Sunnyvista

Sunnyvista
Studio album by Richard and Linda Thompson
Released	October 1979
Recorded	1979 at Olympic Studios, London
Genre	Rock
Length	48:56
Label	Chrysalis
Producer	Richard Thompson, John Wood
Richard and Linda Thompson chronology
First Light (1978) Sunnyvista (1979) Shoot Out the Lights (1982)

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Sunnyvista, released in October 1979 is the fifth album by Richard and Linda Thompson.

After the artistic mismatch of the previous year's come back album (see First Light), the Thompsons made greater use on this album of backing musicians that they had worked with previously.

Sunnyvista is a curate's egg of an album in terms of its mood. Stylistically it covers wide ground and includes some of Thompson's most overtly rocking songs - possibly reflecting pressure from the record label to deliver a big selling album.

There are more secular songs on this album than on its immediate predecessor. "You're Going To Need Somebody" and "Why Do You Turn Your Back?" are the most explicitly religious tracks. The former is a joyous affirmation of divine mercy and is notable for John Kirkpatrick's accordion playing. The latter has an unusual and long verse structure which allows for a particularly effective build and release of tension.

"Saturday Rolling Around" is a homage to cajun music, a genre that Richard Thompson has long admired and which he had previously experimented with on Fairport Convention's Unhalfbricking album. This too is a joyous and upbeat song.

Elsewhere the mood is more spiteful, especially in the opening "Civilisation" with its sarcastic lyrics and in the heavy-handed satire of the title track which takes a tilt at a community which is superficially happy but also controlled and uniform. Whether this is a reference to late 70s England or to the commune that the Thompsons had recently left is not clear.

Thompson takes a stab at funk on "Justice In The Streets" and at hard rock on "Living On Borrowed Time". "Traces Of My Love" is a tender song of longing and lyrically is in the ancient sufic tradition of expressing love for the divine in secular terms.

The closing track "Georgie On A Spree" (not included on the original vinyl album) is a remake of a song included on the Hokey Pokey album. It had been chosen as the theme tune for the BBC television drama Kiss The Girls and Make Them Cry and the new version was issued as a single.

The response to Sunnyvista by the critics and the public was lukewarm, and Chrysalis decided to not extend their relationship with the Thompsons. The settlement between artist and label left Thompson owning the master tapes for the two albums he had recorded for Chrysalis. The albums were later licensed to Joe Boyd's Hannibal label for re-issue on CD.

Track listing

All songs written by Richard Thompson.

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"

Personnel

• Richard Thompson - guitar, vocals, mandolin, dulcimer, whistle
• Linda Thompson - vocals
• Michael Spencer-Arscott - drums
• Dave Pegg - bass guitar
• Timmy Donald - drums
• Pat Donaldson - bass guitar
• Pete Wingfield - keyboards
• Rabbit Bundrick - keyboards
• John Kirkpatrick - accordion, triangle
• Dave Mattacks - drums
• Louis Jardim - percussion
• Sue Harris - oboe, dulcimner
• Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Glen Tilbrook, Julian Littman, Marc Ellington, Olive Simpson, Nicole Tibbels, Lindsay Benton, Gerry Rafferty, Hafsa Abdul Jabbas and Abdu Rahim - background vocals

Cover

The front and back cover of the album feature a number of photographs of the Alexandra Road estate, London, NW8.