RT: The Life and Music of Richard Thompson is a box set by Richard Thompson, released in February 2006.

This box set gives an extensive overview of Thompson's long career without including content from any of his mainstream albums.

While many of the songs included will be familiar to Thompson fans, the actual tracks are mostly live and nearly all previously unreleased, and the arrangements are often different from those of the original recording. Thompson himself granted the compilers access to his personal archives of recordings and photos, and other collectors of Thompsonia (most notably American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 record producer

Record producer

A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...

 Edward Haber) also contributed to the set. Thompson retained (and exercised) the right of veto over any aspect of the set.

Of particular interest are live tracks by Richard and Linda Thompson (including a few from
the 1982 "tour from hell"), songs demoed for his first solo album Henry The Human Fly

Henry the Human Fly

Henry the Human Fly was the first solo album by British singer/songwriter/guitarist Richard Thompson. It was originally released in Britain in April 1972 on the Island label and in the US on the Reprise label....

as well as several of Thompson's comic songs ("Madonna's

Madonna (entertainer)

Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...

 Wedding" and his lampooning of Janet Jackson's infamous breast baring moment at the Super Bowl) and several songs that Thompson himself has never released.

The set also includes a 168 page book – consisting of a biography, an exclusive interview and track notes – and a reproduction of a Vincent motorcycle catalogue (a reference to Thompon’s best loved song “1952 Vincent Black Lightning”). As with the actual track selection Thompson had input into the book and was involved in the proofreading

Proofreading

Proofreading is the reading of a galley proof or computer monitor to detect and correct production-errors of text or art. Proofreaders are expected to be consistently accurate by default because they occupy the last stage of typographic production before publication.-Traditional method:A proof is...

 and supplied some of the photos that are included. Despite this interaction by the artist, the booklet is riddled with typographical errors.

The five CDs

Compact Disc

The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...

 are themed, which gives each disc a specific focus and helps to give this large set some cohesion.

1. Songs based on real persons and events
2. Essential songs
3. Epic live performances
4. Thompson covering other artists's songs, or playing as a session musician
   Session musician
   Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
   
   .
5. Rarities

A sixth CD "RT on FR" is available free of charge by returning a coupon included in the box.

Disc 1 – Walking the Long Miles Home.

1. "Now That I Am Dead" (D. Blair and J. French
   John French (musician)
   John "Drumbo" French is an American drummer and musician. He played on Captain Beefheart's Trout Mask Replica and on various other Beefheart recordings: Beefheart dubbed him "Drumbo"...
   
   )
2. "Genesis Hall"
3. "Josef Locke
   Josef Locke
   Josef Locke was the stage name of Joseph McLaughlin , a tenor singer who was successful in the United Kingdom and Ireland in the 1940s and 1950s....
   
   "
4. "Willy O'Winsbury" (traditional, arranged by Thompson)
5. "Don't Sit On My Jimmy Shand
   Jimmy Shand
   Sir James Shand MBE was a Scottish musician who played traditional Scottish dance music on the accordion.-Early life:...
   
   s"
6. "Nobody's Wedding"
7. "Madonna's
   Madonna (entertainer)
   Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
   
    Wedding"
8. "Walking The Long Miles Home"
9. "Withered And Died"
10. "Beat The Retreat"
11. "The Great Valerio" – performed by Richard and Linda Thompson
12. "Walking On A Wire" – performed by Richard and Linda Thompson
13. "Never Again" – performed by Richard and Linda Thompson
14. "The End Of The Rainbow"
15. "King Of Bohemia"
16. "Killerman Gold Posse"
17. "Lotteryland"
18. "Shoot Out The Lights"
19. "Outside Of The Inside"

Disc 2 – Finding Better Words.

1. "I Feel So Good"
2. "Push And Shove"
3. "Time To Ring Some Changes" – performed by Richard and Linda Thompson
4. "Cooksferry Queen"
5. "Waltzing's For Dreamers"
6. "I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight" performed by Richard and Linda Thompson
7. "I Misunderstood"
8. "Meet On The Ledge"
9. "Down Where The Drunkards Roll"
10. "Gethsemane"
11. "Tear-Stained Letter"
12. "Wall Of Death"
13. "1952 Vincent Black Lightning"
14. "From Galway To Graceland" – performed by Richard Thompson and Fairport Convention
    Fairport Convention
    Fairport Convention are an English folk rock and later electric folk band, formed in 1967 who are still recording and touring today. They are widely regarded as the most important single group in the English folk rock movement...
    
