Linda Thompson

Versatile Heart
$17.98
There are some really nice pieces on this CD. Thompson is a professional that knows her style and delivers it expertly.

In Concert November 1975
$14.98
Richard Thompson at his most dour, which isn't a knock, just a heads up. From a tour supporting the tough and luminous POUR DOWN LIKE SILVER, always one my favorite albums, these performances cover a lot of songs from that record, arguably improved by Dave Mattacks' authoritative drumming and John Kirkpatrick's masterful squeezebox. But being an electric band they steer clear of the more delicate material and that leaves Linda sounding a bit out of her element. One exception is an almost pop reading of "A Heart Needs a Home", a great song better served by a starker setting than here (see WATCHING THE DARK). She also shines on a couple of nimble Nashville covers, like "Why Don't You Love Me?", which supports my contention that Thompson is the British answer to country music.

The great man himself is a bit more reticent here than he is on stage these days. His guitar tone is more understated, but no less bracing. He leads the band down the rabbit hole on several extended jams, including a definitive, towering "Calvary Cross" (not the WTD version). This and the rollicking encore "It'll Be Me" appeared on the compilation GUITAR, VOCAL during his recording hiatus in the late '70s and remain the standout tracks here.

So this may not be the most fitting introduction to Richard (and/or Linda) Thompson for novices, but it is definitely a welcome addition for completists. Great stuff for those with the acquired taste.

The Best of Richard & Linda Thompson: The Island Records Years
$13.98
...and little more, in truth. (And I'm a big fan!) It's worth noting that, in the UK, Universal released this collection under the title The End of the Rainbow: An Introduction to Richard & Linda Thompson, because let's face it; an introduction is just what this is.

RT's solo '72 debut, Henry the Human Fly, is woefully underrepresented here; just "Roll Over Vaughan Williams" and "The Poor Ditching Boy," although these are certainly among his best songs. (For my part, I'd have added "Nobody's Wedding" and "The Angels Took My Racehorse Away.") And although all four of the studio albums represented within are now available on CD, it's very telling that HTHF was not remastered by Island. Instead, the independent (and quite excellent) British label Fledg'ling has done the remaster, without bonus tracks I might add. RT has nothing good to say about the Island remasters; given that it's really Universal (Island being a mere shadow of its former self these days) doing the job, I can't entirely blame him.

As others have mentioned, fully 60% of I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight is represented here; Bright Lights was R&LT's masterpiece, however, so it's not unwarranted. The missing tracks are "We Sing Hallelujah," "Has He Got a Friend for Me," "The Little Beggar Girl" and "Calvary Cross" (instead represented by a live version from the out-of-print anthology [guitar, vocal]). Hokey Pokey is also given short shrift, and while it was probably the slightest of the couple's three Island albums, it still isn't bad--I would have welcomed the inclusions of "Smiffy's Glass Eye" and "Old Man Inside a Young Man" or even "I'll Regret it All in the Morning." And of course, Pour Down Like Silver, Richard & Linda's last effort before retreating to their Sufi Muslim commune for three years, is represented by half its tracks, although the choices are ones you can't argue against too strenuously; I still might have added "Streets of Paradise" or "Jet Plane in a Rocking Chair" to the tracks included here. Lastly, "Dimming of the Day" has had its instrumental second half, "Dargai," lopped off completely.

All that said, this is a good place to start for those wishing to dig into RT's solo (i.e. post-Fairport) works. It's not terribly necessary, however, for the more serious fan who will seek out the individual albums, and the die-hards will also want to seek out remaindered copies of First Light and Sunnyvista (the couple's two albums for Chrysalis that no one has yet seen fit to bring back--hey, Fledg'ling, are you listening?) and Shoot Out the Lights. SOTL is the chronicle of the couple's breakup and Richard's move into completely solo work. But you should definitely start here.

I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight
$10.98
A few days ago I put this CD on, almost at random. By the time it was half through, I had stopped what I was doing and just listened in awe. Since then, I've probably played it a dozen times, some songs (Has He Got a Friend, End of the Rainbow, Great Valerio) many more times than that. The debut album of Richard and Linda Thompson, in some ways, was never surpassed. "Shoot Out the Lights" is also incredible, but I guess as I get older, the purity of the vision on the fundamental tragedy of life that is manifest in "I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight" becomes more compelling. And Richard's guitar and Linda's voice are both so perfect. I want a give a special pitch for The Great Valerio. It's a perfect synthesis of poetry and music, profoundly thought provoking. Listening to this album makes me feel less lonely, like there's someone who understands.