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

Great points. Nick loved Sibelius IIRC. He loved how Sibelius used strings not for melodic purposes in the traditional cantabile fashion but as representations of nature through small motifs.

 

I forgot to mention, Nick uses the "Amen" cadence in the first two chords on the song Time Has Told Me.
Also and help me out here technical folks, the statement by the author of " suspended fourth to Major third" is IMO incorrect. That is not what is happening in the song and that is not what the amen cadence is.
Please forgive the technical stuff.

 

Too bad "A Skin Too Few" is not readily available on Blu-ray or DVD. The Way to Blue comp is how I first heard if Nick in 1997. Then I immediately went out and bought the Fruit Tree box on Hannibal.

 

Robert Kirby: In the recording Danny Thompson played bass on "Way To Blue" and I remember he started off saying, "Oh god, it's a written part".

Danny started at just 15 going on to play with a number of British Jazz players like Tubby Hayes and visiting American players like Sonny Rollins.
And Blues artists, Sonny Terry & Brownie McGee, Little Walter & Josh White.
He's a founding member of Pentangle and well known for touring with John Martin for many years.

Nick would visit John & Beverley Martin, often staying for a few hours & saying little or nothing.
The late John Martin had a deep appreciation of Nick's music and a friendship so close he found it difficult to express. As so often with musicians who feel so deeply they express it best in music.
From the album Solid Air, February 1973, John's song about Nick...

solid air lyrics - Google Search

John Martyn with Danny Thompson - Solid Air

 

Love the Solid Air LP by John Martyn. And both of John and Bev's LPs.



Neverley, John & Nick. All three were quite close -- this:
Beverley Martyn: 'I'm still here and I know who I am now'

...When she returned to the States in the summer of 1969, she was indeed married, but not to [Paul] Simon. Her husband was a golden-haired Glaswegian who had changed his name from Iain McGeachy to John Martyn and released two promising solo albums. When they met, she was a single mother with a young son, Wesley. "Initially I trusted him with my life, and my child," she says. "It was a very quick bonding. I thought, this is my soul mate – and I think he probably was, but John was wounded from the beginning. He mistrusted women because his mother had left him, and he treated them really badly, physically and mentally."
The newlyweds decamped to Woodstock, the upstate New York creative enclave, where Martyn met local residents Bob Dylan – "my hero, my Jewish cowboy!" – and the Band, whose drummer Levon Helm played on Stormbringer!, a warm blend of blues, Americana and British folk. Martyn wrote four songs for the album and four more for the follow-up, The Road to Ruin, recorded back in London. They were folk-rock's golden couple, part of a group of artists on the roster of Joe Boyd's Witchseason production company, which included Richard and Linda Thompson, Sandy Denny and Nick Drake.
"Nick became one of the family," says Martyn. "We'd take the piss to make him laugh. We'd open the door and go: 'Oh no, not Nick Drag again!'" Drake would babysit, crash mealtimes and tag along to the seaside, sitting on the beach with his suit on. "He was the most introverted character I've ever met. Locked in. Sometimes he'd talk, sometimes he'd have a cup of tea and hold it for three hours looking out at sea. I think he felt safe with me, and I tried to take care of him."

They began writing a song called Reckless Jane together shortly before Drake died in 1974. Martyn finished it decades later and has finally recorded it, with a classic string arrangement in the style of the late Robert Kirby, who provided arrangements for Drake.

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By the time of Drake's death the Martyns had a young daughter, Mhairi; a son, Spencer, followed in 1975. While her husband went solo – too eagerly, she feels – and pursued ever more remarkable jazz-folk concoctions, Martyn was left in their clifftop house in Hastings, holding the babies. "My career was over," she says. "I had my hands full. I did the odd gig with John, and the odd one on my own, but I had no future."

Reckless Jane--Love this song by Beverley and Nick...

 

Interview...Bev

 

Check out: Marc J. Pavey ...aka Mark Pavey (not the Christian music guy that is all over youtube)who is a "student" of Nick & Davy Graham, and an amazing artist/producer himself. He produced (one LP at least) of his friend and mentor, the legendary and influential, the late great Davy Graham...and produced and played guitar on Beverley Martyn's The Turtle & The Phoenix (includes Bev & Nick's Reckless Jane).

Bury My Body, by Mark Pavey & The Dark Philosophers



All Those Years
Mark Pavey "All Those Years"

 

To me, Robin is not referencing the "amen" cadence so much as being Church music (though I see you are referencing a musical style of composition), but as a way of describing the repeated "amen" phrasing and sounding almost prayer-like in the plaintive music and lyrics--on a more emotional level than technical for me.

