Across a Crowded Room

Spin wrote, "Richard's command is such that his instrument serves as an eloquent extension of his limited vocal range, punctuating and amplifying each song. He puts nimble ax-wielders like Eddie Van Halen and Adrian Belew to shame, refusing to sacrifice a single note or nuance, even at high speed. As rewarding as any you'll hear all year. ==Track listing==

All songs written by Richard Thompson. • "When the Spell Is Broken" – 4:31 • "You Don't Say" – 3:35 • "I Ain't Going to Drag My Feet No More" – 4:22 • "Love in a Faithless Country" – 5:55 • "Fire in the Engine Room" – 3:39 • "Walking Through a Wasted Land" – 4:01 • "Little Blue Number" – 3:04 • "She Twists the Knife Again" – 3:12 • "Ghosts in the Wind" – 5:39 The listing reflects the sequence of songs the original LP release. The original CD issue included an extra track, "Shine On Love" and has a different running order. Subsequent CD re-issues have reflected the song selection and sequence shown above. In 1985 the album was re-issued on CD by PolyGram and in 1992 was re-mastered at Sound Recording Technology, Cambridge and re-issued on CD by BGO. == Personnel ==

{{album ratings Source: Musicians • Richard Thompson – guitar, vocals • Simon Nicol – guitar • Dave Mattacks – drums • Bruce Lynch – bass guitar •  – alto saxophone • Pete Thomas – tenor saxophone • Christine Collister, Phil Barnes, Clive Gregson and The Soultanas – backing vocals • Alan Dunn – accordion • Philip Pickett – shawm, crumhorn, recorder and symphony Technical • Joe Boyd – production • Jack Nuber – engineering • Greg Jackman and Jerry Boys – remix engineering • Chris Dickie – assistant engineering • Jack Skinner – mastering • Dennis Keely – back cover photography • Phil Smee and Donato Cinicolo – front cover photography • Phil Smee at Waldo's – cover design == References==