Danny Thompson S/D

Not mad keen on Pentangle, although for some reason I seem to own about six of their albums. One of those bands full of great musicians but somehow their sophistication seems to kill off any excitement in the music for me. And I can't get along with Jaqui McShee's singing either. Nah, apart from a few tracks, gimme Fairport or Steeleye any day.

But he's classic for about fifty reasons.

Did not know he made an LP with Mclaughlin, though--wow!

The Thompson twins. Their album 'Industry' is well worth hunting down. Actually it's pretty essential.

Danny Thompson is the thread between an incredible span of all-time-great music. Making a mix of some of my favorite individual contributions amazed me just how singular and essential his voice is.

https://musicophilia.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/musicophilia_00_various_-_the-bassist-a-tribute-to-danny-thompson_1968-1994_cover-a.jpg?w=1024

https://musicophilia.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/musicophilia_00_various_-_the-bassist-a-tribute-to-danny-thompson_1968-1994_cover-b.jpg?w=1024

Various - 'The Bassist - A Tribute to Danny Thompson'
1968-1994

01 [00:00] The Pentangle - "No Love Is Sorrow" ('Solomon's Seal' 1972)
02 [02:40] Davy Graham - "Both Sides Now" ('Large As Life and Twice As Natural' 1968)
03 [08:35] Nick Drake - "Three Hours" ('Five Leaves Left' 1969)
04 [14:45] Linda Lewis - "Guffer" ('Fathoms Deep' 1973)
05 [19:05] BJ Cole - "The Regal Progression" ('The New Hovering Dog' 1972)
06 [25:55] Sandy Denny - "Whispering Grass" ('Like An Old-Fashioned Waltz' 1973)
08 [29:50] Ralph McTell - "This Time of Night" ('Not Till Tomorrow' 1972)
07 [34:05] Michael Chapman - "No Song to Sing" ('Rainmaker' 1969)
09 [37:45] John Martyn - "Go Down Easy" ('Solid Air' 1973)
10 [41:15] Mary Hopkin - "Ocean Song" ('Earth Song Ocean Song' 1971)

11 [45:25] Bert Jansch - "Kingfisher" ('Avocet' 1978)

12 [49:10] Talk Talk - "Inheritance" ('Spirit of Eden' 1988)
13 [54:20] David Sylvian - "The Ink In the Well" ('Brilliant Trees' 1984)
14 [58:40] Dizrhythmia - "What Katy Did Next" ('Dizrhythmia' 1988)
15 [61:20] The The - "August & September" ('Mind Bomb' 1989)
16 [67:05] Toumani Diabate - "Ne Ne Kiotaa" ('Songhai' 1988)
17 [70:15] Shellyan Orphan - "Jeremiah" ('Heleborine' 1987)
18 [74:30] Richard Barbieri & Tim Bowness - "Brightest Blue" ('Flame' 1994)
19 [78:50] Danny Thompson - "Tilll Minne Av Jan" ('Whatever' 1987)
20 [83:30] Kate Bush - "Watching You Without Me" ('Hounds of Love' 1985)
21 [87:30] Adrian Borland & The Citizens - "Other Side of the World" ('Alexandria' 1989)
22 [90:45] SE Rogie - "Koneh Pelawoe" ('Dead Men Don't Smoke Marijuana' 1994)

[Total Time: 1:35:50]

Download or stream here: https://musicophilia.wordpress.com/2020/04/23/the-bassist-danny-thompson/

I'd figure people at ILM like Nick Drake, Talk Talk, Kate Bush, David Sylvian, Toumani Diabate, Sandy Denny, John Martyn...

Thompson deserves a longer thread than this! ; )

It needs "Still England" by Viv Albertine!

Also "Get Thy Bearings" by Donovan. But it looks like a great compilation

"Still England" is a good one--I decided to cut off at the mid-90s, but maybe a follow-up for the next couple decades is warranted.

"Get Thy Bearings" I honestly should've included--I've mixed it before, and it's my favorite Donovan track largely because of Thompson's work.

