Great Guitar Solos 4

When I first started this little series, and named Richard Thompson as the perpetrator of one of my all-time favourite solos, the one (or, to be technically accurate, two) I'm talking about today was not the one I had in mind. This minor contradiction doesn't actually surprise me though because even as I named him I was aware of quite a number of solos that could easily have made the, when all is said and done somewhat arbitrary, list. The man's work over decades has been never less than stunning, both in terms of song-writing and guitar playing, and characterised by a sense of inventiveness that keeps it all fresh and varied. Invariably the solo, extended or sparely economic, fits the song and is somehow right.

That was the case with the original solo on Shoot Out The Lights, but in live performance the great man has transcended that any number of times. The version on the live performance captured on the 3 CD Watching The Dark set is a case in point. But then I came across Mr Thompson's performance of Shoot Out The Lights with Elvis Costello and the Imposters, which can be found on youtube.com, where I chanced on it, here, and, to my delight, I enjoyed what I reckon is his best version ever. Of course, it helps having Elvis and the gang around - Steve Nieve's organ-playing is particularly outstanding - but it still seems remarkable that he pulled out all the stops in what must have been a somewhat atypical situation in which to perform.

Incredibly I think the second solo towards the end tops the first, helped by his detuning the lowest string. It's that sense of controlled discord, so in keeping with the nature of the song, that makes everything so utterly right. And the superfast strumming, especially in the first solo (or, perhaps, we might regard it as Part 1 of a single solo) eerily reminiscent of Robert Fripp, again both impresses technically, but, far more importantly, is right for the mood of the piece, suggesting chaos and outrage all at once.

When will he get a knighthood, or a grammy for that matter?