CD-Charts Position 1
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Five Leaves Left

by: Nick Drake

Release Date June 26, 2000
It seems these days that Nick Drake is known just as much for his mysterious life (and death) as he is for the music, especially given the media's ability to create hyperbole. However it must be said that same msytery about Nick Drake's personna is also present in the music, which is what make's listening to Nick Drake so compelling.There is a strange otherworldy aura about his vocal and acoustic guitar technique, both which are pitched with an erie precission.

The album can be viewed as one long mood piece, as on first listen one song may not seem that different from the next. It is only on further inspection that one is amazed by the sheer complexity of his performances made with such ease.

Basically the album ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 2
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Bryter Layter

by: Nick Drake

Release Date June 26, 2000
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 ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 3
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Pink Moon

by: Nick Drake

Release Date June 26, 2000
I'll keep this review relatively short, and hopefully it'll be of use to anyone considering buying Pink Moon, Nick Drake's 3rd album.

What this album has to offer is something between Nick Drake's other 2 albums. Pink Moon isn't as upbeat and jazzy as his 2nd album Bryter Layter, but then again it isn't as depressing and gloomy as Five Leaves Left. Even if it does comprise just Nick and his guitar on all but the opening (title) track, Pink Moon doesn't necessarily leave you feeling depressed. And that's because a lot of the tracks on the album basically aren't gloomy.
For example, "Pink Moon" (Track 1) might take a while to get into, but it's not a sad song at all. Neither are songs like Road, Which Will or Free Ride. The only song ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 4
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Made To Love Magic

by: Nick Drake

Release Date May 24, 2004
Indispensible really for anyone who owns the trilogy of Drake albums released in his lifetime. Features some great tracks that presumably Nick would have been happy to release - Rider on the Wheel (one slight vocal fluff), Time of No Reply, Black Eyed Dog, Magic and his final recording Tow the Line - the only one not available before in some form. They feature his great guitar playing, distinctive voice and enigmatic poetic lyrics and on the whimsical Magic , the gorgeous but, perhaps, excessive orchestration, more subtly done on Way to Blue. Black Eyed Dog is extremely moving in the context, the darkest of blues. Other tracks are weaker songs eg Joey, Mayfair or the painfully strained Hanging on a Star, or alternative versions - Three Hours, Thoughts of Mary Jane and ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 5
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Nick Drake: A Treasury [HYBRID SACD]

by: Nick Drake

Release Date October 04, 2004
As an introduction to the work of Nick Drake, this album competes with the Way to Blue collection. Except for Hazey Jane I & II, Cello Song, I Was Made To Love Magic, Place To Be and Road, all the tracks are the same although the sound quality is better on this one, at least as far as my copies are concerned.

Drake's individual albums are all classics but they are very much self-contained units. From the album Bryter Layter come Hazey Jane I and II, Poor Boy and Northern Sky. Five Leaves Left contributes Cello Song, Way To Blue and River Man, whilst the stark minimalist album Pink Moon supplies Place To Be, Pink Moon, From the Morning and Road. Black Eyed Dog comes from the posthumous Time Of No Reply album.

On Sweet Old World Lucinda Williams beautifully ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 6
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Way to Blue: An introduction to Nick Drake

by: Nick Drake

Release Date May 24, 1994
I don't own this CD any more purely because I went out and bought the full back catalogue. Absolutely can't fault the music here - if you want to investigate the music of Nick Drake, then here's your starting point (it was mine). It took quite a while me to 'get it', I would just pop this on now and again when chilling out. The gap between the now-and-agains became smaller and I became addicted. Its nothing now for me to listen to all 3 of his main albums back to back (only 90mins or so). There is so much great music therein and 'Way To Blue' gives you a great start. You may (like me) need to persist with this but there are rewards.
BTW - the production values still stand up - well-recorded crisp acoustic playing,intimate vocals, marvellous orchestration from Robert Kirby and some ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 7
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Fruit Tree: +DVD

by: Nick Drake

Release Date November 19, 2007
I first heard Nick Drake in 1969 on a friend's portable record player - maybe it was even a Dansette. I Immediately connected - his timbre matched mine, but his guitar was way out there! Maybe the roll-ups helped - but we waited eagerly for his next release -and his next . . . and then? After that, nothing - rien, nada, niente! What a blow! I wept buckets the day Nick died - along with, maybe 200 other fans! At the time of "Bryter Layter" I was working for ZigZag magazine and Connor McKnight, the editor, was transfixed, and wrote maybe what was the first really in-depth article. We tried, in vain, to contact Nick, without success . . . but, hopefully Connor's article helped - maybe Island managed to sell another couple of hundred copies.
Since then, I've bought all the re-issues. This last ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 8
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Pink Moon

by: Nick Drake

Release Date May 08, 1992
I'll keep this review relatively short, and hopefully it'll be of use to anyone considering buying Pink Moon, Nick Drake's 3rd album.

What this album has to offer is something between Nick Drake's other 2 albums. Pink Moon isn't as upbeat and jazzy as his 2nd album Bryter Layter, but then again it isn't as depressing and gloomy as Five Leaves Left. Even if it does comprise just Nick and his guitar on all but the opening (title) track, Pink Moon doesn't necessarily leave you feeling depressed. And that's because a lot of the tracks on the album basically aren't gloomy.
For example, "Pink Moon" (Track 1) might take a while to get into, but it's not a sad song at all. Neither are songs like Road, Which Will or Free Ride. The only song on the album that I can't stand to listen to ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 9
Average Rating:

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Time of No Reply

by: Nick Drake

Release Date May 01, 1989
Nick Drake then. Revered, loved, critically acclaimed, eternally young. There is no doubt amongst music fans that Nick Drake is one of the very best musician's England has ever produced. Real musician's will nod in appreciation at Nick's complex guitar tunings and his skillful playing whilst the rest of us who know very little about the creation of music can listen a record like "Time Of No Reply" and just be stunned by the warmth and humanity exuding from every note. Although this album is an absolute must, I would still suggest that you purchase the three "proper" albums first. This is in no way decrying this album but as it is a collection of out-takes, home demos and alternate versions it does lack cohesion for the new listener. Listen to the samples that Amazon have supplied and then make your own ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 10
Average Rating:

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Five Leaves Left [VINYL]

by: Nick Drake

Release Date October 17, 1990
It seems these days that Nick Drake is known just as much for his mysterious life (and death) as he is for the music, especially given the media's ability to create hyperbole. However it must be said that same msytery about Nick Drake's personna is also present in the music, which is what make's listening to Nick Drake so compelling.There is a strange otherworldy aura about his vocal and acoustic guitar technique, both which are pitched with an erie precission.

The album can be viewed as one long mood piece, as on first listen one song may not seem that different from the next. It is only on further inspection that one is amazed by the sheer complexity of his performances made with such ease.

Basically the album is split between songs which have autumnal orchestral arrangements ('Day Is Done', 'The Thoughts ... Read More: