This career retrospective of the great British folk/rock singer and songwriter is a great mix of some of her better known songs of heartbreak and bitterness, performed with her ex-husband Richard, and her solo material. After a long, rocky career (she was voted best female vocalist in 1982 by both Time and Rolling Stone magazines, but never broke through commercially), she developed hysterical dysphonia ('you open your mouth and nothing happens') and so is now unable to sing at all. This 1996 compilation combines live versions, demos, remixes, really hard-to-find recordings with standard album cuts to make this both a good introduction to her as well as a real gift for devoted fans. Includes Telling Me Lies, her song that was made famous by the Dolly/Linda/Emmylou 'Trio', For Shame of Doing Wrong, the scathingly bitter Talking Like a Man, the excellent female solidarity in Sisters (with the McGarrigles) and a cover of Sandy Denny's I'm a Dreamer. What a talent! What a collection!

Thompson,Linda