Peter Stampfel has been a stalwart in the folk scene since the 60s, and he started this project almost twenty years ago. One song from each year of the twentieth century. Some hits, some standards and some obscurities.

Peter Stampfel Peter Stampfel's 20th Century in 100 Songs (Louisiana Red Hot Records)

Yes, 100 songs. That's more than a career for most. For Stampfel, it's just something he did on the side. And then, a few years back, he lost his voice. After teaching himself to sing again, he finished up the final 28 songs. That's commitment.

Most of the songs are just Stampfel and a guitar (or banjo sometimes, I think). He has more help on the later songs, and so songs like "September Gurls" and "Tubthumping" are more raucous affairs. The latter is one of my favorites, turning a pop-punk anthem into a hoe-down.

I will say that I don't agree with all of his choices. He includes my least favorite song of all time, John Anderson's "Swingin'" (the song that almost single-handedly ruined every high school dance for me), and he manages to avoid any Paul Simon songs. But his breadth is impressive (going from "Dancing With Myself" to "Steppin' Out" to the aforementioned Anderson abomination in the early 80s) and Stampfel remains enthusiastic all the way to the end (closing with a whimsical rendition of Coldplay's "Yellow").

This set is a curiosity, but Stampfel's willingness to dig into the deep tracks provides a comprehensive, if not authoritative, look at the first full century of recorded music. Skip around or listen all the way through--there's no wrong way. Fun and richly rewarding.

Jon Worley