Richard Thompson - I Feel So Good - Letterman 91

Fantastic performance of 'I Feel So Good' on 'Late Night With David Letterman' back in 1991.

[@LeadMe2TheBliss]

Letterman has amazing taste in music. RT is a rock God.

[@Staylogical]

Thompson is kind of unique.I don't know anybody else who came from a folk background,like Fairport Convention,to the cover of Guitar Player Magazine.Great writer,great player.

[@sc1915]

Thompson is fantastic and Paul Schaefer and the band were incredible!!!

[@sa65cn1]

This guy is awsome, Ive seen him seversl time , don't miss him

[@RyDawg084]

1st song I played on a computer When I got out of prison ...I did 2 years 6 months 2 days .....for my devious ways~~~~~

[@JStarStar00]

Was there a half naked woman with her tongue down your throat?

[@robertking6387]

amazing, as Richard always is!! Rumor and sigh is a masterpiece album!!

[@jj9homer]

In that liminal space between turban and black beret. Brilliant! He is opening his eyes for the camera, wow!

[@williemcgee7291]

This made my day. Thompson is really into it, you can tell.

[@mirrorblue100]

Amazing man. I have had the pleasure through the years of introducing his music to many appreciative friends.

[@hardboiledPhil]

'91 - oh man I feel so old! Remember buying this from HMV after listening to it in the store

[@ak2112]

god damn this rips

[@jamiemartinez8674]

RT is so underrated! great singer and songwriter...

[@psparks7538]

Have seen him multiple times,by far the best show was him solo acoustic at the Ohio theater in Columus Ohio

[@timwright4263]

Saw him in Birmingham England in 1999, shortly after my dad died. Great show.

[@cherylbeee]

Will Lee, one of the best...and yes, Letterman has great musical guests...RT being one at the top of my list o' favorites......

[@DavidEVogel]

The band is into the Thompson vibe!

[@troygaspard6732]

One of my favorite songs of his. I feel so good, i'm gonna break somebody's heart.

[@timwright4263]

I feel so good I'm gonna take someone apart tonight.

[@stevenfordesign]

I love the first comment....all of us should be so lucky as to someday be known as some wonderful person's (Teddy Thompson) parent Richard and Linda have given the world many fine gifts Fairport Convenbtion among them.

[@MISTERWHITE111]

I don't know how anyone can just stand motionless on a song like this. Everyone backing RT is grooving with the tune.

[@brucec43]

I saw the video for this song on TV late one night over 20 years ago. It's what got me into his music.

[@CurtisReidGTR]

What a great song! Rumor and Sigh is such a great lp! Fun and clever and groovy and ..... I feel so good I'm gonna break someone's heart tonight! Where's the beret?

[@XKAHAN1]

my favorite song upon release from the Bang........how could it not?

[@BenLawrenceWriter]

never seen this before, and I thank you...

[@KeithCharlesDovoric]

Outstanding!

[@maryfinelli9390]

I love how into it all the musicians are. He is a heartbreaker!

[@touchandgod]

Holy damn is this good.

[@leebarbie]

I wish I could be as excited and happy about my job of a couple of decades as Will Lee always is!

[@yohei72]

Actually, I'd never noticed before that their voices do sound quite similar! Wow.

[@daf827]

The second album you mentioned is called "Amnesia". Listen to "Sweet Warrior". You'll pick up right where you left off. While other rockers his age are getting fat and doing nostalgia tours, RT is still cranking out one great record after another. His creativity and musicianship are as brilliant as ever. If anything RT has improved with age.

[@paulburgess8909]

Absolutely!

[@nazrat07]

One thing about Letterman. Either he or an advisor has good taste in music and bands. The bass player is fun. Great to see how thrilled he is about playing with R. T.

[@baronoflivonia.3512]

When late night TV was good and worth watching. I remember 1st time I tuned in for Tomorrow Show and saw this goofy gap toothed Letterman instead om Tom Snyder. I soon learned to actually like him, his goofy comedy and became a steady viewer, along with my wife. Many nights we watched Letterman with our dog Rex.

[@The_momur]

I remember seeing this show when it aired, RT pre-beret! I am so glad you put it out there, thank you, joni36!

