Book123

    Free register and download UseNet downloader, then you can FREE Download from UseNet.

    Download without Limit " Lyrics & Music Richard & Linda Thompson - I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight (1974)(Repost) " from UseNet for FREE!

More

Richard & Linda Thompson - I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight (1974)(Repost)

The British folk-rock duo's 1974 masterpiece. 479 on Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums. "Richard played guitar like a Sufi-mystic Neil Young; wife Linda had the voice of a Celtic Emmylou Harris. Bright Lights is their masterwork of folk-rock dread." Original 1974 album tracks.

Tracks:

01. When I Get to the Border

02. The Calvary Cross

03. Withered and Died

04. I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight

05. Down Where the Drunkards Roll

06. We Sing Hallelujah

07. Has He Got a Friend for Me

08. The Little Beggar Girl

09. The End of the Rainbow

10. The Great Valerio

Personnel

Richard Thompson - guitar, vocals, dulcimer, mandolin, whistle, keyboards

Linda Thompson - vocals

Timmy Donald - drums

Pat Donaldson - bass guitar

John Kirkpatrick - accordion, concertina

Simon Nicol - dulcimer

Brian Gulland - krummhorn

Richard Harvey - krummhorn

Royston Wood - vocals

The CWS Silver Band

D/L Link:

Buy Book at Lowest Price on Amazon

In 1974, Richard Thompson and the former Linda Peters released their first album together, and I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight was nothing short of a masterpiece, the starkly beautiful refinement of the promise of Thompson's solo debut, Henry The Human Fly. In Linda Thompson, Richard found a superb collaborator and a world-class vocalist; Linda possessed a voice as clear and rich as Sandy Denny's, but with a strength that could easily support Richard's often weighty material, and she proved capable of tackling anything presented to her, from the delicately mournful "Has He Got A Friend For Me" to the gleeful cynicism of "The Little Beggar Girl." And while Richard had already made clear that he was a songwriter to be reckoned with, on I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight he went from strength to strength. While the album's mood is decidedly darker than anything he'd recorded before, the sorrow of "Withered and Died," "The End Of The Rainbow," and "The Great Valerio" spoke not of self-pity but of the contemplation of life's cruelties by a man who, at 25, had already been witness to more than his share. And though Thompson didn't give himself a guitar showcase quite like "Roll Over Vaughn Williams" on Henry The Human Fly, the brilliant solos that punctuated many of the songs were manna from heaven for any guitar enthusiast. While I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight may be the darkest music of Richard & Linda Thompson's career, in this chronicle of pain and longing they were able to forge music of striking and unmistakable beauty; if the lyrics often ponder the high stakes of our fate in this life, the music offered a glimpse of the joys that make the struggle worthwhile.

Review by Mark Deming

Songwriting: Very few albums possess such achingly beautiful songs that they transcend narrow genre definitions, but I can safely say that I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight is one such album. You can call this folk music if you please, but that is about as relevant as the colour of Richard Thompson’s underwear when he was composing the guitar intro to The Calvary Cross. What matters here is the resonance of the emotions on show, and the sincerity with which they are presented. This is particularly true of the first half of the record, where we taken on a relentless ride of emotion from the uplifting escape of opener When I Get To The Border, to the melancholic mourning of Withered And Died, through to the celebratory title track (to my mind, the perfect soundtrack to any Friday night).

The second half is less of a roller-coaster, and its treasures are little more obscured from view, but that does not diminish the impact that the likes of The End Of The Rainbow will have on you once its gloomy vision has time to seep into your pores.

Ultimately, what the Thompson duo achieved so brilliantly on this record was the marriage of music and meaning. It is not just the words that capture the mood, the tempo, the guitar work and often the simplicity of structure or a catchy melody all allow the power of the songs to envelop the listener. Make no mistake, this album possesses at least a handful of utterly essential moments that should be embedded in the memories of any discerning music fan. 10

Lyrics: Usually, I find that great lyrics sneak up on me, taking centre stage only after I have first grown fond of the music. Not so on I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight. It is striking how quickly the message gets through. Subtle though they may not be, the lyrics are nevertheless gloriously poetic, often affording a profound depth to universal experiences rarely treated with such wisdom - “You can be a gambler who never drew a hand / You can be a sailor who never left dry land / You can be Lord Jesus all the world will understand / Down where the drunkards roll.” 10

Vocals: The vocal interplay between the duo works magnificently, both on the tracks where they collaborate together, and also where one or the other takes centre stage. Linda Thompson shines brightest of the two, especially on Withered And Died, which in the wrong hands (or said I say, voice) might sound dull, but is carried along by the strength and honesty that she is able to convey. Richard, too, possesses a brilliant vocal talent. Technically, he is not on a par with his partner Linda but he comes across as trustworthy and true and the tracks where he takes the lead seem carefully considered to suit his voice. 9

Songcraft: Nice guitar work by Richard Thompson which moulds everything together without ever really craving for the limelight, allowing the songs to breathe for themselves. Often the songs can sound quite simple at their heart (think the chords on The Calvary Cross) but after a while you begin to really appreciate some of the instrumentation, such as that on When I Get To The Border. 8

Consistency: The first half of the album maintains such an astonishingly high standard, it is hardly surprising that the second half cannot quite keep up. Nevertheless, it is a little disappointing that none of the latter tracks are able to match the quality of the early highlights. The stand out weak point is, interestingly, the most recognisably ‘folky’ track, The Little Beggar Girl. Even so, the album as a whole remains fairly strong, and the less immediate Has He Got A Friend For Me and The End Of The Rainbow will grow on you after repeated listens. 7

