Richard Thompson - 1000 Years of Popular (2003)

As the year 2000 loomed on the horizon, Playboy Magazine took it upon itself to ask a number of leading musicians to name the greatest songs of the soon-to-be-completed millennium. One of the musos queried was Richard Thompson, and while many of his comrades couldn't be bothered to go further back than 1940 in their overview of musical history, the scholarly Thompson took the notion seriously enough to extend his own list of notable songs as far back as 1068 A.D. While Playboy never ended up printing Thompson's list, the notion made enough of an impression on him that he put together a special show in which he guided his audience through his own version of the greatest hits of the past ten centuries. 1000 Years of Popular Music is culled from recordings of Thompson's concert series of the same name, and beyond the novelty value of the set list (from the oldest round in the English language to Britney Spears in a mere 76 minutes!), it also offers a rare look at Thompson the interpretive musician, as well as lends a fascinating perspective on his musical influences.

Tracklist
1. Sumer Is Icumen In (3:10)
2. King Henry V's Conquest of France (4:35)
3. When I Am Laid in Earth (4:07)
4. So Ben Mi Ca Bon Tempo (3:06)
5. Shenandoah (3:45)
6. Blackleg Miner (3:22)
7. Waiting at the Church (3:53)
8. Trafalgar Square (2:58)
9. There Is Beauty… (2:39)
10. Why Have My Loved Ones Gone? (3:26)
11. Old Rocking Chair's Got Me (3:05)
12. Orange-Coloured Sky (2:29)
13. Cry Me a River (4:49)
14. Drinking Wine Spo-dee-o-dee (2:32)
15. The Fool (3:19)
16. Legal Matter (3:23)
17. Tempted (4:45)
18. Kiss (3:54)
19. Oops! I Did It Again (3:37)
20. Sam Hall (3:28)
21. Money (2:51)
22. It Won't Be Long (2:27)
23. Marry, Ageyn Hic Hev Donne Yt (0:28)