1000 Years of Popular Music
Encyclopedia
1000 Years of Popular Music is a live album
by Richard Thompson.
The album was originally conceived after Thompson was ignored by Playboy
magazine; initially meant simply as a list to be printed by the magazine, it was subsequently published into CD format. The songs comprising the tracklist cover a roughly thousand year period, 1068-2001, starting with "Sumer Is Icumen In
". The most recent song included on the album is Britney Spears
' hit "Oops!… I Did It Again".
The songs, arranged for play on a single guitar
, are played by Thompson, vocalist Judith Owen, and percussionist Michael Jerome, when needed.
A DVD
with the same name was released in 2006. This was recorded some time later during a different tour, has a slightly different track listing and features Debra Dobkin replacing Michael Jerome on percussion and vocals.
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
by Richard Thompson.
The album was originally conceived after Thompson was ignored by Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
magazine; initially meant simply as a list to be printed by the magazine, it was subsequently published into CD format. The songs comprising the tracklist cover a roughly thousand year period, 1068-2001, starting with "Sumer Is Icumen In
Sumer Is Icumen In
"Sumer Is Icumen In" is a traditional English round, and possibly the oldest such example of counterpoint in existence. The title might be translated as "Summer has come in" or "Summer has arrived"....
". The most recent song included on the album is Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
' hit "Oops!… I Did It Again".
The songs, arranged for play on a single guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, are played by Thompson, vocalist Judith Owen, and percussionist Michael Jerome, when needed.
A DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
with the same name was released in 2006. This was recorded some time later during a different tour, has a slightly different track listing and features Debra Dobkin replacing Michael Jerome on percussion and vocals.
Track listing of original CD version
- "Sumer Is Icumen InSumer Is Icumen In"Sumer Is Icumen In" is a traditional English round, and possibly the oldest such example of counterpoint in existence. The title might be translated as "Summer has come in" or "Summer has arrived"....
" (trad., arr. by Thompson) - "King Henry V's Conquest of FranceKing Henry Fifth's Conquest of FranceKing Henry Fifth's Conquest of France is a British ballad which recounts a highly fictionalized version of the Battle of Agincourt and the events surrounding it....
" (trad., arr. by Thompson) - "When I Am Laid In EarthDido's lament"Dido's Lament" is the commonly-used name for the noted aria, "When I am laid in earth", from the opera, Dido and Aeneas, by Henry Purcell ....
" (Henry PurcellHenry PurcellHenry Purcell – 21 November 1695), was an English organist and Baroque composer of secular and sacred music. Although Purcell incorporated Italian and French stylistic elements into his compositions, his legacy was a uniquely English form of Baroque music...
, arr. by Thompson) - "So Ben Mi Ca Bon Tempo" (Orazio VecchiOrazio VecchiOrazio Vecchi was an Italian composer of the late Renaissance. He is most famous for his madrigal comedies, particularly L'Amfiparnaso.- Life :...
, arr. by Thompson) - "ShenandoahOh Shenandoah"Oh Shenandoah" is a traditional American folk song of uncertain origin, dating at least to the early 19th century...
" (trad., arr. by Thompson) - "Blackleg MinerBlackleg MinerBlackleg Miner is a 19th-century English folk song, originally from Northumberland ....
" (trad., arr. by Thompson) - "Waiting at the ChurchWaiting at the ChurchWaiting at the Church is a popular British music hall song by Vesta Victoria. It is sung by a woman who has given her fiancee all her money to buy a ring or a house only to be left "waiting at the church" when she discovers that he is already married. It has featured in a number of films including...
" (trad., arr. by Thompson) - "Trafalgar Square" (trad., arr. by Thompson)
- "There Is Beauty in the Bellow" (from The MikadoThe MikadoThe Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, their ninth of fourteen operatic collaborations...
by Gilbert and SullivanGilbert and SullivanGilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the librettist W. S. Gilbert and the composer Arthur Sullivan . The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S...
, arr. by Thompson) - "Why Have My Loved Ones Gone?" (Stephen FosterStephen FosterStephen Collins Foster , known as the "father of American music", was the pre-eminent songwriter in the United States of the 19th century...
, arr. by Thompson) - "Old Rocking Chair's Got Me" (Hoagy CarmichaelHoagy CarmichaelHoward Hoagland "Hoagy" Carmichael was an American composer, pianist, singer, actor, and bandleader. He is best known for writing "Stardust", "Georgia On My Mind", "The Nearness of You", and "Heart and Soul", four of the most-recorded American songs of all time.Alec Wilder, in his study of the...
) - "Orange-Coloured SkyOrange Colored Sky"Orange Colored Sky" is a popular song, written by Milton DeLugg and Willie Stein and published in 1950.The best-known version of the song was recorded by Nat King Cole , but a number of other singers have recorded it, including Cole's daughter, Natalie.The recording by Nat King Cole was recorded...
