Pour Down Like Silver [Import]

Product Description
Japanese limited edition run of 5000 remastered discs in paper sleeves. Island. 2004.

Tracks:

Streets of Paradise - Linda Thompson, Richard Thompson, Richard Thompson
For Shame of Doing Wrong
Poor Boy Is Taken Away
Night Comes In
Jet Plane in a Rocking Chair
Beat the Retreat
Hard Luck Stories
Dimming of the Day/Dargai
Streets of Paradise [Live][#][*]
Night Comes In [Live][*]
Dark End of the Street [Live][*]
Beat the Retreat [Live][#][*]

Album Description

2004 digitally remastered reissue of 1975 album features 12 tracks including 4 live bonus tracks, 'Streets Of Paradise', 'Night Comes In', 'Dark End Of The Street', & 'Beat The Retreat'. Packaged in a slipcase with 12-page booklet featuring full lyrics &

Album Details

Digitally Remastered Edition of the Masterful Collection of Haunting, Dark, Brooding Songs and Overlooked Classics...and One of Best Recordings of 1975. "Pour Down Like Silver". Richard Takes Center Stage Here to Create Shimmering, Stuttering and Sometimes Abrasive Runs that Echo and Stretch Vocal Performances in Concert with his Lovely Wife. This Remastered Edition Adds Two Previously Unreleased Live Performances and a Pair of Live Tracks Previously Included on the Guitar Vocal Collection.

Customer Reviews:

Less Folky and Harder Edge!.......2007-06-14

"Pour Down Like Silver" was the third album released for Island Records all within three years, so you could suspect that Richard Thompson was beginning to run dry of new ideas and good new songs. This obviously isn't the case as some of the very best recordings from the duo comes from this album, and as a whole album is easily as good as their great debut "Bright Lights" and much more consistent than their best-selling second "Hokey Pokey".

Generelly the album is less folk influenced than its predecessors, and many songs have a harder edge. This becomes obvious with the two openers "Streets of Paradise" and "Shame of doing Wrong". The latter with lead vocals by Linda was also recorded by Sandy Denny on her last album "Rendezvous". Both standouts!

"Poor Boys Taken Away" is a more typical Thompson sad country-ballad. Where as the long third track "Night Comes in" is a bluesy thing that gives space for some great guitar-playing from Richard - an impressive live version is among the bonus-tracks. Could be regarded as the title track.

"Jet Plane in a Rocking Chair" is an extremely catchy folk-rock thing with great lead vocals from Linda

"Beat the Retreat" is another long track with fine acoustic guitar playing - also included in a live-version.

"Hard Luck Stories" is almost as catchy as "Jet Plane" and another Linda lead.

"Dimming of the Day" which closed the original album is simply tearbreakingly beautiful. Musically and lycally country ( at its best ). Must become an evergreen!

Another standout performance is the live cover of "Dark End of the Street" originall written by Moman and Penn. This must be the ultimate version!

Highly recommended release!

One of the greats.......2007-05-07

I have to admit to being a huge fan of almost everything I've heard from Richard Thompson. He may have written a bad song or produced a bad album in his long career, but I've never come across it. This album is very moody and almost melancholy, and just the thing to listen to when you're in that mood. I would list the highlights, but almost every song is a shining example of great singing and songwriting. Not to be missed.

achingly georgeous record.......2007-03-17

All of the early Richard and Linda albums are great, but this one is the best. It's just beautiful, all the way through. You must buy this CD! You will never regret it.

Note: My copy is the original Carthage/Hannibal release. It's not perfect audiophile sound, but even through my hardcore audiophile stereo (Nakamichi, MacIntosh, Magneplaners, A/D/S sub), it still is one of my all time favorite disks, with a natural, haunting sound. I can understand how extreme audiophiles might find problems with it (it's a tiny bit muddy, and some editing clicks are slightly audible), but just buy it anyway. You won't be sorry!

This is one of the best CDs of all time.

Silver Turned to Gold.......2007-01-21

RICHARD & LINDA THOMPSON are prolific artists whose talent has spanned several decades and is still going strong. They are proficient in any number of styles--folk rock, blues, Cajun, etc. Both have distinctive, appealing voices and their lyrics convey a refreshing honesty.

