Richard & Linda Thompson Box Set, ‘Hard Luck Stories’ Set For September Release

On September 11, UMC / Universal will release Richard & Linda Thompson Hard Luck Stories (1972 to 1982), an expansive 8 CD set featuring all 6 studio albums remastered from the original tapes, with 30 previously unreleased recordings including outtakes, demos and rarities along with live concerts from 1975 and 1977. This first ever comprehensive career retrospective was personally curated by Richard and Linda and compiled and mastered by Andrew Batt.

Alongside the 3 classic Island Records releases, I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight, Hokey Pokey and Pour Down Like Silver, the box set also includes the long out of print albums, First Light and Sunnyvista (both new transfers from recently relocated masters) as well as their final LP, Shoot Out The Lights. Disc one, called ‘Sometimes It Happens’ compiles their formative collaborations as solo performers with The Bunch and Brian Patten and disc five, ‘The Madness of Love’, contains 5 stunning live performances recorded at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in April 1975 and a further 5 songs recorded live at The Theatre Royal, London in May 1977.

This comprehensive box set covers the couple’s entire career and is a must-have for fans of Richard and Linda Thompson as well as a definitive introduction to a body of work which resonates, and is still revered today. Hard Luck Stories also contains a 72-page hard cover book featuring brand new essays plus many rare and previously unpublished photographs by some of rock’s greatest photographers including Keith Morris, Gered Mankowitz and Pennie Smith, as well as images from Richard and Linda’s own archives. Sleeve notes for the box set are written by Patrick Humphries and Mick Houghton.

During the 10 years they officially performed together, Richard and Linda Thompson created a seminal body of work, ground-breaking in its time and, as this new box set demonstrates, still sounding fresh and relevant today.

Richard And Linda Thompson Hard Luck Stories (1972 To 1982) is out on September 11. Scroll down to read the full tracklist and pre-order it here.

DISC ONE: SOMETIME IT HAPPENS – THE EARLY YEARS:

“Sweet Little Rock and Roller”– The Bunch – Alt version (Previously Unreleased)
“The Locomotion” – The Bunch from Rock On
“My Girl In The Month of May” – The Bunch from Rock On
“When Will I Be Loved” (duet with Sandy Denny)
“Amazon Queen” (Previously Unreleased)
“Shaky Nancy” (from Henry The Human Fly)
“The Angels Took My Racehorse Away” (from Henry The Human Fly)
“Embroidered Butterflies” (from Brian Patten’s ‘Vanishing Trick’)
“After Frost” (from Brian Patten’s “Vanishing Trick”)
“Sometimes It Happens” (Demo – from ‘Dreams Fly Away’)
“Restless Boy (Demo – from ‘Give Me A Sad Song’)
“The World Is A Beautiful Place (from ‘ Give Me A Sad Song’)
“Shady Lies” (Live at London University College, 25/10/1972)
“Napoleon’s Dream” (Live at London University College, 25/10/1972)

DISC TWO – I WANT TO SEE THE BRIGHT LIGHTS TONIGHT – EXPANDED

“When I Get To The Border”
“The Calvary Cross”
“Withered and Died”
“I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight”
“Down Where The Drunkards Roll”
“We Sing Hallelujah”
“Has He Got A Friend For Me ?”
“The Little Beggar Girl”
“The End Of The Rainbow”
“The Great Valerio”

BONUS TRACKS:
“Mother and Son” (Previously Unreleased)
“Down Where The Drunkards Roll” (Take 1 – Previously Unreleased)
“The End Of The Rainbow” (Linda Thompson vocal version – Previously Unreleased)
“A Heart Needs A Home” (Demo version – Previously Unreleased)
“The Great Valerio” (from Live at the Rainbow 16/03/1975)

DISC THREE – HOKEY POKEY – EXPANDED

“Hokey Pokey Song (The Ice Cream Song)”
“I’ll Regret It All In The Morning”
“Smiffy’s Glass Eye”
“Egypt Room”
“Never Again”
“Georgie On A Spree”
“Old Man Inside A Young Man”
“The Sun Never Shines On The Poor”
“A Heart Needs A Home”
“Mole In A Hole”