His body of work is *massive*--so I'm hoping this mix works both as a listen, but also to prompt more exploration!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rL3EZvpPvUk

great mix — some new stuff for me!
seeing richard thompson w/ danny thompson in the mid 90s was absolutely delightful. always seemed strange that RT didn't work with DT in the 70s ... though I guess I can't think of Richard using acoustic bass on any of those records.

Got to see John and Danny at Reading Town Hall, probably the last tour when John had two legs.

Thanks, Tyler!

I'd love to see Danny Thompson live--I think I'd just watch him play. Saw Richard Thompson in the 90s but I'm pretty sure Danny Thompson wasn't with him--it was a one-off show, not a tour.

Some other tracks I love with Mr. Thompson that I didn't end up including on the mix:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHSVc8cq_As

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6hycJGbl5o

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbSLdQhd3BI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWHfP3wf6j0

Ian (thanks a bunch for the latest mix!) and others possibly not aware of it: there's a swell Italian album from 1992 by the swell Italian chanteuse, Alice, where the band is: Danny Thompson, Gavin Harrison, Jakko Jakszyk, Richard Barbieri, and ECM pianist Stefano Battaglia - and it has a great cover of Tim Buckley's "Blue Melody". Here's the playlist for it (should be on Spotify as well):

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9xmIQbxw4-QYOkYccDd5983LyJOGTvI2

Sounds intriguing! Thanks for the recommendation!

This Alice record is like a weird mix of Jon Hassell and David Sylvian. Colour me intrigued.

It's my favourite record by her, though the ones on either side of it are equal contenders. 1986-1995 she used insane band lineups (1989's Il Sole nella Pioggia indeed features Hassell). Check out the personnel on these album wikis:

1986: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Park_Hotel_(album)
1989: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Il_sole_nella_pioggia
1992: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mezzogiorno_sulle_Alpi
1995: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charade_(Alice_album)

I love this instrumental version of Solid Air - feels completely driven by Danny T.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVF3_Q53WSo

that Alice record from 1992 is great! thanks for the tip

This mix is gold. Thank you!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wda0OsFYP6Q

xpost Thanks, Squirrel Meat--I was really happy to hear the continuity and brilliance of his work over a quarter-century.

By discovering John Martyn, I've come to learn that Danny Thompson is there in a lot of my favorite music. Excited to dig in to other things he's done...

RIP Danny, what an incredible, wide-ranging musician.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSLKLyRdjoc

RIP, one of the greatest to ever do it.

Maybe my favorite bass player of all time. RIP.

listening to John Martyn's Live at Leeds now, just the sweetest sound.

Also like the recent Making of Five Leaves Left box where (I think) you can actually Danny make Nick Drake laugh.

actually *hear*

It's an oft-told anecdote, but one of the first things I thought of was him wrapping a pissed and volatile John Martyn in a carpet and nailing it to the floor. RIP to one of the greatest.

Amazing player and seemed like a great bloke too.

Carpet anecdote here, plus the fishing one which I'd forgotten
https://www.johnmartyn.info/sleevenotes/martyn-lore

damn. i just got a used copy
of Thompson and Peter Knight duo cd and listened to it last night. What an incredible and beautiful bass player he was, RIP

had no idea until today that he played on those Kate Bush records but of course now I can immediately hear it just from memory, what an all time great.

vital part of some of the most ridiculously great faves of my life... Solid Air / Secrets Of The Beehive / Spirit Of Eden / Five Leaves Left / Hounds Of Love and so much more

xp yeah he's so good on “Watching You Without Me”

He's great on a million things of course, but one of the things that comes to mind is "This is the Night" by The The.

Rip. Absolute master.

Seeing this news today, I've just gone to the superb Musicophilia compilation of songs featuring Danny Thompson (posted above). RIP

RIP. I saw a great quote from him somewhere, about how once when he was in a recording studio, the engineer came over and apologetically told him there must be something wrong with the microphone, "because every time you play there's a strange buzzing sound". Thompson replied, "That's called technique, son, and it took me years to perfect it."

I didn't know that Natasha Khan/Bat For Lashes was so close with him, I believe she may have grown up across the street from him based on her instagram post. Lots of cute pictures there.

Loved this guy's playing, so sensitive and emotive. He's played on so many of my favorite albums.