''Bantam Cock'' is the third studio album by

Jake Thackray John Philip "Jake" Thackray (27 February 1938 – 24 December 2002) was an English singer-songwriter, poet, humourist and journalist. Best known in the late 1960s and early 1970s for his topical comedy songs performed on British television, hi ...

. It was produced by

Norman Newell Norman Newell (25 January 1919 – 1 December 2004) was an English record producer, who was mainly active in the 1950s and 1960s. He was also the co-writer of many notable songs. As an A&R manager for EMI, he worked with musicians such as Shir ...

and released on LP by

EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 2012, ...

in 1972. Musical direction was by

Geoff Love Geoffrey Love (4 September 1917 – 8 July 1991) was a prolific British arranger and composer of easy listening and pop versions of film themes. He became famous in the late 1950s, playing under the pseudonym of Manuel and The Music of The Mo ...

. The album is currently out of print, but its songs, digitally remastered, are included in the 4-CD retrospective ''

Jake in a Box ''Jake in a Box'' is a 4-CD box set retrospective of the songs of Jake Thackray, recorded by EMI from 1967 to 1976. It includes his four studio albums, ''The Last Will and Testament of Jake Thackray ''The Last Will and Testament of Jake Thack ...

''.

Content

''Bantam Cock'' features Thackray’s voice and acoustic guitar accompanied by double bass and electric guitar. The album is notable among Thackray’s catalogue for its

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a majo ...

influence and inclusion of electric guitar solos; Thackray’s output had thus far been entirely acoustic. "Brother Gorilla" is Thackray's English-language adaptation of the French song "

Le Gorille "Le Gorille" is a 1952 song by Georges Brassens, found on his album ''La Mauvaise Réputation''. It was also released as a single, with ''La Chasse Aux Papillons'' as B-side. Lyrics The song describes how a group of women in a zoo observe the gen ...

" by

Georges Brassens Georges Charles Brassens (; 22 October 1921 – 29 October 1981) was a French singer-songwriter and poet. As an iconic figure in France, he achieved fame through his elegant songs with their harmonically complex music for voice and guitar and a ...

Reception

Upon release, the album was met with critical acclaim from music press. ''

Record Mirror ''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper between 1954 and 1991 for pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after the '' NME'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK album chart was published in '' ...

'' said "quite simply, and not to put too fine a point on it, Jake Thackray is a genius...there are some tremendous songs on this", while the ''

Reading Evening Post The ''Reading Post'' (until 2009, the ''Reading Evening Post'') was an English local newspaper covering Reading, Berkshire and surrounding areas. The title page of the paper featured the Maiwand Lion, a famous local landmark at Forbury Gardens. Th ...

'' agreed, saying "yet another brilliant record from the Yorkshire tyke". Retrospectively,

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

awarded the album four stars, citing the title track and "Sister Josephine" as "drop dead classics" and denoting "Old Molly Metcalfe" the "most magical" of the album's highlights.

Legacy

The song "Bantam Cock" has been covered by

Fred Wedlock Peter Frederick Wedlock (23 May 1942 – 4 March 2010) was an English folk singer best known for his UK hit single "The Oldest Swinger in Town", which was covered by German comedian Karl Dall as "Der älteste Popper der Stadt". He performe ...

The Corries The Corries were a Scottish folk group that emerged from the Scottish folk revival of the early 1960s. The group was a trio from their formation until 1966 when founder Bill Smith left the band but Roy Williamson and Ronnie Browne continu ...

Alex Beaton Alex Beaton (July 15, 1944 – May 27, 2022) was a Scottish folk singer and guitarist who performed across the United States and in Canada and hosted tours to Scotland. Beaton established folk singers as a regular feature at highland games in ...

and

Jasper Carrott Robert Norman Davis (born 14 March 1945), best known by his stage name, Jasper Carrott, is an English comedian, actor and television presenter. Early life Born in Shaftmoor Lane, Acocks Green, in Birmingham, Carrott was educated at Acocks G ...

. "Sister Josephine" has been covered by

The Clancy Brothers The Clancy Brothers were an influential Irish folk music group that developed initially as a part of the American folk music revival. Most popular during the 1960s, they were famed for their Aran jumper sweaters and are widely credited with popu ...

The Barron Knights The Barron Knights are a British humorous pop rock group, originally formed in 1959 in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, Colin Larkin, ''Virgin Encyclopedia of Sixties Music'', (Muze UK Ltd, 1997), ), p. 32 as the Knights of the Round Table. ...

, Colcannon and

Robbie O'Connell Robbie O'Connell (born 1951) is an Irish singer songwriter who performs solo, as well as with The Green Fields of America. He also appears with Dónal Clancy (cousin), Dan Milner, and fiddler Rose Clancy. O'Connell has also toured and recorded ...

. "Old Molly Metcalfe" has been covered by

Tony Capstick Joseph Anthony Capstick (27 July 1944 – 23 October 2003) was an English comedian, actor, musician and broadcaster. Life and career First son of Joe Capstick, a wireless operator in the RAF, and his wife, June, née Duncan, he was born in Ro ...

and

The Witches of Elswick The Witches of Elswick (20012007) were an English ''a cappella'' folk quartet comprising Becky Stockwell, Gillian Tolfrey, Bryony Griffith and Fay Hield. Much of their material came from traditional music of the British Isles, including Two Sis ...

Track listing

References

External links

Track listing and sleeve notes at jakethackray.com
{{Authority control Jake Thackray albums 1972 albums Albums produced by Norman Newell EMI Records albums