BONUS TRACKS:
“Hokey Pokey” (Live on Marc Time – 1975  – Previously Unreleased)
“A Heart Needs A Home” (Alternate 1976 version)

DISC FOUR – POUR DOWN LIKE SILVER – EXPANDED

“Streets of Paradise”
“For Shame Of Doing Wrong”
“The Poor Boy Is Taken Away”
“Night Comes In”
“Jet Plane In A Rocking Chair”
“Beat The Retreat”
“Hard Luck Stories”
“Dimming Of The Day / Dargai”

BONUS TRACKS:
“Wanted Man” (Previously Unreleased)
“Last Chance” (Previously Unreleased)
“Dimming Of The Day (Demo version – Previously Unreleased)
“Things You Gave Me” (Live at Oxford Polytechnic, 27/11/1975)
“It’ll Be Me” (Live at Oxford Polytechnic, 27/11/1975)
“Calvary Cross” (Live at Oxford Polytechnic, 27/11/1975)

DISC FIVE – THE MADNESS OF LOVE – LIVE – * Previously Unreleased

“Dargai” – Live at Queen Elizabeth Hall 25/04/1975
“Never Again” – Live at Queen Elizabeth Hall 25/04/1975
“Dark End Of The Street” – Live at Queen Elizabeth Hall 25/04/1975
“Beat The Retreat” – Live at Queen Elizabeth Hall 25/04/1975
“The Sun Never Shines On The Poor” – Live at Queen Elizabeth Hall 25/04/1975
“If I Were A Woman and You Were A Man” – Theatre Royal, London, 01/05 1977
“The Madness of Love” – Live, Theatre Royal, London, 01/05 1977
“Night Comes In” (Linda vocal) – Live, Theatre Royal, London, 01/05 1977
“A Bird In God’s Garden” – Live, Theatre Royal, London, 01/05 1977
“The King of Love” – Live, Theatre Royal, London, 01/05 1977
“Layla” – Live, Theatre Royal, London, 01/05 1977

DISC SIX – FIRST LIGHT – EXPANDED

“Restless Highway”
“Sweet Surrender”
“Don’t Let A Thief Steal Into Your Heart”
“The Choice Wife”
“Died For Love”
“Strange Affair”
“Layla”
“Pavane”
“House of Cards”
“First Light”

BONUS TRACKS:
“Strange Affair” (Demo version – Previously Unreleased)
“Drunk” (Demo version – Previously Unreleased)
“The Dust Of Your Road” (Demo version)
“Layla” (Demo version – Previously Unreleased)
“Died For Love” (Demo version – Previously Unreleased)
“First Light” (Demo version)

DISC SEVEN – SUNNYVISTA – EXPANDED

“Civilization”
“Borrowed Time”
“Saturday Rolling Around”
“You’re Going To Need Somebody”
“Why Do You Turn Your Back ?”
“Sunnyvista”
“Lonely Hearts”
“Sisters”
“Justice In The Streets”
“Traces Of My Love”

BONUS TRACKS:
“Georgie On A Spree” (7” single version)
“Lucky In Life”( Demo version – Previously Unreleased)
“Speechless Child” (Demo version)
“Traces of My Love” (Demo version)
“For Shame Of Doing Wrong” (Demo version)
“The Wrong Heartbeat” [Gerry Rafferty version]
“Back Street Slide” (Gerry Rafferty session, 1996 remix) ( 4:27 )

DISC EIGHT – SHOOT OUT THE LIGHTS – EXPANDED

“Don’t Renege On Our Love”
“Walking On A Wire”
“A Man In Need”
“Just The Motion”
“Shoot Out The Lights”
“Back Street Slide”
“Did She Jump Or Was She Pushed ?”
“Wall of Death”

BONUS TRACKS:
“Living In Luxury” (7” single version)
“The Wrong Heartbeat – Shoot Out The Lights version – Previously Unreleased)
“I’m A Dreamer” (Gerry Rafferty session – 1996 remix)
“Walking On A Wire (Gerry Rafferty session – 1996 remix)
“Pavanne” (Live, 2nd Story, Bloomington, Indiana 29/5/1982 – Previously unreleased)
“High School Confidential” (Live, 2nd Story, Bloomington, Indiana 29/5/1982)