favorite of the first three richard and linda thompson and first richard thompson

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by malco49, Feb 13, 2014.

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  1. babyblue

    babyblue Patches Pal!

    Location:
    Pacific NW
    You're correct that the early albums were released in the US (I remember reading a few reviews in Rolling Stone), but there was a big reissue program for them after the success of Shoot Out the Lights too. I bought them then.
     
    Last edited: Feb 16, 2014
  2. curbach

    curbach Some guy on the internet

    Location:
    The ATX
    Yeah, I have a US Island copy of Pour Down Like Silver, I've seen a US Hokey Pokey if memory serves. So at least some of these records were issued here. No doubt they failed to sell and went OOP quickly. It would have taken some real research for a magazine writer to know that in the early 80's before the internet put this kind of information at everyone's fingertips.
     
  3. R. Totale

    R. Totale The Voice of Reason

    They definitely weren't popular - I bought Hokey, Silver and Live More or less all as cutouts. I found a WLP of Henry used, so it's only from First Light on that I bought them new.
     
  4. Bagolut

    Bagolut Member

    Location:
    Toulouse
    Hokey Pokey is the best.
     
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  5. michael landes

    michael landes Forum Resident

    Thanks for reply. Yeah, it would surprise me too! :)
    I will accept that the confusion is mine. But I'm puzzled as to what the confusion is. I will try to find the '83 article. Island was originally a U.K.
    only company and perhaps still was at the time of Hokey and Silver releases. If so, that would cover it. Then the four mentioned in the article would have been Hokey Pokey, Pour Down Like Silver, First Light and Sunnyvista, plus perhaps Bright Lights, getting it's first release separate from the live/studio compilation. I will try to find the article.
     
  6. michael landes

    michael landes Forum Resident

    Interesting!
    In trying to follow up my question about Island Records I'm hitting a wall. Visiting both the wikipedia entries
    for Chris Blackwell and Island Records, dates are established for the origin of the label (1959, jamaica), date it established a
    U.K. presence ('62). Naturally the company eventually established a U.S. brand, Island US, later Island US/def Jam, but one date
    I can't find is the date Island first established a presence in the U.S. (Island US). Somebody out there have a source for this?
     
  7. R. Totale

    R. Totale The Voice of Reason

    Island was definitely a working label in the US in the 1970s. Time takes its toll and the memory fades, but without looking at a discography my gut guess for the first US Island record I bought would be Traffic's "Low Spark", or maybe John Martyn's "Bless the Weather". I know there's a web site somewhere comparing all the different Island label designs, if you can find it it might include the US designs as well. Happy researching!
     
  8. Arie

    Arie Forum Resident

    Location:
    spijkenisse
    I have a copy of RS #418, march 29, 1984 which has in the "Records" section:
    Falling in love again: the Richard and Linda Thompson story" by Kurt Loder
    This is a fairly in-depth review of the Carthage re-releases IWTSTBLT, PDLS, Sunnyvista, HP and HTHF
    At the end of the mag, so maybe it's not the one you remember
    RS #447 has both RT and LT in the front section, 4 pages long, but that's even later, may 9th, 1985
    Hope this helps ;-)
     
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  9. Arie

    Arie Forum Resident

    Location:
    spijkenisse
    Another interesting one I have is:
    TROUSER PRESS, May/June 1982 Vol.4,no.5 issue # 23
    · Free Richard Thompson Now!
    By Mark Fleischman
    Article (cover + 6 pages) inc. interview + discography
    But that's pre-re-releases and pre-divorce and wasn't prob. as widespread as Rolling Stone is/was
    http://archive.richardthompson-music.com/images/trouser.jpg
     
  10. 3rd Uncle Bob

    3rd Uncle Bob Forum Resident

    1. Shoot Out the Lights - the only thing I would want different is a Linda lead vocal on "Don't Renege On Our Love".
    2. I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight - the B-side doesn't "flow" as well as the A-side but there's not one mediocre song.
    3. Pour Down Like Silver - "Hard Luck Stories" is the odd man out & I don't like Richard's vocal on "Streets of Paradise".
    4. Hokey Pokey - some songs and presentation seem a bit too precious.
    5. Sunnyvista - starts off horribly with "Civilisation" but the rest of the A-side is superb whereas much of the B-side is trying to be "pop" and a bit slick for it.
    6. First Light - some great songs (I could do without "Layla" & "House of Cards") but the production sounds "glassy". You can't just blame the American rhythm section of Willie Weeks & Andy Newmark.
    7. Henry the Human Fly - rarely listen to this; adding Linda as a partner improved things immeasurably.
     
