Music

Beeswing: Losing My Way and Finding My Voice 1967-1975

Beeswing: Losing My Way and Finding My Voice 1967-1975

  • Downloads：8472
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-04-01 08:52:27
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Richard Thompson
  • ISBN：1643752537
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
  • Download

Summary

A Rolling Stone Best Music Book of 2021

“Thompson is a master showman 。 。 。  [Beeswing is] everything you’d hope a Richard Thompson autobiography would be 。 。 。 It’s both major and minor， dirge and ditty， light on its feet but packing a punch。”
—The Wall Street Journal

Now Featuring an Interview with Elvis Costello
 
In this moving， immersive， and long-awaited memoir， beloved international music legend Richard Thompson recreates the spirit of his early years， where he found， and then lost， and then found his way again。 Considered one of the top twenty guitarists of all time， Thompson also belongs in the songwriting pantheon alongside Bob Dylan， Paul Simon， and Randy Newman。 Here the British folk musician takes us back to the late 1960s， a period of great change and creativity for both him and the world at large。

During the pivotal years of 1967 to 1975， just as he was discovering his passion for music， he formed the band Fairport Convention with some schoolmates and helped establish the genre of British folk rock。 It was a thrilling period of massive tours， where Thompson was on the road in both the UK and the US， crossing paths with the likes of Led Zeppelin， Pink Floyd， and Jimi Hendrix， as well as a time of heady and explosive creativity for Thompson， who wrote some of his most famous songs during this time。 But as Thompson reveals， those eight years were also marked by upheaval and tragedy。 Honest， moving， and compelling， Beeswing vividly captures the life of a remarkable man and musician during a period of artistic intensity， in a world on the cusp of change。

“An absorbing， witty， often deliciously biting read， as all rock memoirs should be。” —Los Angeles Review of Books

 

Download

Reviews

Douglas Thorpe ，

It all comes round。。。A really gorgeous insight into RT's journey from childhood to the present， honestly written with moments of great sadness along with triumph。 A must read for any folkie！ Especially those that frequent a certain village in Oxfordshire every august。 It all comes round。。。A really gorgeous insight into RT's journey from childhood to the present， honestly written with moments of great sadness along with triumph。 A must read for any folkie！ Especially those that frequent a certain village in Oxfordshire every august。 。。。more

Dayva ，

Beautifully written and emotionally honest。 Exactly what I was expecting！

Bob Brugnoni ，

This bio covers a relatively short period of the life of one of IMHO greatest guitarists and songwriters of the 20th century。 I read this concurrently， and on the heels of， another musician's recent autobiography， Rickie Lee Jones'。 Both artists are on the the shortest of my short lists for favorites of all time。 Both wear berets。 Coincidence？ Maybe。 Both are fantastic story-tellers with their music。 A level of excellence that would be difficult for any artist to match when taken out of their ch This bio covers a relatively short period of the life of one of IMHO greatest guitarists and songwriters of the 20th century。 I read this concurrently， and on the heels of， another musician's recent autobiography， Rickie Lee Jones'。 Both artists are on the the shortest of my short lists for favorites of all time。 Both wear berets。 Coincidence？ Maybe。 Both are fantastic story-tellers with their music。 A level of excellence that would be difficult for any artist to match when taken out of their chosen genres。 Where Rickie Lees bio was deeply personal， sometimes too much so， RT's was more matter-of-fact。 The who， what and when。 It's OK if an author doesn't want to deep-dive into his inner-psych。 Maybe he felt like he already did that with his music and I would not disagree。 What I did miss was the wit。 Anybody that has ever listened to Richard Thompson's lyrics or been fortunate enough to see him live knows what a wonderfully dark wit he possesses。 Unfortunately， he seems to have forgotten to include any of that in the pages of his own autobiography。 。。。more

