Mirror Blue
Encyclopedia
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. The delay was partly due to changes at the top at Capitol Records
which saw long time Thompson fan and supporter Hale Milgrim being replaced by Gary Gersh.
When the album was eventually released it didn’t enjoy the record company support given to Thompson’s previous releases on Capitol.
Unusually for a new Thompson release, Mirror Blue was not given a warm welcome by the critics. Criticism of the album was centered on the controversial production rather than on Thompson’s songs and playing, both of which are strong on this album.
Thompson: "I thought it was a sort of deconstruction of the rock rhythm section... It was a radical record – and a brave record – it was off the back of the records Mitchell had done with Suzanne Vega
and Los Lobos
and the couple of records [engineer] Tchad Blake
had done with Tom Waits
. All of which I thought were terrific records and they all had a kind of character to them – a sound that was really trying to strip away some clichés, like why have a snare drum, why the backbeat
? And just looking at the song and seeing what does the song need, what’s going to work?"
The critics did not agree and the album was slammed for its unusual percussion and its lack of reverb. The charge was that the heavy-handed production drowned the songs. Mitchell Froom
was cast as the villain of the piece, but Thompson seems to have been at least in favour of the production and quite probably a willing participant.
Despite the critical backlash and the poor sales, some of the songs on the album have become concert staples and favourites of Thompson’s fans. In particular "Beeswing" – a tale about a travelling girl and the prices that she and the young man who falls in love with her pay for the choices they make – has come to be regarded as one of Thompson’s very best compositions. Songs such as "Mingus Eyes", "Easy There, Steady Now" and "I Ride In Your Slipstream" have a jazzy feel and impressionistic lyrics, showing that whatever else he was doing Thompson was continuing to extend his artistic range.
On March 10, 2009, "The Way That It Shows" was released as a downloadable song for the video game Rock Band 2
The follow-up to 1991's successful Rumor And Sigh
Rumor and Sigh
Rumor and Sigh is an album by Richard Thompson released in 1991.This album is one of the artistic high-points of Richard Thompson's career, and is his most commercially successful album to date...
was recorded in January 1993 with Mitchell Froom
Mitchell Froom
-Career:Froom began his career as a keyboard player in Sonoma County, California. The band Crossfire featured two keyboards players; Mitchell on one side of the stage and brother David on the other with Gary Pihl on guitar...
once again in the producer’s chair. Despite the increase in sales for his previous two albums, Mirror Blue was held back. The delay was partly due to changes at the top at Capitol Records
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...
which saw long time Thompson fan and supporter Hale Milgrim being replaced by Gary Gersh.
When the album was eventually released it didn’t enjoy the record company support given to Thompson’s previous releases on Capitol.
Unusually for a new Thompson release, Mirror Blue was not given a warm welcome by the critics. Criticism of the album was centered on the controversial production rather than on Thompson’s songs and playing, both of which are strong on this album.
Thompson: "I thought it was a sort of deconstruction of the rock rhythm section... It was a radical record – and a brave record – it was off the back of the records Mitchell had done with Suzanne Vega
Suzanne Vega
Suzanne Nadine Vega is an American songwriter and singer known for her eclectic folk-inspired music.Two of Vega's songs reached the top 10 of various international chart listings: "Luka" and "Tom's Diner"...
and Los Lobos
Los Lobos
Los Lobos are a multiple Grammy Award–winning American Chicano rock band from East Los Angeles, California. Their music is influenced by rock and roll, Tex-Mex, country, folk, R&B, blues, brown-eyed soul, and traditional Spanish and Mexican music such as cumbia, boleros and norteños.-History:The...
and the couple of records [engineer] Tchad Blake
Tchad Blake
Tchad Blake is an American record producer, audio engineer, mixer and musician.He has worked with numerous artists and musicians, including State Radio, Apartment 26, Elvis Costello, Peter Gabriel, Pearl Jam, Tom Waits, Richard Thompson, Brazilian Girls, Sheryl Crow, November 2nd, Travis, Marike...
had done with Tom Waits
Tom Waits
Thomas Alan "Tom" Waits is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. Waits has a distinctive voice, described by critic Daniel Durchholz as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car."...