Nick in this song is quietly imploring someone, anyone please, can you answer my (metaphysical) questions?... in a kind of quiet prayer-like desperation for an answer to his questions: "Have you ever heard a way to find the sun?" "Can you understand the light among the trees?"

But then you are talking a more technical point of view, musically (and I get your point here), one that is a bit above me, but most appreciated.

 

David Suff, from folk label Topic Records, said: "Davy was a restless musician, ever searching for new ways to play the guitar.
"It is no exaggeration to refer to him as a guitar genius who inspired Bert Jansch, Martin Carthy, Jimmy Page, Paul Simon, John Renbourn and countless others."

And most certainly Nick.



Davey Graham and Bert Jansch

Whilst catching up with an old friend Jeff, in the terminal stages of cancer, he told how he had been instrumental, with Davey's wife Carol (3rd from left) in having a Blue Plaque fitted at Davey's birthplace in Market Bosworth, Leicestershire.
I never knew of the connection.
Sadly... its too late.

 

This is the greatest thread this forum has ever seen.

 

It derailed me from a Zappa and Led Zeppelin thread. Only a Nick Drake thread could do that for me.

 

Took my own advice & had another listen to the unofficial THTM album yesterday.
For some reason Sunday is the one day of the week I listen to Nick the most, but i digress...
Mentioned previously in this thread (which has taken on a life of its own) its worth finding the album to hear the Richard Hewson versions. Much slower tempo with a real "lounge" feel, no wonder ND was unhappy.

Below are just the tracks that made it onto FLL, BL & PM...

CD2:
1. Time Has Told Me [4:06]
2. Saturday Sun [First take 2:52]
3. Thoughts Of Mary Jane [Arranged By Richard Hewson 3:56]
4. Day Is Done [Arranged By Richard Hewson 3:15]
5. Fly [Second take 2:53]
6. Place To Be [2:51]
7. Hazey Jane I [4:48]
8. Parasite [First take 4:12]
9. Parasite [Second take 4:09]

The full tracklist can be found here
Nick Drake Time Has Told Me UK 2 CD album set (Double CD) (312616)

Its been a while & I'd forgotten how these demos sounded with just ND & his guitar.
Nick's guitar playing is often mentioned by Joe (Boyd) as being what made him stand out from the glut of singer-songwriters around at the end of the 60's/early 70s.

Personally, I've always found Time Has Told Me a bit "busy".
Hearing this demo, at a slightly faster tempo is a real shock. Whilst I'm a huge fan of Richard Thompson, its the stripped back version I prefer as it gives room for Nick's playing to truly stand out. And the increase in tempo gives it more urgency.
I'll stop here before I'm found guilty of heresy & burnt at the stake

 

No heresy. It is always a plessure to hear unreleased or demo takes by an artist we love, but with Nick if is especially precious.

The somewhat recent Nick Drake "John Peel Session" was so great to have, though just five tracks, it is perfect: Nick, on John Peel's Night Ride.

River Man


Three Hours
Nick Drake - Three Hours (The John Peel Session)

 

John Peel session
The first session was done a month before Five Leaves Left was released, on 5 August 1969. The session was held at BBC's Maida Vale Studios, studio 5 in London. Four songs were recorded, and they were Time Of No Reply, 'Cello Song, River Man and Three Hours. The session was broadcast on the John Peel programme the following night, 6 August.

As tape was expensive.The British Broadcasting Corporation had a policy of taping over recording tape (and video tape) so Nick's (John Peel) Night Ride Session was wiped.
However, a listener recorded it at home on a Reel To Reel tape recorder, hence its emergence in recent years.

Night Ride session
On March 23 1970, Nick Drake recorded for the radio a second time. A guy he met a couple of times while in Cambridge, Iain Cameron, was doing sessions for Radio 2 at the time, and he had recommended Nick to producer Alec Reid. They recorded in Studio S2 at Broadcasting House, with Iain accompanying Nick. What songs they recorded is not known, but it was about four to eight songs. The recording was cut up and broadcast on the Night Ride programme on 13 April 1970, between midnight and 2a.m..

As John Peel said: the BBC thought "Pop" music was a passing fad of no musical value.
Tapes of Gardeners Question Time were stored meticulously but a Pink Floyd session would be routinely wiped & the tape reused.

 

I'll post some words and thoughts tomorrow....in the meantime, have a long listen. Though you all are free to comment anytime, of course.

5. Day Is Done, Five Leaves Left

Devastatingly beautiful. That voice, Nicks guitar, those strings...

