Richard & Linda Thompson “I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight” (1974)

Thompson's second album, and first With wife Linda on board as a lead vocalist, I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight, more than any, goes a long way toward establishing his reputation as a gloom-merchant. And man, with heavy ballads like "Withered And Died," "Has He Got A Friend For Me," "The End Of The Rainbow," and the stark "The Great Valerio," the floor here is certainly littered with crushed dreams, sealed fates, abandonment, and all around misery. Even the uptempo tracks like "When I Get to the Border" and "I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight" are fueled by a weary desperation, Thompson's biting electric guitar sounding more like frayed nerves than any sort of celebratory riffing. In fact, the album would probably be near-unbearable if the performances weren't so beautiful, the songs so well written, and the atmosphere so unusually compelling, Linda Thompson's voice in particular being incredibly well suited to the material. But yeah, your ultimate acceptance of this album will probably rest on how much despair you can handle in one sitting, but given a chance to work it's way into you, I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight won't let go. -Ben