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Music : I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight
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Rating: 
- Starter for 5....
This is where I started with Richard Thompson: possibly not the best of ideas, because this album is simply flawless and nothing else can realistically compare!
If you come into this album thinking that folk music is all about people is Aran sweaters with their finger in their ear, you're in for a rude awakening. Yes, OK, so "When I Get To The Border" and "We Sing Hallelujah" have clearly strong folk influences, but songs like "The Calvary Cross" and "I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight" wear their rock-heart on their sleeve - the latter has a particularly fine groove going on (or something).
My own personal favourite is "Withered And Died", with a heartbreaking vocal performance from Linda, and some very sharp lyrics. An absolutely glorious track.
This is an exceptionally fine album, which would be cheap at twice the price. Buy it - you can't really go wrong.
Rating: - Melencholy starts here
Bright Lights was the first album to be recorded by Richard and Linda Thompson as a duo and it rates amongst their finest achievements. Why do I say this - quite simply because the standard of the albums they recorded together was exemplary and almost without fault.
RT's take on life is well illustrated here with some masterpieces as "The Calvary Cross" "I want to see the Bright Lights tonight" " The Little Beggar Girl" etc etc in fact all the tracks have worthy bits.
The track I find especially fascinating is "The End of the Rainbow" a song quite obviously telling a toddler to grow up and to forget about all those things of comfort we have in childhood such as the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Poor old Teddy Thompson never had a chance did he!
Finally a word about longevity of RT's work is the fact that I bought this album when at University after seeing RT some 30 years ago and I still love it today.
Rating: - Richard And Linda Thompson's superb debut
Having left the Brit band Fairport Convention, that he co-founded, RT soon teamed up with British folksinger Linda Peters, whom he married. In Fairport, Thompson was primarily recognised as a brilliant guitarist first, and promising songwriter second. But from his `solo' career onwards, at least in the studio it was the songwriting that took first place with Thompson's guitar sounding more restrained and with a few exceptions playing more of a secondary role.
IWTSTBLT is the first of 6 albums he made with Linda, and is arguably the best of them. All of his songs here are of exceptional high quality, but most of them have the familiar ring of melancholia and despair associated with Thompson's work over this period. Songs with titles like `Withered And Died', `Down Where The Drunkards Roll', `End Of The Rainbow' and `The Great Valerio' are prime examples. But these songs are so powerful in melody and lyric that they are crying to be heard. But then Thompson was someone who clearly resented society's attitude towards the downtrodden and social injustice generally, and many of his songs express these sentiments. Linda's resonantly mournful voice complements these songs perfectly.
Not to let the album become too immersed in gloom, there are a few upbeat songs as well. `When I Get To The Border' is a strong opening track with a noticeable Celtic feel to it featuring RT on vocals. Likewise, `We Sing Hallelujah' and the jaunty `Little Beggar Girl' have a cheery feel to them. `I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight' is not just a brilliant rock influenced track but strangely features a brass band, which only Thompson could have possibly envisaged would have worked so well as accompaniment.
Overall this album has a stronger bias towards folk, although `When I Get To The Border' and the title track lean more towards rock. Perhaps it's better not to categorise and just say that this album simply rocks anyway, that it's hard to ever tire of listening to it and even 33 years after release it still remains a classic.
Rating: - KNocks Spots Off
After all these years I now know that R & L Thompson made amongst the very best 'rock' records ever. When you compare them with the reputations of Buffalo Springfield(one hit), CSNY-Neil Young, Byrds etc, and then all the 'serious' British folk rock acts of the 60s 70s, nothing comes close. Nothing. The only one (not really folk rock!) is Elvis Costello at his peak on the best of his first half dozen or so albums (TYM, GH, KOA, AB, IB to save space by using initials). Withour wishing to sound pseudish, it's almost - ahem - art music, but works like rock on the psyche (crikey!). Not much pop is. Don't get me wrong - rock and roll rules! Led Zep, Rory Gallaher and the Jam have their big place but this is different and has lasted. Pink Floyd is lift music with Lower 6th form lyrics by comparison. This particular album is so good it hurts. 'When I get to the Border' is unique and terrific - the electric guitar has never been used so well, but all the tracks are fantastic, The ones no-one talks about like 'We sing hallelujah' and 'Down where the drunkards roll' - how did they do it???? not to mention the acknowledged classics like the title and 'Has he got a friend' - ALL of them. This music is genuinely original. Buy it NOW.
Rating: - Mr Thompson - A National Treasure
Just because an artist is great, does not mean the artist will sell a lot of records. Mr Thompson (along with Mr Cale et al) is one of Britain's geatest musical treasures. For 40 years now, he has consistently proven himself a highly inventive and original composer of pop music (not to mention one of our most stunning guitarists). He is unique and now at almost 60 still producing stunning music. I've seen him live twice in two years and although his audience per gig is perhaps around the 2000 mark, it's easy to feel dissapointed that such an enduring artist is not playing to an audience of 20,000 and that his records (if ever they were not cult and lacking in media attention) are selling mostly to harcore fans only now.
It doesn't matter.
Richard Thompson, like all great artists transcends record sales and popularity polls. We are lucky to be able to enjoy such music from a genuine talent. Celebrate the man.