[@jj9homer]

Between the turban and the beret

[@zeliacampos663]

I feel so good I'm going to break somebody's heart tonight... :)

[@johnmckinlay67]

@romyarena ...I know !!! Haaaaa !!! Saw young Teddy with Richard a few yrs ago..great talent, but his old man is the master. Thanks for posting Joni.

[@iankyoko]

Gee he nails that!

[@AlbertMondback]

Sweet.

[@RyDawg084]

awesome

[@jspagna]

I heard Dave actually is very into music and has pretty decent taste, and being Dave, definitely exercises control over who comes on the show.

[@DavidEVogel]

That’s possible. David has had some great artists on his shows. Or is it Paul Shaffer booking the acts?

[@shanstar23]

Awesome.

[@Kohntarkosz]

They're all also top flight studio musicians. If you saw a list of all the records each of them played on, it would read like a who's who of records recorded in NYC.

[@Lambieschmoo]

Yes indeed!

[@MichaelQuinnandtheBourbonKings]

Hell yeah!

[@RomyArena]

Boy, do I FEEL OLD, hahahaha! Teddy Thompson's father!! Brilliant!

[@gabrielharter]

Funny And Fantastic! I cover this song and it never fails.

[@keithgrimes9622]

They rocked it! Coulda mixed the vocal a bit louder, but good performance.

[@nkfiddler13]

Where are Simon Nicol, Dave Pegg, and Dave Mattacks when you need them?

[@JStarStar00]

I think this was just about the time RT decided to go for the beret/baseball cap look.

[@CurtisReidGTR]

91? Yep the 2 DAVES were indeed with TULL. Martin was taking his vacation in Angola(?) where he, indeed, spent his money! LOL! This song kicks butt. I laugh at the comments re: the band! It's actually great seeing Will Lee be into it man! He's gotta be thinking "Dude, RICHRD THOMPSON!" Think about how many great artist that guy has played with! It's nice to see him into it! The band sounds great no doubt!

[@msbarbara57]

I love Richard so much. I'm a'crushing on him. This is such a sexy song. OOOHHHH!

[@AS2552]

I am REALLY looking forward to seeing RT is Oxford UK ( Feb 2009) - he is SO good, words fail me (thankfully, unlike RT ! LOL)

[@stivboston]

@skaboosh The reason the bass player is reading the music is he is not Richard Thompsons bass player. The band is Dave's regular band. Will Lee on bass, Anton Fig on drums, Sid Mcginnis on guitar and Paul. These guys play with a different musician every night.

[@boogiemangabe]

they do an awsome version of psycho killer together acoustically, I saw it on you tube. check it out if its still there

[@Kohntarkosz]

At that time, I believe the two Daves were playing with Jethro Tull. Not sure about Simon Nicol. But at the time, when people played on Letterman, they'd typically don't bring their full back up band. They'd come on, and play with the the house band. I once heard it was because of union regulations, but I've also heard it was because NBC didn't want to pay to have a full band (you'd have to pay for each individual musician). CBS doesn't seem to have such issues.

[@bustedfender]

Will Lee playing bass for RT? He’s no Dave Pegg.

[@zxcv1234vcxz]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I had amnesia, what can I say?

[@alistairbanfield6965]

Who is in the band? Jim Keltner? Mitchell Froom? Who's playing bass? It certainly seems authentically live. Great sound!

[@riminihappybasket]

The bass player is Will Lee.

[@08hermit08]

Nothing like David Byrne or the Talking Heads.

[@gdgibson1]

The live version - I've heard in person, on this video, and on Fresh Air - is just vastly superior to the album track. Even with the 80's synth line. RT should go back into the studio and re-record some of the songs his producers have blown over the years.

[@mjanovec]

Great performance by RT. As much as I disliked the policy of having Paul Shaffer and his band provide backup to most of the musical guests, they did okay here. Will Lee, as others have stated, does seem to be a little over-the-top with his posing and attention-getting. In sharp contrast, Richard peels off an effortless guitar solo at 2:13 without any unnecessary flash or showing-off.

[@octarhaberee]

They are friends though. They've played together on stage (there's even some of it on KZbin somewhere) and Byrne did a song on an RT tribute album.

