Shoot Out the Lights

Almost any review of Shoot Out the Lights describes it a heart-wrenching masterpiece. Hence, any first-time listener will expect such a reaction. "Don't Renege on Our Love", the opening track, fulfills these expectations beautifully. With a bass line and muted guitar riff that seems to represent the racing pulse of its pleading and impatient singer, this is not the most inviting way to open a record. But it achieves its intention perfectly: this is what you are in for on this CD, and stop listening now if you can't take it. At the end of the song, one is left wanting to know how the singer's pleas have been answered. (To the extent that it is autobiographical, we sort of already know the answer.) This is not only a great song but an ideal opener for this CD.

Similarly, "Wall of Death" is also not only a great song, but a perfect closer. Despite that title, the song actually provides a light at the end of the tunnel that seemed impossible at the beginning. Granted, it is a dim and flickering light, but the song has a literal and figurative "win or die trying" feel to it, and Richard and Linda seem happily relieved as they sing a whole song together for the only time on the entire disc. The Wall of Death appears to be a carnival ride, but its symbolism is clear enough. Or is it? Might the song also be interpreted as being about a person's decision to commit suicide? Perhaps, as the decision to do so is said to bring with it an overwhelming sense of relief. Moreover, the lyrics repeatedly suggest that any and all other options are simply not worth it, e.g., "Maybe you're strong, but what's the use of ringing a bell?" The song keeps the listener guessing. Whether the Wall of Death is just a carnival ride or a symbol of something deeper, the fact that this is the most singable track on the CD says a lot about the overall mood of the record.

So given what the informed first-time listener expects, Shoot Out the Lights is perfectly book-ended. It opens with palpable uncertainty, and ends with a very fragile sense of resolution. One enters and exits the record with great songs, and with a sense of what was going on behind closed doors with the Thompsons. Now, to what extent do the in-between tracks live up to these standards?

Well, some do so beautifully, and others falter a bit. Linda's voice is weary and nakedly emotional on "Walking on the Wire," which sounds like the best thing she can give as an answer to Richard's pleas on "Don't Renege on Our Love." Considering that Richard wrote all the lyrics (except for "Did She Jump", which was co-written with Linda), one wonders who is singing whose sentiments, or if their feelings are mutual and that Richard knows it. The one-two punch of these songs allow each of them to make their respective opening remarks. "Just the Motion" ' also sung by Linda ' is a song of complacent despondency. It is a bit longer than it needs to be, but is good before it gets repetitive. Richard's best song of the middle bunch is "Shoot Out the Lights," which doesn't really keep with the theme of a dissolving relationship, but fits the tone of the record with its tale of suicidal despondency (there's that word again). This adds up to five really good songs.

Then there's the not-as-good stuff. "A Man In Need" has a great title for a record like this one, but it squanders its opportunity by sounding too happy-go-lucky. And the guitar work is a bit too conventional for a master like Thompson. The upbeat tone of the song might serve as an ironic counterpoint, but one cannot help but wonder if it would have worked better had it been presented in more of a Leonard Cohen fashion (which Richard is capable of doing). The song does suit the record well, though, with the singer reminding his lover that the two can neither stay together nor be apart happily. "Back Street Slide" is catchy, but also ineffectively bitter, as Richard seems to be venting his anger toward women by singing about, well, disreputable women (for lack of a particular better word). Finally, "Did She Jump...?" is another lost opportunity. It has a certain creepiness, but that title just can't help but sound quite forced when sang.

Thus, Shoot Out the Lights is a CD with five really good songs on it. Is it a truly great record from beginning to end? Not really, as the quality of the songcraft is uneven. The singing is uniformly strong (even if Richard's voice is an acquired taste), and the guitar playing is great, but this record isn't really intended to be a showcase for Richard's mastery of the instrument. Moreover, SOTL is not a total downer, as it is as often uptempo as it is slow-tempo. The emotional effect is strong while the CD is playing, and while some of the lyrics cut like knives, I cannot honestly say that the effect lingers in between listens. If you are able to hear the album without buying it first, do so. If you like what you hear, buy it, because it is good enough that you will want to return to it, and the good songs on this CD are not conveniently anthologized. So, like the Wall of Death, you can take you chances on Shoot Out the Lights. And also like the Wall of Death, the results may be astonishing or disappointing.

(PS: If this CD is not as good as you expect it to be, don't blame The Thompsons. It is not the responsibility of the artist to preemptively live up to what critics are going to say. And I am going to see Richard in concert on March 26th. Hopefully I will get to find out how a few of these songs sound live.)

Let's examine this from an angle or two (or three):

From an album point of view, this is a stunning vista of songwriting and singing at the height of both craft and passion. Linda's vocals on "Walking on A Wire" alone are worthy of the album price. Her dread and pathos come through so clearly even as her voice remains crystalline and beautiful. Likewise, the title track highlights Richard's emotional and fluid guitar work but also reveals that he can be a truly evocative vocalist as well.

The songwriting is consistently excellent, far surpassing the "folk-rock" genre that this supposedly falls into. Likewise, the arrangements push the song to the fore, taking care not to turn this into a showcase for only one facet of the duo's talents.

From a song cycle point of view, it's equally impressive. From the opening gambit "Don't Renege on our Love" to the dissolution displayed in the title track, winding up with the final death of "Did She Jump" and the musical joy/lyrical hope/vocal desperation of "Wall of Death," this album takes the listener on an emotional ride that few LP's do. Every track follows the previous one on a tide of emotional sense. It's tighter than a jigsaw puzzle, it fits together so well.

And finally, from a Richard Thompson point of view, SOTL represents the first full intimations of the sound that would carry him through the 80's and 90's. Previous efforts of the duo were firmly rooted in the English folk tradition, with rock accents. SOTL embraces the rock side full on, while still incorporating plenty of good folk.

AND OVERALL: Richard does plenty of strat-based brooding for the guitar fans out there, and Linda's vocals balance out and enhance her tunes. And speaking as one who has seen RT live (acoustic), her vocals bring out the best of the songs she sings here, rather than his blunt but feeling tones. (Not to say that his versions weren't great, but it's Linda that carries her tunes here.)

Both Richard and Linda Thompson have made solo records, his being overall the better, due to his songwriting talent and great guitar work, but her voice interprets more than it echoes when she sings her songs, and that results in some of the best moments of this album.

The ultimate culmination of a soon-doomed partnership. Simply brilliant.