I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight

Переважно доволі нудний альбом, але дві пісні мені дуже сподобались - The Calvary Cross і остання The Great Valerio.

Dismal. I'm sorry for whatever happened that made you feel this way. Important in some circles but really a grind.

Lots of nice guitar and plenty of haunting minor harmonies and dark melodies in the Celtic folk tradition.

Favorites: cavalry cross, bright lights, rainbow

I’ve only heard the title track before, and if the rest of the album had been as good as that song, it would be an easy 5. Unfortunately the other songs aren’t that good. It’s still a fine album, but it really only has one stellar standout track

Shoot Out the Lights will always be my favorite of Richard & Linda's, but it's hard to argue with this one.

4/5

I need to listen to this more frequently.

The artwork always felt so modern.

Better than Coldplay

extraordinary album. like, extra ordinary. like weird. wyrd. death-obsessed and out there. with an all-time guitarist.

i'm cuckoo about the first side of this thing, but i've always felt like the second side isn't as strong. softer. not as varied. more dated. funereal at times.

the first side is stunning. an intoxicating mix of british folk and thompson's wily raga guitar fills. a great opener in "when i get"; blues rock stomp in "bright lights"; the moody "calvary cross" (thompson's opening guitar solo, holy christ). "withered and died" and "drunkards" slow things down, keep it balanced. beautiful songs. rooted at least half in the past musically, but timeless in their subject matter:

death, of course (the border line). but also being sick and goddamn tired of work, living for the weekend, drinking on the weekend, getting hammered on the weekend, looking for love on the weekend, and dreading monday morning (which is also sometimes death). existential workingman's music.

side two:

"we sing": three string fiddles and "the old fashioned way." a good singalong.

i love "has he got a friend for me." that's some good lovelorn achin', linda. great slice of life tune about desperation and dating. sounds current.

where "drunkards" could depict any skid row from the 19th or 20th century, "beggar girl" feels older, more dated. the cockles and clams girl from game of thrones or something. that’s good folk though.

end of the rainbow. jesus, that's dark. hey little baby, there's nothing to grow up for anymore. but really, what's he gonna do about it?

man, "valerio" is a dirge, isn't it? the lyrics are great. that's just a hell of a note to end on.

This was very good, though some of it felt choppy, like it was stitched together.

Pleasant enough in places.

I would say The Thompson Twins probably edge the Thompson spouses for me.

Upon reading about this album I found out it was from the same guy who started Fairport Convention, and the similarities are noticable. This was very pleasant 70's Folk Rock to listen to, although I don't feel it really stands out in this niche filled by lots and lots of musicians. Still an enjoyable listen and I can't hold anything against it. The vocals were really pleasant on here.

It's a decent enough album. Musically, it sounds pretty similar to a lot of British Folk. Everything I read says that it's the lyrics that are most groundbreaking for British Folk, and I'll agree it's more down to earth and less ye olde greene forest faerie, but it didn't pull me in. Overall, I enjoyed listening to it, doubt I'd seek it out again. Favorite tracks: the title track (more rocking than folk), Down Where the Drunkards Roll, The Little Beggar Girl.

I liked it. Quite surprising actually

nice vibes

I thought this was good. It’s not typically the type of music I would choose to listen to, but I can tell it’s well made. The lyrics were interesting. Favorite songs were The Calvary Cross, I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight, and The Little Beggar Girl.

I’m at a 4.5 that I’ll bump up to a 5.

I’m learning that I’m a sucker for vivid imagery in folksier singer-songwriter albums like this, but more than that, I’m a sucker for when the world reveals itself within a track. I love focusing on slices of life sometimes, but when a line just *clicks* and reveals so much beyond what’s being presented in the lyrics, those are the aha moments that stick with me and make me appreciate the quality of the songwriting.

This album does that plenty of times, and it’s probably why I’m really, really into it – it certainly helps that they pair that with great instrumentation that feels befitting and adds onto the atmosphere of each track instead of just being there for the sake of qualifying as music. It also helps that Linda Thompson sounds a lot like Emmylou Harris & her vocals harmonize brilliantly with Richard’s. I’m really stunned he has the first name basis on the album cover, since she has way more of a spotlight.

It’s not a perfect album; I do think this leans into sad themes a few too many times, which sort of contrasts with the brighter soundscape in a way that lends itself to quicker burnout potential. When it’s on one though, it’s a fantastic album – stuff like “Withered and Died”, “Down Where the Drunkards Roll” and especially “The End of the Rainbow” are heartrendingly sad, but so well written, composed & performed that I think it’s impossible not to admire them.

Hence, the 5, because I admire too much of this album to not give it that bump – the only track I’m down on is “Has He Got A Friend For Me”, simply because modern cynicism over guilt-driven manipulation makes that track read much differently now than it would’ve read in 1974, and even then, that might just be a personal thing. I think the rest of it is really good; a few tracks might lean into that “first minute” syndrome, but the quality of the performances and the imagery override any complaints I could bring up. It’s a really recommended listen; for me, it’s no less than a 4, and pretty easy to bump up to a 5.

Think I preferred them went they went "nu-wave" with the likes of "Hold Me Now".

But if I was looking to entice some strumpet of a farmers daughter into a hay loft by getting her tipsy on cider - this would absolutely be the soundtrack I'd use.

Es ist ein herausragendes Beispiel für britischen Folk-Rock. Das Album zeigt die Talente der Interpreten auf eine Weise, die sowohl Fans des Folk-Rocks als auch des traditionellen Country anspricht. Die Lieder sind durchzogen von einer melancholischen Stimmung, die sich in den Texten und Melodien Die Texte sind poetisch und oft voller emotionaler Tiefe. Songs wie „The End of the Rainbow“ und „Withered and Died“ sind bewegende Erzählungen von Verzweiflung und Hoffnung. Die klare und ausdrucksstarke Stimme harmoniert perfekt mit dem Gitarrenspiel, insbesondere in Titeln wie „Has He Got a Friend for Me“. Für mich wurde die durchgängige Melancholie als eintönig empfunden. Das Album könnte von einer größeren Vielfalt in Tempo und Stimmung profitieren. Also insgesamt ganz ok.

Neat and more engaging than I expected. Also, given the tear it was made it felt like the production was pretty nice as well.

Nice start to a monday morning, even if its closing in on me. Charming, but not overly so. Someone described it as sounding like Neutral Milk Hotel and that's spot on, just the instrumental choices and the cadence are very Jeff Mangum.