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

Keen eye says...
What’s the small stones on top of the grave ?

 

Bought all the Island samplers( real time ).
But .. I usually skipped Nick’s songs.

 

Great art; You go to it, it doesn't come to you.

 

Managed to get the green cover edition a couple of weeks ago. Quite a lot of coverage on Nick Drake(Faber & Faber publications 6.99) bargain!!!

 

Nick Drake & The Luminaries / Chapter 1. In the Begginning & Changing names

“If you find from your own experience that something is a fact and it contradicts what some authority has written down, then you must abandon the authority and base your reasoning on your own findings.”
― Leonardo Da Vinci

“To be an artist means: not to reckon and count; to ripen like the tree which does not force its sap and stands confident in the storms of Spring without fear lest no Summer might come after. It does come. But it comes only to the patient ones, who are there as if eternity lay in front of them, so unconcernedly still and far. I am learning it daily, learning it through pains to which I am grateful: patience is all!”
― Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet

​

For a time, Five Leaves Left had a different working title to one we now know and love.
For roughly nine months during recording and production at London’s Sound techniques, Drake’s debut LP was to be called ‘Saturday Sun’ (‘Saturn’ & ‘Sun’). However, I presume tracks like ‘Man In a Shed’ and ‘Saturday Sun’ with their unfussy Jazz pronunciations, would not have seemed out of place on Donavan’s ‘Sunshine Superman’ LP (1966).

​

An LP I find a masterwork.

With foresight from those kind and patient people around nick during his production, someone would have offered up a warning of some music critiques making unequivocal comparisons to Donovan, the simplest of all similarities may have had to be changed. Hence, the similarities in the reference to the Sun and the same alliteration used of the letter ‘S’, was most likely the predominant factor forcing Nick’s hand to come up with an alternative to his beloved Sun luminary…

‘Five Leaves Left’, The names incarnation seemingly came haphasourdly weeks before the final stages of production, came out of nowhere, I imagine with a humble poetic authority on Nick’s part; “well if I can’t use that then I have one better!” – a title one can only dream of, and it still retains an alliteration, which must have been very important to Nick at this time period.
It is said that the rolling paper reference did suit Nick’s ironic sense of humor.
However, I feel a nearly depleted paper pack being the only source for his new LP name may not be the case; Nick had a unquenchable thirst for literature, new books and theosophy, which has not be been examined at length, but documented as fact.

Something more telling, less coincidental, more compound, and even unnerving came to light in Humphries’ biography on page 93;

“In 1996 Alex Skorecki was kind enough to send me a copy of a short story written around the turn of the century by the American writer O. Henry which he thought of interest. ‘The Last Leaf’ concerns a young painter, dying of pneumonia in her Greenwich Village garret. The doctor senses she has already given up on life:

‘She has one chance in – let us say, ten . . . and that chance is for her to want to live.’ But what keeps her attention, and keeps her alive, is the ivy growing in the yard outside:
‘They’re falling faster now. Three days ago there were almost a hundred. It made my head ache to count them. But now it’s easy. There goes another one. There are only five left now.’
‘Five what, dear? . . .’
‘Leaves. On the ivy vine. When the last one falls I must go too.’”

​

I think there is a meaning to be found for everyone in almost all of Nick’s work, as such one could use the analogy of the two sides of the same ‘coin of phrase’. Such like a chronic stoner, for instance, will have had a smile while rolling up, just the same as someone studying 19th century literature would - or in Nick’s case - both! Genius.

The changing names and hurried two weeks of alterations to track running order and sleeve design is an area I wish not to explore at this time, perhaps somebody else has information on this? The point of this first chapter is to introduce the concept of both literatures, the Sun & the luminaries being very important to Nick Drake.

The next chapter we shall look rather closely at a foray of tracks and lyrics, however, I feel 'Three Hours' is paramount to our exploration of the sun, and shall perhaps Prescient to the most important part of these following chapters.

Thanks & as always,
Take care.

 

i only have that compilation that came out now , many years ago. i keep meaning to explore all the albums.

 

Donovan/ Pye UK- Sunshine Superman.
Very much so. Yet to see a pristine LP version, ( always look a wee bit tatty) must have been afterhours favourite.

 

Rizla cigarette papers, the most popular brand of papers for rolling your own cigarettes had a reminder paper shortly before the end of the packet: 'Five Leaves Left'

Best Wishes,
David

 

One of my favorite books of all time. Over the years I've given it as a gift to several friends.

 

Picked up bumpers awhile back pristine condition for a song.

 

Still have my copy along with 'You Can All Join In' and 'Nice Enough To Eat'

The one I missed out on was 'El Pea'

Best Wishes,
David

 

Nirvana is on the Hyde Park Corner cover ( no Nick). Never liked the design of El Pea .. think it was the plastic fold out cover.

 

Fond memories - 'Rainbow Chaser' remains one of my all time favourite tracks.

Best Wishes,
David

 

I found out about Nick some time in the late 80s. It was like a little secret collection of music that only I and two friends knew about. Truly some glorious rainy days playing through ND's albums.

And then, when I was in college, "that VW commercial" came out and suddenly my downstairs neighbors were listening to his music.

I was happy that he got more exposure... but a little sad that the secret was out.

I know - very selfish of me.

 

You Can All Join In 14/6 ( sticker ), maybe Nick couldn’t make the early morning photo shoot ( stoned immaculate), Tull were the last to turn up, hence Ian Anderson’s cheeky grin.

 

Hopefully they see the light of day, sooner ..rather than layter.

 

From behind / attire(red velvet jacket hmmm/ stoop /similarity.. yes. Problem he looks too tall ie; 6’5” inches. Nick’s shoulders look broader.

 

Time is of the essence.

 

Yes! Had all their LPs at one time.. first 2 + Local Anaesthetic ( album cover better than the music ) PYE/Black Flower .. Songs Of Love And Praise ( See Discogs it fetches £325.. Sterling ).

Regards.

 

Oh ! Donovan gets mentioned as well+ a whole load of others.

 

Colin Wilson : The Glass Gage(1963) is worth seeking out for Blake poetry, essential a crime story ( Thomas Harris borrowed for his Red Dragon) set in the English Lake District.

 

So standard tuning, cept unison tuned bottom two strings.....What key would they be in ?
Also, what fret would the Capo be strapped onto?

 

Posted recently on Twitter by Danny Baker, here is one of the few cover versions of a Nick Drake song to be released whilst Nick was still alive.

 

Promo cassette.

Who said cassette’s weren’t cool!!!!

 

Not bad, everything but the kitchen sink production.