Ernest Naegele ，

Very British

Matthew Gordon ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I was somewhat disappointed by this book。 Thompson's unquestionable skill， wit， and profundity in songwriting does not translate into strong autobiographical bookwriting skills。 It seems to skim along through multiple loosely-linked anecdotes like a stone bouncing off the surface of the water， without offering deep wisdom or character insights。 That said， it does provide an interesting perspective on his career and some evocative reminiscences of the times in England during this period。 All in a I was somewhat disappointed by this book。 Thompson's unquestionable skill， wit， and profundity in songwriting does not translate into strong autobiographical bookwriting skills。 It seems to skim along through multiple loosely-linked anecdotes like a stone bouncing off the surface of the water， without offering deep wisdom or character insights。 That said， it does provide an interesting perspective on his career and some evocative reminiscences of the times in England during this period。 All in all， I liked it better than your average rock star autobiography， but it still seemed a bit rushed through， without the care he puts into his songs。 。。。more

Chris Browning ，

The most fascinating thing about this wonderful memoir， is how much of it feels like someone slowly trying to identify who they really are。 There’s an uncertainty to the young Richard Thompson that the elder writer is both slightly astonished and frustrated by。 There’s a bit of naivety and rootlessness there， but also a guilelessness as his character slowly but surely seems to come into focus， surprisingly some time after his music has been doing this since pretty much the start of his career。 T The most fascinating thing about this wonderful memoir， is how much of it feels like someone slowly trying to identify who they really are。 There’s an uncertainty to the young Richard Thompson that the elder writer is both slightly astonished and frustrated by。 There’s a bit of naivety and rootlessness there， but also a guilelessness as his character slowly but surely seems to come into focus， surprisingly some time after his music has been doing this since pretty much the start of his career。 There’s a vividness and confidence and conciseness to Thompson’s songwriting that seems absent in the young man himself。 It’s the book’s main weakness that Thompson does slightly indulge a few of these traits， which I imagine others would have found slightly less charming （his first son; and I would particularly like to hear Linda’s own take on this era）， but this is pretty much the story of a young musician finding his artistic and spiritual muse， so that’s kind of inbuilt into the book from the startBut Thompson is a glorious writer， unfussy but with a real fire when he gets onto subjects that mean the world to him: his idea of how music should sound; his thoughts about the folk world and tradition; his love for his peers （he’s obviously mellowed considerably on this front， and is generous where once he could be somewhat glib such as his views of Nick Drake）。 Weirdly he does slightly flub the chapter on his spirituality - it gives you some idea of how answers could be found in his religion， but also feels slightly generalised。 There’s no real sense of his devotion and love of Sufism and Islam， which surprises me。 I partly wonder whether he just found this too personal a chapter and slightly fudged it because of this。 Weirdly there’s a far more vivid sense of his spirituality in the glorious dreams appendix， which seems far more like comfortable ground for him （and weirdly feels close to the surrealist writing of his fan and acolyte， Robyn Hitchcock） - he’s far more comfortable writing directly in an *indirect* manner， in much the same way as his songwriting does 。。。more

Mike Zinn ，

Really enjoyed this book。 I became familiar with Richard Thompson’s music a couple years after the events covered in this book， and it was great reading about the path his music took， I was in a bar band in the late 1960s， so I could really relate to what all was involved in making a living in the music business。 Saw so many great performances by Tichard。 Made it great to see how he got to the stage where I was enjoying his performances。

Andy Denton ，

If you're a fan of Thompson it really good。 If you're a fan of Thompson it really good。 。。。more

