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

Yeah. It wouldn't have grabbed me as a must-have. Blue suede shoes n' all...and that looks like a toy guitar in Nick's large frame.

Those hands, though! Beautiful.

 

Open​

 

Hazey Jane I
This is one of my favorites on the album. It is another perfect marriage of a Nick Drake composition and a Robert Kirby string arrangement--warm and wonderful. The strings lift the song up in just the right way, pairing so well with Nick's lyrics. This is a good song to play for someone who thinks Nick Drake's music is all sad and depressing. This isn't either of those things, though it is full of the questions so many sensitive-type people (including myself) ask ourselves as we grow older:

Do you feel like a remnant
Of something that's past
Do you find things are moving
Just a little too fast.
Do you hope to find new ways
Of quenching your thirst,
Do you hope to find new ways
Of doing better than your worst.

This is one of my very favorite verses from Nick. I get these words. I have felt them over and over again. But when you listen to this song it feels like even if the answer is 'yes' to each and every question, it's going to be okay. There is so much beauty to enjoy and sometimes not fitting in can be the greatest of blessings. I really love this song.

 

One of the key songs from the album. One of the interesting things is that he seems to be addressing a muse here. The line 'If you're just riding a new man/Looks a little like me....' is another perplexing lyric. He's using a car metaphor I guess, but there's something overtly intimate going on and I don't quite know what he means. I imagine he's addressing a potential lover - as he seems to do later in 'Northern Sky.'
Obviously the opening guitar part to the song and then the introduction of the strings....... it's one of the defining moments in his entire recording career, it just doesn't get more Drake-like than the strings floating in like clouds over his ethereal sounding guitar playing. It's a perfect song, nothing is out of place and I never tire of listening to it.

 

Thanks for the link to Hazey Jane I, guitar & vocal.
Bryter Layter Naked/Unplugged would be a joy. But I doubt the gatekeepers will ever let that happen.
Just proves what John Wood & Robert Kirby were witness to and mentioned, Nick's performance was totally 100% dependable. They only had to worry about the backing musicians. In this we have Joe (Boyd) to thank again. The album's rhythm section is mainly Fairport with the excellent Dave Pegg & former dance band drummer, Dave Mattacks. Hence the excellent time keeping!

Subject matter?
Another "Mary Jane" song with hints that "Jane" & Nick are becoming dissatisfied with their relationship, so are drifting apart and looking elsewhere.
Do you hope to find new ways
Of quenching your thirst
Sorry to doubt the "romanticism" but his lifestyle by now was not a good one.
All ties in with Nick's solitary/compartmentalised life in London, the company he kept and his relationships with women, which were distant at best.
Anyone with any doubts should check out the Trevor Dann book, Darker Than The Deepest Sea.

 

Yeah, I've read this book. It's a compulsive read, with a fair degree of conjecture thrown in as I'm sure you'd agree. But no doubt, Nick Drake couldn't seem to completely relate to women. Bur does that mean he couldn't write about them? .

 

BTW, sorry for the Americanization [Hazy] of "Hazey"...I did it twice and I know better.
Nick likely was trying for a more "English" spelling with Hazey Jane as in his unique spelling of Bryter Layter.

 

Nice. A good optimistic take. I like it. I always thought it a bit sad, but with your take on it, I'll see it differently now. Thanks!

 

6. Bryter Layter

Bryter Layter - Nick Drake - YouTube
UMG (on behalf of Island Records); ARESA, BMG Rights Management, CMRRA, and 4 Music Rights Societies




Flute - Lyn Dobson
Vocals, Guitar – Nick Drake
Brass, Strings – Arranged By Robert Kirby

 

I find Bryter Layter to be just lovely. Even though there is no unique Nick Drake time signature. Nothing stands out that says Nick, at least according to Robert Kirby (though it is a pure Nick/Kirby marriage to my ears).

I love it. It has a calming effect and acts as an interlude, bridging side one & side two. I think the simple flute/strings arrangement, and Nick's guitar are a unique kind of intermission, in the same way that Harrison's 'Within You, Without You' act as a kind of interlude/intermission bridging the two sides of Sgt. Peppers. After the delightful intermission, it's 'on with the show'. It is the perfect into for 'Fly', the next song, and a wonderful song it is.

I think Kirby, especially, and the rest of the crew found this a bit perplexing and didn't get it...they would have ditched it had it not been for Nick's insistence that it be included, right where it is. He wanted a 'Pet Sounds' kind of concept album mix and feel, and it works as an instrumental break...for me anyway.

I wonder how many of you feel this way also?

​

 

Bryter Layter
I'm of two minds about this piece. On the one hand, I do find it pleasant to listen to and I like what Nick was going for in his concept for the whole album. It really has such an English, pastoral sound to it and really does tie the sides together very well. However, a part of me very selfishly wishes that there were space on the album for more vocal pieces in place of the instrumentals. Nick's catalog is so brief and I love his lyrics and voice so much, I wish we could have gotten a few more songs, knowing there would only be the three albums plus all the extras gathered up later.

