognising that the people who buy bootlegs are mostly fans and completists looking for additional material, Thompson decided to start marketing additional live and archival recordings that would provide a better quality alternative to the bootlegs, which would be approved by him and which would provide an additional revenue stream. He negotiated with his then record label Capitol
to be allowed to distribute 'not for retail' discs at shows and via mail order.
Live at Crawley is the first of these "authorised bootlegs".
Thompson had appeared with double bass player and now-regular collaborator Danny Thompson
at the Crawley
Jazz
Festival in 1993. Their performance had been broadcast by the BBC and, ironically, was available as a bootleg shortly thereafter.
Many of the songs the duo played were included on the Mirror Blue
album that had been recorded but not released.
Live at Crawley was the first official live Thompson release since 1984s Small Town Romance
. The contrast between the two recordings is marked. On the earlier album Thompson sounds introverted and ill at ease, but on the later album he is a more confident front man and engages the audience. Richard and Danny Thompson
have continued to collaborate in concert and increasingly on record, but this remains the only non-bootleg record of their live work as a duo.
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
by Richard Thompson recorded in 1993 and released in 1995.
Thompson is a widely bootlegged
Bootleg recording
A bootleg recording is an audio or video recording of a performance that was not officially released by the artist or under other legal authority. The process of making and distributing such recordings is known as bootlegging...
artist. He is vociferous in his opposition to bootlegs on the grounds that not only does the artist not gain by them, but that they also deprive the artist of control over the quality of his output.
Recognising that the people who buy bootlegs are mostly fans and completists looking for additional material, Thompson decided to start marketing additional live and archival recordings that would provide a better quality alternative to the bootlegs, which would be approved by him and which would provide an additional revenue stream. He negotiated with his then record label Capitol
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
to be allowed to distribute 'not for retail' discs at shows and via mail order.
Live at Crawley is the first of these "authorised bootlegs".
Thompson had appeared with double bass player and now-regular collaborator Danny Thompson
Danny Thompson
Daniel Henry Edward 'Danny' Thompson is an English multi-instrumentalist best known as a double bassist and businessman...
at the Crawley
Crawley
Crawley is a town and local government district with Borough status in West Sussex, England. It is south of Charing Cross, north of Brighton and Hove, and northeast of the county town of Chichester, covers an area of and had a population of 99,744 at the time of the 2001 Census.The area has...
Jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
Festival in 1993. Their performance had been broadcast by the BBC and, ironically, was available as a bootleg shortly thereafter.
Many of the songs the duo played were included on the Mirror Blue
Mirror Blue
Mirror Blue is an album by Richard Thompson released in 1994.The follow-up to 1991's successful Rumor And Sigh was recorded in January 1993 with Mitchell Froom once again in the producer’s chair. Despite the increase in sales for his previous two albums, Mirror Blue was held back...
album that had been recorded but not released.
Live at Crawley was the first official live Thompson release since 1984s Small Town Romance
Small Town Romance
Small Town Romance is a live album by Richard Thompson .Before and after the "Tour From Hell" to promote the Richard and Linda Thompson album Shoot Out the Lights, Richard played solo shows in the USA in 1982. Three of these shows were recorded for radio broadcasts...
. The contrast between the two recordings is marked. On the earlier album Thompson sounds introverted and ill at ease, but on the later album he is a more confident front man and engages the audience. Richard and Danny Thompson
Danny Thompson
Daniel Henry Edward 'Danny' Thompson is an English multi-instrumentalist best known as a double bassist and businessman...
have continued to collaborate in concert and increasingly on record, but this remains the only non-bootleg record of their live work as a duo.
Track listing
All songs written by Richard Thompson except for Don't Roll Those Bloodshot Eyes at Me by Ruth Hall and Hank Penny- "Easy There, Steady Now"
- "Mingus Eyes"
- "Two Left Feet"
- "Ghosts In The Wind"
- "I Feel So Good"
- "Taking My Business Elsewhere"
- "Valerie"
- "Al Bowlly's In Heaven"
- "MGB-GT"
- "I Misunderstood"
- "Don't Roll Those Bloodshot Eyes At Me"
Personnel
- Richard Thompson - guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, vocals - Danny ThompsonDanny ThompsonDaniel Henry Edward 'Danny' Thompson is an English multi-instrumentalist best known as a double bassist and businessman...
- double bassDouble bassThe double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...