Beeswing: Losing My Way and Finding My Voice 1967-1975
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- Author：Richard Thompson
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Summary
The memoir of international music icon Richard Thompson， co-founder of the legendary folk rock group Fairport Convention。
Guitarist and songwriter Richard Thompson came of age during an extraordinary moment in British culture: it was 1967 and popular music was reflecting a great cultural awakening。 In the midst of this， eighteen-year-old Thompson co-founded Fairport Convention and helped invent a new genre of music。
Thompson packed more than a lifetime of experiences into his late teens and twenties。 From the pivotal years of 1967 to 1975， he matured into a major musician， survived a devasting car crash and departed Fairport Convention for a duo act with his wife， Linda， at the height of the band's popularity。 His discovery and ultimate embrace of Sufism profoundly reshaped his approach to everything in his life and， of course， the music he wrote thereafter。
In Beeswing， Thompson goes back to his childhood， recreates the spirit of the sixties and takes us inside life on the road in the UK and the US， crossing paths - and occasionally sharing the stage - with the likes of Led Zeppelin， Pink Floyd， Nick Drake， Jimi Hendrix and more。
An intimate memoir of musical discovery， personal history and social revelation， Beeswing - like Patti Smith's Just Kids or Marianne Faithfull's Faithfull - vividly captures the life of one of Britain's most significant artists during a heady period of creative intensity， in a world on the cusp of change。
Guitarist and songwriter Richard Thompson came of age during an extraordinary moment in British culture: it was 1967 and popular music was reflecting a great cultural awakening。 In the midst of this， eighteen-year-old Thompson co-founded Fairport Convention and helped invent a new genre of music。
Thompson packed more than a lifetime of experiences into his late teens and twenties。 From the pivotal years of 1967 to 1975， he matured into a major musician， survived a devasting car crash and departed Fairport Convention for a duo act with his wife， Linda， at the height of the band's popularity。 His discovery and ultimate embrace of Sufism profoundly reshaped his approach to everything in his life and， of course， the music he wrote thereafter。
In Beeswing， Thompson goes back to his childhood， recreates the spirit of the sixties and takes us inside life on the road in the UK and the US， crossing paths - and occasionally sharing the stage - with the likes of Led Zeppelin， Pink Floyd， Nick Drake， Jimi Hendrix and more。
An intimate memoir of musical discovery， personal history and social revelation， Beeswing - like Patti Smith's Just Kids or Marianne Faithfull's Faithfull - vividly captures the life of one of Britain's most significant artists during a heady period of creative intensity， in a world on the cusp of change。
Reviews
Guy
，
***1/2
jboyg
，
Well-Written And Info Packed AutoBio of Fairport Leader。I love Richard Thompson: his singing， songwriting and guitar playing。 Now I love his authorial skills as well。 What a talented man。 I'd say this book is a must for any fan of English folk-rock， which Thompson pretty much invented with other members of Fairport Convention。 It's full of insightful comments on th music and the people who created it。 A treasure trove for any fan。 Anecdotal and skillfully written， don't miss it。 Well-Written And Info Packed AutoBio of Fairport Leader。I love Richard Thompson: his singing， songwriting and guitar playing。 Now I love his authorial skills as well。 What a talented man。 I'd say this book is a must for any fan of English folk-rock， which Thompson pretty much invented with other members of Fairport Convention。 It's full of insightful comments on th music and the people who created it。 A treasure trove for any fan。 Anecdotal and skillfully written， don't miss it。 。。。more
Dave
，
Richard Thompson is a genius guitar player， and a songwriter that consistently amazes me。 No one writes a better sad song about lost love （"Beeswing"）， or happy （sounding） song about lost love （"Tear-Stained Letter"）， or a better love song that's really about God--or is it the other way around？ （"A Heart Needs a Home，" "Dimming of the Day"）。 Or so many terrific songs about death （"Meet on the Ledge，" "Wall of Death，" "When I Get to the Border，" "Farewell， Farewell"）。 Or simply unclassifiably gre Richard Thompson is a genius guitar player， and a songwriter that consistently amazes me。 No one writes a better sad song about lost love （"Beeswing"）， or happy （sounding） song about lost love （"Tear-Stained Letter"）， or a better love song that's really about God--or is it the other way around？ （"A Heart Needs a Home，" "Dimming of the Day"）。 Or so many terrific songs about death （"Meet on the Ledge，" "Wall of Death，" "When I Get to the Border，" "Farewell， Farewell"）。 Or simply unclassifiably great songs--"Hokey Pokey，" "I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight，" "The Great Valerio。" I haven't even mentioned "Lotteryland" or "Genesis Hall" or "Don't Sit on My Jimmy Shands。" And have you heard his cover of "Oops！ I Did It Again"？I say all this， because this book doesn't really approach the depth of his songwriting or the adventurousness of his guitar playing。 It's a pleasant story about Thompson's early adult life and the music and musicians that he enjoyed and played and played with up until about the time he converted to Sufism。 There's quite a bit about his love of traditional/English music。 There's a chapter about his relation to Sufism and his trip to Mecca， and a concluding couple after-chapters that very rapidly deal with the end of his marriage to Linda and the writing of "Beeswing。" I very much enjoyed reading about the joys and sorrows of the early Fairport Convention， and getting his pictures of Sandy Denny and Nick Drake， and there's a terrific anecdote about his meeting Buck Owens that almost reads like one of his songs。 But really， my favorite parts--the ones that really have the terse， bracing， immediate effect of his songs--are the odd dreams that he relates in the back， and the printed lyrics of some of those songs （like "Sloth"） that show what's really going on in his head。 I am glad， as Linda Thompson has said in interviews， that he's much nicer now。 But I'm not sure that this book really gets at how he "lost his way and found his voice。" I think the inexplicable Muse that he follows tells that story through his songs a lot more clearly。Still， I'm glad I read it， and if you don't know him， you should， and this is a good place to start。 And thanks， Richard， for signing my copy！ 。。。more
Sean Belt
，
An enjoyable read。 Thompson gives us some insight into his early years with Fairport Convention， as a session musician and then making records and touring with his then wife， Linda。 Along the way we read about his many musical influences， his creative process and what it's like to be a touring musician in one's early twenties。 My only complaint is that the book ends too abruptly。 I really wanted to read more about the making of Shoot Out The Lights and the ensuing tour， as well as Thompson's lif An enjoyable read。 Thompson gives us some insight into his early years with Fairport Convention， as a session musician and then making records and touring with his then wife， Linda。 Along the way we read about his many musical influences， his creative process and what it's like to be a touring musician in one's early twenties。 My only complaint is that the book ends too abruptly。 I really wanted to read more about the making of Shoot Out The Lights and the ensuing tour， as well as Thompson's life in the 1980'sand '90's。 Here's hoping there will be a second volume soon。 。。。more
Peter
，
This is a terrific book by the fantastic singer-songwriter Richard Thompson。 I talked to him for an interview the link to which I will put here once it's published。 But I'd have enjoyed this just as much for pleasure。 It traces his career from co-founding Fairport Convention， arguably the creators of the British folk-rock tradition in the late '60s， to his great albums with his former wife as Richard and Linda Thompson in the '70s。 It's an under-represented slice of music history and told in his This is a terrific book by the fantastic singer-songwriter Richard Thompson。 I talked to him for an interview the link to which I will put here once it's published。 But I'd have enjoyed this just as much for pleasure。 It traces his career from co-founding Fairport Convention， arguably the creators of the British folk-rock tradition in the late '60s， to his great albums with his former wife as Richard and Linda Thompson in the '70s。 It's an under-represented slice of music history and told in his wry， vivid voice。 。。。more
Donald
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A excellent book about one of my personal favorites。 I highly recommend this book。
Anthony Zielinski
，
I really enjoyed this memoir。 Well written and insightful。 A must read for anyone interested in Thompsons music。
Jay Gabler
，
Comedian Charlie Fleischer famously said that "if you remember the '60s， you really weren't there。" Singer-songwriter Richard Thompson was definitely there， and in his new memoir he supports his case by lack of pretense to remember it all。 Some books feel like sitting next to the author on an airplane for 12 hours; Beeswing is more like sitting next to the author at dinner。The unassuming tone of the book — subtitled Losing My Way and Finding My Voice 1967-1975 — is fitting for an artist who's lo Comedian Charlie Fleischer famously said that "if you remember the '60s， you really weren't there。" Singer-songwriter Richard Thompson was definitely there， and in his new memoir he supports his case by lack of pretense to remember it all。 Some books feel like sitting next to the author on an airplane for 12 hours; Beeswing is more like sitting next to the author at dinner。The unassuming tone of the book — subtitled Losing My Way and Finding My Voice 1967-1975 — is fitting for an artist who's long had a reputation as a musician's musician。 Now 71， Thompson remains active as a touring and recording artist， often described to American audiences as "the best guitarist you've never heard of。"I reviewed Beeswing for The Current。 。。。more