I respect and understand Nick's artistic perspective, though, and I'd never skip it.

 

Joe (Boyd) pushed hard for Nick to include Things Behind The Sun on Bryter Layter instead of so many instrumentals but Nick dug his heels in.
Being a vinyl release Nick wanted track one, side 2, to put the listener into a certain mood. Which this does perfectly.

Orchestration was in demand in the 60s & early 70's so Robert Kirby was a busy man. For more of the man's work I'd strongly recommend Vashti Bunyan or this wonderful piece from Shelagh McDonald...

 

Simply put, one of the most beautiful and perfect songs recorded by Nick.

7. Fly

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







Nick Drake-guitar and vocals
John Cale: - viola and harpsichord
Dave Pegg- bass

..............................................................

Please give me a second grace
Please give me a second face
I've fallen far down
The first time around
Now I just sit on the ground in your way

Now if it's time to recompense for what's done
Come, come sit down on the fence in the sun
And the clouds will roll by
And we'll never deny
It's really too hard for the fly
Please tell me your second name
Please play me your second game
I've fallen so far
For the people you are
I just need your star for a day
So come, come ride in my my street-car by the bay
For now I must know how fine you are in your way
And the sea sure as I
But you won't need to cry
For it's really too hard for the fly
Songwriters: Nick Drake
Fly lyrics © BMG Rights Management

 

7. Fly...from the liner notes...


Robin: From the world of poetry, popular music has borrowed the term 'prosody' extending its meaning to refer to the way in which music underscores and intensifies the emotional content of language. 'Fly' is a beautiful example of musical prosody . The verses all have essentially the same melody but they are sung in two different octaves, each with its own emotional character. Nick sings the first and third verses near the top of his vocal range. The words are pleading and vulnerable, the thin, high vocal conveys a sense of childlike helplessness and need.

The second and fourth verses are sung an octave lower and in these the context is quite different. This low voice belongs to an adult who talks about 'recompense' and 'ifs', sounding more like an accountant than a lover. If you're interested in a little experiment, try switching the lyrics; sing the high verse in the lower octave and the low verse up an octave. You can tell the difference; the song is not as emotionally effective. Nick knew what he was doing.

There is a sense of compromise and resignation in this song. True to their natures, the child yearns to hold onto a star but the adult, who has the last word, declares that flying is simply too hard.

..........................

I love this story from Joe:

Joe: Sometime before 'Bryter Layter' I had heard Nico's 'Marble Index' album with those amazing arrangements by John Cale and thought, "God this is an amazing record". Then I met Nico at Max's, Kansas City, and I said "when are you making the next record?" and she said "I've been dropped by Elektra." So I called up Warner Brothers, set up a new deal and then I got John Cale's number from her and said, "Would you do the arrangements?" He said he would on the condition he got co-producer credit. I said, "Ok. Sure."

So we did the basic sessions in New York...Nico was coming to London and so was Cale, who had some overdubs to do; so we thought we'd finish the record in London. Cale was often in London in that year-1970 - working on a bunch of records - and he came over to Sound Techniques to mix the Nico record that was to be 'Desertshore'. He insisted he wanted to hear what else we were working on and so John Wood and I got out various tapes.

I played him Fairport and Sandy's record, and then we played him Nick and he went crazy. He said, "Who is this guy? I've got to meet him". He was so insistent that he actually went over to Nick's house straight from the studio. I called Nick and said, "Do you know who John Cale is?"
"Yes."
"Well he's coming over to see you in about half an hour."

Then, the next morning, I got a call from John Cale saying, "I need a celeste, I need a bass, amp, I need a viola, a Hammond organ..." all this stuff. I said,
"But we're supposed to be mixing the Nico record this afternoon.", and he said, "No, no, we're going to record." So he just arbitrarily changed the schedule.

He'd sat with Nick all night and worked out what they were going to do; he came in with Nick trailing in his wake and he just started working.

Those two tracks, 'Fly' and 'Northern Sky' sound so full, they sound top productions, but what's on them? On 'Fly' there's viola, harpsichord, bass and Nick's guitar, that's all. On 'Northern Sky' , it's celeste, piano and organ, bass, drums and Nick's guitar. So the tracks are very self-contained, but sound immense.

--from the Fruit Tree Box liner notes

 

John Wood and John Cale (right) at Sound Techniques studio in Chelsea.



John Wood 1974



Plan view of the Sound Techniques Studio

.............................

Ten Records with the Sound Techniques Sound...

1. Nick Drake, Bryter Layter (album, 1970, Island).

2. John Cale, Fear (album, 1974, Island).

3. Pink Floyd, ‘Arnold Layne’ (single, 1967, Columbia).

4. Fairport Convention, Liege & Lief (album, 1969, Island).

5. Sandy Denny, Like An Old–Fashioned Waltz (album, 1973, Island).

6. Incredible String Band, The 5000 Spirits Or The Layers Of The Onion (album, 1967, Elektra).

7. Steeleye Span, Parcel Of Rogues (album, 1973, Chrysalis).

8. Jethro Tull, This Was (album, 1968, Island).

9. Argent, Argent (album, 1969, CBS).

10. Judy Collins, In My Life (album, 1966, Elektra).

Studio Stories: Sound Techniques Tales from studios that changed musical history | IT

 

Fly is easily a top 5 Drake song in my books. I actually find that the harpsichord really elevates the track into something inexplicably beautiful.

