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

Happy birthday Nick.

 

Well, Im considering spending some decent money on Nick's records. I have the "chance" to buy a VG+/"near mint" second UK Bryter Layter for what would amount to approximatley $180 USD. Thoughts would be appreciated. I have a chance to inspect it in person before I buy it. Don't think these are going to down in value anytime soon, not that I see it at all as an investment. Have the 1986 Hannibal vinyl box and the Fruit Tree CD with the fabulous booklet, also have the Pink Moon vinyl box. I know the later/mid 70's UK pressings are highly recommended but they are steadily climbing in price too. Something about these pink rim Islands.

Also considering a second UK FLL which as you all know is even more, but have a seller who is not asking the sun and moon for it.

 

bump for my obnoxious question. If there even is a question contained in my post.

 

I'm not really into money at all but I wouldn't pay over $100 for a 2nd press of anything. I either pop big for original or buy what's available for cheaper. That's what I would do.

 

Buy them! You only live once and it’s Nick Drake for goodness sake.

 

Thanks. I would suggest that buying a second press of FLL is a "pop big" unfortunately.

Could anyone who has a second UK pressing of Five Leaves Left please provide some details about the inner sleeve, stampers etc. Obviously want to make sure I'm buying the right thing. The seller has sent a picture of a nice black inner sleeve. Discogs suggests it's the classic blue Island sleeve. There seems to be a few small anomalies between the discos page and details I've received from the seller. Any comments on the sound etc would be appreciated as well. Thanks.

 

Be sure to make sure it IS the 2nd pressing...sellers can either be ignorant or down right deceptive, so beware.

I have a brilliant Bryter Layter reissue vinyl from Island, gatefold, pink label. So unless they are NM I wouldn't buy them. NM, definitely a strong consideration.

Of course I have paid up to $100 for some originals ($50 for NM Skip Spence Oar, Mint $100 for Dylan's "Albert Hall" box, NM hardly played $40 for "You're Only In It For The Money" promo).

So did you go for them?

 

Scott Appel's wonderful covers of Nick as approved by the Nick Drake Family...

Bird Flew By

 

Blossom as covered By Scott

A full album listen for those looking for a Nick Drake vibe...
Scott Appel - Nine of Swords (1989) - YouTube

 

I am now the proud and temporary owner of a spectacularly preserved NM 2nd UK (same stampers as first press) Bryter Layter. Bought it from a guy who used to have a lovely shop in Toronto. It was "remaining" stock. Met him at a coffee shop chatted about records and the like. Every prized record should have a nice story attached to it.

It was a lot of money. One I converted the crummy Canadian (.74 cent) dollar, paid taxes and a PayPal fee it was even more. Hard to justify the price, but I consider it a piece of art that is almost 50 years old. Sold in very limited numbers, is in fantastic condition and somehow travelled here all these years ago and ended up in my hands. I also know enough people who spend lots of money on sporting events ....... There's also the music.

A friend and I listened last night. We're both quite familiar with the LP owning a few "lesser" copies. It sounded great, better than I've ever heard it, but it didn't sound amazing. Love the music that came out of Sound Techniques and John was not doubt a very fastidious man, but the sound of this production is rather flat sounding. Little bottom, a rather mushy soundstage and over all a wooly sound. Not an unattractive or unsymapthetic sound, just not a very in the studio sound.

Now to try and figure out the FFL dilemma. It's still available and am quite sure it a genuine 2nd UK press.

 

Great find. I agree. If someone is willing to pay $200-300 for a one off concert ticket, why not for a NM rare classic collector's album that will last a lot longer--the real deal!

 

Completed the trifecta with the purchase of a spectacularly preserved Antilles US Sterling and a 72 US Pink Moon. Lucky guy. Bought them from a friend/reseller who amazingly found then at a thrift a year ago.

As stated on other posts the first US presses sound fantastic. Compared with two sets of ears the US PM and the recently issued John Wood LP and both sounded great. All ears preferred the US after several playbacks. The US sounded more laid back and had more air and sparkle. The newer PM sounded more centred, plays quiet but is a little darker and seems a little hyped.

What a great strumming pattern on Pink Moon.

 

Great finds!

Pink Moon has become my favorite for it's stark and deceivingly simple straightforward guitar work. No embellishments such as strings.
Just the genius guitar and voice of Nick.

 

I have a genuine 2nd UK press. The easiest way to tell is that the Island logo on the back sleeve is the one with 'Island' wrote in it's entirety to the left, not the 'i' logo. They are printed by Ernest J. & Day Co Ltd, later ones are by Robor. Day Is Done and Way To Blue titles are the wrong way round on the sleeve and label. The address on the sleeve is Basing Street, London W.11. Basically, the sleeve is the same as the first pressing.

