Sunnyvista

Richard & Linda Thompson, Linda Thompson, Richard Thompson | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 25, 1992)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Hannibal
• ASIN: B00000063Q
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #117,300 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Civilisation

2. Borrowed Time

3. Saturday Rolling Around

4. You're Going To Need Somebody

5. Why Do You Turn Your Back?

6. Sunnyvista

7. Lonely Hearts

8. Sisters

9. Justice In The Streets

10. Traces Of My Love

11. Georgie On A Spree

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a cruelly underrated album, September 13, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Sunnyvista (Audio CD)

This is the Richard and Linda Thompson album that even Richard and Linda Thompson fans don't hear too much about, and yet it is every bit as wrenching and disquieting as anything they ever did. As blasting an indictment of suburban anomie as has ever appeared on record, the collection is serious, sarcastic, cutting and contains a number of indisputably great tracks: the mock-Western fatalism of Living on Borrowed Time, the quiet insistence of You're Gonna Need Somebody, the wry humour of the title track, the shattering beauty of Two Lonely Hearts, the gutwrenching plaintiveness of Sisters -- the hardest song on this album to listen to -- and the more conciliatory, dreamlike coda Traces of My Love. Forget the jaunty Georgie On The Spree, which wasn't on the original release of this album and doesn't belong here, thematically or musically -- Sunnyvista is an uncompromisingly tough recording, but achieves true depth and emotional resonance through its musical accomplishment. Great guitar work, as always, great vocals from Linda in particular (she dominates the second half), and fine contributions from the likes of Gerry Rafferty. An album to rediscover.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well .. How do you define this one ?, December 2, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Sunnyvista (Audio CD)

First, let me say I am a huge Linda and Richard Thompson fan. I usually prefer what I call their "truly folky" period, which for me includes "I want to see the bright lights tonight" & the underrated "Pour down like silver" and "Hokey Pokey" (all released between 1974 and 1976).
What I first noticed about Sunnyvista is its inside jacket, a chef d'oeuvre of sick humour, emphasizing, maybe, our craziness and vanity as so-called civilized (or should we say well-conditionned ?) people.
If I were to name my all-time favourite Cd jacket, this one would for sure come to mind !
As to the record itself .. well, it has its moments. The two songs "Sisters" and "Lonely hearts" are great indeed, amongst their best work. Linda's vocals are heartbreaking, and both the lyrics and the music seem unforgettable. I also enjoy, to some extent, "Traces of my love".
I am much more divided as to the other tracks. Sunnyvista, the title song, is a weird one, somehow reminding of South American music. Though it is quite funny and well sung by Linda (as can be expected), I would call it a mere curiosity.
Most of the other tracks lack her astonishing vocal power and his mastering the art of song creation. Some of the melodies are not so bad (especially Why do you turn your back) and it's good to hear oriental sound mixed with british folk pop rock, but I very much dislike their use of backing vocals (even if they come from Gerry Rafferty or the McGarrigle sisters !). It's strange how those songs shoud sound more "dated" than the ones they came up with 5 years earlier (I'm talking here of flawless masterpieces such as Withered & Died, Never again or the Dimming of the Day).
The one thing I would rescue on ALL tracks is the lyrics, especially for the song Civilization, as I personnaly think very likewise. Would the so-called "normal" people be some aliens after all ?
I give the record 4 stars because, on the whole, Linda and Richard Thompson are far above the other folk rock musicians, even if Sunnyvista does contain some of their weakest efforts ..

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a cruelly underrated album, September 13, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Sunnyvista (Audio CD)

This is the Richard and Linda Thompson album that even Richard and Linda Thompson fans don't hear too much about, and yet it is every bit as wrenching and disquieting as anything they ever did. As blasting an indictment of suburban anomie as has ever appeared on record, the collection is serious, sarcastic, cutting and contains a number of indisputably great tracks: the mock-Western fatalism of Living on Borrowed Time, the quiet insistence of You're Going To Need Somebody, the wry humour of the title track, the shattering beauty of Lonely Hearts, the gutwrenching plaintiveness of Sisters -- the hardest song on this album to listen to -- and the more conciliatory, dreamlike coda Traces of My Love. Forget the jaunty Georgie On The Spree, which wasn't on the original release of this album and doesn't belong here, thematically or musically -- Sunnyvista is an uncompromisingly tough recording, but achieves true depth and emotional resonance through its musical accomplishment. Great guitar work, as always, great vocals from Linda in particular (she dominates the second half), and fine contributions from the likes of Gerry Rafferty. An album to rediscover.