Shoot Out the Lights

Richard & Linda Thompson, 1982, from Shoot Out the Lights. Solo by Richard Thompson.

Thompson's jagged, dissonant solo turns the title track into one of his most distinctive electric performances.

Shoot Out the Lights is Richard Thompson at his most menacing. The song simmers on a tense, minor-key groove, and his solo arrives like a burst of shattered glass: jagged, dissonant phrases, sudden leaps and bent notes that refuse to settle into comfortable blues shapes. He draws on the modal sounds of British folk but plays them with a raw, almost violent attack, and the feedback-tinged tone adds to the unease. It remains one of the clearest demonstrations of why so many guitarists regard him as a singular voice. Listen for the moments where a phrase seems about to resolve and he veers off instead; the lack of release is what makes the solo so unsettling.

Shoot Out the Lights by Richard & Linda Thompson is featured in our Folk Rock (#4) list. The solo is played by Richard Thompson and the song was released in 1982.

In our lists

• Beyond the Canon — #26
• The 25 Greatest Folk Rock Guitar Solos — #4
• The Best Richard Thompson Guitar Solos — #2

Sources