Thompson Gives Musical History Class

By Christopher John Treacy

Though probably best left alone by those low on patience for dry British humor and semi-long-winded explanations, Richard Thompson’s touring history lesson is a treat.

Thompson – a modern folk godfather and one of rock’s most gifted guitarists – filled theBerklee Performance Center Friday night with an oddball crowd of mixed adult devotees and random young’uns blessed with admirable musical curiosity, (either that or they’d been fed sedatives).

Either way, his keen understanding of musical rudiments renders him an able guidethrough what he’s dubbed “1,000 Years of Popular Music,” an entertaining, and in some spots even stunning, tune-told lecture. The show dates back to Playboy’s 1999 request for the revered songwriter to rank the 20th Century’s top ten – which he began with a ditty from 1068.... Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

With songstress Judith Owen and percussionist Debra Dobkin in tow, Thompson entered the hall through an orchestra side door, marching procession-style down the aisle while Dobkin pounded out a tribal beat to begin “Glory to the Queen of Heavens,” an enchanting, Virgin Mary-inspired 13th Century hymn. Throughout the evening, Thompson radiated wisdom and warmth as the trio repeatedly exposed the ‘folk’ at the root of most popular music... Plus his still-flexible singing voice resonated rich as could be.

Act one was all pre-20th Century. And Owen, dressed in a medieval-looking black cloak that suited the oft-sinister themes, nearly stole the show during the operatic chiller “When I’m Laid in Earth,” revealing a similar vocal quality to Thompson’s ex-wife Linda.Meanwhile, the Fairport Convention-esque “Blackleg Miner” showed Dobkin at the height of her rhythmic powers. The trio triumphed during the 1608 madrigal “Shepherd’s Pipe” with a flesh-raising three-part vocal arrangement.

Though still plenty entertaining, Act Two didn’t fare as well. Owen (who’s married to Harry Shearer of “The Simpsons” fame) lighted a fire under the opener, “Java Jive” and threw much sultry sizzle into both Cole Porter’s “Night & Day” and Arthur Hamilton’s steamy “Cry Me a River.”

But Thompson fell short just where you thought he’d really conquer – rock and roll. Sure, his folkie deconstructions of ABBA’s “Money, Money Money” and Nelly Furtado’s “Maneater” were amusing, but perhaps more impressive on paper than in their musical reality.

His odes to the 60’s, (Beatles, Easybeats, Kinks) weren’t nearly as engaging as the premodern selections either, but the show is still a marvel: Forty years ago, few would’ve guessed that the then-sheepish Thompson would demonstrate anything close to the level of versatility now coloring his extensive career.