PLAY: Richard Thompson, “Dream Attic”

Back in the late ’80s, British post-punk Joe Jackson recorded an album of 15 new songs in front of a live audience that was asked to keep quiet. Jackson wanted the energy of a concert without the pesky applause. Fifteen years later, fellow Brit Richard Thompson has taken the idea. However, unlike Jackson, Richard Thompson is not afraid of a noisy crowd. “Dream Attic” is very much a live album, with most of the 13 songs stretching well past the five-minute mark. It’s typical Richard Thompson: literate rock and guitar solos flying high without a net. And as usual, he’s a thrilling listen from start to finish. Feel free to clap along.

WATCH Richard Thompson perform “Bad Again.”