The Way That It Shows by Richard Thompson

Richard Thompson was a longtime critical favorite by the time he recorded this song in 1994, and he was finally getting some commercial success to match: His previous album, Rumour & Sigh, got him a bit of commercial airplay and even an appearance on the David Letterman show.1994’s Mirror Blue turned out as one of the harder-rocking albums of Thompson’s long career, though not without the familiar British folk roots.

“The Way That It Shows” isn’t one of Thompson’s “hits”—he seldom plays the song in concert, and his forthcoming career-spanning boxed set doesn’t include it. Yet a number of Thompson fans, including at least two Harmonix Music staffers, have a special fondness for the tune: Like many Thompson songs, it has incisive lyrics that look into the shadier side of human nature. And it’s one of his rare studio tracks that unleashes the kind of jaw-dropping guitar solo he usually plays in concert. That solo occupies the second half of this six-minute song.

In 1994, Thompson was honored with a tribute album, Beat the Retreat. Among the artists were three who appear in Rock Band: R.E.M., Dinosaur Jr., and David Byrne of Talking Heads.

This is a song that sets up a killer instrumental section—so unless you’re singing, save your energy for the song’s second half. Guitar and bass both have to spring into action with some fast and tricky note-runs, and even the drummer gets a handful of surprise fills and a few fast rolls.

Still going strong, recently touring a live show called “1000 Years of Popular Music”—which found him playing everything from English madrigals to Britney Spears.