Jeff
，
Modest and astutely rhetorical， Richard Thompson's Beeswing: Losing My Way and Finding My Voice adroitly stage-manages the singer-songwriter's dreams to the book's appendix。 If you've had the song reaching for your heart at a Richard Thompson show （I've seen at least five over the last 30 years）， this might make for a somewhat attenuated literary performance。 Thompson's memoir of his early years of joining Fairport Convention， following his co-writer and bandmate Sandy Denny out of the band; doi Modest and astutely rhetorical， Richard Thompson's Beeswing: Losing My Way and Finding My Voice adroitly stage-manages the singer-songwriter's dreams to the book's appendix。 If you've had the song reaching for your heart at a Richard Thompson show （I've seen at least five over the last 30 years）， this might make for a somewhat attenuated literary performance。 Thompson's memoir of his early years of joining Fairport Convention， following his co-writer and bandmate Sandy Denny out of the band; doing session work and prepping a solo career， as well as turning away from the business， to Sufism， has an authentic， and quite emblematic arc。 As a book I would compare it to Dave Van Ronk and Elijah Wald's Mayor of McDougal Street; Thompson's c0-writer on his memoir， Scott Timberg， may have performed a function for the touring musician not unlike Wald's service to Van Ronk; conceiving how the book could be written; taking initial steps to effect the contract; such that the book could survive the loss of one of the collaborators， in the case of Mayor of McDougal Street's， Van Ronk， in the case of Thompson's memoir， the young writer whose hand in the book's initial chapters is marked by their lack of color。 It's my suspicion， in other words， that Thompson actually wrote the chapters on his marriage to Linda Thompson， as well as on the welcome he found in Sufi， and his subsequent pilgrimage to Mecca in 1975。 For fans of the duo， it will be no surprise that while he's kindly disposed to his children's mother， the duo's career-arc takes a downstage position in relation to Thompson's spiritual journey。 This has the effect of sparing his family as well as drawing attention to his community， since he discovered the Sufi community among the music-industry professionals with whom he'd played for a year after he left Fairport in 1971; these were the musicians with whom he's playing on Sandy Denny's fine recording， The Northstar Grassman and the Ravens; soon enough， he'd be worshipping with them。 My two cents， both counter-culture currency: while Fairport Convention's early career drama tells of the band's discovery of a British folk rock audience and community in the aftermath of The Band's 1967-68 Woodstock recordings， by a different metric， let's say the discovery of a music attuned to its audience's mass bohemianism， the band's inner drama also signifies the compromises Sandy Denny and Richard Thompson found unendurable: A touring band that had just cut their third （and arguably， their best） record， Unhalfbricking， an auto accident en-route home from a 1969 tour date， in which Thompson was very much a factor， resulted in the perishing of two of the band's number， which didn't deter the band from doing another 1969 recording， Liege and Lief， as well as planning for another tour， one of their first obligations to which Denny could not meet， for very understandable， traumatic reasons the boys in the band weren't hearing。 She was fired。 Thompson perks up to an implication one wonders whether the rest of the band could manage: "Why would you fire the best singer in the land， who in hindsight is one the greatest singers Britain ever produced？" There are two answers， really。 First， like Aretha Franklin， Sandy Denny had some bother stepping on a plane （Joe Boyd， Fairport's producer-manager， had promised the boys a Stateside trip）。 Second， Denny was involved in a romance， with an Aussie guitarist， Trevor Lucas， whose band carried the lugubrious name， Eclection。 That Ron Burgandy-worthy band name signals that Fairport's best strategy for handling Denny's romance with Lucas， bringing Lucas into the more successful band， invited from the latter merely the anticipate-able tier-reflex。 The bother for the band was that， in losing Denny， they lost Thompson， too。 In Denny's firing was the seed of Thompson's adventure away from the band's seasoned professionalism。 It also， intriguingly， anticipates the birth of alternaland -- the post-punk recrudescence of Sixties peak-experiences。The question for a book like this is how does the craftsmanship and virtuosity of this singer-songwriter/guitarist translate to book format？ Unfortunately the answer here is not so straightforward as the question of precipitant cause in the break-up of the great Fairport lineup。 Thompson is a brilliant songwriter， nowhere more brilliant than in "Beeswing's" （the song's） anecdotal analysis of the Sixties。 He's a moving and effective singer， whose career as a troubadour commands a 1000-upward fans in 100 American cities， so has demanded that his voice on Richard and Linda Thompson songs supplant their original vocalist's （Gotta love Acoustic Classics）。 His instrumental virtuosity， however， spells no concomitant as an author -- or not yet。 I very much liked the end of this book， once he got onto Sufi。 At that point his spiritual discipline began to translate into the career in a very moving way。 But as he's right to assay， his growth as a person needed the humanism he's brought to his spiritual practice。 And that topic only finds "voice" in the final couple of chapters here。 。。。more