Classic Thompson recording could sound better but has stellar bonus tracks .......2006-02-18

This was Richard and Linda's last statement before disappearing from the music world for three years. While the remastering is far from perfect on this edition of the album (it sounds like they a used copy of the master not the original master), the album itself is a classic. Thompson's guitar playing is more restrained here possibly reflecting his new mind set; he and his wife Linda joined a communal Sufi Muslim sect. Either way, the pared down approach of the arrangements works well in favor of the emotional directness of the songs. The mood is dark at times but the melodies and lyrics are compelling. "Streets of Paraidse", the beautiful "Dimming of the Day" and "Night Comes In" all remain just as powerful as when they were first recorded.

This remastered edition suffers from a number flaws but that shouldn't detract you from picking up some edition of the album. The mastering is, indeed, flat and, in fact, sounds like it's done from a second or third generation copy of the original mastertape. The sonic detail is decent enough it just doesn't have the depth I expected. The bonus tracks are tacked on at the end almost as an afterthought. While they are great live performances two of them were previously released on "Guitar, Vocal". The two new tracks are worthwhile additions to any Thompson fans collection and sound pretty good given the age of the recordings and the recording conditions. Thompson had wished that Island had not included the bonus tracks or put them on a separate CD allowing the original album to stand alone. As it is they are presented without a gap and begin immediately after the stunning conclusion of the album disrupting the flow of the album.

Regardless of these shortcomings Thompson fans will be delighted to pick up the bonus tracks (if they don't already have them in bootleg form). The recording itself sounds good but could sound a lot better. Looking past the remaster itself the strength and power of these powerful songs continue to shine evne if there was a mistake during the mastering process. I urge Island to go back and involve the Thompsons in future reissues of their recordings.

Average customer rating:

Pour Down Like Silver
Richard & Linda Thompson
Manufacturer: Universal
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0002ZEX3I
Release Date: 2004-11-22

Tracks:

Streets of Paradise - Linda Thompson, Richard Thompson, Richard Thompson
For Shame of Doing Wrong
Poor Boy Is Taken Away
Night Comes In
Jet Plane in a Rocking Chair
Beat the Retreat
Hard Luck Stories
Dimming of the Day/Dargai
Streets of Paradise [Live][#][*]
Night Comes In [Live][*]
Dark End of the Street [Live][*]
Beat the Retreat [Live][#][*]

Album Description

Japanese limited edition run of 5000 remastered discs in paper sleeves. Island. 2004.

Album Details

Japanese Limited Edition in an LP-STYLE Slipcase. Includes Four Bonus Tracks: 'streets of Paradise (Live)', 'night Comes in (Live)', 'dark En of the Street (Live)', and 'beat the Retreat (Live)'. Limted to 5000 Copies.

Average customer rating:

MELANCHOLY BEAUTY
a cornerstone for your "folk rock" collection
Just buy it
Haunting artistry with hints of light in the darkness
Richard and Linda's best

Pour Down Like Silver
Richard & Linda Thompson
Manufacturer: Hannibal
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

British Folk | Traditional British & Celtic Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Singer-Songwriters | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music

Folk Rock | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

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Sweet Warrior

ASIN: B00000063R
Release Date: 1991-07-01

Tracks:

Streets In Paradise
For Shame Of Doing Wrong
The Poor Boy Is Taken Away
Night Comes In
Jet Plane In A Rocking Chair
Beat The Retreat
Hard Luck Stories
Dimming Of The Day/Dargai

Amazon.com essential recording

Pour Down Like Silver offers a fascinating glimpse of one of England's most seminal musicians steeped in a consuming passion. Singer, songwriter, and guitarist Richard Thompson and his wife Linda had converted to the mystical Islamic discipline of Sufism when they recorded this stark, riveting folk-rock album, which retains its powers as a uniquely spiritual document long after the couple's subsequent divorce and Richard Thompson's migration beyond its shaping doctrines. Modern listeners are left with a bracing essay noteworthy for such classics as "Streets Of Paradise," the brooding valentine of "For Shame Of Doing Wrong," the classic folk-rock love song, "Jet Plane In A Rocking Chair," and the powerful dirge of "Night Comes In," which transforms the image of dervishes dancing toward enlightenment into a deliberate yet hard-rocking climax worthy of Neil Young--with accordion, no less. --Sam Sutherland