 

Boy were they right to get rid of the original orchestral arrangements. I have 'A Day Gone By' (the 2 CD unofficial release, where 'Thoughts Of Mary Jane I' was reduced to a sappy MOR track...just wrong. Which was obvious I am sure when they all heard it in the sound booth after the session.


'Thoughts Of Mary Jane I', alt take. Ouch! It becomes a schmalzy 70's soundtrack styled theme song....just so wrong for Nick. So glad there were no budget restraints so they could toss this one - Nick would have been forgotten forever if this had ever gotten out!

Nick Drake Thoughts of Mary Jane - very rare . - YouTube

So many of the demoes and home recordings contained in "A Day Gone By" are such a joy to hear, but this is a fine example of a "disaster averted" moment!



57 amazing tracks...with only this exception so far, as I listen again to this fine collection!

 

Notice the Denny Laine LP behind John Cale. Very cool!

 

I am guessing this was during the "Fear" sessions. Or not. What year was that Denny Lane album released? I wonder if Cale produced/mixed any other albums there in addition to his "Fear" album , and the Nico LP...along with helping to arrange those two perfect Nick Drake tracks.

 

I think it came out in 1973 but was recorded mostly in 1972.

 

Singing at the upper limit of his vocal range is something Nick would use again.
In a song where his higher voice pleads to know, why has fame completely eluded him?

But in this song Fly, the octaves and subject matter are split into separate but related stories.
1st verse higher voice, "Second Grace" is a religious reference to seek forgiveness when you have wronged.
He believes his 1st album and live appearances have "failed", he is somehow "in the way" and wishes to be forgiven.

We drop to the lower octave and there's now a positive decision to put the negatives behind him. To sit in the sun & let clouds roll by.
Then we return to the higher octave where again we hear the return of his nagging self doubt.

There is however light at the end of his tunnel in the shape of 60s legend John Cale.
The final section in the lower octave can only be a San Francisco reference (street car & bay) written in the 3rd person from John Cale's perspective
At last someone recognises his talent & has come to rescue him from his perceived early "failures".
And to make this new album (Bryter Layter) a success.

Fly...a warning sign of what would come to pass.
Where he would use the higher pleading voice again, in one of his final recordings where any remnants of optimism had been stripped away.
Hanging On A Star.

 

Fly
I've seen some say this is their favorite Nick Drake song. I think I can understand that. A beautiful cry for understanding and hope from a vulnerable person, I love the use of Nick's voice on the track (which has been well-covered above), as well as John Cale's playing. I'm not a Cale fan and in fact find his viola irritating on Velvet Underground and Nico (sorry) but it works perfectly here, when paired with the harpsichord and with Nick's voice, melody and lyric. The song fits in very well with the rest of the songs on the album, but there's a desperation and melancholy to it that I think is pointing the way I bit towards the songs on Pink Moon. Those were, of course, presented in very stripped down arrangements. Here we have something fuller, but subtle and tinged by sadness. The viola has a deeper, more wistful sound than the violin and it works amazingly on 'Fly.'

 

Nick's London album.
After the cloistered, pastoral life of Tanworth, Marlborough & Cambridge, his life in the capital was fast spiralling downwards.
Talking to Keith Morris, who had the strength of character to thrive in London, Nick smoked dope on an industrial scale but due to his personal and musical friends (which is why I bring it up during the J Cale tracks) its very likely he tried much harder drugs.

Witnessing Keith's large format photos of Nick over the space of 3 years and listening to his account of the final photo session was a most shocking experience.
There'd been a sudden & most dramatic change in Nick's appearance.
He had gone from a shy young man of few words, to a withdrawn shell.

The tougher issues are so often glossed over by those who knew Nick. No-one wants to tarnish the image or speak ill of the dead.
But there's little point in just romanticising the man & the myth.
Its something we need to take onboard as it will make more sense of the transition from Bryter Layter to Pink Moon.

Clues to his state of mind are all over this album.
Unlike the BBC weather forecast, of which the title is a parody, his life was not about to get Bryter Layter.

 

Joe Boyd spared no expense when it came to Nick Drake.
Bryter Layter was 1st mixed at Sound Techniques, but Joe & John were unhappy so flew to The States and mixed it at Vanguard.
That didn't work out so they returned to Sound Techniques, changed the monitor speakers and remixed it again.

 

Yeah, I'd wondered about the street car and bay references, which are lovely and whimsical in the context of the song. There's a demo version of 'Fly' knocking around as well, presumably recorded well before John Cale appeared on the scene, pretty sure it has the same lyrics. So not sure they have much to do with John Cale.