Richard Thompson - 1000 Years of Popular Music (2 CD & 1 DVD Set) [Live]

Richard Thompson | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 27, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Live
• Label: Cooking Vinyl
• ASIN: B000EHQ7I8
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #13,309 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #20 in Music > Folk > British & Celtic Folk > British Folk

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Sumer Is Icumen In

2. King Henry

3. So Ben Mi Ca Bon Tempo

4. Bonnie St. Johnstone

5. O Sleep Fond Fancy

6. Remember O Thou Man

7. O Shenandoah

8. Blackleg Miner

9. I Live In Trafalger Square

10. There is Beauty In the Bellow of the Blast

See all 11 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Night and Day

2. Orange Coloured Sky

3. Drinking Wine Spo-Dee-Dee

4. A-11

5. See My Friends

6. Friday On My Mind

7. Tempted

8. Oops!...I Did It Again

9. Cry Me A River

10. 1985

See all 11 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars behold: the greatest set list of the millennium..., June 28, 2006

By 

svf - See all my reviews

This review is from: Richard Thompson - 1000 Years of Popular Music (2 CD & 1 DVD Set) (Audio CD)

What began as Richard Thompson's cheekily literal response to Playboy when asked to name the "Ten Greatest Songs of the Millennium" has blossomed into something of a cottage industry for the cult folk/rock hero, spawning a concert tour, a limited edition CD, and now even a DVD.

And this is cause for celebration, because even though Mr. Thompson humbly asserts that "I am unqualified to sing 98% of the material here," you'd be hard-pressed to find another performer with the talent, intellect, and wit required to present this diverse and eclectic collection of songs in such an enjoyable and entertaining way.

A project like this could have easily descended into a tedious, winking, postmodern concert-length joke, and certainly Thompson and his troupe have a little fun with Gilbert & Sullivan and Britney Spears -- who wouldn't? But what ultimately makes 1,000 Years work so well is the sincerity and respect with which all of this material is treated, from Elizabethan ballads to coal miner songs to Shenandoah to Nat King Cole to Squeeze. The trio even manage to convincingly perform an a capella madrigal!

While about half of this "popular music" is understandably rooted in the 20th century, Thompson also adapts an impressive collection of tunes from the other 900 years of the past millennium (the ones that Playboy apparently wasn't very interested in), aided only by the back-up vocals, percussion, and occasional (and usually unnecessary) keyboards of Debra Dobkin and/or Judith Owen.

This backing duo (not exactly a "band") provides tasteful and unobtrusive accompaniment when needed. The only misfire occurs when Ms. Owen sings self-consciously "jazzy" and affected lead vocals on Night and Day and Cry Me A River, made even worse on the DVD format by her distracting and annoying hand gestures. I sure would have rather heard these classic songs sung by Richard Thompson (or just about anyone else, for that matter.)

There aren't any DVD "bonus features" per se, but a few interesting and amusing interview clips and rehearsal footage moments are interspersed here and there, and both stereo and 5.1 surround sound options are available. There are also two "bonus CDs" provided with the same audio as the DVD (presumably so you can also listen to this concert in your car, buggy, or covered wagon.)

Overall, Richard Thompson's 1,000 Years of Popular Music is one of the most enjoyable concert DVDs I have seen, from the rousing "Sumer Is Icumen In" opener to the boisterous final encore of "Sam Hall."

And without a dobut -- this is the greatest set list of the millennium.

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally a Thompson live DVD that really clicks, July 1, 2006

By 

Michael 'De Smurführer' Thomsen (Denmark) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Richard Thompson - 1000 Years of Popular Music (2 CD & 1 DVD Set) (Audio CD)

The first two Richard Thompson live dvd's were marred by slightly uninspiring song selections and fairly basic camera work. But third time's the charm - this lovely dvd presentation of Thompson's "1000 Years of Popular Music" show is simply one of the most essential items in his entire catalogue - along with "Henry the Human Fly", "I Want To See the Bright Lights Tonight", "Shoot Out the Lights", "The Old Kit Bag" and "Rumor and Sigh". And it's essential not only for Thompson fans, but for just about anyone who's interested in the history of popular music. Starting with old English folk song "Summer is a-cumming in" (which was also sung at the climax of 70s horror movie classic The Wicker Man), and ending with a version of "1985" (a download hit for the group Bowling for Soup a few months prior to this recording) and in between covering everything from English music hall, Gilbert & Sullivan, jazz standards and merseybeat - this is a wonderful selection of haunting songs. No, you won't find any of Richard Thompson's legendary electric guitar workouts on here, and you won't find any of his own songs, even though many of them could have matched the timeless quality of the great stuff that IS on here - but the dvd DOES manage to present Thompson as one of the most plain enjoyable live performers in the world. And it's all packaged in a lovely box with artwork, song notes and two bonus cd's. Now if only they'd do a presentation of Thompson's OWN song catalogue in this format - and that's a hint, in case any of the people responsible for this great set happen to be reading this.

