Nick Drake Appreciation - Album By Album & All Things Nick Drake*

Wonderful pictorial account of Nick's short life-- love those two. A thanks for the insights from Keith.

 

Right. It may be he had a romantic notion of cities "by the bay" with streetcars rolling by. Don't we all. There are two demo versions of fly on the "A Day Gone By" compilation (demos, outtakes and home recordings).

 

Bless Joe for these amazing two albums, and his unwavering faith in Nick. And for his insight in making sure that Nick's albums were never out of print--ever.

 

A wonderful acoustic version of Fly...Just Nick and his guitar.

Fly
Nick Drake - Fly (Acoustic Version) - YouTube



It is easy to hear the genius of Nick's higher octave and lower octave vocals and the emotional effect by listening to the many of the covers on youtube where the musicians covering the song often don't trade the verses between the two octaves. They don't seem to get the power of those octave shifts.

This is quite a nice cover:
Nick Drake Fly - YouTube

 

One of the best guitarists and vocalists on youtube are this kid...pretty amazing.

'Cello Song covered by Tobias Wilden
Cello Song - Nick Drake (Cover) - YouTube

But of course all these covers only emphasize what a unique genius was Nick Drake.

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The Royal Tenenbaums...give me a second grace.

Richie & Margot - YouTube
UMG (on behalf of Island Records); Abramus Digital, ARESA, CMRRA, BMG Rights Management, and 6 Music Rights Societies

 

Yep, that's how I always saw it.

 

'Poor Boy'. This may be the most controversial song on Bryter Layter, or any Nick Drake song; at least from the view point of who likes it and those who don't.
I love it and hear such a cool jazzy tone. I often fantasize about watching Nick performing this live with some cool jazz combo in a London Club....back up singers n' all. That would be so sweet. Give it another listen and chance, if only because it gives such insight into Nick's heart and mind with gentle self deprecation and that oh so British sarcasm.

Love that wonderful mocking chorus with the great backup singers...a jazzy r&b soul revue.

Oh poor boy
So sorry for himself
Oh poor boy
So worried for his health
Oh poor boy.



8. Poor Boy



Never sing for my supper
I never help my neighbor
Never do what is proper
For my fair share of labor.

I'm a poor boy
And I'm a rover
Count your coins and
Throw them over my shoulder
I may grow older
Nobody knows
How cold it grows
And nobody sees
How shaky my knees
Nobody cares
How steep my stairs
And nobody smiles
If I cross their stiles.

Oh poor boy
So sorry for himself
Oh poor boy
So worried for his health.
You may say every day
Where will he stay tonight.

Never know what I came for
Seems that I've forgotten
Never ask what I came for
Or how I was begotten.

I'm a poor boy
And I'm a ranger
Things I say
May seem stranger than Sunday
Changing to Monday.
Nobody knows
How cold it flows
And nobody feels
The worn down heels
Nobody's eyes
Make the skies
Nobody spreads
Their aching heads.

Oh poor boy
So worried for his life
Oh poor boy
So keen to take a wife.

He's a mess but he'll say yes
If you just dress in white.

Nobody knows
How cold it blows
And nobody sees
How shaky my knees
Nobody cares
How steep my stairs
And nobody smiles
If you cross their stiles.

Oh poor boy
So sorry for himself
Oh poor boy
So worried for his health.
You may say every day
Where will he stay tonight.

Oh poor boy
So worried for his life
Oh poor boy
So keen to take a wife.

Oh poor boy
So sorry for himself
Oh poor boy
So worried for his health
Oh poor boy.
Songwriters: Nick Drake
Poor Boy lyrics © BMG Rights Management
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Nick Drake-vocal, guitar
Chris McGregor-piano
Dave Pegg-bass
Mike Kowalski-drums
Par Arnold & Doris Troy-backing vocals

 

A nice review from Rolling Stone.

POOR BOY
by Richie Unterberger

The jazzy, humorously self-pitying folk-rock of “Poor Boy” was given an unexpected jab by a chorus of soulful female singers gently making light of Nick Drake’s sorrow. Pianist Chris McGregor only got to play on the track by asking to stick around after producer Joe Boyd mixed his record that morning. “When I heard ‘Poor Boy,’ I thought of ‘So Long, Marianne’ on the Leonard Cohen album and its mocking chorus of girls’ voices,” recalled Boyd. “When I suggested it to Nick, he looked at me for a minute, unsure how to respond, but didn’t seem entirely convinced.”

Poor Boy – Rolling Stone

 

forgive me if I'm out of sync.