Customer Reviews:

MELANCHOLY BEAUTY.......2003-08-11

This great album opens with Streets Of Paradise, a fairly typical fast rock ballad sung by Richard. This is followed by the poignant and tender For Shame Of Doing Wrong with Linda on lead vocal. Linda also sings the next sad ballad, The Poor Boy Is Taken Away. Jet Plane In A Rocking Chair is a lovely melodic duet by the two, its underlying sadness not quite obscured by the bouncy tune. It's Richard's turn to sing on Night Comes In, a mournful slow ballad from where the album title derives. Beat The Retreat with its lovely guitar work is a brooding lament with Richard on lead vocal. Linda again takes lead vocal on the most overtly folky song here, the bitter Hard Luck Stories with its prominent fiddle and hummable tune. The gem of the album is the magnificent Dimming Of The Day/Dargai. The first part is an achingly melancholic piece where their two voices blend together beautifully. Dargai flows out of this, and it's a showcase of Richard's most breathtaking guitar playing, creating an unbelievable mood of sadness. Richard and Linda Thompon made beautiful music together and separately - here they give Leonard Cohen a run for his melancholy money. And although the music is very sad, it's never oppressively so and the variety of styles showcases the Thompson's remarkable versatility.

a cornerstone for your "folk rock" collection.......1999-11-25

I bought three copies (for posterity) of this remarkable album on vinyl when it came out. Must admit I haven't heard the CD version. The art itself...You'll go back and listen to this music again & again. Heart-rending harmonies, economical playing, provocative songs. A masterpiece.

Just buy it.......1999-06-04

OK, you've heard "Shoot Out the Lights," the greatest album R&L made when they didn't like each other. Now hear the best one they made while they were still in love.

"Pour Down Like Silver" is an incredibly warm, intimate album, and is strangely underrated. It was recorded at a strange time in the Thompsons' musical career--it reflects the Sufi Muslim spirituality that Richard and (less so) Linda embraced at the time, but it still retains the earthier aspects of their earlier work. The songs of regret over love departed ("For Shame of Doing Wrong" and "Beat the Retreat") are haunting--the pain is all too real. As is the devotion of a song like "Dimming of the Day." There's also humor ("Jet Plane in a Rocking Chair"), disgust ("Hard Luck Stories"), and moral outrage ("Streets of Paradise"), but the album avoids crossing the line into preachy self-righteousness, unlike the following pair of R&T albums.

And the music! So stark, yet shimmering. The instrumentation is far more spare than on the first two Thompson albums, every part on the record means something. Richard's guitar playing is more prominent than on "I Want To See the Bright Lights" or "Hokey Pokey"--this is more of a rock album, yet it's hardly typical. The singing is sublime, as good as any they've ever done.

"Pour Down Like Silver" tends to get lost in the (justified) hype of "Shoot Out the Lights," but it's arguably a better, more lasting album. Virtually every song is a classic and many have stayed in Richard's setlist for years. Treat yourself to one of the truly great albums and get this disc!

Haunting artistry with hints of light in the darkness.......1999-02-24

It used to puzzle me why some of the funniest artists wrote the best "sad" songs. This album shows why. It takes artists with an understanding of life's gray areas to move convincingly between dark and light. The Thompson's show their true genius for navigating back and forth on this album and the songs here are as haunting as any I've heard.

Richard and Linda's best.......1998-08-19

This, to me, is by far the best of Richard and Linda's albums (and that's not saying the others are bad).. Linda's beautiful vocals, Richard's virtuoso guitar (electric and acoustic) and songs of regret (For Shame of Doing Wrong), spite (Hard Luck Stories) and total despair (the majestic Night Pours In). In short the usual Richard Thompson mixture... I would say that in all his continuing career Richard Thompson has only bettered this with Rumour and Sight.

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