Richard Thompson (guitar and vocals) - Notting Hill, London, England (3 April 1949). Judith Owen (vocals) - London, England, UK (2 January 1969). Debra Dobkin (percussion and vocals) - U.S.
And you thought you had an impressive record collection. Richard Thompson's vinyl goes all the way back to the 13th century. He pulls out some really old tunes for 1,000 Years of Popular Music, a live 2xCD/DVD set that documents a 2005 show with musicians Judith Owen and Debra Dobkin. The idea, as Thompson recounts in the liners, was inspired by a request from Playboy to list his favorite songs of the millennium; the magazine declined to print his list, but he was so enamored of the idea that he put together a small backing band and performed them all in rough chronological order. Aside from some minor quibbles-- apparently, music was never popular in Asia, Africa, or South America-- the set is mostly fun and light. It's a minor work in the Thompson canon, but enjoyable nevertheless-- if only for its tongue-in-cheek ambition and the singer's spirited delivery.
1,000 Years of Popular Music kicks off with "Summer Is Icumen In", which is the original summer anthem and could be heard blasting from many a tavern and castle during the balmy middle months of 1260. The first disc takes us all the way up to 1940, covering the dark ages of pop music and leading us right up to the 20th century renaissance. Thompson's cover of "Remember O Thou Man" (1611) shows why so many villagers would raise up their torches for this show closer, and "Java Jive" (1940) shuffles along on a percolating rhythm as he toasts the original power drink. But "O Sleep Fond Fancy" (1590) is just such an obvious choice.
The latter half of the 20th century takes up the second disc, stretching from Cole Porter's "Night and Day", sung here by Owen, to the present. Thompson dips into American country with Hank Cochran's "A-11" (1963) and into British pop music with the Kinks' "See My Friends" (1965) and Squeeze's "Tempted" (1981), although Thompson and Owen ride the outro for way too long. Best of all is their rollicking version of the Easybeats' "Friday on My Mind" (1966)-- but really, who could mess that song up? The only real dud is the encore, "Sam Hall" (1830s), which is a fine song but doesn't really benefit from Thompson's gruff delivery or the half-hearted audience participation.
On the whole, however, it's an entertaining game to pick out the similarities between these disparate tunes. How straight the lines are between "King Henry" (1400s) and "Tempted", between "Bonnie St. Johnstone" (1600s) and "Cry Me a River" (the 1953 Julie London hit, not the 2002 Justin Timberlake dis). His notorious cover of "Oops... I Did It Again" (2000) susses out the implications of the lyrics' casual manipulation, making it fit surprisingly well into Thompson's canon. But the biggest surprise on 1,000 Years of Popular Music is how well Bowling for Soup holds up against centuries of popular music: Delivered by Thompson, their song "1985" (2004) provides an oddly insightful look at trends and nostalgia for our personal and collective past. Look for a big revival in 3006.
(pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/9198-1000-years-of-popular-music/)