Jeff Bottrell ，

I love Richard Thompson's music， so this was less a read and more a blissful absorption。 Beeswing is a fascinating look at the artist's life during the first decade of his career， with brief mentions of years that follow。 I can't be seen as a reliable critic。 I think it remarkable how astutely he recalls things decades ago， as I can't recall much of anything even from one or two years back， but maybe he's using that good ole artistic license！ Lots of tours， recording sessions， name droppings。 A I love Richard Thompson's music， so this was less a read and more a blissful absorption。 Beeswing is a fascinating look at the artist's life during the first decade of his career， with brief mentions of years that follow。 I can't be seen as a reliable critic。 I think it remarkable how astutely he recalls things decades ago， as I can't recall much of anything even from one or two years back， but maybe he's using that good ole artistic license！ Lots of tours， recording sessions， name droppings。 A journey into sufism。 After the death of Sandy Denny at the memoir's end， things fade out， just as he describes how he and Linda chose to end "The Great Valerio，" leaving the audience with questions。 And dreams。 。。。more

Maddie ，

A must read if you are a fan， not only of Richard but of Fairport and English folk music of the late 60's-70's， with some fascinating insights。 It gets 4 stars only because the ending is a bit odd， it feels like a final chapter was written and then 90% was cut out。 However this doesn't take away from the main body of the book and I would thoroughly recommend！ A must read if you are a fan， not only of Richard but of Fairport and English folk music of the late 60's-70's， with some fascinating insights。 It gets 4 stars only because the ending is a bit odd， it feels like a final chapter was written and then 90% was cut out。 However this doesn't take away from the main body of the book and I would thoroughly recommend！ 。。。more

Jimgosailing ，

A good read。 I enjoyed insights that were shared， like Thompson and the drummer from Fairport trying to figure out how Levon Helm of The Band got his snare to sound the way it did。 I think too often we think about artists in isolation， and maybe even individual albums in isolation but here Thompson shares how much they were aware of what other musicians， like early Pink Floyd， The Band， The Beatles， and others， were doing and how Fairport wanted to chart their own course and not replicate what o A good read。 I enjoyed insights that were shared， like Thompson and the drummer from Fairport trying to figure out how Levon Helm of The Band got his snare to sound the way it did。 I think too often we think about artists in isolation， and maybe even individual albums in isolation but here Thompson shares how much they were aware of what other musicians， like early Pink Floyd， The Band， The Beatles， and others， were doing and how Fairport wanted to chart their own course and not replicate what others were doing。 But there were times （too many？） when too mundane things were shared。 I thought an interesting line （in discussing disco turntables replacing live bands - because it was cheaper） was “from disco come electronic music， samples and loops， all valid tools in the right hands， but brain-numbing conveniences in the hands of the unimaginative”。 So I think of the Beatles doing samples and loops creatively on Revolver。 But I translate this to my love for photography and my extreme reluctance （aversion？） to using filters given their appalling overuse on social media sites like Instagram。 I have the good fortune of having a BIL who’s years older and who is steeped in music， and it was he who turned me onto Richard Thompson， starting with Mock Tudor - which I still consider to best his best solo album except for the live version， Semi-detached Mock Tudor。 I’ve not listened to much Fairport， though I have The Best of Richard and Linda Thompson; so now it is time to right that wrong and listen to some Fairport。 I wish this book had continued with Thompson’s solo career beyond 1975， but maybe that’s a later volume。 。。。more

Valectrice ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Thompson is brutally honest in his memoir which opens up the British folk music scene of the 60s and 70s for the reader。 This honesty let me feel the excitement and obsessiveness of a teenager and young adult in love with music。 He describes learning to play guitar and discovering records and artists that were important to him and started him on his music career。 I particularly enjoyed his description of life as a touring band。 His descriptions of the group dynamics and how the band developed it Thompson is brutally honest in his memoir which opens up the British folk music scene of the 60s and 70s for the reader。 This honesty let me feel the excitement and obsessiveness of a teenager and young adult in love with music。 He describes learning to play guitar and discovering records and artists that were important to him and started him on his music career。 I particularly enjoyed his description of life as a touring band。 His descriptions of the group dynamics and how the band developed its sound and instrument mix。 He also provides some insight into the songwriting process。 I appreciated the small details such as “cups of cold tea” that helped bring scenes to life。 At times I found the language bit austere but it made those situations where he does express emotion， such as when deceiving the fatal van crash that killed the band’s drummer and a woman that he was in a relationship with， very effective。 Thompson tells us generally he is introverted and not a big talker， and there are times when I wished he would provide a bit more detail。 He also assumes a deep familiarity with the British folk music scene that I don’t have。 This Richard Thompson fan enjoyed my opportunity to spend a few hours with him。 I feel like I know the man and the artist better， and it makes me like him even more。 。。。more

