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 a DVD.
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 self-consciously sings "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 enjoyable 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."
Without a dobut — this is the greatest set list of the millennium.
Article comments
1 - Nik
I saw him live doing this show a few months ago and loved it. I actually thought Judith Owen was great too, added a little variety to it, and she had a tremendously sexy, versatile voice. Not for everyone though I guess... Hell of a show.
2 - godoggo
I'm curious, are there songs in old English? I was thinking while listening to Fairport's Liege and Leaf, or however you spell it, that, although a lot of the lyrics have medieval themes, the language sounds more like Shakespeare.
3 - Stephen V Funk
Yeah, most of the songs in the 1000-1700 zone are in various forms of olde english, and he doesn't try to modernize/"translate" it or anything. Also one tune is sung in Italian.
4 - Stephen V Funk
P.S. I just listened to the CDs included with this DVD and was sort of surprised to hear that the between-song banter was edited out... which is too bad since that's part of the fun of this concert. Oh well -- definitely watch the DVD version first!
Also, I also have the previously released 1,000 Years CD and while there is some crossover on songs, there are others that only appear on the new version (and vice versa.) I haven't done a side-by-side listen but I think the live recordings on the first CD are all different than the ones on this new DVD/CD.
Anyway, I'm very glad this is getting a wide release. I saw him do some of the 1000 Years tunes at a show in Milwaukee like over five years ago and on the way out, I said "I sure hope he puts out a CD of that stuff!" At long last -- here it is... and more!
5 - kt
Stephen V wrote: I haven't done a side-by-side listen but I think the live recordings on the first CD are all different than the ones on this new DVD/CD.
Me:
The original CD was recorded in New York at Joe's Pub with Michael Jerome on drums. It's abailable on Thompson's website http://richardthompson-music.com
This DVD/CD combo was recorded in San Francisco at Bimbo's 365 Club with Debra Dobkin on drums;she also adds vocals, most notably on "Java Jive".
Songs on the original that are missing on the new
DVD include "Waiting at the Church", the Beatles' "It Won't Be Long" and Prince's "Kiss".
New to the DVD includes "A11" - a hit for Buck Owens, Bowling for Soup's "1985", and "Bonnie St. Johnstone".
There are also a couple of 1000 Years show outakes from the original recording dates on the "Tracks" EP.