Glenn
，
Reads like a breeze。 Frank， moving， filled with great stories， some shocks， moved me to tears twice。 A noble undertaking by a great artist。
Loring Wirbel
，
My lifelong love of Richard Thompson， combined with general curiosity about the scene surrounding Fairport Convention， Fotheringay， Steeleye Span， and similar neo-traditionalist bands in the U。K。， made it a virtual certainty I'd give Thompson's memoir four stars。 And his delightful turns of phrases， no surprise given his lyricism， made the rating easy to justify。 But there were times when Thompson made it challenging to award his book more than three stars。In the first place， the parameter of ye My lifelong love of Richard Thompson， combined with general curiosity about the scene surrounding Fairport Convention， Fotheringay， Steeleye Span， and similar neo-traditionalist bands in the U。K。， made it a virtual certainty I'd give Thompson's memoir four stars。 And his delightful turns of phrases， no surprise given his lyricism， made the rating easy to justify。 But there were times when Thompson made it challenging to award his book more than three stars。In the first place， the parameter of years listed on the cover didn't seem to make a lot of sense - why a hard stop in 1975？ In reality， we get a superficial study of Richard and Linda Thompson's move to a Sufi community in Sussex in 1976， some of their tribulations after leaving the order， and a whirlwind look at Thompson's divorce。 But he addresses the nearly 40 years as a single and solo musical artist following the divorce as an afterthought。 This 300-page book covers only the high-school through mid-1970s years with any depth。 Maybe Thompson already has his follow-on book planned， but I'd remind him that Barack Obama has kicked out three 500+-page memoirs that cover only his first term in office。 I may be a firm believer that one should only say what needs to be said， but in this case， Thompson is selective about what he says。I do not think this is because he wants to keep secrets， but because， having become a world-famous guitarist while still 17， he didn't give himself adequate time to develop a fully-examined life。 I wouldn't put special emphasis on the utility of Thompson attending university， only that he would have benefited from more time thinking about such things as his relationship to his parents and his possible misgivings about his professional relationship to Sandy Denny。 In looking at his turn to Sufism and his decision to make the hajj to Mecca， for example， Thompson talks about a lifelong love of spiritual pursuit and various ways of knowing， but doesn't really say why he found Sufism to be the most rewarding -- at least for a while。Music fans will find that Thompson is at his best in describing the turmoil of a working band， the difficulty of working in a studio， and how certain musical techniques led to collaborations with artists way outside the hippie-folk community。 Reviewers on Goodreads who say the touring passages sometimes feel more like a diary than a memoir have a legitimate point， though。 What we don't find a lot about is how the development of a British scene looked from the vantage point of an audience。 If we look to Elvis Costello's memoir， for example， he mentions how British audiences in the hippie era almost never stood up or danced during concerts， but instead sat and pondered。 Costello also gives his own reasons why the near-cult-status artist Nick Drake never developed a wider audience。 Thompson covers the same era and people， but never really talks about how the band might look from the audience vantage point。We learn something about the songwriting process， and how Thompson describes it as an intuitive effort that is not easy to dissect and analyze。 Fair enough。 HIs example of "Beeswing" as a song could stand in for "Wall of Death" and other classic Thompson numbers。 But once again， I think there are additional points of view he could explicitly state。In addition to not giving himself enough time in his late teen years to develop a critical examination of the self， it seems Thompson is too hung up in what constitutes authenticity in British traditionalism。 The thing I liked about Costello's memoir， and in David Byrne's How Music Works， is that both books take the point of view of "Screw it， it's all music， what we think is authenticity really doesn't matter。" Thompson's lamentation about the passing of certain types of folk-rock， and his disinterest in phases of glam， punk， etc。， shows that he hasn't really abandoned the quest for authenticity as largely useless。Because Thompson has continued to be on the forefront of pop and folk composition from 1982 to 2021， we really need to hear some more about these latter years （which are almost four times as long as the period examined）。 It is not just that Thompson has plenty to be proud of as a solo artist， it's that he needs to point with pride to his children with Linda， as well as to his son by Liz Gordon。 While he had a reconciliation with Jesse Gordon recently， giving his coming to terms a flavor of Joni Mitchell's， there's so much more that could be said。One element that saves this book as a real keeper is its appendix dealing with critical dreams Thompson has had。 In them， we get a sense of how his subconscious mind works。 If a little bit more had been brought forward into the writing of an autobiography， we might even have ended up with a five-star book。 Here's hoping there's more to come。 。。。more
