Inerregnum

After 1975, Richard and Linda Thompson more or less withdrew from the music world, moving into a Sufi commune in East Anglia, England. If that had been the end of the pair’s musical career, they had already left a most impressive legacy. Richard’s first album, Henry the Human Fly had introduced an important new songwriting voice and method of composition. Then, joining together with his new wife, Linda, they proceeded to make three of the most striking, distinctive albums of the 1970s. I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight, Hokey Pokey, and Pour Down Like Silver may not have seen much in the way of sales (and were practically invisible in the U.S.), but this trio of albums left an extraordinary legacy that would be hard to be matched by any of their contemporaries in such a short frame of time. Had neither recorded ever again, it is fascinating to muse upon what the effect (if any) of later rediscovery of this body of work would have affected upon the music world.

Of course, there might never have been any impact at all. Aside from the likelihood of the albums simply being deleted into obscurity, any picking up from adventurous musicians to affect later musical directions is impossible to say. As things stand, it is remarkably difficult to assess the duo’s impact as it stands, as well as Richard Thompson’s in general, chiefly due to the still-relative obscurity of Thompson in general. Presumably, he has had impact on such post-punk/Brit-folk rockers as the Pogues, as well as direct effects on other, more traditionalist folk artists in Britain.

It is in the realm of folk/pop composition in general that it is especially difficult to gauge influence. Writer/performers of great renown, such as Joni Mitchell, Neil Young and Van Morrison have been known admirers, if not directly influenced. Musicians in the wide and varied folk environments have no doubt been influenced the most, as have countless so-called "alternative rock" groups. But no one has come along to follow identifiably in the complex paradigm that Thompson has sketched out over his long career.

Of course, we will be looking at Richard Thompson’s subsequent career in great detail, but it behoves us here to take a closer look at the influence and impact of Linda Thompson, both as an individual, as well as contributor to the duo.

It is obviously too easy to dismiss Linda as merely a mouthpiece for Richard’s songwriting. Although she wrote no material of her own - as to this point - there is no question that Linda’s vocalizations were not only absolutely beautiful on their own, but altered and augmented Richard’s songs to such a degree that the effect upon them is incalculable. And to the degree that she inspired, suggested, or gave uncredited assistance or suggestions, this will never be known.

Songs as diverse and beautiful as "Withered and Died," "I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight," "The Great Valerio," "Never Again," "A Heart Needs a Home," "For Shame of Doing Wrong," and "Dimming of the Day" are simply unimaginable without the depth of interpretation that Linda’s magnificent interpretation lends to them. They remain great songs, of course, without her, and Richard has continued to sing many of them. But they in no way carry the deep emotional resonance that is carried, not only by her stunningly beautiful voice, but by her superbly insightful penetration into the meanings of the songs.

Linda Thompson has proven, and remains, one of the great female interpreters of song of her age. And as for her mastery of the Richard Thompson song, she simply has no peer. Her tonality and delivery, her precise and intricate balance of emotional tenor and conceptual, psychological perception, gives these songs layers of resonances of meaning that no one else could have mined, and when she sings them, she imbues them with a life that is all her own.

Of course, being married to Richard Thompson put her in a remarkably unique perspective into his songs, and there is no question but a spouse can see multiple meanings in their partner’s statements, whether musical or not, that none, not even he, might suspect were there. In just that sense alone, Linda’s presence on these records are remarkably inseparable from their greatness.

Considered as a duo, however, Richard and Linda Thompson prove a bit more problematic to interpret. Yes, we have the obvious contrast, not only between the female and male voice, but between the sublimely shaped, traditionally "beautiful," and the rough, course, direct-to-the-bone delivery of someone who is not naturally a singer. This is not to say that Richard is not a good singer - he is, indeed a truly great singer, but in an entirely different mode - closer to the rough-hewn voices of backwoods folk howling (whether of Celtic or Zydeco origin) that had been pioneered in pop by Bob Dylan.

It is in the blend and alternation of these two voices that gives the duo’s albums so much of their variety and depth. But can one identify a specific character that comes from the mixing of these two personalities into a distinct unit that transcends the admixture of two individuals? In other words, is there a group identity to Richard and Linda Thompson that fully distinguishes them from Thompson alone (as the group identity of The Beatles transcends the individuals in the group?)

I find this a very difficult question to answer, particularly to this group of albums. There seems to me a very limited sense in which Richard and Linda are greater than the sum of the two, creating a new, larger identity. They contrast and complement each other beautifully, but in essence, despite the power that her voice and character brings to the songs, she seems to me to be more an element of expression for Richard than in providing any sort of dialectic that creates a greater synthesis.

This will decidedly change on their last album together, although even there, as we shall see, the problem of perception tends to muddle and confuse their relationship between one two the other. Here, we find in the duo more of a complementary collaboration of unequal parts - similar, say to Simon & Garfunkel, but with its own unique dynamic.


COLLECTIONS

Richard Thompson: (guitar, vocal) [May 1976]

To fill in the gap left by the Thompson’s semi-retirement, Island released this compilation of live recordings and alternate takes, from the Fairport Convention days up to live recordings from 1975. A number of these tracks have shown up as bonus tracks, including several live cuts, on the Island re-issues of the original albums. There are also two new recordings (live, presumably Richard on acoustic guitar) from 1976. Since many of the most interesting tracks are readily available, the deletion of this collection from Thompson’s back catalogue is not catastrophic, but it would be pleasant for completists like myself to listen to this as a kind of back-door summation of odds and ends.

Richard Thompson: Live! (more or less) [1976]

This U.S.A.-only release is a double album, the first record of which consists of the entirety of I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight. The second record is a selection of cuts from the U.K. compilation, (guitar, vocal) above. I wonder how many people bought this or heard it as their first RT experience? Probably not many. It is thoughtfully deleted today.