Richard & Linda Thompson – I Want to see the Bright Lights Tonight

I have to say this album scared the life out of me. To say Richard is at his bleakest is a genuine understatement. Love it – it is darkly beautiful.

I was heavily into Fairport Convention around this time. In fact, they were the first concert I ever went to – at Bolton Town Hall in 1973. Richard Thompson was not in that line-up and would never officially rejoin them. He was though always the focal point of the band for me. His guitar playing genius was in its infancy with Fairport – but it was obvious and undeniable. There was a certain logic in teaming up professionally with his wife. She was an accomplished singer of the musical styles favoured by the Fairport family stable. Also, he was spectacularly unsuccessful with his first solo album, ‘Henry the Human Fly’. A boy/girl band was far easier on the eye, and you would think the ear. Now as sweet voiced as Linda is, on this album even she cannot make it easy listening, nor would Richard want her to. Linda works hard on here as she must work her magic on some despairing lyrics and a variety of styles. If Richard was intent on joining the mainstream, then apart from the title track he would be way of the mark. He never would write or play to please the radio schedulers though and despite relatively poor responses at the time we can now look back on this as a masterpiece.

Despite a relentlessly bleak and disturbing narrative to the poor souls who inhabit these songs we are still as always with Richard Thompson’s writing left with a degree of hope. He is sensitive, non-condemnatory with the characters who are drawn from the realities of life in the mid 1970’s and earlier. We who lived at the time can identify with the struggles of these characters he portrays. He never destroys or reproves these subjects of his songs, but rather leaves a sense that they may just find a way out. But as I said, the picture he paints is a scary one.

The title track offers a lively, joyful release from the overall concept of this album. However, even on that if you actually peer through the almost commercial feel of the music the picture of the character portrayed here is not an encouraging one. Taking comfort from the weekend night outs and the drink involved is not the answer and surely this is a reflection of the difficult times he has seen others descend into. At the time Sandy Denny was on a road to destruction that tragically did end her life. He had seen others and ‘Bright Lights’ may allude to these. There are bright lights tonight, but you are left with the feeling that tomorrow may bring regret. It is however musically as close as the duo will ever come to having a hit. I always felt that they were so close on this one. It just needed a more ruthless producer to make it the perfect radio play single. They could even have gone to the Eurovision Song Contest and beaten Abba – how would musical history have changed? Can’t imagine Thompson would have coped with that – ‘Richard Thompson – The Musical.’ Can’t see that.

The musicality on this album is quite extraordinary, even by the experimental standards of the day. His uses a tight band on here as you would expect with his gorgeous guitar playing centre stage. What you don’t really expect is the introduction of instruments from another age such as the reed instrument crumhorn, something that harks back to the Renaissance era. Add on an accordion and hammered dulcimer and you are rounding out a rock revolution on here.  This makes the album even more of an acquired taste.

‘When I get to the Border’ is Richard coming of age as one of the world’s great guitarists, no longer restrained by the collective responsibility of Fairport. He soars on this track and even manages to compete with a searing crumhorn although he adds light and shade with some lovely delicacy. I still look on this track as one of his finest pieces of work on six strings. The lyrics though set out the stall for this album. ‘If you see a box of pine with a name that looks like mine’ sort of says it all. Especially as the subject appears to have gone the way of the demon drink, another theme on this collection. Richard takes the lead vocals on this with a wry look at the future. He throws in the reality of our daily drudgery and how this resonated back then. ‘Monday morning closing in on me’ is such a superb observation. I know back then it was hard to think Friday would ever come, five days of work before pleasure came back. Brilliant succinct observation. What a start.

As soon as that finishes, he kicks in with that gorgeous short solo starting ‘Calvary Cross’. A virtuoso cameo before heading into another scary take on life. I can only assume he got some of this in a nightmare dream. The train you catch that never leaves the station is a chilling image and one I don’t want in my dreams. The rest of the album uses this song as its lead to continue the theme. The album hangs around ‘Calvary Cross’ suggesting that life will always do to you what it will but always Thompson just hangs out enough hope to keep you interested in staying alive to see what happens.

On ‘Withered and Died’ we have dreams being crushed, a cruel country does it, the fickle partner is just like all the others – gone. Half political comment, half a comment that others will cause you pain. Linda sings that being a butterfly flying high for a solitary day of life is preferable. There is no redemption on this song. What she thought singing these lyrics we can only guess – maybe a feeling this could be me if (when) their relationship deteriorated.