    
15. "Crazy Man Michael"
16. "Dimming Of The Day" – performed by Richard and Linda Thompson
17. "Beeswing"

Disc 3 – Shine In The Dark.

1. "Valerie"
2. "Don't Let A Thief Steal Into Your Heart"
3. "Ghosts In The Wind"
4. "Crash The Party"
5. "For Shame Of Doing Wrong" – performed by Richard and Linda Thompson
6. "Calvary Cross"
7. "Sloth" – performed by Richard and Linda Thompson
8. "Night Comes In"
9. "Drowned Dog, Black Night"
10. "Put It There Pal"
11. "Morris Medley/Flying Saucer Rock 'n roll" (traditional, arranged Thompson / R. Scott)

Disc 4 – The Songs Pour Down Like Silver.

1. "Substitute" (P. Townshend
   Pete Townshend
   Peter Dennis Blandford "Pete" Townshend is an English rock guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and author, known principally as the guitarist and songwriter for the rock group The Who, as well as for his own solo career...
   
   )
2. "Tempted" (C. Difford and G. Tillbrook)
3. "The Story Of Hamlet" (F. Loesser
   Frank Loesser
   Frank Henry Loesser was an American songwriter who wrote the lyrics and scores to the Broadway hits Guys and Dolls and How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, among others. He won separate Tony Awards for the music and lyrics in both shows, as well as sharing the Pulitzer Prize for...
   
   ) – performed by Richard Thompson and Danny Thompson
   Danny Thompson
   Daniel Henry Edward 'Danny' Thompson is an English multi-instrumentalist best known as a double bassist and businessman...
   
   
4. "Oops! I Did It Again" (K. Sandberg and R. Yacoub)
5. "Ca Plane Pour Moi" (Plastic Bertrand
   Plastic Bertrand
   Plastic Bertrand is a Belgian musician, songwriter, producer, editor and television presenter, best known for the 1977 international hit single "Ça plane pour moi".-Early life and bands:...
   
   )
6. "Why Don't Women Like Me?" (G. Formby)
7. "Time Has Told Me" (N. Drake
   Nick Drake
   Nicholas Rodney "Nick" Drake was an English singer-songwriter and musician. Though he is best known for his sombre guitar based songs, Drake was also proficient at piano, clarinet and saxophone...
   
   ) – performed by Richard Thompson and Raymond Kane
8. "Shenandoah
   Oh Shenandoah
   "Oh Shenandoah" is a traditional American folk song of uncertain origin, dating at least to the early 19th century...
   
   " (traditional, arranged Thompson)
9. "Danny Boy
   Danny Boy
   -Background:The words to "Danny Boy" were written by English lawyer and lyricist Frederic Weatherly in 1910. Although the lyrics were originally written for a different tune, Weatherly modified them to fit the "Londonderry Air" in 1913, after his sister-in-law in the U.S. sent him a copy. Ernestine...
   
   " (traditional, arranged Thompson)
10. "Move It" (P. Samwell) – performed by Richard Thompson with Fairport Convention
    Fairport Convention
    Fairport Convention are an English folk rock and later electric folk band, formed in 1967 who are still recording and touring today. They are widely regarded as the most important single group in the English folk rock movement...
    
    
11. "Willie and The Hand Jive / Not Fade Away" (J.Otis / N.Petty and C. Hardin)
12. "Loch Lomond" (traditional, arranged Thompson)
13. "Job of Journeywork" (traditional, arranged Thompson)
14. "Napoleon's Dream" (traditional, arranged Thompson) – performed by Richard and Linda Thompson
15. "Sally Rackett" (traditional, arranged Thompson)
16. "God Loves A Drunk" – performed by Norma Waterson
    Norma Waterson
    Norma Christine Waterson is an English musician, best known as one of the original members of The Watersons, a premier English traditional group. Other members of the group included her brother Mike Waterson and sister Lal Waterson, and in later incarnations of the group her husband Martin...
    
    
17. "The Angels Took My Racehorse Away" – performed by Dave Burland
18. "Poseidon" (J. Owen
    Judith Owen
    Judith Owen is a Welsh singer-songwriter. Her first North American album, Emotions on a Postcard, was released in 1996, and has since been followed by five additional releases...
    