Chris Warren ，

I thought it a very honest account of those years and from the heart。 Perhaps a little episodic but real life tends not to have a narrative arc。 The Muslim part was interesting though I don't understand it。 I hope there's a second volume coming up。 I thought it a very honest account of those years and from the heart。 Perhaps a little episodic but real life tends not to have a narrative arc。 The Muslim part was interesting though I don't understand it。 I hope there's a second volume coming up。 。。。more

Jay ，

One of the best-written musician memoirs I've read。 You have to read it if you care about Thompson's and/or Fairport Convention's music。 It's often humorous， but doesn't hesitate to deal with the tragedies and difficulties the band experienced。 One of the best-written musician memoirs I've read。 You have to read it if you care about Thompson's and/or Fairport Convention's music。 It's often humorous， but doesn't hesitate to deal with the tragedies and difficulties the band experienced。 。。。more

Richard Schaefer ，

This memoir by one of my favorite guitarists is a quick read， too polite to be salacious and too short to consistently get into the musical nitty gritty Thompson occasionally teases。 While it’s certainly a pleasant enough book， its main fault lies in the relative brevity of the Richard & Linda Thompson years， during which Thompson released many of his best albums。 Each album only gets a couple pages coverage， versus the early years with Fairport which are reported with more detail and verisimili This memoir by one of my favorite guitarists is a quick read， too polite to be salacious and too short to consistently get into the musical nitty gritty Thompson occasionally teases。 While it’s certainly a pleasant enough book， its main fault lies in the relative brevity of the Richard & Linda Thompson years， during which Thompson released many of his best albums。 Each album only gets a couple pages coverage， versus the early years with Fairport which are reported with more detail and verisimilitude。 Maybe he feels enough has been written about his years with Linda， or maybe he didn’t want to dig up memories of a painful marriage （though he was never afraid to do so in song）。 So while Thompson has an amazing way with words in his songwriting （and is an unrivaled guitarist）， I’d say this book is pleasant for fans of Thompson， Fairport Convention， or British folk-rock， but not essential reading。 。。。more

Angela ，

I thoroughly enjoyed this intimate and funny memoir。 I first discovered Richard Thompson in the early 1990s and caught an acoustic performance that was fantastic。 It did not take me long to reach back to his early stuff and develop a real appreciation for it。 In this book he reveals much about his philosophy of music and life， including narrations of vivid dreams！， that is catnip for fans but also intriguing for those interested in the time period though unfamiliar with his music。 Read the book， I thoroughly enjoyed this intimate and funny memoir。 I first discovered Richard Thompson in the early 1990s and caught an acoustic performance that was fantastic。 It did not take me long to reach back to his early stuff and develop a real appreciation for it。 In this book he reveals much about his philosophy of music and life， including narrations of vivid dreams！， that is catnip for fans but also intriguing for those interested in the time period though unfamiliar with his music。 Read the book， revisit/discover Fairport Convention， his stuff with Linda Thompson， and his solo material。 Treat yourself to many hours of enjoyment and don't forget to check his tour dates often。 。。。more

