Track Listing

1. Don't Renege On Our Love
2. Walking On A Wire
3. Man In Need
4. Just The Motion
5. Shoot Out The Lights
6. Back Street Slide
7. Did She Jump Or Was She Pushed
8. Wall Of Death

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14285 in Music
• Released on: 2002-04-01
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Dimensions: .21 pounds

Amazon.co.uk Review
Real life intruded on Richard and Linda Thompson and turned Shoot Out the Lights into a harrowing masterpiece. The collection was difficult to create. Tracks from an aborted first attempt to record the album ended up on the Richard Thompson anthology Watching the Dark and the history of Linda Thompson, Dreams Fly Away. It also became their final record together, lending extra poignance to such classically grim Richard Thompson titles as "Did She Jump or Was She Pushed" and "Wall of Death". The combination of Richard's inventive guitar work; his ragged vocals and Linda's fragile, beautiful singing, all suffocatingly emotional, backed for the most part by long-time Thompson associates from Fairport Convention, make Shoot Out the Lights essential listening. --David Wolf

CD Description
The world's most underrated songwriter, although Thompson must tire of hearing it so often. Together with his ex-wife Linda they made a series of quite brilliant albums that garnered heaps of praise and minimal sales. This is another sliceof perfection that veers from whimsical fun in 'Wall Of Death' to desperate emotions in 'Shoot Out the Lights', which features the definitive Thompson guitar solo. Critics have often been accused of hyping artists, but try as they may, they can't do it with this one. Time will tell but this album should be in many more homes.

Customer Reviews

A Masterpiece
Their final album together, and a masterpiece. After scrapping tracks produced by Jerry Rafferty, Richard & Linda re-recorded the entire album in a few days. Its got it all - anger, pain, misery, death, heartbreak, malice, backstabbing, falling, leaving, darkness. The darkness of the songs is reinforced by some of Thompson's most violent guitar and counterpointed by the beauty of Linda's vocals. If anyone tells you Richard & Linda are 'folk' singers, play them this. It makes Lennon's 'Plastic Ono Band' or Springsteen's 'Darkness at the Edge of Town' look like a sunny day in the country. However at the end, there is a glimmer of hope: "Let me take my chances on the Wall of Death". As the album ends with the cruching closing chords of Wall of Death, you too will be stunned by this album. Five stars? Should be Six.

Good, but a little over-rated
I will no doubt incur the wrath of many devoted fans by saying that this album, which is often hailed as one of the best of the 1980s, is to my mind just a little over-rated. It's great compared with much of the typical early 80s fare, undoubtedly, but in comparison with the best of Richard and Linda Thompson's work it doesn't quite make the grade for me. This is perhaps because as their partnership dissolved into acrimony, the empathy between the Thompsons declined, to the detriment of the music. As singers, they tend to be heard apart on this album, whereas in their best earlier work they complemented each other. It may also be because the mastering quality of this release is not in the same league as the recent Island remastered editions of the duo's first three albums - in fact in one song there is an odd edit which sounds as though half a bar has been cut out, which is unnerving for the listener. I am a devoted Thompsons fan, and value all their work, as well as Richard's prodigious solo output. However, I feel that the very best of Richard and Linda is contained in 'I want to see the bright lights tonight' and 'Pour down like silver' rather than 'Shoot out the lights'.

Their finest hour
This is probably the best of Richard and Linda Thompson's albums.
Each song is perfectly crafted and performed, with Linda's voice at its finest on tracks such as "Did She Jump Or Was She Pushed?" and Richard's guitar playing at its most visceral on the title track.
I had searched for some Richard Thompson albums after hearing a REM cover of "Wall of Death" (the last track on this CD). I was floored by the perfect structure of the song and delighted by the clever, effective lyrics. When I listened to Thompson's own work and the work produced with Linda Thompson I found that that consistently high level of craft, guile and subtlety was common throughout. A visciously sharp wit is revealed on occasion too.
If you've heard good reports on Richard & Linda Thomson and you're looking for a place to start, look no further. For Richard on his own, try Rumour and Sigh.