    )– performed by Judith Owen
    Judith Owen
    Judith Owen is a Welsh singer-songwriter. Her first North American album, Emotions on a Postcard, was released in 1996, and has since been followed by five additional releases...
    
     and Richard Thompson
19. "Wall Of Death / Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues / Needles and Pins" (Thompson / B. Dylan
    Bob Dylan
    Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
    
     / S. Bono
    Sonny Bono
    Salvatore Phillip "Sonny" Bono was an American recording artist, record producer, actor, and politician whose career spanned over three decades.-Early life:...
    
    )
20. "You'll Never Walk Alone
    You'll Never Walk Alone (song)
    "You'll Never Walk Alone" is a show tune from the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Carousel.In the musical, in the second act, Nettie Fowler, the cousin of the female protagonist Julie Jordan, sings "You'll Never Walk Alone" to comfort and encourage Julie when her husband, Billy Bigelow, the...
    
    " (R. Rodgers and O. Hammerstein
    Rodgers and Hammerstein
    Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II were a well-known American songwriting duo, usually referred to as Rodgers and Hammerstein. They created a string of popular Broadway musicals in the 1940s and 1950s during what is considered the golden age of the medium...
    
    )
21. "I Ain't Marching Anymore
    I Ain't Marching Anymore (song)
    "I Ain't Marching Anymore" is an anti-war song by Phil Ochs, a U.S. protest singer from the 1960s known for being a harsh critic of the American military industrial complex...
    
    " (P. Ochs
    Phil Ochs
    Philip David Ochs was an American protest singer and songwriter who was known for his sharp wit, sardonic humor, earnest humanism, political activism, insightful and alliterative lyrics, and haunting voice...
    
    )
22. "My Generation / I Can't Explain / Substitute" (P. Townshend
    Pete Townshend
    Peter Dennis Blandford "Pete" Townshend is an English rock guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and author, known principally as the guitarist and songwriter for the rock group The Who, as well as for his own solo career...
    
    )

Disc 5 – Something Here Worth More Than Gold.

1. "Albion Sunrise" – performed by the Albion Country Band
   Albion Country Band
   The Albion Band, also known as The Albion Country Band and The Albion Dance Band, were an English electric folk band, brought together and led by musician Ashley Hutchings...
   
   
2. "How Many Times Do You Have To Fall" – performed by Richard and Linda Thompson
3. "Bad News Is All The Wind Can Carry"
4. "Mrs Rita"
5. "Shady Lies" – performed by the Albion Country Band
   Albion Country Band
   The Albion Band, also known as The Albion Country Band and The Albion Dance Band, were an English electric folk band, brought together and led by musician Ashley Hutchings...
   
   
6. "Lucky in Life, Unlucky in Love"
7. "Dragging the River"
8. "Alexander Graham Bell
   Alexander Graham Bell
   Alexander Graham Bell was an eminent scientist, inventor, engineer and innovator who is credited with inventing the first practical telephone....
   
   "
9. "Someone Else's Fancy"
10. "Modern Woman" – performed by Richard and Linda Thompson
11. "Woman Or A Man" – performed by Richard and Linda Thompson
12. "My Daddy Is A Mummy"
13. "You Got What You Wanted"
14. "In Over Your Head"
15. "Dear Janet Jackson
    Janet Jackson
    Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...
    
    "

Disc 6 – RT on FR.

1. -Meet On The Ledge.
2. -When I Get To The Border.
3. -I Want To See The Bright Lights.
4. -We Sing Hallelujah.
5. -The Hangman's Reel.
6. -Albion Sunrise.
7. -Sir Patrick Spens
   Sir Patrick Spens
   "Sir Patrick Spens" is one of the most popular of the Child Ballads , and is of Scottish origin.-Historicity:The events of the ballad are similar to, and may chronicle, an actual event: the bringing home of the Scottish queen Margaret, Maid of Norway across the North Sea in 1290...
   
   .
8. -New St. George.
9. -Sword Dance/Young Black Cow.
10. -The Lady Is A Tramp.
11. -Farewell, Farewell.
12. -Meet On The Ledge.
13. -Gas Almost Works
14. -Withered And Died.
15. -Has He Got A friend For Me.
16. -End Of The Rainbow.
17. -Beeswing.