Day Is Done

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


When the day is done
Down to earth then sinks the sun
Along with everything that was lost and won
When the day is done

When the day is done
Hope so much your race will be all run
Then you find you jumped the gun
Have to go back where you begun

When the day is done, when the night is cold
Some get by but some get old
Just to show life's not made of gold
When the night is cold

When the bird has flown
Got no-one to call your own
No place to call your home
Now the bird has flown

When the game's been fought
Newspaper blown across the court
Lost much sooner than you would have thought
Now the game's been fought

When the party's through
Seems so very sad for you
Didn't do the things you meant to do
Now there's no time to start anew
Now the party's through

When the day is done
Down to earth then sinks the sun
Along with everything that was lost and won
When the day is done

Nick Drake
Day Is Done lyrics © BMG Rights Management

 

Several years ago I came across this YouTube video for 'Day is Done,' featuring striking video of a boat tossing in a steel black sea on a rainy and windy day.



I've had that image in my head ever since whenever I listen to 'Day is Done.' Competition is insane, but if I were absolutely forced to choose...this would be my favorite song on Five Leaves Left. While it is a song of regret in many ways, I find it deeply comforting especially when listened to late at night when the day is indeed done. The world tosses you about, but music will be there.

 

Wonderful video. Thanks. (beautiful avatar, btw)

 

It is a strange thing that all of Nick's music that is so often reviewed as mostly (a bit) depressing ...I also find comforting, "parachute woman". Every song.

As this photo of Nick shows, each song wraps me in Nicks voice like warm blanket. Especially on a blustery rainy autumn day like today (even though summer doesn't officially end 'til the 21st it is very wonderfully autumn-like in Maine).



Stay safe as Hurricane Florence approaches, parachute woman...

 

Just a side bar....not many artists are able to cover Nick's music with the emotion and subtlety of Nick, but if any of you are looking for a different take but still wish to be immersed in Nick Drake's music: Grazyna Auguscik. She is an amazing eastern European jazz artist and this is just amazing...

Grazyna recored a complete album of Nick Drake songs, and it just may be the best album of Drake songs ever by any single artist who ISN'T Nick....IMHO.

They're Leaving Me Behind.

 

Thank you! During our last hurricane (Matthew in 2016) I listened to Leonard Cohen on repeat. This time, it might just be Nick who keeps me company. And I agree. I don't find Nick's music depressing. I find music like his to be very cathartic and it provides me with a lot of solace. 'Sad' music is really just human music in my mind.

 

Nick Drake's music for me has always been the soundtrack of Fall. The mood and atmosphere created by his songs just feel like an overcast day as the season changes from warm to cold. October should be Nick Drake Appreciation month or something.

 

I think some of it is definitely cheerful and uplifting, but then I've said that of Robert Johnson... they build up the doomed mystique thing so much retrospectively a lot of people just can't hear through that fog. Black Eyed Dog is however pretty dark, but I listen to it quite often, it's an amazing piece. Not the last thing he ever recorded as used to be said of it though. After the orchestrations and all from the first sessions he did want to go for less is more later, and it is amazing to have the earlier demo versions which I like at least as much as the orchestrated versions, and sometimes more... especially for Poor Boy which seems like Boyd was trying for a Tim Buckley thing as much as Leonard Cohen. It's just a bit overdone for me and one of the few Nick Drake recordings that is dated.

 

Love Black Eyed Dog also...the guitar break is especially remarkable. Quite dark lyrically, his darkest maybe, and startlingly, heartbreakingly honest, as Nick often was.

Poor Boy may be the most controversial (some love, some don't) but I love the soul singer answering chorus/lines. I was taken aback at first, but when given a chance and viewed in a different light from what we expected from Nick Drake, this one really sneaks up on you.

Uplifting song treatment and an appropriately & typically British approach: Nick's rather droll look at his own self pity, the lyrics and arrangement reveal his dry but gentle British humor.

And the musical treatment is quite infectious, and rolls me along quite nicely. We'll get to some memories and writings later on that helped me to appreciate Poor Boy...even more..side two will be airing soon.

 

Love Nick Drake, as well as sharing his name, discovered him at the right time when I hit 18, now some years later his music still moves me, his voice is unique, his lyrics are profound and one of the best acoustic guitarists of all time. Although already late to the party thought I'd share this cover I came across recently of 'River Man' which is worth checking out.

 

Welcome to the thread, Kapt. BTW, your avatar boasts my favorite electric guitar man...Randy California, And of course, the Kapt's sidekick, Cass on drums. My all time favorite drummer. Still have that vinyl!