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Richard Thompson has fused fresh-sounding rock and traditional folk styles for more than three decades, ever since forming British folk-rock pioneers Fairport Convention. His solo work has been marked by his biting lyrics, his searing six-string skills, and his steadfast will to try something new and different with each release. The 19-track Action Packed: The Best of the Capitol Years ably samples songs from his five solo albums for the label and adds three non-LP goodies: the gritty "Mr. Rebound" and the angst-ridden "Fully Qualified to Be Your Man" -- both previously unavailable on CD -- plus a new recording of the subtle ballad "Persuasion," a tune Thompson wrote with Tim Finn and performs here with his son Teddy. Three tracks from 1991's stellar Rumor and Sigh are all essential and revealing -- the twisted rocker "I Feel So Good," the haunting, acoustic "1952 Vincent Black Lightening," and the soulfully painful "I Misunderstood." Likewise, a pair of songs from his first Capitol release, '88's Amnesia, capture two elemental sides to the artist -- the galloping "Turning of the Tide," on which his fretwork rivals that of fellow Brit Mark Knopfler, and the somber acoustic ballad "Waltzing's for Dreamers," one of many wry looks at love here. Other highlights include the delicate "Beeswing" (from '94's Mirror Blue), the electric take on "Razor Dance" (from the 1996 double-disc You? Me? Us?), and the charming portrait "Cooksferry Queen" (both from 1999's Mock Tudor). Action Packed is a strong summation of Thompson's recent solo work; fans wishing to gain a fuller portrait of this talented and charismatic artist will want to check out the triple-disc set Watching the Dark, which includes tracks from his Fairport days, his influential recordings with ex-wife Linda, and his solo work up through Amnesia.
CONDITION: NEW
TRACK LISTING
1. Turning of the Tide
2. Waltzing's for Dreamers
3. 1952 Vincent Black Lightning
4. I Misunderstood
5. I Feel So Good
6. Keep Your Distance
7. King of Bohemia
8. I Can't Wake up to Save My Life
9. Beeswing
10. The Ghost of You Walks
11. Razor Dance
12. Cold Kisses
13. Bathsheba Smiles
14. Cooksferry Queen
15. Uninhabited Man
16. Walking the Long Miles Home
17. Persuasion
18. MR. Rebound
19. Fully Qualified to Be Your Man
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