* En anglais uniquement
One of the most important families in British folk-rock comes together as
Thompson, in which the extended family of
Richard & Linda Thompson unite in the recording studio for the first time.
Richard Thompson was one of the founding members of the pioneering U.K. folk-rock band
Fairport Convention and had recently launched a solo career when he married
Linda Peters, a talented folksinger who had worked with
Nick Drake and
Sandy Denny, in October 1972. The couple began making music together, and
Richard & Linda Thompson would release six albums between 1974 and 1982. However, their relationship was failing when
the Thompsons recorded their final album, 1982's
Shoot Out the Lights; as fate would have it, the album was acclaimed by critics, and became their best-selling work in the United States, leading to a short American tour that only reinforced their differences and made clear their professional relationship was over as well as their marriage.
Both Richard and
Linda soon remarried, and Richard promptly launched a long and prolific solo career. In 1985,
Linda Thompson released a solo album,
One Clear Moment, which received kind reviews and modest sales, but several years later, she was diagnosed with spasmodic dysphonia, a condition that causes unpredictable spasms of the larynx, and prevented her from singing and effectively halted her musical career. Meanwhile, two of
Richard & Linda's three children,
Teddy Thompson and
Kami Thompson, would both launch careers in music;
Teddy released his first solo album in 2000, as well as working with
Rufus Wainwright,
Shawn Colvin, and
Marianne Faithfull, and occasionally touring with his father, while
Kami released a solo album, Love Lies, in 2011, and also sings and plays guitar with
the Rails.
In 2002,
Linda Thompson's voice had recovered to the point that she recorded a new album, Fashionably Late, with
Teddy helping to write several songs; Richard also played guitar on one song, and
Teddy and
Kami were part of
Linda's backing band for a short U.S. tour to promote the release.
Linda issued a third solo album,
Versatile Heart, in 2007, with
Teddy and
Kami both helping with the sessions, and on 2013's
Won't Be Long Now,
Linda harmonized with
Teddy and
Kami as well as Muna Thompson Mascolo,
Richard & Linda's oldest child.
In 2013,
Teddy struck upon the idea of having the family come together to make a collaborative album, with Richard,
Linda,
Kami, and
Teddy each contributing two original songs. Richard,
Linda, and
Kami all agreed to participate, and Jack Thompson (Richard's son with his second wife,
Nancy Covey) and Zak Hobbs (Muna's son and
Richard & Linda's grandson) also brought in one song each as well as serving as backing musicians;
Kami's husband and
Rails bandmate
James Walbourne also contributed guitar to the project. After each family member turned in original recordings of their songs,
Teddy (who served as producer) coordinated sessions in London and Los Angeles, where various members of the extended
Thompson clan added instrumental overdubs, and
Teddy completed the final mix. The finished album, credited to the collective name
Thompson, was fittingly called
Family, and was released in November 2014. ~ Mark Deming