I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight

Very good album. 10 songs and less than 40 minutes. That's how it should be. It is a bit "too folk" for my personal taste and, for some reaaon, I prefer when Richard sings. Some songs I enjoyed: "When I Get To The Border" (probably my favourite), "The Cavarly Cross" (nice guitar), "Down Where the Drunkards Roll", "Has he got Friend for me", "The End of the Rainbow", or "The Great Valerio" (nice outro). Overall, I think this deserves a solid 4 star rating.

načelno solidno, lijepo i fino, ali nedovoljno zanimljivo i izvanredno da bi me zaintrigiralo ili impresioniralo

The best word I can think of for this is "pastoral". It's *very* English sounding folk music with all sorts of accordion and whatnot, and it is really pleasant. I would need to listen more to find out if this really has the depth I want, but it seems like it *might*. Also, for whatever reason, I have found that I much prefer the live tracks here to their corresponding album cuts, so make of that what you will. This does suffer from being a folk album at a time that was *very* saturated with folk albums, but the detail and the breeziness does make it stand out. It's very enjoyable!

3.3

As I've repeated many times, older folk isn't a genre I reach towards. Most of it (and country too) can't make me feel much beyond a "This is nice I guess". However, it appears I might've found an exception; This album is a step up from their previous albums as a part of Fairpoint Convention, and a great bit of music to return to after my week-long break! Overall, it's a high 3, but still not enough to tip it over to a 4 for me. I (predictably) enjoyed the hints of rock mixed in there.

I love this melancholy album and there’s something so earthy and English about Linda Thompson’s voice. She’s the aural equivalent of a bracing winter walk.

The Good: We all wanna see those bright lights tonight!
The Bad: Oh shit, I forgot about my photo-phobia…a
The Ugly: Never nice to hear that such a lovely couple such as Richard & Linda have split-up…

Then again, listening to this album… I kinda get why they split up.
I doubt they were doing much to have each other see them afore mentioned bright lights…

Interesting read on Wikipedia, who’ve been asking for money, that Dick managed to publish 20 odd albums… who in their right mind has the need to listen to Dick spit on 20 albums? Not me…

Hope this album doesn’t bring down my 70’s average score too much…

3*

This could really use some blast beats.

2.0/5.0: Disappointing

there were a couple of really good tracks on this album but the majority were just run of the mill folk songs

Richard Thompson is one of the great underappreciated guitarists in any genre, and this record makes that case quietly and consistently. The playing is inventive and expressive without ever drawing attention to itself — exactly the kind of musicianship that rewards close listening without demanding it. The Celtic instrumentation gives the record a specific texture that distinguishes it from more conventional folk-rock, and the horns that surface on one track are a welcome surprise, the kind of unexpected touch that briefly suggests a broader sonic palette.
Linda Thompson’s voice is lovely without being transcendent — warm, authentic, and completely unaffected, but lacking the kind of commanding presence that makes you stop what you’re doing. It suits the material without overwhelming it, which is either a strength or a limitation depending on what you’re looking for. Here it lands somewhere in between.
The darkness and emotional weight running through the record sit in a lineage that connects British folk-rock to the Americana tradition — you can hear the thread that runs toward music you love most, even if this particular expression of it doesn’t fully claim you. The influences are right, the execution is consistently solid, and the whole thing passes by pleasantly without quite reaching the emotional temperature that earns a four.
A genuine three that sits toward the higher end of that tier — liked at times, respected throughout, not quite compelling enough for regular rotation.

Country music by way of some slight Scottish/Irish folk influence, it seems like to my ears?

Not bad, but kinda bored me a bit.

Pretty ahead-of-its-time sound, with pleasant vocals from both singers. Was sad to read they divorced a decade after making this together :(

Make no mistake, this is a pretty good record, just not one I can see myself returning to.

Another one where I can't believe I haven't heard of it before! Great album with a lot of lovely songs - particularly like how well the singers harmonise. Strong 4 to a 5.

Good soft rock album that draws on Richard’s knowledge of the folk tradition. Shame there are no actual folk albums on the list. Musically this is more like a 1973 lp by Eno or Wyatt lp than a Ewan MacColl or Shirley Collins album.

Richard’s voice is a little nasal and minor note on his solo lps. So Linda brings a welcome variety (as Sandy Denny does in Fairport Convention) and here they have some of Richard’s best songs to work with.

No los conocía de nada y me ha gustado mucho. Me guardo "When I Get to the Border", "I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight", "Down Where the Drunkards Roll" y "The Little Beggar Girl". Los volveré a escuchar.

Eh. Didn't really stick with me

The Nickelback of British folk rock.

3 Bright Lights was the highlight

“I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight” by Richard & Linda Thompson is practically the definition of cultivated boredom. Technically, everything is clean and neat, the production is absolutely professional... but nothing noteworthy happens. Wikipedia says it was “never commercially successful and critically ignored upon its release,” which is not surprising at all. From the perspective of the authors of “1001 Albums...”, it still seems to have a certain relevance, but the best I can say about this recording is that there is really nothing bad or annoying about it. Easiest listening, so to speak.

It was indeed English Folk Rock. Who cannot relate to this genre? I suspect very many people. I'm just having a laugh. Nothing stood out to me until the very last song. It had a moment of musical darkness that felt very expressive. Other than that, I was non-plussed. Maybe I should have actively listened to the whole album.