I picked this up on a whim last week while I was going through the clearance section at Megatunes. It's been one of the best blind buys I've made in years.
Apparently Playboy asked Thompson and other musicians to list the best songs of the last Millenium and Thompson, being the smart ass bugger that he is, sent them a list of songs from the last thousand years. They never published his list but never one to stop a good joke from going too far Thompson put together a band to record said songs.
The first disc is filled with tunes you'll most likely never hear on the radio in any form. He starts with a rowdy version of Summer Is Icumen In from the thirteenth century. It turns into an amazing round with Thompson being joined on vocals by Judith Owen and Debra Dobkin.
The first disc just kind of takes off from there. Whether it's a haunting rendition of O Shenandoah or a passing nod to Fairport Convention with I Live in Trafalger Square Thompson and his band never let up. Filled with fancy noodling on guitar (Blackleg Miner is particularly great) and vocals the first disc makes the package a must have.
Sadly, the second disc isn't quite as good. It starts out fun (his version of Orange Colored Sky is a blast) but it seems to fall apart in the middle starting with See My Friends. I love the Kinks original but it just doesn't seem to fit with the rest of the songs. Then he follows it up with a laid back version of Friday on My Mind and a wholly unsatisfying version of Tempted by Squeeze. I'll admit that I'm not a huge fan of the original but Thompson doesn't seem to add anything new to it other than some nicely growled lyrics.
He ends the disc with a novelty song (a decent version of Oops...I Did It Again) and two pretty cool songs. Cry Me a River is schmaltz of the highest order but it comes out sounding great here. And his version of 1985 by Bowling For Soup is just about the perfect way to end this bizarre time tripping CD set.
So, while it lags in the middle of disc two, it's well worth the pick up. I haven't watched the DVD yet but I'm planning on putting it on the big screen at work on the weekend so I'll let you know how that goes.
Apparently Playboy asked Thompson and other musicians to list the best songs of the last Millenium and Thompson, being the smart ass bugger that he is, sent them a list of songs from the last thousand years. They never published his list but never one to stop a good joke from going too far Thompson put together a band to record said songs.
The first disc is filled with tunes you'll most likely never hear on the radio in any form. He starts with a rowdy version of Summer Is Icumen In from the thirteenth century. It turns into an amazing round with Thompson being joined on vocals by Judith Owen and Debra Dobkin.
The first disc just kind of takes off from there. Whether it's a haunting rendition of O Shenandoah or a passing nod to Fairport Convention with I Live in Trafalger Square Thompson and his band never let up. Filled with fancy noodling on guitar (Blackleg Miner is particularly great) and vocals the first disc makes the package a must have.
Sadly, the second disc isn't quite as good. It starts out fun (his version of Orange Colored Sky is a blast) but it seems to fall apart in the middle starting with See My Friends. I love the Kinks original but it just doesn't seem to fit with the rest of the songs. Then he follows it up with a laid back version of Friday on My Mind and a wholly unsatisfying version of Tempted by Squeeze. I'll admit that I'm not a huge fan of the original but Thompson doesn't seem to add anything new to it other than some nicely growled lyrics.
He ends the disc with a novelty song (a decent version of Oops...I Did It Again) and two pretty cool songs. Cry Me a River is schmaltz of the highest order but it comes out sounding great here. And his version of 1985 by Bowling For Soup is just about the perfect way to end this bizarre time tripping CD set.
So, while it lags in the middle of disc two, it's well worth the pick up. I haven't watched the DVD yet but I'm planning on putting it on the big screen at work on the weekend so I'll let you know how that goes.
