November 05, 2008
The Jake Thackray website.
With a biography, reviews, discography, lyrics, and guitar tabs for many of his songs.
Thackray is unusual among British singer-songwriters of the 1960s in that his influences came from across the English Channel rather than from across the Atlantic Ocean. His obituary in The Guardian describes him as the founding father of the English chanson. Thackray was inspired by Jacques Brel and in particular by Georges Brassens. His guitar playing is very interesting: nylon strings strung on an acoustic guitar with a style described as somewhere between jazz and classical. Some YouTubage: Brother Gorilla (Thackray's adaptation of Brassens's Le Gorille) Sister Josephine Ulysses On again
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I just discovered him a couple of months ago, and have been slowly making my way through the box set. It's fantastic stuff! All the better since I'd no idea the guy even existed. Thanks, roryk!
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Good, good stuff. When Victoria Wood was starting out she used to do a mainly musical act and she used to describe herself as 'like Jake Thackray, only with tits.' (of course she wasn't, really).
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Brother Gor-i-i-i-i-i-i-lla!
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My dad loves this guy.
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Who else would be considered 'English Chanson'?
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Leon Rosselson would be one I think.
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Billy Bragg, maybe? I dunno.
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Bill considers himself a folkie, but I think that's a bit of a stretch. The politics fit, but the music don't.
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I think some of Billy's work is in the chansonnier tradition but his arrangements vary a lot from year to year (and show to show, apparently).
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Indeed they do. And I love him, but the last album? I don't think I've been able to force myself to listen to it more than three times. Sure, it's hard for him to have to compete against his own brilliant past, but sheesh... Nuthin' there.