Nick Drake may not be a good fit for the bright summertime, given his mostly melancholy songs. But this making-of work is currently entering the stage and throws up exciting spots for fans of the rich British roots-folk genre. Only 26 years old, Nicholas Rodney Drake died of an overdose of antidepressants at his parents’ home on November 25, 1974.
His legacy includes three wonderful, top-class folk/singer-songwriter albums that did not receive the attention they deserved during his lifetime. As can unfortunately be the case in life. His debut “Five Leaves Left” from 1969, followed a year later by “Bryter Layter” and “Pink Moon” in 1972 enjoy a certain cult status today: velvety-chill, performed with baroque acoustic guitar and sonorous voice, framed here and there by bass (partly plucked by Danny Thompson from Pentangle), piano or vibraphone and even strings. And virtuoso songwriting. For which he has sometimes been compared to Van Morrison or Donovan – and rightly so.
Why this album to the original album from 1969? Because – as is so often the case – old material has once again surfaced that is worth releasing in the eyes of the executors, in this case the “Nick Drake Estate”. Tapes “from two sources” prompted Nick’s sister Gabrielle to take this step. And it was the right thing to do. Because the 32 demos, outtakes and instrumentals that tell the story of how the debut “Five Leaves Left” came about. And it is multifaceted, exciting and extensive – a 60-page book illuminates the history in detail and lovingly prepared.
Seven songs that didn’t make it onto the original album can be heard, unfortunately in poor, historical sound quality. Most of the tracks, on the other hand, sound astonishingly clear, with fine dynamics and faithful tonal colors. Joe Boyd, producer (Fairport Convention, Pink Floyd) and label boss of Hannibal Records, took Nick under his wing at the time. Arranger Robert Kirby (Elton John, Paul Weller) conducted the strings.
Even if this retrospective of his work is more likely to appeal to fans, it draws attention to an incredibly talented artist who, like young poets of the 19th century, died far too early but left behind a living, unaged folk oeuvre for generations. And thanks to this reminder, it is worth rediscovering it, especially as the albums sound great considering their age.
Rating
Nick Drake | 2025/07 |
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OUTSTANDING | |
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Video clip for “Strange Face (1st Sound Techniques Session, March / 1968)”
All music tips from July 2025 (German language):
The Original Alice Cooper Group “The Revenge Of Alice Cooper”
Albums of the month July 2025: Fred Hersch “The Surrounding Green”
The albums of July 2025: Billie Marten “Dog Eared”
The albums of July 2025: Frank Zappa “Cheaper Than Cheep”