Coherence: Considering the range of emotions covered within it, the degree to which this album holds together is an amazing feat. At times, it retains the atmosphere of a carefully disguised concept album, and it becomes difficult to envisage how the whole thing could have been differently conceived. The two exceptions to this broad rule are We Sing Hallelujah and The Little Beggar Girl, which verge on being distractions. 8

Variety: Richard and Linda Thompson don’t exactly tear down the boundaries of the folk genre, but they still manage to ensure that every song on this album is distinctive in its own left. Indeed, the track listing cleverly juxtaposes many of the contrasting songs by placing them alongside each other, as with the enthralling pairing of I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight and Down Where The Drunkards Roll. 9

Production: I suppose I should be sympathetic to a pair working on a shoestring budget, but the production is one of the weaker aspects of the record. You can definitely tell that this album was recorded some thirty years ago. Having said that, the songs themselves have not dated badly at all, and the obvious age of the record succeeds only in increasing the sense of majesty surrounding it. In terms of the album’s length, it is nailed on perfect. Over the course of ten tracks the album never once feels a drag, and by its end you don’t feel slighted for material. 7

Shelf Life: This grew and grew and grew on me. I knew I loved it from the first listen, but it still had enough pleasant surprises to keep me enraptured on the many subsequent spins it has enjoyed since. An album that has surely stood the test of time, I doubt this will ever get boring. 10

Rate Your Music Comment

Linda Thompson had been around the Fairport scene, singing backup on a number of Richard Thompson and Sandy Denny projects. Following Richard's overlooked ( sales-wise, at least ) solo debut, he teamed up with his by then wife Linda for this slice of pleasing and moving music. A quick look at the list of instrumentation gives a clue as to how Richard coloured his music. Richard, Guitars, Vocals and Accordian. Fairport's Simon Nicol, dulcimer. Linda on vocals of course. That solid rhythm section of Donald and Donaldson, veterans of the folk-rock scene. John Kirkpatrick adding Anglo-concertina and accordion. A couple of guys playing a Krummhorn, a bent horn, a reed instrument that would make a strong buzzing sound. A couple of guys singing backing vocals, including the unmistakable deep baritone of Trevor Lucas ( member of Eclection, Fotheringay and Fairport ) for the memorable 'Down Where The Drunkards Roll'. Oh, and the CWS (Manchester) Silver Band, for good measure. Producing no hits, although that's kind of besides the point, 'I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight' cemented Richard's reputation amongst music critics and remains a steady seller and inluence left through to this day. It's a lasting piece of music and a few quick listens give enough basic indication as to why. The entire LP has a stronger, clearer sound than 'Henry The Human Fly', bringing out the detail of the extra instrumentation where it's been utilised. An album consisting almost entirely of highlights, the LP opens with 'When I Get To The Border'. The lyrics instantly grab your attention, the chorus is strong and the guitar section that closes the song infuriating only because it fades out too soon. Richard sounds fluid and confident, his playing throughout the LP having grown and matured.

The album is sequenced very well. Back in the days of the vinyl LP, people gave thought to a running-order. These days, songs are thrown onto a CD seemingly with little thought, filler included to bulk out the 80 minute running time because artists 'can'. With a limit of forty minutes or so and having of course to physically get up and switch the disc over to listen to the second half, it was important to consider certain things. Thus, the serious and haunting 'Calvary Cross' follows the upbeat album opener. Stunning backing vocals, a fascinating lyric with much depth and a decent R Thompson lead vocal. Doing the proverbial switching over the disc, side two is sequenced like a little mini-album of its own. 'We Sing Halleujah' being an easily singable tune in a traditional bent, through to the thoughtful and emotive 'Has He Got A Friend For Me', the upbeat and again traditionally flavoured 'Poor Little Beggar Girl' ( excellent, brilliantly upbeat with great harmonies and vocals from both Linda and Richard ) to the closing brace of 'The End Of The Rainbow' and the classic 'The Great Valerio'. Listeners who stay through to this ending of the album are rewarded, you see. We falter at the sight / We stumble in the mire / Fools who think they see the light / Prepare to balance on the wire / But we learn to watch together, / And feed on what we see above / ‘Till our hearts turn like the seasons / And we are acrobats of love. / How we wonder, how we wonder / Watching far below / We would all be that great hero / The great Valerio . Sparse, utterly appropriate music, serious in tone married to one of the all time great Linda Thompson vocals, a singer who had been through some growing up of her own following the girlish , nervous backing vocals she'd contributed to records in the late 60s/early 70s. As a duo, Richard and Linda had arrived in every sense apart from sales. A quick look at an Island Records 'best of' reveals it includes pretty much this entire LP alongside other Richard and Linda highlights. Some things just can't be excerpted. This is 'an album', in a now old-fashioned sense of the word. It's a masterpiece without a single piece of filler - resonates emotionally beyond the surface immediately presented by the music, vocals and lyrics.

Adrian Denning

Original News:

YouTube: Richard & Linda Thompson - Withered and Died (04:07)

Richard and Linda Thompson at the Wax Museum Washington 12th May 1982 on their first USA tour.

Related:

Richard Thompson - Sweet Warrior (2007):

Linda Thompson - Versatile Heart (2007);

Teddy Thompson - Up Front & Down Low (2007):

Rating:
2.5 out of 5 by Book123