''Cabaret of Souls'' is an album released by Richard Thompson on 10 October 2012 on Beeswing Records. It was recorded at Bruce Ryan Soundstage at Idyllwild Arts Academy Idyllwild in May 2011.

Overview

This album grew out of a small project that was planned for 2009 convention of the International Society of Bassists. The society wished to honour Thompson's friend and frequent collaborator

Danny Thompson Daniel Henry Edward Thompson (born 4 April 1939) is an English multi-instrumentalist best known as a double bassist. He has had a long musical career playing with a large variety of other musicians, particularly Richard Thompson and John Mart ...

, and commissioned Richard Thompson to write a piece to be performed at the convention and which would highlight Danny Thompson's skills. What Richard Thompson eventually delivered was a collection of thematically linked songs with narration in between the songs. The theme is a "talent contest" in the afterlife between the souls of recently deceased people. Each soul sings a song revealing key elements of their lives, including a crucial sin or vanity. After each performance by a soul the Keeper Of Souls and his assistants sing or speak in reply. After the initial performance at State College, Pennsylvania, the suite was performed intermittently in 2010 before Richard Thompson decided to record it in the studio in 2011. Danny Thompson was not available for these sessions, so David Piltch took the bass playing role. The album was not made available in retail stores. It could be ordered from Thompson's own on-line store or purchased at live shows. A handful of shows at the Santa Monica Performing Arts Center supported the album release.

Track listing

All songs written by Richard Thompson: #"Prelude" #"Overture" #"Song Of The Keepers" #"Whipping On" #"The Linnett" #"I Really Do Love A Waltz" #"I Must Lie Down" #"Gluttony Considered" #"Clive Smythe" #"The Critic Critiqued" #"I Get Younger" #"The Parchment Grows Thin" #"Auldie Riggs" #"Auldie Riggs' Dance" #"Mr. Riggs Appreciated" #"Her Eyes not Mine" #"From The Inside Out" #"Breaking Down The Walls" #"Will You Wash Away The Blood" #"My Dave" #"The Gangster's Moll" #"Run Judas Run" #"It Came With A Whisper" #"I Want The World" #"She Had It All" #"Bosom Of The Lord" #"Hot Place For Hypocrites" #"One More Breath" #"The Keeper Regrets And Reflects" #"Whipping Off"

Personnel

; Musical * Richard Thompson -

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

Pete Zorn Pete Zorn (29 May 1950 – 19 April 2016) was an American multi-instrumentalist who was a longstanding member of Richard Thompson's backing band. He was also a member of Steeleye Span, The Albion Band, and Driver 67. Career As a member of Tho ...

flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...

Debra Dobkin Debra Dobkin is an American vocalist, percussionist, music producer, and painter. Biography Early history Music and the fine arts have always played important roles in Dobkin's life. She was selected at age 6 for children's scholarship classe ...

Percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

David Piltch David Piltch (born January 29, 1960) is a Canadian bassist and session musician. Biography Piltch grew up in an artistic family. His father Bernie Piltch was a noted studio and stage saxophonist, clarinetist and flutist in Toronto from the ...

Double Bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or #Terminology, by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched Bow (music), bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox addit ...

Judith Owen Judith Owen (born 2 January 1969) is a Welsh singer-songwriter. Her first North American album, ''Emotions on a Postcard'', was released in 1996 and has been followed by several additional albums. She is co-founder of Twanky Records with her hu ...

Vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

Harry Shearer Harry Julius Shearer (born December 23, 1943) is an American actor, comedian, writer, musician, radio host, director and producer. Born in Los Angeles, California, Shearer began his career as a child actor. From 1969 to 1976, Shearer was a member ...

, narration * Peter Askim - Conductor * The Idyllwild Arts Academy Orchestra ; Technical * Simon Tassano - editing and mixing (at Rumiville Studio, Austin, Texas) * Matthew Neth - recording engineer * Jason Cropper - assistant engineer

References

{{Authority control 2012 albums Richard Thompson (musician) albums Self-released albums