This sacd is all I have heard of Mr Drake and it is magnificent. It also has a marvelous 5.1 mix

 

• South African jazz musician, Chris McGregor, recorded his incredible piano for this track in just one take. McGregor is perhaps best-known for founding and leading the South African sextet, The Blue Notes.

 

You have some catching up, my friend. Start with all his three albums...you can listen to each track here. Start at the beginning of the thread...

We have a way to go still, with two tracks left on Bryter Layter, and all of Pink Moon.

 

I'm rolling through it slowly

 

Poor Boy
Interesting that Joe Boyd says 'Poor Boy' reminded him of 'So Long, Marianne,' as the arrangements on Songs of Leonard Cohen are always the parallel I drew for this song. Throughout Cohen's entire career, female backing vocals were often used to compliment his own very masculine voice and to create these full, beautiful arrangements. I agree with Boyd that this is the vibe I get on 'Poor Boy.' I've always loved it and didn't know it was a less popular Nick song. Maybe that makes sense, because it is quite different from his 'signature sound' if you will, but I love its jazzy vibe, the darker British humor of the lyrics and that chorus of girls is perfect to my ears. I think it's an essential component of Bryter Layter and has such a wonderful, autumnal feeling to it. I might even put this song in my overall top ten for Nick Drake, though I've never created such a list. It just appeals to my natural tastes, I suppose, and it's nice to hear Nick with a bit of a wink and a sly smile.

 

And maybe a bit of that jazzy Joni Mitchell vibe we both love with her backup chorus of female singers? Piano of course, and her often sarcastic but gentle wit.

 

Once again only the best would do when it came to backing singers:

PP Arnold who had a hit with Cat Steven's The First Cut Is The Deepest in 67



and Doris Troy who had a Top 10 hit in 63 with Just One Look.

 

Joe had a great ear for great musicians. Joe discovering Nick is so fortunate in the respect that Joe had such an empathic sense and feel for Nick's music...only the best indeed.

Joe had an ear for that; Sandy Denny, Fairport, John Cale, John Martyn, Jethro Tull and Nico too, and so many others. In the wrong hands, the prospect of what may have happened to Nick's music is scary.

 

Not being funny, but I discovered Belle and Sebastian partly because of Nick Drake.

 

The Incredible String Band’s devotion to Scientology and refusal to listen to my advice, coupled with my arguments with Sandy, the growing recalcitrance of Fairport and Nick’s simple concept for his next album all combined to make me feel that everyone might be happier with me out of the way.

Certainly my involvement with Witchseason artists was intense. Everything was based on the assumption that there would be success – when it became clear that it was headed for more hard slog and meagre rewards, the Witchseason business model fell apart. In retrospect, I might have considered selling to Island but staying on as producer etc. But I was too burnt out to see that clearly and was intrigued by the possibilities of learning about the film business.
(Joe Boyd interview)

 

Yes 'Poor Boy', it's a funny one in more than one sense of the word. I used to think the female backing singers were incongruous and the song over the top. But it's grown on me - the jazzy vibe, the effervescent piano and the self-deprecating humour of the lyrics. Nevertheless it's not one of his most insightful or subtle songs, but it's still a lot of fun and I like it just the way it is.

 

Would I cherry pick Poor Boy if casually flicking through a Nick Drake playlist?
I doubt it.
Despite being a little incongruous, its deserving of its place.
They were looking for a single that might help break the album and hoped Island would release Poor Boy.
But like so many things with Nick...it never quite happened.

 

I wouldn't have picked it either either upon initial listen, but nowadays it is a jazzy highlight I look forward to every time. "Poor Boy' is an essential piece in the three album personal diary of Nick Drake. I still grieve over the ending, but will always cherish the musical journey, start to finish.

 

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It's a good compilation, although Nick's canon is brief, and not costly to acquire all of.

 

The second verse "And what will happen in the evening in the forest with the weasel with the teeth that bite so sharp when you’re not looking in the evening?" I believe is referring to a venue with nasty person/s making comments while he's trying to play. The gig in the pub where he didn't go down well is what comes to mind. Negative & derogatory comments from the uncaring crowd would have cut such a sensitive soul like a knife.

 

I wouldn't be a bit surprised if Peter Cetera had both this and "Chime Of A City Clock" on his mind when composing "Wishing You Were Here."

 

There's a good argument to be made that both "When The Day Is Done" and "Fruit Tree" were inspired by Marianne Faithfull's upbeat cover of Donovan's "Hampstead Incident."