Richard Thompson Hippies Thugs and Heroes Signed Vinyl Released October 30

Photo courtesy of Richard Thompson

Hippies, Thugs and Heroes is Richard Thompson’s 20th studio album, and The Vinyl Groove has just over 100 copies of the signed indie exclusive black splatter vinyl as of this publishing. The album arrives October 16 and this pressing is listed for October 30. The shop’s Digipak CD has already sold out, so pre-order early if you want one.

Thompson has been making records since the late 1960s with Fairport Convention, and this one still sounds like a guitar player with something to prove. The lead single “Cocaine Walking, Booze Talking” follows a cast of London hustlers over some of his wildest playing in years. Watch it below.

The album opens with “Sorcerer’s Apprentice”, closes with “Stringer” and keeps the amps warm for all twelve tracks in between. His band recorded it live at Hobosound Studio in Weehawken, New Jersey, often in just two to four takes per song, with his wife Zara Phillips singing backup.

This pressing comes with a signed insert, and it is an indie exclusive, so you will not find it at every record store.

Pre-order at The Vinyl Groove, 5100 Pearl Rd in Cleveland, and we’ll have it ready for you.

FAQs

Who is Richard Thompson? He is a founding member of the British folk-rock band Fairport Convention who went solo in the early 1970s. This is his 20th studio album.

How was Hippies, Thugs and Heroes recorded? Thompson’s band played it live at Hobosound Studio in Weehawken, New Jersey, usually in two to four takes. He has described the album as “less them and more me.”