Beware of the Bull: The Enigmatic Genius of Jake Thackray

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One man is missing from the graveside: the traitor who pulled the trigger and who is now in custody, accused of M's murder - James Bond. In the midst of all this Thackray had an all-too-brief tenure as the resident minstrel, singing songs that were clever, funny, and poignant in equal measure. That said, the deployment of the n-word is clearly wrong in all contexts – listen to the song, then take a step back, and think about whether it’s necessary to hear.

Then, of course, there is Sister Josephine, a brilliantly accomplished tale of an escaped burglar who has been hiding out in a nunnery for fifteen years disguised as one of the Sisters, has introduced them to pontoon and --it has been noticed-- is oddly hirsute compared with the other nuns. A great evening’s entertainment whether you are a hardcore Thackray fan or coming afresh to his magnificent songs.

Two rarities graced the performance at the NCEM, The Ferryboat, extolling the charms of a public house, and a scabrous number about National Service that was aired, reluctantly, once in 1986. Videos of Thackray during the period where he was, if not in actual decline, looking towards the stage exit, make for sad watching and reinforce McTell’s worries.

Show business is littered with examples of artists who were eventually deserted by their audiences but Thackray is a rare example of an artist who deserted his audience. Like the previous record, it contains several of his most memorable songs, including Family Tree which, although it includes some decidedly objectionable lyrics, still paints a vivid comedic picture of the singer’s kith and kin, including brother Richard who, aged thirteen, was presented to the Queen only to go and spoil it all by offering her a cigarette.On Again’, Beware of the Bull hangs opinions and interpretations not on onerous analysis (leave that to me) but various excellent sources like Thackray’s ex-wife, son, agent, close friends, and the man himself. By 1986 Thackray had finally written enough new material to put together an album, but when offered a deal by a small record label, he chose not to go through with it.

Even so, by April 1967 Thackray was in the EMI studios at Abbey Road at his first recording sessions.Perhaps Thompson unnecessarily underlined a line or two, in contrast to Thackray’s determinedly deadpan style, but it was a treat to hear the tunes live. The final chapters are heartbreaking, but - on a very human level - are tempered with a sense of relief at Thackray's (albeit materially ruinous) release from the demands of a working life that he had come to hate and fear.

Thackray would finally turn up at the respective venue weeks later, full of apologies, and offer to perform for free. Alongside this comedic gem with its zinger of a punchline, songs such as Go Little Swale and Old Molly Metcalfe showcase Thackray’s endearing talent for evoking the beautiful Yorkshire landscape and the people who inhabit it. An anarchic and iconoclastic word-juggler of rare dexterity he punctured the pompous and celebrated the outsider.With regards to ‘One Of Them’ I think you can hold the two ideas in your head at the same time: that he can be applauded for attempting a progressive take on the grisly prejudice-based humour prevalent in the 1970s and that a firmer line between a denotative content and the manner in which it's expressed could have been drawn. It’s a theory strengthened by a story of McTell’s: “After one London gig we sat up late and I dug out my Randy Newman albums. I sometimes wonder if it was the recklessness of a lifestyle he was denied, breaking out from that religious encumbrance.