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Nick Drake
Five Leaves Left / Bryter Layter / Pink Moon /
Way to Blue: An Introduction to Nick Drake
(Island/Universal)
First Appeared at The Music Box, August 2003, Volume 10, #8
Written by John Metzger
Nick Drake passed away in 1974 after releasing just three albums. Though each
was a gem, Drake never achieved the level of success that he deserved or
desired. Even a new generation of musicians, including Sondre Lerche, Belle &
Sebastian, and Duncan Sheik, have failed to draw attention to Drake’s music,
leaving it to an artist’s nightmare — a television commercial — to do the deed.
No matter, at least the task was accomplished, prompting Drake’s masterful
catalog to be digitally remastered and reissued — his three albums and a best-of
compilation were released in May, while a rarities collection and a box set Fruit Tree, which contains everything he ever recorded, will be re-released
within the next year. In any event, perhaps now, in hindsight, Drake’s albums
will be recognized for the brilliance contained therein.
Originally issued in 1969, Drake’s Five Leaves Left was as promising a
debut as any. Fairport Convention’s Richard Thompson — who discovered Drake and
introduced him to producer Joe Boyd — adds country-tinged electric guitar to the
opening Time Has Told Me, but it’s Drake’s poetic lyrics and sweetly
sorrowful melodies that truly shine. His understated arrangements — much like
those of Donovan — provide the perfect accompaniment for wispy vocals that soar
dreamily above the delicate dance of acoustic guitar, congas, and strings.
Time Has Told Me lends much to Simon & Garfunkel’s Bridge over Troubled
Water, and there’s a bit of give-and-take between Drake, Pink Floyd, and
David Crosby that floats throughout the album, too. The strings frequently
borrow from The Beatles — most notably Eleanor Rigby — and they stream
like gentle tears around the words that drift from Drake’s lips. Each track is a
masterpiece meant for candlelit evenings spent alone in quiet reflection, and
each song — be it the desperation of life outlined on Day Is Done or the
hopeful ache contained within Cello Song’s softly rolling groove — is
meant to be heard by those cloaked in darkness but searching for the light.
Drake’s 1970 follow-up Bryter Layter wasn’t quite as melancholic as Five Leaves Left, and for a moment, it seemed as if the poet had pulled
himself out of his perpetually depressed state of mind. For this outing, Drake’s
lyrics occasionally allow small rays of sunlight to gleam upon the surface of
his songs, and this not only is upheld but also is amplified by the lighter air
of the music, which once again was produced by Joe Boyd. Hazey Jane II —
a song that has fueled much of Belle & Sebastian’s work, though the glorious
swoon of Northern Sky runs a close second — is downright bubbly jazz-pop
on which Richard Thompson reprises his complimentary country-tinged guitar role,
while a smattering of Bacharachian horns twitters about the upbeat percussive
groove. The sound of a string section lovingly floats above At the Chime of a
City Clock as a saxophone soars through its center, and piano gracefully
supports the yearning in One of These Things First. Though a hint of
sadness is still present throughout Bryter Layter, this time it is
cloaked within the cloudless hope for a better future, making the album Drake’s
most accessible outing.
Unfortunately, neither of Drake’s first two albums sold very well, and
following the release of Bryter Layter, the artist plunged into a
horribly debilitating depression. He never cared all that much for performing
live, preferring his reclusive lifestyle to anything remotely social, and by the
time of Pink Moon’s recording, Drake truly was at the end of his rope,
unable to walk, talk, write, or sing. Nevertheless, over the course of two
nights, he managed to find the courage and the strength to piece together the
eleven songs that became his final album. Oddly enough, the title track gained
him the most attention when thirty years later it was utilized for the unlikely
purpose of selling automobiles, especially given the entire effort was a dark
excursion through the mind of a troubled soul. Accompanying himself on guitar
and piano, Pink Moon was as stark and solitary as one could possibly get.
Rather than be unlistenable fare, however, the suite is eerily compelling,
containing song after song of both breathtaking beauty and haunted sorrow, its
raw emotion and naked vulnerability laid bare against the calm resignation in
Drake’s mellowed voice. It proved to be a fittingly prescient farewell — Drake
would accidentally overdose on antidepressants a few years later, leaving behind
a body of work that others would mine endlessly for clues that his death was
actually a suicide. It doesn’t really matter how or why Drake died. His music
was pure art, straight from his heart and mind with far more purity than most
musicians could ever hope to muster.
The compilation Way to Blue: An Introduction to Nick Drake achieves
exactly what its name implies, collecting 16 tracks from Drake’s 3 studio albums
as well as his rarities set. While Way to Blue is wonderfully sequenced
and provides a superb overview of his brilliant career, it’s a far better
investment to purchase the complete releases. They truly are that good, standing
quite well on their own merit and containing absolutely no filler.
Five Leaves Left — 
Bryter Layter —
Pink Moon —
Way to Blue: An Introduction to Nick Drake —
Five Leaves Left is available from Amazon.com.
To order, Click Here!
For Canadian orders, please
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Bryter Layter is available from Amazon.com.
To order, Click Here!
For Canadian orders, please
Click Here!
For UK orders, please
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Pink Moon is available from Amazon.com.
To order, Click Here!
For Canadian orders, please
Click Here!
For UK orders, please
Click Here!
Way to Blue: An Introduction to Nick Drake is available
from Amazon.com. To order, Click Here!
For Canadian orders, please
Click Here!
For UK orders, please
Click Here!
Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2003
The Music Box
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