Richard Thompson is an English songwriter, musician (primarily a guitarist), singer and record producer. He has played and sung on almost 400 releases to date. His discography consists of around 30 studio albums in which he is a named primary artist, alongside live albums, singles, compilations, fan club and boutique label releases, soundtracks and collaborations.
Typically recording as a solo artist, he is also known for his collaborative releases with first wife Linda Thompson and his work as a member of Fairport Convention. He has also appeared as a guest performer on the releases of numerous other artists.
In the tables below, unless indicated otherwise, the chart listings refer to the peak position the release reached in the UK Official Charts and the US Billboard charts. A dash (—) indicates that the release is not known to have charted. When no column for one of these charts is given, this indicates that none of the releases in that table charted.
Releases with Fairport Convention
This section covers releases by Fairport Convention with original material including Thompson as a member of the band. After Thompson left the group, he continued to appear sporadically as a guest musician on subsequent studio albums, which are listed in the session work discography.
Live, particularly at Cropredy Festival, Fairport Convention often performs in various line-ups of past and present members. Therefore, live albums which feature Thompson after he officially left the band are included here.
For a more detailed overview of Fairport Convention's releases, including compilations of existing material and singles from albums, see the Fairport Convention discography.
Studio albums Year TitleUK chart1968Fairport Convention—What We Did on Our Holidays1969Unhalfbricking12Liege and Lief171970Full House13
Live albums Released Title Recorded1976Live at the L.A. Troubadour19701982Moat on the Ledge19811984The Boot19831986House Full: Live at the L.A. Troubadour19701987The Other Boot1986Heyday (BBC Radio Sessions)1968 & 19691988The Third Leg1987199325th Anniversary Concert19921999The Cropredy Box19972003Cropredy 2002 - Another Gig : Another Palindrome / Festival: Cropredy 200220022004Cropredy Capers: Twenty-Five Years of Fairport Convention and Friends at Cropredy Festival1980-20042007Live at the BBC1967-19742018What We Did On Our Saturday20172020Chicago 197019702023Full House for Sale2022
Other material Year Title Year relevant material recorded Notes1968If I Had a Ribbon Bow 1967Standalone single, now more easily found as a bonus track to the Fairport Convention self-titled debut album. B-side was "If (Stomp)".1970Now Be Thankful1970Standalone single, with B-side, "Sir B. McKenzie's Daughter's Lament for the 77th Mounted Lancers Retreat from the Straits of Loch Knombe, in the Year of Our Lord 1727, on the Occasion of the Announcement of Her Marriage to the Laird Of Kinleakie". Now both more easily found as bonus tracks on Full House.1999Meet on the Ledge: The Classic Years 1967–19751970Contained a previously unreleased version of "The Bonny Bunch of Roses" from the Full House sessions. Later added as a bonus track to the 2001 CD reissue of that album.2002Fairport Unconventional1967-2001Mostly previously unreleased studio and live tracks, some featuring Thompson2004Angel Delight19702004 CD version contains a bonus version of "The Journeyman's Grace" recorded for a BBC Radio session in 1970 and featuring Thompson2017Come All Ye: The First Ten Years~1969-~1972Compilation of existing and newly released archive material, some featuring Thompson
Richard Thompson albums (solo, duo or as bandleader) Studio albums Year Title Credited to Chart positions UK USA1972Henry the Human FlyRichard Thompson—1974I Want to See the Bright Lights TonightRichard and Linda Thompson1975Hokey PokeyPour Down Like Silver1978First Light1979Sunnyvista1981Strict Tempo!Richard Thompson1982Shoot Out the LightsRichard and Linda Thompson1983Hand of KindnessRichard Thompson—1861985Across a Crowded Room801021986Daring Adventures921421988Amnesia891821991Rumor and Sigh32—1994Mirror Blue231091996You? Me? Us?32971997IndustryRichard Thompson and Danny Thompson69—1999Mock TudorRichard Thompson282003The Old Kit Bag521212005Front Parlour Ballads541972007Sweet Warrior391112013Electric16752014Acoustic Classics161032015Still10822017Acoustic Classics II24—Acoustic Rarities84201813 Rivers182024Ship to Shore46
Live albums Released Title Credited to Recorded UK USA1984Small Town RomanceRichard Thompson1982—1995Live at CrawleyRichard Thompson with Danny Thompson19931996Two Letter Words: Live 1994Richard Thompson Band19941998Celtschmerz: Live in the UK ‘98Richard Thompson19982002Semi-Detached Mock TudorRichard Thompson Band19992003More Guitar19881000 Years of Popular MusicRichard Thompson2002Ducknapped!The Richard Thompson Band20032004FaithlessRichard Thompson1985The Chrono Show20042005Live from Austin, TX20012007In Concert, November 1975Richard and Linda Thompson19752009Live WarriorRichard Thompson, Michael Jerome, Danny Thompson, Taras Prodaniuk, Pete Zorn20072010Dream AtticRichard Thompson201020832011Live at the BBCRichard Thompson featuring Linda Thompson1973–2009—2012Cabaret of SoulsRichard Thompson20092017Live at RockpalastRichard Thompson Band1983 & 19842019Across A Crowded Room Live at Barrymore's 1985Richard Thompson19852020Live at Rock City, Nottingham, November 8619862021Live from London20212022Live from HonoluluThe Richard Thompson Acoustic Trio20062023Historic Classic Concert - Live in Nottingham 1986Richard Thompson Band1985
