The second of
Richard Thompson's official bootleg recordings (sold only by mail), is a two-record set culled from the 1994 tour in support of his album
Mirror Blue. Along with his band -- featuring double bassist
Danny Thompson,
Pete Zorn on sax, guitar, mandolin, and penny whistle, and drummer
Dave Mattacks --
Thompson rips through various selections from his extensive catalog dating back as far as
Fairport Convention's "Now Be Thankful." Aside from the full band cuts,
Two Letter Words also includes a handful of fine acoustic numbers (solo and with
Danny Thompson), ranging from
Mirror Blue's "I Ride in Your Slipstream" to "Dimming of the Day" from 1974's Pour Down Like Silver. Though mainly of interest to hardcore
Thompson fans,
Two Letter Words succeeds as a fine document of this particular tour, while at the same time combating low quality bootlegs of similar shows. Highlights include
Richard singing lead on songs previously sung by
Linda Thompson ("Dimming of the Day," "Hokey Pokey") or
Dave Swarbrick ("Now Be Thankful"), a stunning solo rendition of "I Ride in Your Slipstream," and the exquisite "Beeswing," featuring
Pete Zorn's penny whistle. ~ Brett Hartenbach