Hand of Kindness

Hand of Kindness
Studio album by Richard Thompson
Released	June 1983
Recorded	1983
Studio	Olympic, London Ocean Way, Hollywood
Genre	Rock, folk rock, zydeco
Length	41:15
Label	Hannibal
Producer	Joe Boyd
Richard Thompson chronology
Strict Tempo! (1981) Hand of Kindness (1983) Small Town Romance (1984)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[2]
Rolling Stone	[3]

Hand of Kindness is the third solo album by singer/songwriter/guitarist Richard Thompson. It was recorded and released in 1983, after a ten year collaboration with former wife Linda Thompson. It is his first album of original solo material since Henry the Human Fly (1972).

Background and details

After having separated from Linda, and the "Tour From Hell" to promote the couple's Shoot Out the Lights, Richard resumed his own career as a recording and performing artist.

Several songs feature the twin saxophones of Pete Zorn and Pete Thomas, and for about 18 months after the release of Hand of Kindness, Thompson toured with his "Big Band" that featured the two sax players prominently.

The album opens with "Tear-Stained Letter", later a country music top ten hit for Jo-El Sonnier. In 2021, Thompson's ex-wife Linda cited album track "How I Wanted To" as her favorite of her former husband's songs.[4]

The album's cover photo features Thompson holding an acoustic guitar made for him by American luthier Danny Ferrington; the same guitar appears on the cover of Thompson's next release, Small Town Romance.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Richard Thompson

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Tear-Stained Letter"	4:42
2.	"How I Wanted To"	5:12
3.	"Both Ends Burning"	3:51
4.	"A Poisoned Heart and a Twisted Memory"	5:25
5.	"Where the Wind Don't Whine" (B-side included as CD bonus track)	4:09
6.	"The Wrong Heartbeat"	3:15
7.	"Hand of Kindness"	6:03
8.	"Devonside"	4:46
9.	"Two Left Feet"	3:53

Personnel

• Richard Thompson - guitar, vocals
• Dave Pegg - bass guitar
• Dave Mattacks - drums
• Simon Nicol - guitar
• Pete Zorn - saxophone, backing vocals
• Pete Thomas - saxophone
• John Hiatt, Bobby King and Clive Gregson - backing vocals
• John Kirkpatrick - accordion, concertina
• Aly Bain - violin

References

1. Deming, Mark (2011). "Hand of Kindness - Richard Thompson | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 1 September 2011.
2. Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
3. "Rolling Stone review". rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on 1 October 2007.
4. "Richard Thompson's famous fans choose their favourite songs". the Guardian. 14 March 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2021.