Richard & Linda Thompson - Together Again - Non-Album Tracks (1975-1976)

Here's the next in a long series of Richard Thompson albums. I'm still chronologically working through the Richard and Linda Thompson years before getting to his solo years.

The album is a grab bag of different things. A good chunk of it is cover songs from concerts (with the audience noise removed, as usual). But probably the highlight is a live version of "The Calvary Cross." It was on the 1974 album "I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight," but that was a four minute version, and this is a 13 minute version with some epic guitar soloing. So I figured that was different enough to warrant its inclusion here, even though I don't like to repeat songs released on official studio albums.

There also are some songs from "(guitar, vocal),"  a curious Richard Thompson odds and sods compilation that was released in 1976. There are two instrumentals done specifically for that album. In addition, there's the curious case of "Poor Willy and the Jolly Hangman." That was an unreleased Fairport Convention outtake from 1970, when Richard was still in that band. But in 1975, Linda added her vocals to that version, making it both a Richard and Linda Thompson and Fairport Convention recording at the same time. (By the way, one of the "covers" elsewhere on this album, "Now Be Thankful," is actually another Fairport Convention song, but done differently in the Richard and Linda Thompson version here.)

I've added one song only as a bonus track: "A Heart Needs a Home." That's because it's a popular  Richard and Linda Thompson song, first done on the 1975 "Hokey Pokey" album. But this is an alternate version with notably different instrumentation that first came out on the "(guitar, vocals)" album, so I'm including it for completists.

01 I'm Turning Off a Memory (Richard & Linda Thompson)
02 Wishing (Richard & Linda Thompson)
03 The Dark End of the Street (Richard & Linda Thompson)
04 Last Chance (Richard & Linda Thompson)
05 Wanted Man (Richard & Linda Thompson)
06 Together Again (Richard & Linda Thompson)
07 Why Don't You Love Me (Richard & Linda Thompson)
08 Now Be Thankful (Richard & Linda Thompson)
09 It'll Be Me (Richard & Linda Thompson)
10 Flee as a Bird [Instrumental] (Richard Thompson)
11 Poor Will and the Jolly Hangman (Richard & Linda Thompson & Fairport Convention)
12 The Pitfall - The Excursion [Instrumental] (Richard Thompson)

https://www.upload.ee/files/15851967/RichnLinT_1975-1976_TogethrAgin_atse.zip.html

I made the cover, which comes from a 1975 concert video.