  11. In this order:
    1.Shoot Out The Lights
    2.Pour Down Like Silver
    3.I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight
    4.Henry The Human Fly

    All excellent albums that I'd recommend to anyone.
     
    malco49 likes this.
  12. Remurmur

    Remurmur Music is THE BEST! -FZ

    Location:
    Ohio

    I think the 2 LP album that you are referring to is Richard Thompson Live (more or less) where the first LP was I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight and the second was selections from (guitar, vocal).

    This was actually my very first Richard Thompson album , found in a used record bin in the early 80's.
     
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  13. bRETT

    bRETT Senior Member

    Location:
    Boston MA
    In fact they got about 3/4 of (guitar. vocal) on the second disc, so if you didn't already have Bright Lights it was a pretty good deal.
     
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  14. gabacabriel

    gabacabriel Forum Resident

    Location:
    Bristol, UK
    Personally I'd pick Sunnyvista over any of the titles on that list.
     
  15. Summer of Malcontent

    Summer of Malcontent Forum Resident

    I'd probably rank Pour Down Like Silver at the top of the Richard and Linda albums, very narrowly ahead of I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight. Song for song, the earlier album is probably stronger, but the emotional depth of Silver bowls me over every single time. Shoot Out the Lights is a fantastic album that's nevertheless at risk of being overrated, and First Light is easily their most underrated album. I didn't vote in the poll, because that poll is just embarrassingly screwed up and I wouldn't want to endorse it.

    Of the Richard & Linda albums, I'd rank them as follows:
    Pour Down Like Silver
    I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight
    Shoot Out the Lights
    First Light
    Hokey Pokey
    Sunnyvista


    Of the two Richard Thompson solo albums that were recorded and released during the same period, I'd place Henry the Human Fly between Hokey Pokey and Sunnyvista and Strict Tempo! dead last. (guitar, vocal) I'd probably place just after the top two, but it does have an unfair advantage.
     
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  16. Tom34772

    Tom34772 Forum Resident

    Location:
    St. Cloud FL
    Shoot Out The Lights edges out Bright Lights, according to me. :cool:

    The tiebreaker is the fact that Linda's singing still gives me goosebumps while listening to Shoot Out...

    --Tom
     
  17. Jerryb

    Jerryb Senior Member

    Location:
    New Jersey
    Bright Lights
     
  18. malco49

    malco49 Forum Resident Thread Starter

     
  19. I love Henry The Human Fly.
     
  20. AKA-Chuck G

    AKA-Chuck G Senior Member

    Location:
    Washington NC
    The first one would get me vote. The next 2 are very close. Human Fly would be last for me.
     
  21. Fender Relic

    Fender Relic Forum Resident

    Location:
    PennsylBama
    Thanks Arie,I do believe that RS 418 3/29/84 was my introduction to the Thompson's music. Pour Down was my initial favorite but Bright Lights seems to have won out over the years. There is a vibe to Pour Down that's mystical,reminds me of side 1 of Moondance. When I Get To The Border and It Stoned Me sound like cousins.

    It's too hard to rate these as they've all been favorites from time to time. Even though a few here have spoken well of Sunnyvista I can never understand the back of the bus attitude given it by most Thompson lovers AND detractors. As a guitar player I love the electric stuff on Sunnyvista. Living On Borrowed Time is a masterpiece of writing and Strat playing IMHO.
     
  22. Remurmur

    Remurmur Music is THE BEST! -FZ

    Location:
    Ohio
    Agreed. It was more than enough to make me hungry for more.... :)
     
  23. gazebo

    gazebo Active Member

    Details of Island's early US distribution are from memory, but I believe Island signed a distribution deal with Capitol in the US in the early 70s and indeed according to Discogs the Traffic album was released in the US with an Island Records label in 1971. Existing contracts with other record companies continued and Henry The Human Fly was released in the US on Reprise in 1972.

    The distribution deal with Capitol foundered in the mid 70s, which may explain why Bright Lights didn't appear in the US upon release in 1974, but Hokey Pokey and Silver received US releases in 1975 on "Island Records Inc" and Bright Lights as part of the Richard Thompson Live double album in 1976.

    The early Island US records came on a black label, first with a white "i" at the bottom, then with the "i" filled with a small version of the blue/orange UK label, followed by the strange yellow and windswept palm label.


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    Last edited: Mar 27, 2015
  24. Dennis Metz

    Dennis Metz Born In A Motor City south of Detroit

    Location:
    Fonthill, Ontario
    All great
     
  25. R. Totale

    R. Totale The Voice of Reason

    Can't put my hands on it right now, but I'm pretty sure my copy of "Spark" (which I bought the week of US release) had a pink-rim Island label, as did "Fantasy Factory" and the early John Martyns.
     
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