Reviews"...If you want one single moment that will single-handedly justify selling a kidney in order to purchase WATCHING THE DARK, try the majestic mourn of `When The Spell Is Broken'....", 8 - Excellent - "...From the landmark genre-crashing with Fairport Convention via avant garde experimentation to the seriously at-home-in-LA credentials of his most recent solo work, WATCHING unearths some real glories...", "Thompson chronicles the often harsh, usually private side of life with a vigilance few other rock writers can sustain...the mordant grace, black humor and stinging solos that have continually given Thompson zealots proof their man is one of rock's most piercing artistes...", "...from a few stately Fairport tunes to feedback-throbbing numbers like `Shoot Out The Lights' to an almost astounding exhibit of tender ballads, folk instrumentals, and careening guitar attacks..." - Rating: A-, Ranked #5 in the Village Voice's List of the 10 Best Reissues of 1993.