Mark Booth ，

An enjoyable read with quite a few interesting anecdotes covering his time in Fairport and early solo years through to the mid 1970s。 RT is very self effacing and is a unique talent - interesting to read his views on contemporary music and his determination to do his own thing。 I do get a sense that a lot of details have been left out - it is certainly not a 'tell all' book。 An enjoyable read with quite a few interesting anecdotes covering his time in Fairport and early solo years through to the mid 1970s。 RT is very self effacing and is a unique talent - interesting to read his views on contemporary music and his determination to do his own thing。 I do get a sense that a lot of details have been left out - it is certainly not a 'tell all' book。 。。。more

tortoise dreams ，

I think of RT as a contemporary artist。 He regularly puts out new music and tours constantly， even coming near my little backwater （pre-Covid） every year or so。 He's actually been around for a long time as this memoir makes clear， which focuses on Fairport Convention， the group in which he got his start in the Sixties。 The account is uneven， sometimes poetic seeming to spring from his songwriter soul and other times very prosaic and distant with the British reserve reflecting his efforts to crea I think of RT as a contemporary artist。 He regularly puts out new music and tours constantly， even coming near my little backwater （pre-Covid） every year or so。 He's actually been around for a long time as this memoir makes clear， which focuses on Fairport Convention， the group in which he got his start in the Sixties。 The account is uneven， sometimes poetic seeming to spring from his songwriter soul and other times very prosaic and distant with the British reserve reflecting his efforts to create a British music untainted by American influences。 Includes much on the nuts and bolts of songwriting and the music industry， but little on his philosophy of or learning the guitar。 He periodically discusses his development as a person， including his exploration of and commitment to Sufism。 Excellent moments， but left this reader （and fan） wanting more。 [3½★] 。。。more

Matt ，

2。5 Stars

Bethnoir ，

Richard Thompson has written and played on some music I value highly and love， and lived though amazing times， meeting wonderful people and experiencing many noteworthy events， but his writing about them is flat and minimises their significance。More factual than emotional， I was glad to hear his story， but feel this books really illustrates that sometimes guitarists express themselves most effectively through their music。

Gronk ，

Interesting book that took me a long time to read because I had to constantly stop， get computer， look up musician I wasn't familiar with and listen to the people he mentions， especially early in the book where he talks about his influences。 I found his， or Scott Timberg's voice pleasant。 Thompson is generous in praise of fellow musicians rarely （if ever） saying anything bad about anyone named。 His attitude toward making the type of music he wanted was interesting。 And his description of the fol Interesting book that took me a long time to read because I had to constantly stop， get computer， look up musician I wasn't familiar with and listen to the people he mentions， especially early in the book where he talks about his influences。 I found his， or Scott Timberg's voice pleasant。 Thompson is generous in praise of fellow musicians rarely （if ever） saying anything bad about anyone named。 His attitude toward making the type of music he wanted was interesting。 And his description of the folk circuit， playing basically on at most a 3" high stage so that you're looking right into the audience's eyes was also interesting。 He does a nice job of conveying the importance to him of playing live， the energy he gets from the crowd， especially in stand up venues。THe book is best suited for a Thompson fan and one quite familiar with his music。 。。。more

Peires ，

Essential reading for all of us who know and love RT's work， nicely written， fascinating anecdotes， but does the reader end the book feeling one knows him any better？ Opaque as always Essential reading for all of us who know and love RT's work， nicely written， fascinating anecdotes， but does the reader end the book feeling one knows him any better？ Opaque as always 。。。more

Marta Wright ，

A very good read。 Compelling and great to learn about RT's early years。 A very good read。 Compelling and great to learn about RT's early years。 。。。more

Andy P ，

Whilst I truly loved this book， I recommend it only to serious fans of RT and/or Fairport Convention。 There is a lot of detail around who joined the band when， who played with who， who backstabbed who， etc。。。 If you are a big fan （like me！） you will *love* all this stuff。 Otherwise， well， there are a few gems of music industry scattered about， but you may want to gloss over the geeky stuff。

Mary ，

Gentle natured autobiography by the brilliant guitarist/singer/songwriter。 The anecdotes are infused with dry， wry humor。 For me it bogged down a bit referencing EVERYone in the studio duing recording sessions， but you have to admire his acknowledging everyone involved in making a record。

