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PRODUCT DETAILS
Sixty years into a career that began with Fairport Convention and has spanned decades as one of rock's most acclaimed singer-songwriters, Richard Thompson is still chasing surprise. On Hippies, Thugs and Heroes, he lets his subconscious take the wheel, pulling from a cast of old friends, false gurus, former selves, and invented characters who insisted on having their stories told.
The result is an album that refuses to sit still. It opens with the bright, Byrds-inspired jangle of "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" — a song rooted in Thompson's own history with 1970s spiritual movements and the complicated pull of charismatic leaders — before swinging into the rowdy "Everybody's Stealing" and landing on the bluesy closer "Stringer." Along the way, "Cocaine Walking, Booze Talking" delivers some of his most inventive guitar work yet, a raw-nerve build into a splintered, psychedelic solo that captures a hardscrabble cast of London strivers and connivers.
Recorded live with his longtime band — Taras Prodaniuk on bass, Michael Jerome on drums, David Mansfield on guitar and fiddle, and wife Zara Phillips on backing vocals — at Hobosound Studio in Weehawken, NJ, the sessions moved fast, often in just two to four takes. But the songwriting itself runs deep: more elaborate home demos gave Thompson's own musical identity a stronger hold on the final record, resulting in an album he describes as "less them and more me."
What emerges is a spiritual inquiry disguised as a rock record — a meditation on the towers we build and the ruin that follows when we invest in them too completely. Thompson doesn't fully understand every song here, and that's exactly the point. Hippies, Thugs and Heroes is proof that after sixty years, the joy of not knowing where a song will take you hasn't faded one bit.
Tracklist:
- Sorcerer’s Apprentice
- Cocaine Walking, Booze Talking
- Pauper’s Grave
- Unsung Hero
- Make Believe You Don’t Know Me
- She Burns It All
- Everybody’s Stealing
- The Soul In Me
- Pipe Dreams
- The Big Smoke
- Stringer
- Siren
UPC: 607396707218
Label: New West Records
Release Date: 10.30.26
Format: Vinyl Record
SHIPPING & RETURNS
SHIPPING
- No dinged corners: All orders hand-packed by vinyl lovers using sturdy mailers specifically designed to protect your records during transit.
- The protection your records deserve: Every order includes free shipping insurance that covers you in case of damage or loss during shipping.
- All you can ship at one rate: $5.99 flat-rate shipping on all domestic orders.
- Protect the planet: Carbon-neutral shipping and mailers made of recycled materials on all orders.
- Read our full shipping policy.
RETURNS
- Change your mind? No problem: No nonsense 30-day return policy on all domestic orders.
- Read our full return policy.
PRODUCT REVIEWS
ABOUT US
For over 10 years, Pale Blue Dot Records has shared and supported your love of vinyl records. We are an independent online record store located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and we’re passionate about music, the vinyl community, and doing our part to protect the environment. Learn more about us here.
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By far, my favorite shop to buy from! Always quick with the delivery! Love tyler the creator and I've been searching for this specific vinyl at a good price!
package shipped well. there was a fragile sticker on the box which was nice, most places don’t put that and vinyls get damaged. package arrived in perfect condition.
Good packaging, product was in good condition and showed up on time great album no problems with any of the vinyls either very happy with it.
I am a huge Bob's Burger Fan and found this album as I was browsing the website. I had to get it immediately. I can believe I came across this on a random Tuesday. Can't thank coming across pale blue records enough. And the delivery is super fast. Can't wait for my next purchase.
Super fast shipping, packing done well. Exactly as described. The customer service and product choice is why I keep coming back.
Perfectly packaged, no warping, clear sound. Will definitely purchase from Pale Blue Dot Records again.
I ordered this on Friday later in the day and Tuesday morning it was at my doorstep. Insanely fast shipping and came in PERFECT condition. i’ve been looking everywhere for this edition and so happy it came back in stock. Thank you Pale Blue Dot Records!!!! 🩷🩷
Would definitely buy from Pale Dot Records again. The delivery was fast and the records sounds great!
Purchased as a Christmas gift for my 29 year old son. Can't wait for him to open. Packaged with care and timely shipping. Positive experience!
Vinyls arrived in perfect condition, expertly packed, and 3 days from the date of purchase (over the Thanksgiving holiday, no less). Could not be more pleased. Thanks so much!
We received our vinyl fast, it was fairly price, and they had a great selection to choose from. One record we purchased had an issue on the track, and the owner was quick to resolve the issue for us. I’ll be purchasing all of our records from this store moving forward!
The records and the sleeve are really nice. Pacific Dot Records blew me away with shipping it out like, immediately after I ordered it. Arrived well protected and perfect. No complaints.
fast shipping, great communication, and awesome staff. very responsive with messages too. can’t wait to purchase from them again
Records arrived inside the special record boxes, unopened, and in pristine condition. They didn't very long to begin the shipping either. Some places make you wait 3-5 days just to have it shipped out. They did not.
This is not about the product. I've ordered from PBD before and the Vinyls that come from them are wonderful and pressed really well!
This review is more on customer service.
USPS seemed to have goofed around a bit and cause a delay of about 1.5 weeks. Tristan was a highly communicative person and was reassuring with the options I had regarding if my order never arrived. Good sense of humor, accountability, and customer satisfaction. The Sweetwater of vinyl shops. Officially my vinyl go to!