[@philmus1]

Thompson gave Byrne guitar lessons

[@LittleTokyoOff]

But it totally worked! I mean it wasn't the right note, but it fit, like it wasn't some note way off key! :)

[@hawkstrike244]

whats the song by him that goes "Hit him were it hurts boy, thats the way thats the way"

[@jmorra]

never give it up

[@maxryder995]

99

[@timjmoran]

BLACKMonkey.. uh.. no.. ACTually- that is Will Lee, the house bass player in the Letterman show band for like 20 + years now.

[@dethfilmsinc5047]

Richard looks like a bad guy from the die hard movies

[@siliconmeadow]

Was that the whole of the late night band playing with him? Paul Shaeffer - what a laugh!

[@mjanovec]

It was basically required of all of the lesser-known acts that they had to play with Shaeffer and his band. Some of the bigger acts got to play on their own.

[@skaboosh]

@stivboston yep, I realised that must be the case, and a great job he did too.....Will is good and was enthusiastic.... just reminded me of a painful Personal memory of a well known bassist I had in my band who didn't learn the stuff, took the pee at every opportunity, was as awkward as he could be and then shat himself at the gig...hehe...he should have just said, sorry mate, didn't wanna be in this band after all.......but he had to go the long and painful route...

[@maxryder995]

100

[@KeithCharlesDovoric]

David Byrne has stated that he's been fairly influenced by RT

[@zxcv1234vcxz]

I had three of his albums from around that time - Daring Adventures, Insomnia, Rumour And Sigh - they were all great records. I don't know why, but I lost interest in Thompson's music after that. I still listen to them, though.

[@TheDensley7]

Other way round. Thompson was playing music fucking years before byrne. As much as i love him.

[@jpoolerdom]

Is Richard aging backwards? I think he looks better now. Is anyone sure he isn't a Highlander?

[@touchandgod]

@reggiepype I dunno, it could be purposeful.

[@thinwhiteduke11]

@11xzxzxz yes it is

[@reggiepype]

listen and watch shafer at 1:00, he totally biffs a note!

[@luisferreiro]

he visibly winced

[@RomyArena]

@clean3 If they pull off his thumbs, he'll keep MAKING mistakes! Best to leave them on so he can practice ;-).

[@wadeboyful]

Old enough to sin but too young to vote! Yea!

[@fanblow]

@peppertee Yeah, but he almost looks like he can't keep up.

[@lemorab1]

I prefer the faster Songwriter's Circle version, where he comes across like a bat outta hell. This sounds too folk-rocky and laid back.

[@thinwhiteduke11]

@11xzxzxz Step daughter of david bowie x x

[@ffrederickskitty4607]

came home from his terrific anchorage show, let our cat out...and the cat got run over by a driver who didn't stop. my little friend (chairman meow) died in my hands.

[@sheilabloom6735]

My condolences. So sorry.

[@sunrajah]

too bad all the musical guests must have had it in their contracts to let little Paulie Shaeffer play along so he could feel like a "rock star"

[@billperkins74]

He flubbed a note coming back from that second chorus

[@KnowVac]

My opinion -- the letterman ban, as great as they are, ruin this soul of this song. It's way better when he does it alone. And the little bad 80's synth line Paul does, Richard can do by accompanying himself on the acoustic.

[@jjjjjjjjjj1973]

lmao

[@davidfairbairn8]

Bass player is not upstaging RT at all, get a grip. He's just so into it and everyone is used to him on the show. I thought he was class. Looks like a pretty cool guy to me!

[@gillmatthews9014]

Disagree. RT is the epitome of restrained cool, as ever, while that attention--seeking idiot is about a cool as Rik in The Young Ones!

[@davidfairbairn8]

Gill Matthews but it's his band, Richard Thompson is just guesting. come on man, do you play music? some don't show off, they just get lost in it and enjoy themselves.

[@JesseCaine]

Fook me, the 90's were even more cringy than I remembered! Not Richard, of course, but - my gosh - the House Band! 😅

[@incongra]

That bass player's kind of annoying.

[@jjk717]

I'm with the rest of you - Schaeffer should have shut that bassist down right off - one look and a wave would have done it. Of course, all he got for trying to upstage RT was that he looked like an idiot. :-)

[@jmm1000]

will lee needs a mirror. great player, but comes off too light with his "into -it"-ness.

[@hamlinb]

That bass player ruined an otherwise enjoyable performance. He's pretty disturbing!

[@jjjjjjjjjj1973]

lmao