Acoustic Classics II is the seventeenth solo studio album by British singer-songwriter Richard Thompson. It was released by Beeswing Records on 10 August 2017.
| Acoustic Classics II | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 10 August 2017 | |||
| Recorded | Rumiville Studio, Austin, Texas | |||
| Genre | Folk rock | |||
| Length | 54:24 | |||
| Label | Beeswing | |||
| Producer | Richard Thompson and Simon Tassano | |||
| Richard Thompson chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background
editAcoustic Classics II is the second acoustic compilation album by Richard Thompson. The songs range from his time in Fairport Convention, as half of a duo with Linda Thompson and as a solo artist.
The album was released on vinyl, CD and digital download.
Critical reception
edit| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 78/100[1] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [2] |
| Financial Times | [3] |
| Folk Radio UK | Positive[4] |
| The Guardian | [5] |
| The Independent | [6] |
| Record Collector | [7] |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [8] |
| The Press | [9] |
| The Times | [10] |
| Uncut | [11] |
On the Metacritic website, which aggregates reviews from critics and assigns a normalised rating out of 100, Acoustic Classics II received a score of 78, based on 1 mixed and 4 positive reviews.[1]
Among the critics that gave the album positive reviews, Uncut called the album "an unalloyed treat" adding that "there's something fundamentally satisfying about Thompson unplugged".[11] Andy Gill writing in The Independent states that "there’s no dip in quality here as Richard Thompson revisits material"[6] and Folk Radio UK call the album "one to treasure".[4] David Honigman of the Financial Times writes that "this second volume Richard Thompson has recorded of acoustic cover versions of his own songs works better than the first"[3] and Jude Rogers in The Guardian praises Thompson's "authoritative, confident voice" and "pearl-bright guitar-playing".[5]
Track listing
editAll tracks written by Richard Thompson except "Crazy Man Michael" by Thompson and Dave Swarbrick:
| # | Title | Original version on | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
1.
|
"She Twists the Knife Again" | Across a Crowded Room (1985) | 2:48
|
2.
|
"The Ghost of You Walks" | You? Me? Us? (1996) | 4:41
|
3.
|
"Genesis Hall" | Unhalfbricking (1969) | 3:30
|
4.
|
"Jet Plane in a Rocking Chair" | Pour Down Like Silver (1975) | 2:29
|
5.
|
"A Heart Needs a Home" | Hokey Pokey (1975) | 3:26
|
6.
|
"Pharaoh" | Amnesia (1988) | 4:25
|
7.
|
"Gethsemane" | The Old Kit Bag (2003) | 5:13
|
8.
|
"Devonside" | Hand of Kindness (1983) | 3:05
|
9.
|
"Meet on the Ledge" | What We Did on Our Holidays (1969) | 3:05
|
10.
|
"Keep Your Distance" | Rumor and Sigh (1991) | 3:35
|
11.
|
"Bathsheba Smiles" | Mock Tudor (1999) | 3:33
|
12.
|
"Crazy Man Michael" | Liege & Lief (1969) | 4:23
|
13.
|
"Guns Are the Tongues" | Sweet Warrior (2007) | 6:05
|
14.
|
"Why Must I Plead?" | Rumor and Sigh (1991) | 4:06
|
Personnel
editRichard Thompson – guitars and vocals
Others
edit- Artwork: Ben Bowdler
- Guitars: George Lowden
Chart performance
edit| Chart (2017) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums (OCC)[12] | 24 |
References
edit- ^ a b "Acoustic Classics II – Richard Thompson". Metacritic. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
- ^ Deming, Mark. "Richard Thompson Acoustic Classics II". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
- ^ a b Honigmann, David (11 August 2017). "Richard Thompson: Acoustic Classics Vol. II — 'better than the first'". Financial Times. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
- ^ a b Kimpton, Glenn (1 August 2017). "RICHARD THOMPSON: ACOUSTIC CLASSICS II". Folk Radio UK. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
- ^ a b Rogers, Jude (10 August 2017). "Richard Thompson: Acoustic Classics II review – fiery, beautiful gems of song". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
- ^ a b Gill, Andy (10 August 2017). "Richard Thompson, Acoustic Classics II". The Independent. Archived from the original on 10 August 2017. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
- ^ Staunton, Terry (September 2017). "RICHARD THOMPSON – ACOUSTIC CLASSICS VOL TWO". Record Collector. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
- ^ Taylor, Spencer (9 September 2017). "CD review: Richard Thompson, Acoustic Classics II". The Press. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
- ^ Hodgkinson, Will (11 August 2017). "Pop review: Richard Thompson: Acoustic Classics Vol II". The Times. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
- ^ a b Thomson, Graeme. "New Albums". Uncut (September 2017): 38.
- ^ "Richard Thompson | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 20 March 2018.