Beat Street Records

Richard & Linda Thompson - Hokey Pokey LP

Island

Richard Thompson found a sympathetic companion in his then-new wife Linda Thompson, with whom he collaborates for the second time on 1975's Hokey Pokey. A much jollier release than its predecessor, I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight, Richard envisaged Hokey Pokey as "a music-hall influenced record." He was a big fan of Harry Lauder and Gracie Fields, and this inspiration can be seen in the Victorian style cover and is audible on the title track, "Hokey Pokey" and also "Georgie On A Spree." Hokey Pokey offers a mixture of darkly comic songs like "Smiffy's Glass Eye" and the more world-weary nature of "I'll Regret It All In The Morning" and "A Heart Needs A Home." There are also more somber songs such as "The Egypt Room" which Richard described as "halfway between The Coasters Little Egypt, George Formby, and Dickens by way of Patricia Highsmith." Reissued here on 180g vinyl LP.

Records