" (Milton DeLuggMilton DeLuggMilton DeLugg is an American composer and arranger.-Biography:A talented accordionist, he appeared in short Soundies musicals and occasional movies . He quickly became a successful arranger and composer...
/William Stein) - "Cry Me a River" (Arthur HamiltonArthur HamiltonArthur Hamilton is an American songwriter, who is best known for writing the song "Cry Me a River", first published in 1953 and most famously recorded by Julie London in 1955....
) - "Drinking Wine Spo-dee-o-dee" (Stick McGheeStick McGheeGranville Henry McGhee, also known as Stick McGhee, was an African-American jump blues guitarist, singer and songwriter, best known for his blues song, "Drinkin' Wine, Spo-Dee-O-Dee".-Early life:...
/J. Mayo WilliamsJ. Mayo WilliamsJay Mayo "Ink" Williams was a pioneering African-American producer of recorded blues music. Ink Williams earned his nickname by his ability to get the signatures of talented African-American musicians on recording contracts...
) - "The Fool" (Lee HazlewoodLee HazlewoodLee Hazlewood , born Barton Lee Hazlewood was an American country and pop singer, songwriter, and record producer, most widely known for his work with guitarist Duane Eddy during the late 1950s and singer Nancy Sinatra in the 1960s.Hazlewood had a distinctive baritone voice that added an ominous...
) - "A Legal MatterA Legal Matter"A Legal Matter" is a song written by Pete Townshend and recorded by The Who for their debut album My Generation. It was recorded on 12 October 1965 at IBC Studios, and released as the B-Side to "The Kids Are Alright"...
" (Pete TownshendPete TownshendPeter Dennis Blandford "Pete" Townshend is an English rock guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and author, known principally as the guitarist and songwriter for the rock group The Who, as well as for his own solo career...
) - "Tempted" (Glenn TilbrookGlenn TilbrookGlenn Martin Tilbrook is the lead singer and guitarist of the English band Squeeze, a band formed in the mid 1970s who broke through in the new wave era at the decade's end. He generally wrote the melody for Squeeze, while his writing partner, Chris Difford, wrote the lyrics...
/Chris DiffordChris DiffordChris Difford is a singer, musician, songwriter, and record producer....
) - "KissKiss (song)In 1988 Art of Noise released a cover of the song, featuring Tom Jones on vocals. The song became the band's biggest hit to that point, reaching number eighteen on the U.S. dance charts and number five on the UK Singles Chart, higher than the original in that country...
" (Prince) - "Oops!… I Did It Again" (Max MartinMax MartinMartin Karl Sandberg, known professionally as Max Martin, is a Swedish music producer and songwriter. Raised in Stenhamra, a suburb of Stockholm, Sweden, he broke through as a producer and songwriter in the mid to late 1990s after crafting a string of hits for pop artists like the Backstreet Boys,...
/Rami YacoubRami YacoubRami Yacoub is a Swedish music producer and songwriter of Palestinian descent, and former member of the successful songwriting/production houses Cheiron Studios and Maratone...
) - "Sam HallSam Hall (song)“Sam Hall” is an old English folk song about a bitterly unrepentant criminal condemned to death . Prior to the mid 19th century it was called “Jack Hall”, after an infamous English thief, who was hanged in 1707 at Tyburn...
" (unknown, arr. by Thompson) - "Money, Money, MoneyMoney, Money, Money"Money, Money, Money", originally "Gypsy Girl", is a song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA. The song, like most ABBA songs, was written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus. It was released as a single on November 1, 1976, as the follow-up single to "Dancing Queen, both from the album Arrival...
" (Benny AnderssonBenny AnderssonGöran Bror "Benny" Andersson is a Swedish musician, composer, a former member of the Swedish musical group ABBA , and co-composer of the musicals Chess, Kristina från Duvemåla, and Mamma Mia!...
/Björn UlvaeusBjörn UlvaeusBjörn Kristian Ulvaeus is a Swedish songwriter, composer, musician, writer, producer, a former member of the Swedish musical group ABBA , and co-composer of the musicals Chess, Kristina från Duvemåla, and Mamma Mia!...
) - "It Won't Be LongIt Won't Be Long"It Won't Be Long" is the opening track on With The Beatles, The Beatles' second UK album, and was the first original song recorded for it. Although credited to Lennon/McCartney, it was primarily a John Lennon composition, with Paul McCartney assisting with the lyrics and...
" (John LennonJohn LennonJohn Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
/Paul McCartneyPaul McCartneySir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
) - "Marry, Ageyn Hic Hev Donne Yt" (trad., arr. by Thompson) – introduced as a "medieval tune from BrittanyBrittanyBrittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
", but actually a medieval-style version of Britney Spears' "Oops!… I Did It Again"
Track listing of 2CD/DVD version
(recorded at a different show)- "Sumer Is Icumen In" (trad., arr. by Thompson)
- "King Henry" (trad., arr. by Thompson)
- "So Ben Mi Ca Bon Tempo" (Orazio Vecchi, arr. by Thompson)
- "Bonnie St. Johnstone" (trad., arr. by Thompson)
- "O Sleep Fond Fancy" (Thomas MorleyThomas MorleyThomas Morley was an English composer, theorist, editor and organist of the Renaissance, and the foremost member of the English Madrigal School. He was the most famous composer of secular music in Elizabethan England and an organist at St Paul's Cathedral...
