"My Soul, My Soul", by Richard Thompson. I borrowed a couple of recent Richard Thompson CDs from the local library. RT as an album artist is a difficult proposition. In fact, Fairport Convention aside, there is only really one individual RT album that bears the designation "instant classic": you know which one (it's actually Richard and Linda together, not incidentally). Otherwise, his albums are a bit all over the place. Which makes the standout nature of the three-disc compilation "Watching The Dark" such a surprise. Although perhaps it shouldn't be. The signal achievement of RT is his guitar playing. Whether or not it is matched to compatible songwriting, it is never less than excellent on its own terms. But it's not always so matched. "Front Parlour Ballads", from which this song comes, is as good a case in point as any. There are a few quite good songs; a few that just drift by; a few that just seem to have dropped off the conveyor belt, having bypassed quality control. (Oh, I really do hate it when I have to say negative things about my heroes.) But stunning playing all through. (I can also listen to his voice irrespective of context, but that's not for everybody.) Nevertheless, you are hardly going to reach for this disc off the shelf in preference to any of your otherwise favourite records (RT or otherwise).
Still, "My Soul, My Soul" would fit readily onto any RT collection. It comes from what I consider to be the Fairport Convention end of his various song "types". Which is a good place for a Richard Thompson song to reside.
