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Music : Bryter Layter
1 2 3 4 5
Rating: 
- Perfect record
I'll be brief as I'm still getting into the album, but what an album this is. I bought Five Leaves Left years ago on my crusade to pick up as many of Channel 4's top 100 albums as I could, though I only actually became familiar with it this summer, during which time I developed a serious appreciation for the young man's unique voice and those baffling guitar fingerings. After a surprise playing of "Hazey Jane II" on Radio 2 one Friday, I was reminded of my Nick Drake quest and quickly bought Bryter Layter on Thursday last. This is the first album in a long, long time that's had me hooked from the first spin. I actually put my hand on my forehead at one stage, amazed as I was at the standard of music therein. I was hesitant at first to listen to Drake as the lead player in a band as such, but I've since come to wish that Bryter Layter were only the first in a long line of similar albums. The bass and drums make every song a joy to listen to. The instrumental tracks are particularly joyous. There's an intangible mischievousness about the flute-led title track making me laugh every time I hear it. The standout may be "At The Chime Of A City Clock", currently tussling with The Verve's "Lucky Man" for my favourite song position, but it's all good: the nonsensical lyrics of "One Of These Things First", the super-happy brass arrangements on "Hazey Jane II", the style-amalgamation of "Poor Boy" that SHOULDN'T work but does, all of it, it just adds up to make a perfect album. I'm to understand that his final album removes all of these elements, but I have enough faith in Drake's songwriting abilities to know it'll be just as entertaining. It's just such a shame that he didn't live long enough to explore each of his styles for more than an album each.
Rating: - 'Bryter Still'
Aw no, not another hippy. Not another counter-culture lifestyle mullah. Ok, it looks that way but first, let's check Nick Drake's hippie-dom credentials;
1, Centre Parting ? - Check.
2, Floral Shirt/Dungarees ? - Check.
3, Being on Island Records ? - Check.
4, Standing in the woods with an acoustic guitar looking meaningful ? - Check.
So, he meets the criteria, but does he have a pleasing, cynic-bashing, soulful music, designed (in a genuinely conspiratorial sense ) to make your wobbling correspondent eat his facetious words with side-orders of tofu and quorn?
Of course he does, 'Bryter Layter' is yet another excellent surprise.
This one is screaming 'winner' before you even get to the music. The sleeve reveals he has John Cale and Richard Thompson (who is rapidly becoming one of my all time heroes) in tandem, so you instinctively know he's running from the winning blocks.
Drake's from the Cat Stevens school of smoothy folk-pop, but he's far from drone and earnestness. He's got torrential strings, ringing guitar, and more impressively, good songs in abundance. A big music (in a small sense) but it compliments his sweet lyrics and melodies without swamping them.
Thompson's influence is immeasurable. Not just here but in music generally. He's enriched works from Sandy Denny to David Thomas, and his enigmatic-isms are seized on by Drake who uses them as a platform for his own successes, a building-block to his own particularly pleasing house of tricks. On top, he's got the best use of flute and strings since Tull's sumptuous 'Reasons For Waiting',(which a fair block of 'BL' is very like) and a vital, vibrant album results.
Sure, Drake looks all Woodstock, wet and wimpy,(and his shoes are a disgrace!) but his voice has a sandpaper smoothness, and his songs very definitely have depth, insight and unity. He ticks the creative boxes much more than the (deliciously) sarcastic ones above, and therefore he emerges with kudos and no shortfall of credit.
He's nowhere near the genius Roy Harper is, (See? That Thompson again!) but 'BL' is firmly on the right track, and can fight it's corner with vim and plenty of pride.
So, puns well and truly on the back-burner, (and isn't it cute the way that my reviews are circular?) one last condition..
Does Nick Drake have a deserved 5-star brilliant album ? - Check.
Rating: - Quintessentially English Perfection
The middle album of Nick Drake's all too short recording career is his shot at what some world call "pop". Obviously a kind of 'folk-rock pop', some distance from the desolate tone of his last record Pink Moon, and a fuller, more upbeat sound from his sensational debut Five Leaves Left.
Everything about Bryter Layter is extraordinary. Nick's incredible guitar style pushes songs on just like FLL, Joe Boyd's elegant production is still in place, but here he is comlimented by a "who's who" of Island record label-mates as backing, including John Cale, Dave Mattacks, Richard Thompson and Dave Pegg.
The song's themselves are among Drake's very best. The three instrumentals are certainly not filler material, but the other songs simply take ones breath away.
Hazey Jane II, with it's jazzy trumpets is as upbeat as Drake ever sounded. It seems a shame he never made more songs like this.
At The Chime Of A City Clock is the song-ifercation of Nick Drake - only he could have written it. English, understated, clever and ultimately very charming.
One Of These Things First is simpler than his usual fare, but has always been a favourite of mine. The yearning lyrics and driving piano solo last long in the memory.