) - "Remember O Thou Man" (Thomas RavenscroftThomas RavenscroftThomas Ravenscroft was an English musician, theorist and editor, notable as a composer of rounds and catches, and especially for compiling collections of British folk music.He probably sang in the choir of St...
) - "Shenandoah" (trad., arr. by Thompson)
- "Blackleg Miner" (trad., arr. by Thompson)
- "I Live in Trafalgar Square" (C.W. Murphy)
- "There Is Beauty in the Bellow of the Blast" (from The MikadoThe MikadoThe Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, their ninth of fourteen operatic collaborations...
) (W.S. Gilbert/Arthur Sullivan, arr. by Thompson) - "Java Jive" (Ben Oakland/Milton Drake)
- "Night and DayNight and Day (song)"Night and Day" is a popular song by Cole Porter. It was written for the 1932 musical play Gay Divorce. It is perhaps Porter's most popular contribution to the Great American Songbook and has been recorded by dozens of artists....
" (Cole PorterCole PorterCole Albert Porter was an American composer and songwriter. Born to a wealthy family in Indiana, he defied the wishes of his domineering grandfather and took up music as a profession. Classically trained, he was drawn towards musical theatre...
) - "Orange-Coloured SkyOrange Colored Sky"Orange Colored Sky" is a popular song, written by Milton DeLugg and Willie Stein and published in 1950.The best-known version of the song was recorded by Nat King Cole , but a number of other singers have recorded it, including Cole's daughter, Natalie.The recording by Nat King Cole was recorded...
" (Milton DeLuggMilton DeLuggMilton DeLugg is an American composer and arranger.-Biography:A talented accordionist, he appeared in short Soundies musicals and occasional movies . He quickly became a successful arranger and composer...
/William Stein) - "Drinking Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee" (Granville "Stick" McGhee/J. Mayo Williams)
- "A-11" (Hank CochranHank CochranGarland Perry "Hank" Cochran was an American country music singer and songwriter. Starting during the 1960s, Cochran was a prolific songwriter in the genre, including major hits by Patsy Cline, Ray Price, Eddy Arnold and others...
) - "See My FriendsSee My Friends"See My Friends" is a song by The Kinks, written by the group's singer and guitarist, Ray Davies. Released in 1965, it reached #10 on the UK Singles Chart...
" (Ray DaviesRay DaviesRay Davies, CBE is an English rock musician. He is best known as lead singer and songwriter for the Kinks, which he led with his younger brother, Dave...
) - "Friday on My MindFriday on My Mind"Friday on My Mind" is a 1966 song by Australian rock group The Easybeats. Written by band members George Young and Harry Vanda, the track became a worldwide hit, reaching #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in May 1967 in the US, #1 in Australia and #6 in the UK, as well as charting in several...
" (George Young/Harry VandaHarry VandaHarry Vanda , is a Dutch-born Australian popular music singer, guitarist, songwriter and record producer.-Career:...
) - "Tempted" (Chris Difford/Glen Tilbrook)
- "Oops!… I Did It Again" (Max MartinMax MartinMartin Karl Sandberg, known professionally as Max Martin, is a Swedish music producer and songwriter. Raised in Stenhamra, a suburb of Stockholm, Sweden, he broke through as a producer and songwriter in the mid to late 1990s after crafting a string of hits for pop artists like the Backstreet Boys,...
/Rami YacoubRami YacoubRami Yacoub is a Swedish music producer and songwriter of Palestinian descent, and former member of the successful songwriting/production houses Cheiron Studios and Maratone...
) - "Cry Me A River" (Arthur Hamilton)
- "19851985 (song)"1985" is a song best known for its performance in 2004 by the pop punk band Bowling for Soup which reached #23 on the Billboard Hot 100...
" (Jaret Reddick/John Allen/Mitchell Scherr) - "Sam Hall" (trad., arr. by Thompson)
Personnel
- Richard Thompson – guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and vocals - Michael Jerome – percussion
- Judith OwenJudith OwenJudith Owen is a Welsh singer-songwriter. Her first North American album, Emotions on a Postcard, was released in 1996, and has since been followed by five additional releases...
– vocals - Debra Dobkin – percussion and vocals (DVD version)
See also
- The 500 Greatest Songs of All TimeThe 500 Greatest Songs of All Time"The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" was the cover story of a special issue of Rolling Stone, issue number 963, published December 9, 2004, a year after the magazine published its list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time"....
- The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll
External links
- BeesWeb The official site of Richard Thompson
- The Great Valerio by Dave Smith