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thompson the alchemist turns poo to gold..., September 27, 2006

By 

ewomack "ewomack" (MN USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Richard Thompson - 1000 Years of Popular Music (2 CD & 1 DVD Set) (Audio CD)

This project originated out of rejection. A true non-reflection of life if ever one existed. Once upon a time, Playboy coveted Thompson's list of "the millenium's best songs". That is, until they saw it. This list included such chart toppers as "Sumer Is Icumen In" from 1260, "King Henry V's Conquest of France" from the 15th century, "Blackleg Miner" from the 19th century, and the bizarre Nat King Cole swinger "Orange Colored Sky". Then reality inverted. One of the least curmudgeonly magazines greeted Thompson's list with an icy silence. Perhaps they felt that those musty old songs would clash with the eternal blaze of naked airbrushed youth? Unflinching, Thompson turned to an art older than some of this set's songs: Alchemy. He miraculously turned what Playboy construed as poo into gleaming bullion. This shaft truly led to gold. So much so that Thompson has hit the road with his "1000 Years of Popular Music" twice.

Music is dang old, after all. Greeks and Romans rocked out. Medieval madrigals, armed with lutes and windpipes, pranced through verdant forests. Even Victorians danced. So why relegate hundred of years of great tunes to the sadly cobwebbed "early music" section? You know what they say: old songs never die, they just receive damning new retail categories. In defiance, Thompson dipped into this neglected slush pile of human all too human music and constructed a millenium set list that would make the Long Now Foundation proud.

Flanked by vocalist/keyboardist, and part mime, Judith Owen and percussionist/vocalist Debra Dobkin, the Thompson-led trio jiggle cochleas through musical history. They open with one of humanity's oldest songs: "Sumer Is Icumen In". A celebration of the rebirth of spring, it also includes a middle english word for "fart". Now that's history. The group sing it as a round (during tour one of "1000 Years" Thompson sang it solo). Next, lone Thompson conjures up the events leading to the battle of Agincourt in a fifteenth century song. France-bashing apparently has a longer history than the 2003 U.S. Congress realized. "Freedom Toast" is nothing! Try Agincourt! This beautiful song retells the affront the French handed to the young King Henry V: three tennis balls for him to "play with". No king would take that. Henry didn't. Thompson then switches to Italian for the amazing "So Ben Mi Ca Bon Tempo". A truly unforgettable song that will even get feet encased in concrete tapping.

Following a few incredible songs dealing with infanticidal mothers, eternal punishment, and Missouri rivers, "Blackleg Miner" exposes the history of "scab" songs. Women won't even look at the Blacklegs. A nasty lot, indeed. Time whizzes by as the hilarious down-and-out "I Live in Trafalgar Square" and a Gilbert and Sullivan tune close out the nineteenth century. Don't miss the high "C" in the Mikado's "Bellow Of the Blast". Thompson and Owen show us just what vocal cords were made for. "Java Jive" introduces the jazzy twentieth century with a smooth pean to caffeinated drinks.

The twentieth century focuses on rock music, with a few exceptions. On the DVD, when Thompson introduces the act's single country song, "A-11", he responds to the unenthused stillness by saying "I can tell we're no longer in Texas". Some head turning surprises pop out in the second half of the set (on CD number two). The Kinks' haunting "See My Friends" and Australia's rollicking "Friday On My Mind" will make musical antennas erect. And then the evening's biggest blast, "Oops!... I Did it Again", made famous by Britney Spears, will shock those who disparage pop music as inane trash. Thompson proves beyond doubt that the song has merit. His final dance moves on the DVD justify the price alone. Prepare thy brain. Leaving Britney behind, the gang bursts into 2001 with "1985", a ridiculously catchy pop song about a sentimental and uncool mom. After that auditory explosion, Thompson leaves the audience hissing with the a capella "Sam Hall". The DVD's final scene shows Thompson waving his fists at the audience. A great closing to an amazing show. A thousand years later and we've arrived. That'll show Playboy.

This DVD and CD set captures the second "1000 Years" outing. Thompson's website offers a CD of the first tour. Enough changes from the two sets to justify getting both. But this set also contains a fabulously produced DVD. Thompson's stage banter gets cut from the CD, but the DVD preserves every word. Listen for the great joke about european stereotypes ("In heaven the English answer the door..."). The DVD also includes snatches of a Thompson interview, soundcheck, and the band's grand entrance. No Thompson fan should miss this set. Even people with a vague interest in music history should check it out. Thompson, now in his fifties, proves that age only encumbers the uncreative. "1000 Years of Popular Music" stands comfortably next to his best work. Not bad for a rejection.