Hazey Jane I wouldn't hardly be a song but for Drake's incessant plucking, but somehow it works! At one moment every instument falls away bar Nick's guitar before he pulls them all back together, leaving this heart to skip a beat.
Fly is classic Drake: a short, sweet, longing, remarkably poetic lovesong. Again his voice is crying out for love, losing the mind and breaking ones heart.
Poor Boy is a lengthy track that sees Drake almost seem like the leader of a folky-blues band, with rousing backing vocals and grooving piano guitar drums and bass. Again, no-one else could write it.
Northern Sky, almost a duet with Cale, is perhaps the finest love song ever written. I can only think of Joni Mitchell's A Case of You and Nina Simone's If You Knew that come close. It is simply an astonishingly beatiful song.
This album, like his others, should be known by the masses rather than worshipped by the priveliged few. That, however, is something I'm quite pleased about!
Rating: - Brighter sooner
After a sublime, intimate debut album, Nick Drake recorded a more band-based album. The most commercial album of his trio, 'Bryter Layter' features constant support from members of labelmates Fairport Convention and a liberal dose of strings. Though an album of immense charm, this approach partly sacrifices the effect of Drake's prodigious guitar playing.
'Hazey Jane II' is a rare r&b oriented track, yet even this is light and smooth. Drake's vivid verse and soft voice come to the fore on 'At The Chime Of A City Clock', while on the three time 'One Of These Things First' his fluid guitar patterns complement a confident, sustained vocal.
'Hazey Jane I' features some imaginative percussion and more inspired guitar. Without question, the first half of the album is flawless.
Some might not like the presence of instrumentals on a Nick Drake album, but the title track distinguishes itself with a lovely flute-led melody, as does the melancholic 'Sunday'. 'Fly' starts at the upper edge of Drake's vocal range, but settles against John Cale's comforting viola. 'Poor Boy', the longest track, is a latin jazz-oriented track featuring sax and female backing singers. It's a decent song, though not what he does best. John Cale resurfaces on 'Northern Sky' with soothing keyboards against Drake's strumming. Apart from a mild reservation about 'Poor Boy', then 'Bryter Layter' is Drake's second superb album of 1970. Though 'Five Leaves Left' is his best, this one offers the easiest way into his music.
Rating: - Great production, a classic
Nick's Bryter Layter is a rich and full sounding album, a direct contrast to the stark Pink Moon. Jazzy in parts ( one of these things first ), orchestral in others ( title track ) and gentle clever acoustic in others, this album is an uplifting moment frozen in time before Nick lost his way. A stunning album, totally recomended.
- Perfect recordI'll be brief as I'm still getting into the album, but what an album this is. I bought Five Leaves Left years ago on my crusade to pick up as many of Channel 4's top 100 albums as I could, though I only actually became familiar with it this summer, during which time I developed a serious appreciation for the young man's unique voice and those baffling guitar fingerings. After a surprise playing of "Hazey Jane II" on Radio 2 one Friday, I was reminded of my Nick Drake quest and quickly bought Bryter Layter on Thursday last. This is the first album in a long, long time that's had me hooked from the first spin. I actually put my hand on my forehead at one stage, amazed as I was at the standard of music therein. I was hesitant at first to listen to Drake as the lead player in a band as such, but I've since come to wish that Bryter Layter were only the first in a long line of similar albums. The bass and drums make every song a joy to listen to. The instrumental tracks are particularly joyous. There's an intangible mischievousness about the flute-led title track making me laugh every time I hear it. The standout may be "At The Chime Of A City Clock", currently tussling with The Verve's "Lucky Man" for my favourite song position, but it's all good: the nonsensical lyrics of "One Of These Things First", the super-happy brass arrangements on "Hazey Jane II", the style-amalgamation of "Poor Boy" that SHOULDN'T work but does, all of it, it just adds up to make a perfect album. I'm to understand that his final album removes all of these elements, but I have enough faith in Drake's songwriting abilities to know it'll be just as entertaining. It's just such a shame that he didn't live long enough to explore each of his styles for more than an album each.
Rating:
- 'Bryter Still'Aw no, not another hippy. Not another counter-culture lifestyle mullah. Ok, it looks that way but first, let's check Nick Drake's hippie-dom credentials;
1, Centre Parting ? - Check.
2, Floral Shirt/Dungarees ? - Check.
3, Being on Island Records ? - Check.
4, Standing in the woods with an acoustic guitar looking meaningful ? - Check.
So, he meets the criteria, but does he have a pleasing, cynic-bashing, soulful music, designed (in a genuinely conspiratorial sense ) to make your wobbling correspondent eat his facetious words with side-orders of tofu and quorn?
Of course he does, 'Bryter Layter' is yet another excellent surprise.
This one is screaming 'winner' before you even get to the music. The sleeve reveals he has John Cale and Richard Thompson (who is rapidly becoming one of my all time heroes) in tandem, so you instinctively know he's running from the winning blocks.