Mark
，
Look for my review at All About Jazz。
Chris
，
It is difficult to say what one expects from a memoir by a musician。 As a casual fan of Thompson， I got a basic timeline of musical events in his life， and a little addition context to the world in which some of these recordings were created。 But beyond that I found little in regard to contemplation on a life lived or reflection on choices， musical and otherwise。 And the detail that was there becomes sparser and sparser as the chronology continues on。 I don't know if this book would be of any in It is difficult to say what one expects from a memoir by a musician。 As a casual fan of Thompson， I got a basic timeline of musical events in his life， and a little addition context to the world in which some of these recordings were created。 But beyond that I found little in regard to contemplation on a life lived or reflection on choices， musical and otherwise。 And the detail that was there becomes sparser and sparser as the chronology continues on。 I don't know if this book would be of any interest beyond readers who are already familiar with Thompson's music， and deep fans will not get much new out of it。 Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy of this ebook in exchange for an unbiased review。 。。。more
Ann
，
As a lover of many of Richard Thompson's songs over the years I was excited to see he'd written a book。Beeswing is a thorough account of his early years and influences as a young musician。 As a casual fan I was overwhelmed by all the names of people and bands and places and technical information and soon wore out looking them up。 But someone who is a devotee will be thrilled by the detail。 My only complaint is that in all this detail， I didn't get to know the person。 Occasionally， mention would As a lover of many of Richard Thompson's songs over the years I was excited to see he'd written a book。Beeswing is a thorough account of his early years and influences as a young musician。 As a casual fan I was overwhelmed by all the names of people and bands and places and technical information and soon wore out looking them up。 But someone who is a devotee will be thrilled by the detail。 My only complaint is that in all this detail， I didn't get to know the person。 Occasionally， mention would be made of a personality trait he had and wanted to change or a feeling he was experiencing，but overall this is a diary of events， not a memoir that let me see who he is。 Perhaps he didn't know who he was。 There is a theme of searching in the book。 Searching for meaning in his life， searching for the truth in his music。 A big change came for him when he found solace in Sufism which encourages inward searching and shuns materialism。 This makes perfect sense because in retrospect， all through the book， his work was always about the purity of the music， not finding fame and riches。 。。。more
Melanie
，
If you have ever been to one of Richard Thompson's concerts， you'll recognize his voice in this memoir - simultaneously witty， knowledgeable， self-deprecating， and generous。 What you'll miss is the music， traced from his earliest experiences through Fairport Convention and the beginnings of his solo career。 If ever a book needed a Spotify list to read by， this is it！ Familiar as I am with much of the music， I still longed to hear those early proto-Fairport collaborations， Sandy Denny's wild and If you have ever been to one of Richard Thompson's concerts， you'll recognize his voice in this memoir - simultaneously witty， knowledgeable， self-deprecating， and generous。 What you'll miss is the music， traced from his earliest experiences through Fairport Convention and the beginnings of his solo career。 If ever a book needed a Spotify list to read by， this is it！ Familiar as I am with much of the music， I still longed to hear those early proto-Fairport collaborations， Sandy Denny's wild and sweet soprano， Linda Thompson's simultaneously strong and fragile voice， and the sounds of Richard himself， having a blast as he travelled the world with musical buddies as wild and talented as he is。Thompson's wit glitters in this memoir。 My recommendation is to read it with your musical source of choice at hand， or， at least， a generous pad of paper to note every musical reference you want to follow up on。 At least， listen to the loveliest of his songs， "Beeswing，" in several of its incarnations。 You won't be sorry。Highly recommended。 Thank you， NetGalley， for the ARC to review。 。。。more
Jim Higgins
，