Just how lost Richard Thompson was under Mitchell Froom and Tchad Blake's direction during the '90s is made clear by Mock Tudor, the brilliant sequel to the botched You? Me? Us? Producers/engineers Tom Rothrock and Rob Schnapf keep the production clean and direct, allowing the songs to breathe and letting Thompson play guitar.
That decision alone would have made Mock Tudor a satisfying listen, but what elevates it into the first rank of his albums is, naturally, the songs themselves.
Thompson structured the album as a portrait of suburbia, tackling a different subject with each song.
It's not all about desperation, although there certainly is a lot of that there.
Instead, Thompson is at the top of his form, offering subtle shadings in his lyrics and remarkably catchy, memorable melodies throughout the album.
As a matter of fact, it's a bit of a tour de force, opening with the rollicking "Cooksferry Queen" and closing with its polar opposite, the hushed, intimate black comedy of "Hope You Like the New Me." Between those two songs, Thompson covers all sorts of emotional textures, resulting in his most affecting effort in years.
Since even on his uneven '90s efforts he demonstrated that he still was in full grasp of his talents, it can't be said that Mock Tudor is a comeback, but it's certainly the best album he's made in over a decade.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cooksferry QueenRichard Thompson | Richard Thompson | Play | 04:12 | 9 MB | 28 MB |
| 2 | SibellaRichard Thompson | Richard Thompson | Play | 04:15 | 9 MB | 27 MB |
| 3 | Bathsheba SmilesRichard Thompson | Richard Thompson | Play | 03:54 | 8 MB | 26 MB |
| 4 | Two-Faced LoveRichard Thompson | Richard Thompson | Play | 04:03 | 9 MB | 28 MB |
| 5 | Hard on MeRichard Thompson | Richard Thompson | Play | 05:55 | 13 MB | 41 MB |
| 6 | Crawl Back (Under My Stone)Richard Thompson | Richard Thompson | Play | 03:59 | 9 MB | 25 MB |
| 7 | Uninhabited ManRichard Thompson | Richard Thompson | Play | 04:52 | 11 MB | 31 MB |
| 8 | Dry My Tears and Move OnRichard Thompson | Richard Thompson | Play | 03:48 | 8 MB | 23 MB |
| 9 | Walking the Long Miles HomeRichard Thompson | Richard Thompson | Play | 04:10 | 9 MB | 27 MB |
| 10 | Sights and Sounds of London TownRichard Thompson | Richard Thompson | Play | 04:54 | 11 MB | 30 MB |
| 11 | That's All, Amen, Close the DoorRichard Thompson | Richard Thompson | Play | 05:56 | 13 MB | 38 MB |
| 12 | Hope You'll Like the New Me | Richard Thompson | Play | 05:00 | 11 MB | 26 MB |
| 55 mins | 126 MB | |||||
| 55 mins | 357 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Randall Aldcroft | Trombone |
| 2 | Les Benedict | Trombone |
| 3 | Ryan Boesch | Assistant Engineer, Mixing Assistant |
| 4 | Charlie Davis | Cornet |
| 5 | Atom Ellis | Bass (Electric) |
| 6 | Mitchell Froom | Guest Artist, Keyboards |
| 7 | Larry Hall | Cornet |
| 8 | Beth Herzhaft | Photography |
| 9 | Dave Mattacks | Drums, Percussion |
| 10 | David McKelsy | Harmonica |
| 11 | Judith Owen | Vocal Harmony, Vocals (Background) |
| 12 | Tom Rothrock | Engineer, Mixing, Producer |
| 13 | Rob Schnapf | Engineer, Mixing, Producer |
| 14 | Steve Schnur | A&R |
| 15 | Paul Slater | Illustrations |
| 16 | Tommy Steele | Art Direction |
| 17 | Danny Thompson | Assistant Engineer, Double Bass, Guest Artist |
| 18 | Richard Thompson | Composer, Dulcimer, Guitar, Harmonium, Hurdygurdy, Mandolin, Primary Artist, Vocals |
| 19 | Teddy Thompson | Guitar, Vocal Harmony, Vocals (Background) |
| 20 | Jeff Big Dad Turmes | Sax (Baritone) |
| 21 | Don C. Tyler | Mastering |
| 22 | Joey Waronker | Drums |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |