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The Music and Life of Richard Thompson

Richard Thompson helped cull the songs on his new release from dozens of collections.
Richard Thompson helped cull the songs on his new release from dozens of collections.

British singer/songwriter Richard Thompson has a new box set of live performances, outtakes, and previously unreleased material. The 5-disc set, The Life and Music of Richard Thompson, was built from the musician's own archives as well as the archives of Thompson fans.

Thompson first became known for his work with the super-group Fairport Convention. After he became a solo artist, he became known for his dark, brooding songs that blended elements of British folk ballads and the blues.

Renowned for a distinctive guitar style built on jazz and roots traditions, Thompson's album Shoot Out The Lights was hailed as one of the best of the 1980s by Rolling Stone. But that estimable musical pedigree isn't enough to stop Thompson from pulling off a cover version of the pop tune "Oops I Did It Again."

This interview originally aired on February 7, 1994.

Copyright 2022 Fresh Air. To see more, visit Fresh Air.

Combine an intelligent interviewer with a roster of guests that, according to the Chicago Tribune, would be prized by any talk-show host, and you're bound to get an interesting conversation. Fresh Air interviews, though, are in a category by themselves, distinguished by the unique approach of host and executive producer Terry Gross. "A remarkable blend of empathy and warmth, genuine curiosity and sharp intelligence," says the San Francisco Chronicle.