Pete Paphides explores Nick Drake via John Peel's Record Collection

19 June 2015, 18:29 | Written by Laurence Day

(News)

(Nick Drake)

Pete Paphides, the esteemed music writer, is the latest name to collate a Record Box for the John Peel Archives. This one, released on what would have been Nick Drake's 67th birthday, explores the influences on and of the legendary folk musician.

A blurb accompanying the box explains: "This exciting project works like an annotated podcast, with audio clips intertwined with recordings of John’s actual records, and thoughtful notes expanding on the ideas. Which allows visitors to explore this virtual record box record by record. They can listen to recordings of John Peel’s records and view high resolution scans of sleeves, letters, photos and press releases, bringing this historic archive to life."

The massive record collection contains "26,000 LPs, over 80,000 singles and many thousands of CDs and demo tapes".

Paphides pores over the archive, discussing Drake's inimitable style and legacy, as well as what inspired him to begin with, and what else was listening to while he was alive.

The Archives' James Leeds said of the latest Record Box: “As generations of fans discover the catalogue of Nick Drake, we thought it would be a good idea to position his music within the context of what was going on at the time. Pete Paphides has done an amazing job discussing not just Nick’s influences, but the influence he left behind”

This is the fourth Record Box that we've had the good fortune to see, following Joe Boyd, Mala and DJ Don Letts.

You can experience the Nick Drake box here.