I don't think the genuine 2nd pressing came with an Island blue inner sleeve. I think that came very slightly later. It definitely didn't have a black inner. These are from the mid 70s. Mine is in a plain white inner. Obviously, it's the pink rim palm tree label.

Matrix no's on the vinyl are:

ILPS 9105 A-3 U with 1 and R also stamped in run out

ILPS 9105 B-3 U with 1 and A.

Hope this helps.

 

Thanks very much for the detailed response. Since I spent a decent amount of money on BL I decided to get the "less" expensive US first pressings of FLL and PM.

Very pleased with all of the Drake Lps I bought. Very lucky that they are all in such pristine condition and play with little back ground noise.

Curious to know how many have the 72 US Pink Moon. I'm sure that pressing is quite hard to come by, also curious to know peoples impressions of it's sound.

Thanks. Yes, listening to his records in concentrated sessions, probably connected with PM the most.

 

I got lucky with the Five Leaves Left a month or two ago. I paid £25 for it in a charity shop, in excellent condition. Coincidentally, I'd asked for the current pressing in a shop across the road a couple of minutes earlier as it was the only one I needed. Sometimes things just fall into place.

 

Wow!!!! That's an amazing story. It ended up in the right hands. I assume the going rate quoted by the shop was close to ten times more. How does it sound?!

 

Wonderful. It plays beautifully. Sleeves slightly worn but it's unlaminated. It needed a clean, but I think it's only ever been played a few times. No groove wear or other faults. It's easily in EX condition. Sound quality is great, as expected, but I think just about all 60s and 70s Island records have excellent sound quality, production and pressing quality. So much good music.

It's a slightly long story. I went into a shop in Newcastle & asked for FLL & it wasn't in stock. I then went to the charity shop and they had four pristine 60s mono Buddy Holly MCA compilations so I picked those up thinking they'll sound amazing (they do!). I asked if they had the other two albums in the series and the lady said "they might be downstairs, we specialise in books and the records get overlooked". They let me look and there's a lot of records including a box with 'these records £20+' wrote on it with FLL at the front! So I offered £25 & they accepted straightaway. I don't know why that was wrote on the box as I went back a couple of weeks later and they were in the shop for £3 - £8 each, with some only £1. I got some John Martyn, John Coltrane, Mississippi John Hurt, Incredible String Band and Kate and Anna McGarrigle LPs too. It was a great collection, loads of Dylan albums but I had them all.

 

We just returned from a 12 day trip to the UK. While there and staying in Stratford-upon-Avon, we took a drive up to Tanworth to pay our respects to Nick and to take in a bit of the annual Nick Drake gathering.

 

Just as I imagined it should look - cheers and thanks for sharing.

 

A Nick Drake day today....a beautiful rainy summer day. I mean that in the best possible way....I love rain. It is the water of life. I believe that Nick's music actually celebrates life, even in it's darker moments.

For me, music is life.

What was to be his "last" song (on his last LP) is one of the most uplifting & beautiful songs I know...thank you Nick.

From The Morning


And now we rise
And we are everywhere....

 

I have an original 72 US Pink Moon in beautiful condition. Found it for $50 at Vintage Vinyl in Evanston, Illinois, back in the mid-90s. I had previously bought from them an original 71 copy of Nick's s/t Island compilation album, with the yellow cover, and a US 76 Antilles Bryter Layter, both in great condition.

My Pink Moon is my most valuable record so I rarely play it. I remember it sounding great. I'll put it on later tonight.

I have very happy memories of finding these records.

 

Also taken from us too young. We only know him because his passion for Nick's music spoke to him as it does so many of us.
That this motivated him to seek out the parents and Nick's personal notes and tapes, speaks volumes of the talent we lost in Scott.

 

Glad that found its' way here, as part of this unique celebration. When I first heard Nick on an Antilles label sampler in 1979, I had no idea how obscure or well-circulated this hitherto-unknown artist was. I would come to wonder later, traveling across the country and stopping in record stores in every town, if there was anybody in the U.S. who had ever heard of Nick Drake. And I was in the radio business.

You have no idea how much it meant to me that, here was a public school teacher, giving his students not only their first blush of magic, but showing them what sort of magic it was, that got him into music, and sharing the music, in the first place. This thread is nearly a year old now, and I've seen just about every album, every variation, every boot, every compilation, every press and personal photo, and those of everybody who apparently ever worked with Drake. And a new school year is about to start, fresh, open minds looking for something of value to take along with them in life. Because of not just the artist, the song, and what it means to me...this is my favorite cover of all time:

 

Nice story. Hope you're enjoying the record, and play it more! I also have fond memories of finding nice records, and even though 50 seemed a lot at the time it's worth 5-6 times that now.

The person I bought PM and FLL from found it with BL in a thrift store a year ago minutes away from where I had my studio. I met him in a thrift store 10 years ago looking at records and now we have lunch together sometimes.

I've had some keen ears listen to the the US PM and it's a very nice sounding press.