. All of which I thought were terrific records and they all had a kind of character to them – a sound that was really trying to strip away some clichés, like why have a snare drum, why the backbeat
Beat (music)
The beat is the basic unit of time in music, the pulse of the mensural level . In popular use, the beat can refer to a variety of related concepts including: tempo, meter, rhythm and groove...
? And just looking at the song and seeing what does the song need, what’s going to work?"
The critics did not agree and the album was slammed for its unusual percussion and its lack of reverb. The charge was that the heavy-handed production drowned the songs. Mitchell Froom
Mitchell Froom
-Career:Froom began his career as a keyboard player in Sonoma County, California. The band Crossfire featured two keyboards players; Mitchell on one side of the stage and brother David on the other with Gary Pihl on guitar...
was cast as the villain of the piece, but Thompson seems to have been at least in favour of the production and quite probably a willing participant.
Despite the critical backlash and the poor sales, some of the songs on the album have become concert staples and favourites of Thompson’s fans. In particular "Beeswing" – a tale about a travelling girl and the prices that she and the young man who falls in love with her pay for the choices they make – has come to be regarded as one of Thompson’s very best compositions. Songs such as "Mingus Eyes", "Easy There, Steady Now" and "I Ride In Your Slipstream" have a jazzy feel and impressionistic lyrics, showing that whatever else he was doing Thompson was continuing to extend his artistic range.
On March 10, 2009, "The Way That It Shows" was released as a downloadable song for the video game Rock Band 2
Rock Band 2
Rock Band 2 is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems. It is the sequel to Rock Band and is the second title in the series. The game allows up to four players to simulate the performance of popular songs by playing with controllers modeled after musical instruments...
Track listing
All songs written by Richard Thompson.- "For The Sake Of Mary" – 4:19
- "I Can’t Wake Up To Save My Life" – 3:11
- "MGB-GT" – 3:35
- "The Way That It Shows" – 6:08
- "Easy There, Steady Now" – 4:43
- "King Of Bohemia" – 3:42
- "Shane And Dixie" – 4:05
- "Mingus Eyes" – 4:47
- "I Ride In Your Slipstream" – 4:06
- "Beeswing" – 5:30
- "Fast Food" – 2:44
- "Mascara Tears" – 3:36
- "Taking My Business Elsewhere" – 4:28
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...
, vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, mandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single... - Mitchell FroomMitchell Froom-Career:Froom began his career as a keyboard player in Sonoma County, California. The band Crossfire featured two keyboards players; Mitchell on one side of the stage and brother David on the other with Gary Pihl on guitar...
– keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments... - Jerry ScheffJerry ScheffJerry Obern Scheff is an American bassist, perhaps best known for his work with Elvis Presley in the early 1970s as a member of his TCB Band and his work on The Doors' final recordings....
– bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, 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... - Pete ThomasPete ThomasPete Thomas is best known as the longtime drummer for Elvis Costello. Tom Waits has referred to him as "one of the best rock drummers alive".-Career:...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration... - Christine CollisterChristine CollisterChristine Collister is a Manx folk, blues and jazz singer-songwriter. She was born and grew up on the Isle of Man and first came to public attention in 1986 as the singer of the theme song for the BBC's television adaptation of Fay Weldon's book The Life and Loves of a She-Devil.Prior to this, in...
– backing vocals - Michael Parker – backing vocals
- John Kirkpatrick - accordionAccordionThe accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
, concertinaConcertinaA concertina is a free-reed musical instrument, like the various accordions and the harmonica. It has a bellows and buttons typically on both ends of it. When pressed, the buttons travel in the same direction as the bellows, unlike accordion buttons which travel perpendicularly to it...
s - Danny ThompsonDanny ThompsonDaniel Henry Edward 'Danny' Thompson is an English multi-instrumentalist best known as a double bassist and businessman...
- double bass on "Easy There, Steady Now" - Alistair Anderson - concertina, Northumbrian pipes
- Tom McConville - fiddleFiddleThe term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
- Martin Dunn - fluteFluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
- Philip PickettPhilip PickettPhilip Pickett is an English musician, recorder player and director of early music ensembles, notably The New London Consort.- Student days :...
- shawmShawmThe shawm was a medieval and Renaissance musical instrument of the woodwind family made in Europe from the 12th century until the 17th century. It was developed from the oriental zurna and is the predecessor of the modern oboe. The body of the shawm was usually turned from a single piece of wood,...
s