- Starter for 5....This is where I started with Richard Thompson: possibly not the best of ideas, because this album is simply flawless and nothing else can realistically compare!
If you come into this album thinking that folk music is all about people is Aran sweaters with their finger in their ear, you're in for a rude awakening. Yes, OK, so "When I Get To The Border" and "We Sing Hallelujah" have clearly strong folk influences, but songs like "The Calvary Cross" and "I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight" wear their rock-heart on their sleeve - the latter has a particularly fine groove going on (or something).
My own personal favourite is "Withered And Died", with a heartbreaking vocal performance from Linda, and some very sharp lyrics. An absolutely glorious track.
This is an exceptionally fine album, which would be cheap at twice the price. Buy it - you can't really go wrong.
Rating:
- Melencholy starts hereBright Lights was the first album to be recorded by Richard and Linda Thompson as a duo and it rates amongst their finest achievements. Why do I say this - quite simply because the standard of the albums they recorded together was exemplary and almost without fault.
RT's take on life is well illustrated here with some masterpieces as "The Calvary Cross" "I want to see the Bright Lights tonight" " The Little Beggar Girl" etc etc in fact all the tracks have worthy bits.
The track I find especially fascinating is "The End of the Rainbow" a song quite obviously telling a toddler to grow up and to forget about all those things of comfort we have in childhood such as the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Poor old Teddy Thompson never had a chance did he!
Finally a word about longevity of RT's work is the fact that I bought this album when at University after seeing RT some 30 years ago and I still love it today.
Rating:
- Richard And Linda Thompson's superb debutHaving left the Brit band Fairport Convention, that he co-founded, RT soon teamed up with British folksinger Linda Peters, whom he married. In Fairport, Thompson was primarily recognised as a brilliant guitarist first, and promising songwriter second. But from his `solo' career onwards, at least in the studio it was the songwriting that took first place with Thompson's guitar sounding more restrained and with a few exceptions playing more of a secondary role.
IWTSTBLT is the first of 6 albums he made with Linda, and is arguably the best of them. All of his songs here are of exceptional high quality, but most of them have the familiar ring of melancholia and despair associated with Thompson's work over this period. Songs with titles like `Withered And Died', `Down Where The Drunkards Roll', `End Of The Rainbow' and `The Great Valerio' are prime examples. But these songs are so powerful in melody and lyric that they are crying to be heard. But then Thompson was someone who clearly resented society's attitude towards the downtrodden and social injustice generally, and many of his songs express these sentiments. Linda's resonantly mournful voice complements these songs perfectly.
Not to let the album become too immersed in gloom, there are a few upbeat songs as well. `When I Get To The Border' is a strong opening track with a noticeable Celtic feel to it featuring RT on vocals. Likewise, `We Sing Hallelujah' and the jaunty `Little Beggar Girl' have a cheery feel to them. `I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight' is not just a brilliant rock influenced track but strangely features a brass band, which only Thompson could have possibly envisaged would have worked so well as accompaniment.
Overall this album has a stronger bias towards folk, although `When I Get To The Border' and the title track lean more towards rock. Perhaps it's better not to categorise and just say that this album simply rocks anyway, that it's hard to ever tire of listening to it and even 33 years after release it still remains a classic.
Rating:
- KNocks Spots OffAfter all these years I now know that R & L Thompson made amongst the very best 'rock' records ever. When you compare them with the reputations of Buffalo Springfield(one hit), CSNY-Neil Young, Byrds etc, and then all the 'serious' British folk rock acts of the 60s 70s, nothing comes close. Nothing. The only one (not really folk rock!) is Elvis Costello at his peak on the best of his first half dozen or so albums (TYM, GH, KOA, AB, IB to save space by using initials). Withour wishing to sound pseudish, it's almost - ahem - art music, but works like rock on the psyche (crikey!). Not much pop is. Don't get me wrong - rock and roll rules! Led Zep, Rory Gallaher and the Jam have their big place but this is different and has lasted. Pink Floyd is lift music with Lower 6th form lyrics by comparison. This particular album is so good it hurts. 'When I get to the Border' is unique and terrific - the electric guitar has never been used so well, but all the tracks are fantastic, The ones no-one talks about like 'We sing hallelujah' and 'Down where the drunkards roll' - how did they do it???? not to mention the acknowledged classics like the title and 'Has he got a friend' - ALL of them. This music is genuinely original. Buy it NOW.
Rating:
- Mr Thompson - A National TreasureJust because an artist is great, does not mean the artist will sell a lot of records. Mr Thompson (along with Mr Cale et al) is one of Britain's geatest musical treasures. For 40 years now, he has consistently proven himself a highly inventive and original composer of pop music (not to mention one of our most stunning guitarists). He is unique and now at almost 60 still producing stunning music. I've seen him live twice in two years and although his audience per gig is perhaps around the 2000 mark, it's easy to feel dissapointed that such an enduring artist is not playing to an audience of 20,000 and that his records (if ever they were not cult and lacking in media attention) are selling mostly to harcore fans only now.
It doesn't matter.
Richard Thompson, like all great artists transcends record sales and popularity polls. We are lucky to be able to enjoy such music from a genuine talent. Celebrate the man.