Jonny Brick ，

Fine evocation of the era， with a first-person recollection of Folk Rock， Fairport and the many characters of the age。 Richard's narrator is a child in a man's world。 Fine evocation of the era， with a first-person recollection of Folk Rock， Fairport and the many characters of the age。 Richard's narrator is a child in a man's world。 。。。more

Joe Buck ，

Reading this book is like sitting down for a cuppa tea with Richard Thompson。 He reminisces about his life through the lens of music （and correspondingly， his musical career）。 As the subtitle indicates， the primary focus is on the period of time spanning the emergence of British folk-rock legends Fairport Convention， his leaving the band， his time as a studio/touring gun-for-hire， and the records he made with his wife Linda （as well as their conversion to Islam）。 This isn't an exhaustive chronol Reading this book is like sitting down for a cuppa tea with Richard Thompson。 He reminisces about his life through the lens of music （and correspondingly， his musical career）。 As the subtitle indicates， the primary focus is on the period of time spanning the emergence of British folk-rock legends Fairport Convention， his leaving the band， his time as a studio/touring gun-for-hire， and the records he made with his wife Linda （as well as their conversion to Islam）。 This isn't an exhaustive chronology of his entire life， nor is it a bombshell dropping tell-all。 But if you are interested in Thompson's development as a musician and songwriter， it's an absolutely lovely read。 Richard comes off as genial， thoughtful， and wise。 He looks back with a combination of wonderment， humor， and honesty。 It's a breezy read and ultimately is a charming sit-down with a master musician as he looks back。 。。。more

Halvor Harnæs ，

Interessant om Thompsons formative år。

Emily ，

Some of this book is packed with stories I could easily imagine Richard telling me in the most charming way from the next barstool over （in fact， I started reading at a nice just-brightly-lit-enough brewery taproom on a rainy night， which was just the right setting）。 Some of it is an uneven recounting of music business dealings and tour logistics。 Maybe I would have loved it as a whole more were I a more devoted fan， but as more of an occasional listener I mostly appreciated the way this memoir Some of this book is packed with stories I could easily imagine Richard telling me in the most charming way from the next barstool over （in fact， I started reading at a nice just-brightly-lit-enough brewery taproom on a rainy night， which was just the right setting）。 Some of it is an uneven recounting of music business dealings and tour logistics。 Maybe I would have loved it as a whole more were I a more devoted fan， but as more of an occasional listener I mostly appreciated the way this memoir sets the scene for the creation of some truly beautiful songs and collaborations - it inspired some more listening of Richard's extensive catalog but this time with a mental image of the kind of late 60s British folk club he loved playing in。 。。。more

Perry Middlemiss ，

Richard Thompson takes us from his early childhood in Highgate and Notting Hill in London， through his discovery of music， the discovery of his talent， the early playing years， the major car accident that changed his life， the formation of Fairport Convention with Sandy Denny， the sacking of Sandy Denny， through to his marriage to his first wife Linda。 Along the way we get a look at the English music scene from the folk-rock side。 This intersected the more well-known pop music scene， though only Richard Thompson takes us from his early childhood in Highgate and Notting Hill in London， through his discovery of music， the discovery of his talent， the early playing years， the major car accident that changed his life， the formation of Fairport Convention with Sandy Denny， the sacking of Sandy Denny， through to his marriage to his first wife Linda。 Along the way we get a look at the English music scene from the folk-rock side。 This intersected the more well-known pop music scene， though only tangentially， so you get to see the hard grind of touring and living off the smell of an oily rag。 This is an honest， open autobiography， which fills in the gaps in the history of one of modern music’s greatest electric guitarists。 Is it one for non-fans？ Maybe not。 You don’t get the deep introspection of Springsteen but you do get to see how hard people had to work just to get noticed。 R: 3。7/5。0 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Beeswing: Losing My Way and Finding My Voice 1967-1975

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Beeswing: Losing My Way and Finding My Voice 1967-1975&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Beeswing: Losing My Way and Finding My Voice 1967-1975&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0