I am not normally a ghoulish individual – I generally have quite a sunny disposition. I can admit though to having had visited one celebrity grave, the resting place of Nick Drake by the Church at Tamworth-in-Arden. On that day, wedding photos were being taken outside the Church, and so I felt rather conspicuous as I entered through the gate into the burial ground, not really knowing where I was going or really what I was looking for. Soon enough though, I found the tree beneath which laid the grave of one of the finest songwriters this country has produced. It had been kept tidy, and I wondered by whom, considering all family members bar his sister have now passed away. A few flowers had been laid there, along with numerous guitar picks and the odd spliff. When you find yourself in such a situation, you are never really sure what to do, so I stood there for a time, read the inscription (“now we rise, and we are everywhere”), and then retreated back to my car. I felt a bit too embarrassed to listen to a Drake album, so I put the radio on instead, feeling strangely melancholy.

You may be forgiven for thinking that Drake spent his entire life feeling strangely melancholic himself. However, it was only in the latter years of his life that the depression that hounded him like a dog found him broken and beaten. He left behind three albums, none of which on release sold more than a few thousand copies. It is to the credit of Island Records that they were never deleted from their catalogue, and slowly as the years have past they have been recognised as serious pieces of art. I am also staggered that this never happened at release, how those at the time could have missed such wonderful music. I was captivated by Drake the moment I first heard him. Why wasn’t my fathers generation likewise affected.

Fruit Tree is a re-issue of the collection first released on vinyl in the decade after Pink Moon. Again, Island are to be praised for never milking Drake dry following his death. However, as interest grew in the early 80’s due to the accreditation of such artists as Robert Smith, Michael Stipe and Paul Weller, a revaluation of his work was timely and the repackaging of the trio of albums was a welcome release. Particularly appreciated was a fourth piece of vinyl named Time of No Reply, a collection of alternative versions and rarities. Disappointingly, this re-issue does not include these, the fourth disc taken up by the documentary film “A Skin Too Few”. More on this later, but I personally find it maddening that this perfect opportunity for a complete collection of his work has been passed by. I guess in a year a two we will be encouraged to purchase “The Complete Nick Drake”. Pity such a collection could not be made available now.

Five Leaves Left
“For the dreams that came to you when so young, told of a life, where spring is sprung”
John Wood, producer of all three albums, has this to say of recording with Drake in the sleeve notes of this package: “We pushed the faders up…it was jaw-dropping”. Recorded at Sound Techniques studios in the late 1960’s, the debut release is mostly quite a light hearted affair, opening with a piece of English whimsy, using jazz phrasings and structures rather than conventional folk. What is also impressive for a debut is how ambitious they were. String orchestrations are used throughout to powerful effect – be it subtley, in the case of “River Man”, or in the almost choral “Way to Blue”. The opening surge of the strings pack a powerful punch on the latter, the vocal right to the fore in the mix with all its fragility exposed. The two highlights remain for me “’Cello Song” and “Fruit Tree”. “’Cello Song”, the cello in question acting as a counterpoint to Drake’s hummed melody, groans through the simplistic arrangement before the drone of its conclusion. “Fruit Tree” is more intricate, a descending line matching the fall of the lyrics, among the most quoted and discussed of his output.

Bryter Layter
“Would you love me through the winter, would you love me ’til I’m dead”
Containing three instrumentals and possibly the greatest love song ever written, Bryter Layter is a far more optimistic affair, and the most polished material in this boxset. In fact, it suffers from being a little too polished, Drakes guitar pushed further down into the mix. The instrumentals, though hated by his mentor Joe Boyd, are excellent pieces – some may think they seem a little “Pages from Ceefax” but I find them very English and summery and utterly wonderful. And then “Northern Sky”, his best known song and for good reason. The arrangement and structure is perfection, from the drifting, melting intro to the simple piano break throwing you back into the coda. This album also contains his weakest songs – the arrogant “Poor Boy” and the long-winded “Fly”, but quality tracks like “At The Chime of a City Clock” and “Hazy Jane” (both 1 and 2) more than make up for this.

Pink Moon
“Now I’m darker than the deepest sea, just hand me down, give me a place to be”
Finally, the most discussed of the three. Much has been written about the origins of Pink Moon – recorded over two sessions, and wordlessly handed into the reception desk of Island, this album has come to optimise Drake’s depression. However, it is far more than that, the title track and “From the Morning” in particular containing some of his most beautiful melodies and the whole album exhibiting his huge talent as a musician. In fact, he displays here the finest guitar playing of his career. The highlight for me is “Place To Be”, an exquisite song with a rolling, strummed melody line perfectly balanced by lyrics to break the hardest heart. The song “Pink Moon” as well could be seen as an example of his depression, the title sung ever deeper before dropping out of his range altogether. Thankfully, it ends with the optimism of “From The Morning”, “So look see the sights, the endless summer nights” – despite his demons, Drake was still capable of taking pleasure from the world.

The fourth disc contains a DVD documentary, A Skin Too Few. It always makes my brain hurt to think that an artist of his calibre appears no-where in film – there are no moving images of Drake anywhere, no recorded interviews. The only examples of his speaking voice are contained in his own home recordings. Despite the lack of raw materials, this documentary covers everything you would expect and manages to interview most key players.

If you do not own these three albums, this release is essential. To hear Nick Drake for the first time is to open up a fresh avenue of music. Despite their years, they still sound fresh and the contrast between the three albums truly makes for an interesting listening experience. Sadly though, I do feel the makers have missed a trick here. Any retrospective of Nick Drake’s work really should include the final tracks recorded shortly before his death, particularly “Black Eyed Dog” which speaks more of his state of mind than any book or article can say. If reviewed separately, on music alone, I would award the three albums 93%, 89% and (if permitted) 100% respectively. The percentage awarded is for the package as a whole, and how I wish they hadn’t released an incomplete retrospective.
80%

Links
Nick Drake [official site]