Richard Thompson or Bob Mould?

Close call. Richard Thompson. He played our Iowa City Arts Fest. Brilliant. And engaging.

...although I did offer a "both" option.

I feel that Bob and Richard both "get" the human condition, from very different perspectives, but I can;t get past the fact that Bob covered "Shoot Out The Lights."

There's got to be a point where they meet in the middle.

With Bob, I point to Sugar's "Hoover Dam"..."Standing on the edge of the Hoover Dam, I am, I am, I am..."

On one hand, it means nothing. On the other, it means everything, and that's Zen, right? My experience with Zen thought and philospohy is that you start with the simplest possible element, and in it, you find clarity and meaning.

2 artists, 2 guys with different approaches, 2 geniuses.

:toast:

An all time favorite. Also, Thompson covered Britany Spears. And it was good!

...I purchased all of the Hannibal vinyl re-releases when they were issued. My personal favorite was "Shoot Out The Lights." I love the title track, but "Wall of Death" is probably the single greatest example of songwriting at its finest from the Richard-Linda years.

R.E.M. did a very nice version of this on the Richard Thompson tribute album, "Beat The Retreat." You can check it out on Rhapsody:

http://www.rhapsody.com/rem/e-bow-the-letter

:toast:

to be an amazing artist over a longer period of time.


Can't see myself standing in the rain to see Mould play for 2 hours... although I think Mould is quite skilled.

...and the reviewer write something along the lines of "Imagine you'd never heard of Jimi Hendrix, and one day you discovered him..."

I thought "yeah, RIGHT..."

The I heard "Shoot Out The Lights" and realized that Richard actually is the real deal, an original, a trail blazer...

...and to his credit, he's nailed the "guitar god" thing, but he can also pull out a deceptively simple acoustic number like 1952 Vincent Black Lightning, one of the most touching and eloquent songs of his entire career.

I do like both Bob and Richard, but Bob covered "Shoot Out The Lights" on the "Poison Years" CD, and it became pretty apparent that apples were being placed in the same bushel basket as oranges.

:toast:

happily I have seen him several times here, for free at our local arts festival. Astonishing, funny and humble man.

...and the single most refreshing thing about the man. With his talent, he could be a diva. Instead, he is the ultimate gentleman. There are many inside and outside of the music industry who could learn from his example.

:toast:

I've never listened to Thompson, nor any of Mould's recent output.

...and, to make a long story short, I collected the entire Husker Du and Bob Mould catalogues as the result of hearing the first 60 seconds of "Ice Cold Ice." I lean toward "Black Sheets of Rain" and the Sugar days, but I like it all. Regarding Thompson, it doesn't matter. Fairport...Richard and Linda...Richard without Linda...I'm stunned and delighted by the whole enchilada.

I believe that Bob and Richard both deserve the label of "genius," but for very different reasons. The only reason it's fair to put them in the same poll is that neither is Jon Bon Jovi...neither of them got into the music business because their brother was already in the loop, or because they mastered the art of the home perm.

:toast:

And "Keep Your Distance."

Throw in a little hand Morris and it's a deal.

I voted both because I was a big Husker Du fan, but Bob Mould's latest stuff doesn't move me the same way. I still have huge respect for him, though.

Richard Thompson, now....man, you just can't say enough. Not many people can almost bring me to tears with just a few guitar lines, but he can. One of the most instantly recognizable guitarists in the world, too--I remember having the 'Grizzly Man Diaries' on TV in the background while totally paying attention to someone else, and my ears pricking up and thinking, 'whoa, that sounds like...!"