Richard Thompson Hippies, Thugs and Heroes
Released Oct 16, 2026 New West Records, LLC
Consensus forming 3 professional reviews Updated Oct 20, 2026
Strong critical consensus
Consensus is still forming across 3 professional reviews. Richard Thompson's Hippies, Thugs and Heroes turns crooked schemes and bruised affections into songs that can sting, surprise, and make you laugh.
How ChoruScore worksCritics' Top Tracks
The songs critics returned to most
Everybody’s Stealing
1 critic mention
“The instrumentation is carnivalesque and happy, if a bit off-kilter, which perfectly underscores the fractured morality described in the lyrics.” — PopMatters
Stringer
2 critic mentions
“A clear early highlight is the lengthy, guitar-laced Stringer , a fascinating tale of very British lawbreakers” — Record Collector
Cocaine Walking, Booze Talking
2 critic mentions
“the rumbustious Cocaine Walking, Booze Talking and the almost Gram and Emmylou-styled Pipe Dreams , have already made it into the live set” — Record Collector
Full critic consensus
Richard Thompson's Hippies, Thugs and Heroes turns crooked schemes and bruised affections into songs that can sting, surprise, and make you laugh. Its 90/100 consensus score across three professional reviews marks a warmly acclaimed record, with critics praising Thompson's storytelling, guitar work, and knack for finding humanity in flawed characters.
The critical consensus centers on sharp, vividly drawn songs that move between humor and heartbreak. “Everybody’s Stealing” is a standout: its jaunty home-robbery story expands into a pointed swipe at institutional theft, with carnivalesque instrumentation sharpening the song’s fractured morality. “Stringer,” singled out by multiple reviewers, is a guitar-rich folk saga about distinctly British lawbreakers, delivered with the relish of a traditional balladeer. These are among the best songs on Hippies, Thugs and Heroes, alongside “The Big Smoke,” whose swelling arrangement evokes conflicting loyalties.
Reviewers also note the album’s emotional range and Thompson’s enduring command of the form. The quiet “Make Believe You Don’t Know Me” compresses a devastating story into a few lines, while “The Soul in Me” offers a particularly affecting lament. Elsewhere, his expressive playing shifts from the fiery, fuzzed-out guitar on “Stringer” to the mournful acoustic work on “Pauper’s Grave.” One critic calls this Thompson’s best work in some while; across the reviews, the verdict is that his wit and musical imagination remain vital. For anyone asking whether Hippies, Thugs and Heroes is worth hearing, the strong critical reception and memorable songs make a persuasive case.
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
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
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What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 4 critics who reviewed this album
Re
Critic's Take
Richard Thompson still turns out quality fare, and Hippies, Thugs and Heroes is his best for some while. The best tracks on Hippies, Thugs and Heroes include the lengthy, guitar-laced “Stringer,” a fascinating tale of very British lawbreakers, and “The Big Smoke,” whose swelling, almost tidal arrangement conveys a sense of conflicting loyalties. “She Burns It All” has a fascinating vocal arrangement, delivered over a frantically picked guitar, while “Pauper’s Grave” continues an obsession with life’s losers.
Key Points
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“Stringer” is the standout for its lengthy, guitar-laced arrangement and fascinating tale of very British lawbreakers.
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The album’s strengths include richly detailed arrangements, family history, and songs about life's losers.
Themes
Critic's Take
Richard Thompson has written great songs about just about anything, and the best songs on Hippies, Thugs and Heroes show that he still has quite a lot to offer. “Everybody’s Stealing” begins as a jaunty ballad about a home robbery, then pivots into a diatribe against institutional theft, its carnivalesque instrumentation perfectly underscoring the fractured morality. His virtuoso guitar playing complements and deepens every track, from the fiery, fuzzed-out licks on “Stringer” to the mournful acoustic riffs of “Pauper’s Grave”.
Key Points
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“Everybody’s Stealing” stands out for its jaunty balladry, institutional-theft diatribe, and carnivalesque sound.
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The album’s story-songs pair sharp, self-interested characters with Thompson’s virtuoso guitar playing and richly allusive lyrics.
Themes
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Am
Critic's Take
Richard Thompson has never confused taking his music seriously with taking himself too seriously, and the best songs on Hippies, Thugs and Heroes can break your heart just as easily as they make you laugh. “Cocaine Walking, Booze Talking” gives us wonderfully disreputable characters stumbling through life, while “Everybody’s Stealing” lands a perfectly delivered punch line. In the quietly devastating “Make Believe You Don’t Know Me,” there’s a novel in four lines. “The Soul in Me” might be the saddest song Thompson has written in years, its simple, almost old-fashioned lament all the more powerful for it. And in “Stringer,” Thompson tells a folk saga with the economy and relish of a traditional balladeer.
Key Points
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“The Soul in Me” stands out for its simple, old-fashioned heartbreak, made all the more powerful by Thompson’s unadorned approach.
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The album’s core strengths are its finely drawn characters, dry humor, devastating heartbreak, and Thompson’s enduring musicianship.