NICK DRAKE
Five Leaves Left (Island/Chronicles)
Way To Blue (Island/Chronicles)
Reviewed by Shaun Dale

---

Nick Drake never rose above the status of a cult favorite during his brief career. The introversion and depression that prevented his pursuit of the normal avenues of promotion, such as live performance, ultimately led to his death from an overdose of antidepressant drugs in 1974, just five years after his debut album, Five Leaves Left, was released. There are certainly echoes of that depression in the music, which is dominated by melancholy ballads featuring spare string backing to Drake's own accomplished guitar work. Three and a half decades later, though, it continues to reveal the brilliance that has caused the ongoing interest in the work of an artist who only released three albums during his tragically foreshortened career.

Way To Blue is a compilation that draws on all three of those albums (including Bryter Later and Pink Moon) and the 1986 collection of unreleased tracks, Time Of No Reply. It's an excellent overview of his work, and the one to have if you're only having one, but it's almost certain to send you off in search of the complete works.

The original masters have been remastered with 24 Super Bit Mapping technology, and the sound is superb. Original art, notes, archival photography and complete lyrics make the packages worthy additions to your collection.

Track Lists:

Five Leaves Left: Time Has Told Me * River Man * Three Hours * Way To Blue * Day Is Done * Cello Song * The Thoughts Of Mary Jane * Man In A Shed * Fruit Tree * Saturday Sun

Way To Blue: Cello Song * Hazey Jane I * Way To Blue * Things Behind The Sun * River Man * Poor Boy * Time Of No Reply * From The Morning * One Of These Things First * Northern Sky * Which Will * Hazey Jane II * Time Has Told Me * Pink Moon * Black Eyed Dog * Fruit Tree

© 2003 - Shaun Dale