As a devoted fan since 1982 when I saw he and Linda Thompson on what turned out to be their last tour I thought I already owned way too many Richard Thompson albums and put off buying this one for a long time. Having played all of these songs hundreds if not thousands of times I marvel that Richard sings them as if for the first time while accompanying them with guitar work that seeks to improve, sometimes in truly daring ways, on every previous version. It's also interesting to hear many songs that just "have" to be played on electric (e.g. Shoot Out the Lights, When the Spell is Broken") showing new dimensions when done solo acoustic (even if I will always ultimately prefer the electric versions, especially the extended live ones where he really cuts loose). Richard Thompson is the ultimate troubadour: a singer-songwriter worthy of comparison with the likes of Dylan (but with a much better voice), an unsurpassed acoustic guitarist and one of the greatest electric guitarists too. At an age when most of his peers are resting on their laurels he just keeps getting better, year after year.

If I was not so familiar with all these songs I would have given it at least a four. They are indeed amazing compositions from an incredible guitarist and singer. However, as expertly as Mr. Thompson sings and plays these classics from his long and storied career, there is a sense of more artisan than art. The original versions of these songs are ripped from the ether and have a rawness of emotion that seems here to be a tad too embellished… as if sounding anguished and angsty along with some state-of-the-art production will do the trick. For me - it almost does,

Richard Thompson is an artisan. He handles his guitar like a lethal weapon, with deliberate, meticulous precision. He sings like a taunting warrior from an earlier age. Those images aside, here is a mesmerizing collection of raw musical power, but it’s not for the feint of heart.

Well played and recorded, but it's a kind of redundant collection as it overlaps material on a number of other live releases RT has released over the years. It's hard to complain, but I would have liked a little more varierty of songs

There’s a bushel of truly great, really moving songs here. And they’re all new versions. When Richard Thompson cuts a track, like other great songwriters and stylists, it’s worth paying attention to, even if he’s recorded it a few other times. In this case, they’re all excellent.