Drake's from the Cat Stevens school of smoothy folk-pop, but he's far from drone and earnestness. He's got torrential strings, ringing guitar, and more impressively, good songs in abundance. A big music (in a small sense) but it compliments his sweet lyrics and melodies without swamping them.
Thompson's influence is immeasurable. Not just here but in music generally. He's enriched works from Sandy Denny to David Thomas, and his enigmatic-isms are seized on by Drake who uses them as a platform for his own successes, a building-block to his own particularly pleasing house of tricks. On top, he's got the best use of flute and strings since Tull's sumptuous 'Reasons For Waiting',(which a fair block of 'BL' is very like) and a vital, vibrant album results.
Sure, Drake looks all Woodstock, wet and wimpy,(and his shoes are a disgrace!) but his voice has a sandpaper smoothness, and his songs very definitely have depth, insight and unity. He ticks the creative boxes much more than the (deliciously) sarcastic ones above, and therefore he emerges with kudos and no shortfall of credit.
He's nowhere near the genius Roy Harper is, (See? That Thompson again!) but 'BL' is firmly on the right track, and can fight it's corner with vim and plenty of pride.
So, puns well and truly on the back-burner, (and isn't it cute the way that my reviews are circular?) one last condition..
Does Nick Drake have a deserved 5-star brilliant album ? - Check.
Rating:
- Quintessentially English PerfectionThe middle album of Nick Drake's all too short recording career is his shot at what some world call "pop". Obviously a kind of 'folk-rock pop', some distance from the desolate tone of his last record Pink Moon, and a fuller, more upbeat sound from his sensational debut Five Leaves Left.
Everything about Bryter Layter is extraordinary. Nick's incredible guitar style pushes songs on just like FLL, Joe Boyd's elegant production is still in place, but here he is comlimented by a "who's who" of Island record label-mates as backing, including John Cale, Dave Mattacks, Richard Thompson and Dave Pegg.
The song's themselves are among Drake's very best. The three instrumentals are certainly not filler material, but the other songs simply take ones breath away.
Hazey Jane II, with it's jazzy trumpets is as upbeat as Drake ever sounded. It seems a shame he never made more songs like this.
At The Chime Of A City Clock is the song-ifercation of Nick Drake - only he could have written it. English, understated, clever and ultimately very charming.
One Of These Things First is simpler than his usual fare, but has always been a favourite of mine. The yearning lyrics and driving piano solo last long in the memory.
Hazey Jane I wouldn't hardly be a song but for Drake's incessant plucking, but somehow it works! At one moment every instument falls away bar Nick's guitar before he pulls them all back together, leaving this heart to skip a beat.
Fly is classic Drake: a short, sweet, longing, remarkably poetic lovesong. Again his voice is crying out for love, losing the mind and breaking ones heart.
Poor Boy is a lengthy track that sees Drake almost seem like the leader of a folky-blues band, with rousing backing vocals and grooving piano guitar drums and bass. Again, no-one else could write it.
Northern Sky, almost a duet with Cale, is perhaps the finest love song ever written. I can only think of Joni Mitchell's A Case of You and Nina Simone's If You Knew that come close. It is simply an astonishingly beatiful song.
This album, like his others, should be known by the masses rather than worshipped by the priveliged few. That, however, is something I'm quite pleased about!
Rating:
- Brighter soonerAfter a sublime, intimate debut album, Nick Drake recorded a more band-based album. The most commercial album of his trio, 'Bryter Layter' features constant support from members of labelmates Fairport Convention and a liberal dose of strings. Though an album of immense charm, this approach partly sacrifices the effect of Drake's prodigious guitar playing.
'Hazey Jane II' is a rare r&b oriented track, yet even this is light and smooth. Drake's vivid verse and soft voice come to the fore on 'At The Chime Of A City Clock', while on the three time 'One Of These Things First' his fluid guitar patterns complement a confident, sustained vocal.
'Hazey Jane I' features some imaginative percussion and more inspired guitar. Without question, the first half of the album is flawless.
Some might not like the presence of instrumentals on a Nick Drake album, but the title track distinguishes itself with a lovely flute-led melody, as does the melancholic 'Sunday'. 'Fly' starts at the upper edge of Drake's vocal range, but settles against John Cale's comforting viola. 'Poor Boy', the longest track, is a latin jazz-oriented track featuring sax and female backing singers. It's a decent song, though not what he does best. John Cale resurfaces on 'Northern Sky' with soothing keyboards against Drake's strumming. Apart from a mild reservation about 'Poor Boy', then 'Bryter Layter' is Drake's second superb album of 1970. Though 'Five Leaves Left' is his best, this one offers the easiest way into his music.
Rating:
- Great production, a classicNick's Bryter Layter is a rich and full sounding album, a direct contrast to the stark Pink Moon. Jazzy in parts ( one of these things first ), orchestral in others ( title track ) and gentle clever acoustic in others, this album is an uplifting moment frozen in time before Nick lost his way. A stunning album, totally recomended.