Sixty years is a great span for one’s career, especially when said career is as steady as Richard Thompson has been, and though his records can hardly surprise any listener now, they remain solid works which never fail to impress. Sometimes the veteran seems to stop and think about next steps, and Richard’s last album, "Ship To Shore" was about seven years in the making, its successor will appear a little more than two years after that, on October 16th – and “Hippies, Thugs And Heroes” may harbor quite a few unexpected things.
Thompson used to be more of a philosophizing observer, although songs like “The Great Valerio” showed that he could create compelling characters. On this album, however, there are plenty more of them, as memories and fantasies rub shoulders.
1. Sorcerer’s Apprentice
2. Cocaine Walking, Booze Talking
3. Pauper’s Grave
4. Unsung Hero
5. Make Believe You Don’t Know Me
6. She Burns It All
7. Everybody’s Stealing
8. The Soul In Me
9. Pipe Dreams
10. The Big Smoke
11. Stringer
12. Siren