Compilations Year Title Credited to1976(guitar, vocal)Richard ThompsonLive! (More or Less)1985Doom & Gloom from the Tomb (Vol. 1)1991Doom & Gloom II (Over My Dead Body)1993Watching the Dark2000The Best of Richard & Linda Thompson: The Island Records YearsRichard and Linda Thompson2001Action PackedRichard Thompson2005Some Enchanted Evenings2006RT- The Life and Music of Richard Thompson2009Walking on a Wire2020Hard Luck Stories (1972–1982)Richard and Linda Thompson
Richard Thompson singles
With Linda Thompson YearSongAlbum1974"I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight"I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight1975"Hokey Pokey"Hokey Pokey1978"Don't Let a Thief Steal into Your Heart"First Light1979"Georgie on a Spree" / "Civilisation" (double-A side)Sunnyvista1982"Don't Renege On Our Love"Shoot Out the Lights
Solo YearSongAlbum1983"The Wrong Heartbeat"Hand of Kindness1984"Tear-Stained Letter"1985"When the Spell is Broken"Across a Crowded Room"You Don't Say"1986"Valerie"Daring Adventures"Nearly in Love"1988"Turning of the Tide" Amnesia1989"Reckless Kind"1991"I Feel So Good"Rumor and Sigh"Read About Love"1992"I Misunderstood" (Official Dutch Tour Single)1994"I Can't Wake Up to Save My Life"Mirror Blue"Easy There, Steady Now"1996"Dark Hand over My Heart"You? Me? Us1999"Crawl Back (under My Stone)"Mock Tudor2003"She Said It Was Destiny"The Old Kit Bag2007"Dad's Gonna Kill Me"Sweet Warrior2012"Haul Me Up"2013"Good Things Happen to Bad People"Electric"Salford Sunday"2017"Gethsemane"Acoustic Classics II2018"Bones of Gilead"13 Rivers"The Storm Won't Come""My Rock, My Rope"2022"Streamwalk / Treadwell No More"Music from Grizzly Man"Glencoe"2024"Singapore Sadie"Ship to Shore"Freeze"2026"Cocaine Walking, Booze Talking"Hippies, Thugs and Heroes"Sorcerer's Apprentice"
With the Richard Thompson Acoustic Trio YearSongAlbum2022"(I Want to See) The Bright Lights Tonight"Live from Honolulu
With Hugh Cornwell YearSongAlbum2025"Tobacco Road"Think Loud 4 Parkinson's
Solo EPs Year TitleNotes2003TracksLimited-edition 5-track CD featuring existing recordings and unreleased '1000 Years of Popular Music' live tracks.2020Bloody Noses6-track acoustic EPs written and recorded at home during pandemic lockdowns, later combined onto one CD.2021Serpent's Tears Soundtracks Not listed here are soundtrack albums on which a Richard Thompson recording or composition is merely included, without further involvement from Thompson. Listed here are soundtracks in which Thompson had a significant creative role in creating new music.
Year Title Credited to1987The Marksman (Music from the BBC TV Series)Richard Thompson and Peter Filleul1989Hard CashRichard Thompson and numerous other artists listed on the cover, produced by Richard Thompson and Peter Filleul1991Sweet TalkerRichard Thompson2005Grizzly Man2010Baraboo: Motion Picture SoundtrackJoel Savoy, Emma Beaton & Chris Stafford, additional compositions by Richard Thompson, metal compositions by Riley Sweeney Lynch and Dean Hurley, and Edison recordings from the early 20th century2019The Cold Blue (Original Motion Picture Score)Music by Richard Thompson
Collaborations Recordings on which Thompson has guested or worked as a session musician are not shown here (see sections below). Listed here are recordings on which Thompson played a significant creative role as a member of the group or project. Year Title Credited to1971No RosesShirley Collins and the Albion Country Band1972Morris OnMorris OnRock OnThe Bunch1981Saturday Rolling AroundThe GPs1987Live, Love, Larf & LoafFrench Frith Kaiser Thompson1990Invisible Means2014FamilyThompson2020#StandByMe (2020)Whispering Bob's All-Stars2025In 1981 There Was… The GPs – Live In ConcertThe GPs
As a featured guest
Albums in which Thompson is credited on the front cover as a featured guest (rather than simply in the notes of the musicians playing) are covered here.
Year Title Credited to 1983 Variations on a Theme David Thomas & the Pedestrians with Richard Thompson 1986 An Hour with Cecil Sharp and Ashley Hutchings Ashley Hutchings with guests Martin Carthy ○ Richard Thompson ○ Dave Whetstone 1994 Twangin' n' A-Traddin''' || The Ashley Hutchings Big Beat Combo with special guest Richard Thompson |- | 1998 || The Bones of All Men || Mr Philip Pickett with Mr Richard Thompson and the Fairport Rhythm Section |- | 2023 || Child Ballads: The Final Six'' The London Experimental Ensemble with Richard Thompson, Wesley Stace, Sivert Høyem, Marissa Nadler and Gina Fergione
Original recordings on 'various artist' compilations
Original recordings of new or existing compositions on 'various artist' compilations. Only the first release the recording is on is listed.