To counter widespread bootlegging of his music, Richard Thompson decided to from time to time issue “unofficial” live recordings. With the birth of his official website “Beesweb” and a label of the same name, the number of these releases has grown dramatically and quickly. SpinART recently issued the new official album The Old Kit Bag and Beesweb followed with 1000 Years of Popular Music, More Guitar and now Ducknapped!.
The first of these was 1000 Years. It had perhaps the most interesting genesis. The way Thompson tells it, he was among a number of musicians asked by Playboy magazine to contribute their lists of “the best songs of the millennium,” back when the magical “Y2K” was approaching. Figuring the magazine really meant “the past 50 years” or so, Thompson decided to take them at their word and work up an actual list of the best popular songs from the past 1,000 years. Needless to say, they didn’t publish his list.
But it gave the versatile singer songwriter the germ of an idea — to put together a concert featuring some of these songs. It was first presented at the Getty Center in Los Angeles early in 2001, and again during a five-night stand in New York in July 2002. This CD is taken from the New York performances.
1000 Years is Thompson in a rarely heard configuration, an acoustic trio: Himself on vocals and guitar, Michael Jerome on drums and percussion, and Judith Owen on vocals. It gives him an opportunity to do one of the things he does best — accompany himself on solo acoustic guitar — while having the advantage of a rhythm section and an occasional backing vocalist to lend some variety to the sonic pallette. It works beautifully.
The selections run more or less chronologically, from “Sumer is Icumen In,” a 13th-century round, through Renaissance dances like “So Ben Mi Ca Bon Tempo,” American and English folk songs like “Shenandoah” and “Blackleg Miner,” English dance hall fare like “Waiting at the Church” and “Trafalgar Square,” through jazz, American musicals, rockabilly, rock and funk.
Highlights include his stirring rendition of “Shenandoah,” with expressive fingerpicking and moving vocals; the venomous “Blackleg Miner,” another entry in RT’s canon of labor songs; a hilariously over-the-top duet with Owen on “There is Beauty…” from Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Mikado; Owen’s solo turn on “Cry Me a River;” and RT’s rollicking takes on “Drinking Wine Spo-dee-o-dee” and The Who’s “Legal Matter.”
But the track that really takes the cake is his sardonic, minor-key cover of “Oops! I Did it Again.” That’s right, the Britney Spears mega-hit from a few years back. As he says in the liner notes, “Taken out of context, this is a pretty nice song.” To hear Richard Thompson thundering out “Oooh, baby baby” and “I’m not that innocent” is worth the price of the record alone.
One more word on 1000 Years. The guitar playing. If you haven’t heard Richard Thompson play solo acoustic guitar, you should listen to this record. It has too many instances to mention of his all-but-patented style that sounds like two or three guitarists playing at once, without the aid of any electronics, loops, etc. Probably the best examples are “Drinking Wine…” where he sets up the slap-bass beat with his flatpick on the low strings, and reels off the melody line and embellishments via fingerpicks on the high strings; and on Prince’s “Kiss,” where his guitar pretty much fills in for the whole funk orchestra. And he makes it sound easy.
Unique and creative song selection, sheer inventiveness, and the fact that this is unlike any other Richard Thompson album are adding up to make 1000 Years of Popular Music one of my favorites in RT’s extensive discography.
Ducknapped! is fresh, recorded as The Old Kit Bag was just finding a place in the market, from seven live shows in the UK in March 2003 and two in the US in May of that year. The band was honing the songs that had been laid down in the studio. Only Danny Thompson and Richard himself were part of the recordings (and Owen on backing vocals) but still, familiarity and regular playing brings an edge to songs which may not be present in the studio, the nature of recording, layering, and polishing being what it is.
Ducknapped! was named for a large stuffed duck that served as a tour mascot, and which disappeared one night, apparently held for ransom. The cover of the CD shows pictures of the poor creature bound with heavy yellow cord, and wanted posters of the usual suspects. Pete Zorn, who plays guitar, horns, mandolin and flute; Earl Marvin, the drummer; Danny Thompson (no relation) Richard’s long-time bassist; and Rory McFarlane who took Danny T.’s spot for the American part of the tour. Christine Collister and Judith Owen guest on vocals, although no suspicion is cast their way concerning the ‘crime,’ their photos do not appear in this package.
Nine of the twelve songs from TOKB are repeated here, in slightly more muscular versions, fleshed out with the addition of Zorn’s multi-instrumentals.
Ducknapped! also features a few older RT songs (“Bank Vault in Heaven,” “Valerie,” “Can’t Win,” “Missie How You Let Me Down,”and “I Misunderstood). As always, Richard Thompson’s guitar playing is the center of attention. And deservedly so. He is an awesome stylist, in a category by himself, whether playing acoustic, or electric. His twisting, jabbing solos are jaw-droppingly good.
(Beesweb, 2003)
