Amnesia

Amnesia is an underrated Richard Thompson solo album, on that is well worth one’s attention even if only for two songs: “Turning of the Tide” and “Waltzing’s for Dreamers.” The former is a surprisingly sympathetic portrait of an aging party girl (possibly a prostitute, though it’s not clear), while the latter takes Thompson’s usual romantic skepticism and express it in a weary but not exactly cynical manner. The instrumental backing is provided by a combination of American session players and several of his more familiar collaborators from the British Isles, notably accordionist John Kirkpatrick and fiddler Aly Bain. (And yes, that’s Tony Levin playing Chapman Stick on “Don’t Tempt Me” — not a sound one would normally expect on a Thompson album.)