‘Bright Lights’ could have been their hit single. Maybe it was just a little too bleak even for the mid-seventies but should have been worth a go with a bit of polish on the production. Again, a take on the futility and chore of working long hours in that era of three-day weeks, power cuts and social instability. I never was looking for the scene described by Linda of exploring the place where the ‘Drunken knights rolled on the floor’, but I did long for the weekend. It was sport all the way, enjoyably so for me, but I take the point of these lyrics and they fit the time period perfectly. I vividly recall that come Monday morning it was obvious that fellow colleagues had not returned home from close of play Friday to the time of returning to work. How bright the lights of East Lancashire actually were is open to question, but they clearly fulfilled their purpose. ‘Meet me at the station’ is such an accurate portrayal of something we all did back then. Our evening when we met the girl would vary but the young lady character Richard portrays clearly wants a good time and boy are you paying for it. This is time capsule perfection and as with so much of Thompson’s writing he has an eye for detail and a finger on the pulse of what real people are going through and how they live.

‘Down where the Drunkards Roll’ rolls along slowly and softly. It is social observation at its finest. Thompson doesn’t condemn, he can see this is how it is, he feels their desperation, but he is gently sympathetic. It’s a varied cast of characters that find redemption at the bar, out of the daunting place of daily life. It also fits the time period; I recognise in my Lancashire 70s mill town home what Thompson has also seen on the streets of London.

He takes observation to another level on ‘Has he got a Friend for Me’ by seeing life from a female perspective. Again, this is fabulous observation, we all recognise this character, clumsy and shy, from our younger days. Her best friend has a gorgeous boyfriend, but she will settle for less, just find her someone, even a blind date will be fine. Surely the boyfriend has an equally lonely friend in his shadow. But, why would he even notice the narrator. Somehow thought, Linda’s vocal hints that there will be someone, somewhere – a beautiful portrayal.

The sympathetic writing reaches its height on ‘The Poor little Beggar Girl’. The character is at the bottom of the social scale, but she scoffs at her betters who she takes money from. The resilient girl does not want pity as she makes a living. She does not want patronising and you can keep your arrogant attitude to others. Linda’s affected Cockney accent maybe just oversells the theme a little, but the observation is excellent and rings true to the time. Reminiscent of Sandy Denny’s ‘It Suits me Well’ and I am sure the girls compared accents together,

‘The End of the Rainbow’ is either terrifyingly ending all hope or is it that you are supposed to find it witty? Richard’s quirky humour passes comment on how life could be in those dark mid 70s days. Some of the lines are so over the top you must feel he is being funny. The unwanted extra mouth to feed that is still in the cradle being told there is nothing to grow up for anymore is a priceless commentary on the times. Life doesn’t get much better, but he does even here leave you feeling it could, just, turn out ok – I still feel this little one will be strong and win out to beat the odds. That’s his final joke.

‘The Great Valerio’ is a piece of writing that cemented Thompson’s reputation as a perceptive, thought-provoking songwriter. The melody is hauntingly complex, Richard picking the strings behind Linda. It is fitting in view of the subject that it forces Linda into a high wire act of her own. Valerio strives for greatness at great cost – we can perhaps assume that Thompson is using this as a metaphor for our own lives. It is not a tune to dance to but has become a favourite of his devotees. You find yourself willing Linda on to focus on the tightrope and make it to the end. One of her finest performances. I like to think it was one take and she did not have to go back to the start – she must have been emotionally drained.  

Going through my vinyl collection again reminded me of just how many of our albums are fixed in time, a memory attached to them. ‘Bright Lights’ is no exception, firmly rooted in the very day I purchased it. Later that evening a dear friend came round to say she was leaving, heading out into the big wide world, unlikely to return. As I tried to digest this, I inexplicably said I would play the latest album I had got earlier. Yes, ‘Bright Lights’. Why I did this I cannot possible explain other than to say the balance of my mind was disturbed, which was true. Anyway, we managed to get past ‘Calvary Cross’ before she suggested a long walk would be in order. I categorically can state that this is not the album to play to break the ice at parties.

I have seen Richard many times in concert with or without his band. I only saw him with Linda once a few years later at Salford University, Manchester. As with all Uni gigs it was a laid-back affair, they were in good form with the band consisting of the usual suspects. Good humour and bonhomie bounced out from the stage, well at least at this point Linda was not looking to do him physical damage.  As always, his guitar playing was the dominant feature, quite extraordinary to see and hear live. I recall many years later at a solo gig at Manchester Bridgewater Hall turning to my wife during ‘Vincent Black Lightning’ to ask her to confirm that there were not at least six guitarists on the stage – he is that good. If you have never seen him then please make sure you take the chance if it comes.

On ‘Bright Lights’ he comes of age as a guitarist and despite the rather despairing nature of the subject matter he also shows his talent for perceptive observation. My daughters take on Richard Thompson was that he fitted my view that music was the greater to be enjoyed ‘the sadder the better’. Can’t totally argue against her on that one but I still feel positive after listening to ‘Bright Lights’ – if only I could explain why.

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