The two unrelated Thompsons had known each other since the late sixties, and had toured together throughout the nineties. This long-planned collaborative work was finally recorded in 1997.
The compositions on the album - both Richard Thompson's songs and Danny Thompson's instrumental pieces - portray various impressions of the impact of industry on England, ranging from the birth of the Industrial Revolution to the closing of the GrimethorpeColliery and the effects of unemployment. "Sweetheart on the Barricade" features Danny Thompson's uncles Albert and Harold Thompson, who held factory jobs and played in brass bands.[3]