John Philip "Jake" Thackray 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, his work ranged from satirical to bawdy to sentimental to pastoral, with a strong emphasis on storytelling, making him difficult to categorise.
The Light is the 1995 debut album by American progressive rock band Spock's Beard. The album features two different covers—one for its domestic release, and one for its European release. "The Light" has since become Spock's Beard's signature song. The album has since been remastered and re-released by Radiant Records.
Front Parlour Ballads is the twelfth studio album by Richard Thompson, recorded in 2004.
Unicorn is the third studio album by English psychedelic folk band Tyrannosaurus Rex. It was released on 16 May 1969 by record labels Regal Zonophone and Blue Thumb, and was the last Tyrannosaurus Rex album to feature Steve Peregrin Took.
Cruel Sister is an album recorded in 1970 by folk-rock band Pentangle. It was the most folk-based of the albums recorded by the band, with all the tracks being versions of traditional songs. Whereas their previous album had been produced by Shel Talmy, and featured quite a heavily produced, commercial sound, Cruel Sister was produced by Bill Leader, noted for his recordings of folk musicians.
"Midnight Rider" is a song by the American rock band the Allman Brothers Band. It was the second single from their second studio album, Idlewild South (1970), released on Capricorn Records. The song was primarily written by vocalist Gregg Allman, who first began composing it at a rented cabin outside Macon, Georgia. He enlisted the help of roadie Robert Kim Payne to complete the song's lyrics. He and Payne broke into Capricorn Sound Studios to complete a demo of the song.
Like an Old Fashioned Waltz is the third solo album by English folk rock singer Sandy Denny, released in June 1974.
No Regrets is the fourth album by the American pop group The Walker Brothers. The album was released in 1975 and was the group's first together since 1967. It reached number forty-nine on the UK Albums Chart and includes the single "No Regrets". The single backed with the non-album B-side "Remember Me" became the group's final significant hit single, reaching #7 in the UK Singles Chart in early 1976.
The Last Will and Testament of Jake Thackray is the debut album by Jake Thackray. It was produced by Norman Newell in August 1967 and released on LP that year by EMI in the UK and Philips Records in the USA. The record company, unsure of how the public would respond to Thackray's lugubrious voice accompanied only by his guitar, added orchestral arrangements by Roger Webb and Geoff Love to many of the songs.
Jake's Progress is the second album by Jake Thackray. It was recorded at Abbey Road Studios, produced by Norman Newell, and released on LP by EMI in 1968. The album is currently out of print, but its songs, digitally remastered, are included in the four-CD retrospective Jake in a Box, which also includes alternate versions of eight of the songs – "Left on the Shelf", "The Blacksmith and the Toffee-Maker", "Family Tree", "One-Eyed Isaac", "Grandad", "Salvation Army Girl", "Sophie" and "Nurse" – recorded during the sessions for The Last Will and Testament of Jake Thackray in 1967. "The Blacksmith and the Toffee-Maker" was adapted by Thackray from a story from Laurie Lee's Cider with Rosie.
Live Performance is a live album by Jake Thackray. Recorded at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London in 1970, it was released on LP by EMI in 1971 and reissued in 1976. An expanded version was released on CD in 2006.
The Very Best of Jake Thackray is the name of two compilation albums by Jake Thackray, the first released on LP in 1975, and the second on CD in 2003. They were both released on EMI records and produced by Norman Newell. Although the two albums share the same title, their track lists greatly differ, and their covers each depict a different photograph of Thackray, albeit from the same photoshoot.
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 (1967), Jake's Progress (1969), Bantam Cock (1972) and On Again! On Again! (1977), and six singles, digitally remastered, plus outtakes from the Last Will and Testament sessions, and songs recorded for an abandoned album in 1970.
Jake Thackray and Songs was a six-part television series recorded in 1980 and broadcast on BBC2 in 1981, in which Jake Thackray and guests performed songs live in a variety of venues. A live album of the same name, recorded at the Stables Theatre, Wavendon, Milton Keynes, as part of the sessions for the TV series, was released on LP by Dingle’s Records in 1981. All six episodes of the TV series still exist in the BBC archives with Thackray's performances and some of those of his guests released as a DVD in October 2014. The album remained out of print and circulation for some time, until it was released on Spotify in 2022.
Lah-Di-Dah is a compilation album by Jake Thackray, released by EMI on LP and CD in 1991.
Ain't Living Long Like This is the debut studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Rodney Crowell, released in 1978 by Warner Bros. Records. It failed to enter the Top Country Albums chart. The songs, "Elvira", "Song for the Life" and "(Now and Then, There's) A Fool Such as I" were released as singles but they all failed to chart within the top 40. Despite this, Ain't Living Long Like This is considered one of Crowell's best and most influential albums. Brett Hartenbach of Allmusic says it "not only showcases his songwriting prowess, but also his ability to deliver a song, whether it's one of his own or the work of another writer". Most of the songs on this album were later covered by other artists including The Oak Ridge Boys and Alan Jackson. When the album was re-released in 2002 the font on the cover was enlarged to make it more legible.
Kentucky Bluebird is the second compilation album by American country music singer Keith Whitley. His first posthumous album, it was released by RCA Records in September 1991. The album consists of four previously released songs, re-orchestrated demos, and other previously unreleased songs, as well as snippets from live performances that predate his professional music career.
Speed of Darkness is the fifth studio album by the Irish-American Celtic punk band Flogging Molly, released on May 31, 2011. The album was recorded at Echo Mountain, an old church building turned recording studio in Asheville, North Carolina. The album was produced by Ryan Hewitt, who has worked with bands Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Avett Brothers. Speed of Darkness debuted at number nine on the Billboard 200 chart and number four on the Billboard Independent Chart. It is the band's last album with drummer George Schwindt.
"You Can Close Your Eyes" is a song written by James Taylor which was released on his 1971 album Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon. It was also released as the B-side to his #1 single "You've Got a Friend". It has often been described as a lullaby. It was initially recorded by his sister Kate Taylor for her 1971 album Sister Kate. The song has been covered by many artists, including Carly Simon, Linda Ronstadt, Maureen McGovern, Richie Havens, Sheryl Crow, Sting, Eddie Vedder with Natalie Maines, and the King's Singers.
"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.
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