Walking on a Wire (Richard Thompson album)

Walking on a Wire is a 2009 compilation CD set of songs by Richard Thompson. It was released on August 26, 2009, a set of four CDs. The set contains the bulk of Thompson's songs, but contains no unreleased material.

Disc: 1

 * 1) Time Will Show The Wiser - Fairport Convention
 * 2) Meet On The Ledge - Fairport Convention
 * 3) Genesis Hall - Fairport Convention
 * 4) Crazy Man Michael - Fairport Convention
 * 5) Sloth - Fairport Convention
 * 6) Roll Over Vaughn Williams
 * 7) Poor Ditching Boy
 * 8) The Angels Took My Racehorse Away
 * 9) The Great Valerio - Richard & Linda Thompson
 * 10) When I Get To The Border - Richard & Linda Thompson
 * 11) Withered And Died - Richard & Linda Thompson
 * 12) I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight - Richard & Linda Thompson
 * 13) Down Where The Drunkards Roll - Richard & Linda Thompson
 * 14) Calvary Cross - Richard & Linda Thompson
 * 15) I'll Regret It All In The Morning - Richard & Linda Thompson
 * 16) Old Man Inside A Young Man - Richard & Linda Thompson
 * 17) For Shame Of Doing Wrong - Richard & Linda Thompson
 * 18) Night Comes In - Richard & Linda Thompson

Disc: 2

 * 1) Dimming Of The Day/Dargai - Richard & Linda Thompson
 * 2) A Heart Needs A Home - Richard & Linda Thompson
 * 3) Don't Let A Thief Steal Into Your Heart - Richard & Linda Thompson
 * 4) Strange Affair - Richard & Linda Thompson
 * 5) Sunnyvista - Richard & Linda Thompson
 * 6) Sisters - Richard & Linda Thompson
 * 7) Rockin' In Rhythm
 * 8) Did She Jump Or Was She Pushed - Richard & Linda Thompson
 * 9) Man In Need - Richard & Linda Thompson
 * 10) Shoot Out The Lights - Richard & Linda Thompson
 * 11) Wall Of Death - Richard & Linda Thompson
 * 12) Walking On A Wire - Richard & Linda Thompson
 * 13) Tear Stained Letter
 * 14) How I Wanted To
 * 15) Hand Of Kindness
 * 16) Beat The Retreat
 * 17) I Ain't Going To Drag My Feet No More

Disc: 3

 * 1) Little Blue Number
 * 2) She Twists The Knife Again
 * 3) Valerie
 * 4) Turning Of The Tide
 * 5) I Still Dream
 * 6) Waltzing's For Dreamers
 * 7) Read About Love
 * 8) I Feel So Good
 * 9) I Misunderstood
 * 10) 1952 Vincent Black Lightning
 * 11) Put Your Trust In Me
 * 12) From Galway To Graceland
 * 13) I Can't Wake Up To Save My Life
 * 14) MGB GT
 * 15) Mingus Eyes
 * 16) Beeswing
 * 17) Taking My Business Elsewhere
 * 18) King Of Bohemia
 * 19) Don't Roll Those Bloodshot Eyes At Me - with Danny Thompson
 * 20) Razor Dance

Disc: 4

 * 1) Hide It Away
 * 2) Last Shift - with Danny Thompson
 * 3) Big Chimney - with Danny Thompson
 * 4) Lotteryland - with Danny Thompson
 * 5) Persuasion
 * 6) Cooksferry Queen
 * 7) Bathsheba Smiles
 * 8) Hard On Me
 * 9) Gethsemane
 * 10) A Love You Can't Survive
 * 11) A Legal Matter
 * 12) Grizzly Man
 * 13) Al Bowlly's In Heaven
 * 14) I'll Never Give It Up
 * 15) Dad's Gonna Kill Me
 * 16) She Sang Angels To Rest

Reception
Critical reception for the CD set was mixed to positive, with the majority of reviews praising Thompson's work as a whole while criticizing the lack of unreleased material. BBC Music and Pitchfork Media both echoed this sentiment, with Pitchfork Media remarking that it was "the closest thing Thompson's got to the career-spanning greatest-hits album he deserves-- but if you're not already part of his cult, it's more a moat than a drawbridge."