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20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Listen to his other recordings first., 21 Jul 2007
If, like me, you are just a bit obsessed by the man behind Five Leaves Left etc and have all his other records then this is another essential Nick Drake purchase. The letter from his sister Gabrielle, to Nick, is especially poignant & is generous in thanking the fans for slowly building his following over all these years. One person at a time.
In isolation, these recordings will do little to reward the newcomer. But if you are familiar with his work, they are a great insight into the very early days of Nick Drake who was to become one of the finest singer songwriters of the 20th century.
The inclusion of his mother, Molly Drake, illustrates perfectly that Nick came from a truly musical household. And the light-hearted tracks particularly help dispel the unremitting gloom that usually goes with the ND legend. But when contrasted with the subject matter and singing style of, for example, "Black Eyed Dog" it is truly shocking just how much he deteriorated in a few short years.
If you are unfamiliar with Nick Drake, don't start here. Buy the 3 main albums and when he has taken your soul a prisoner and you wonder how you ever managed to live without them, then look into the less mainstream releases.
None are especially satisfying in isolation, but I would recommend a certain unoffical set of LP's that have the original Five Leaves Left orchestral arrangements that were rejected by Nick. The project was given to his Cambridge friend, Robert Kirby. Then you will truly know what a huge contribution Robert made to the wonderful piece of work that is Five Leaves Left.
So an interesting piece in the ND jigsaw. But I do hope this now draws a line under further Nick Drake releases, as the sound of barrels being scraped could be getting dangerously close.
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27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Tanworth-in-Arden demos remastered - plus unheard material from the vaults, 8 Aug 2007
If Jeff Buckley's mother Mary Guibert needed an object lesson in how to manage her son's legacy, she could do a lot worse than copy those who run the estate of deceased singer-songwriter Nick Drake.
Rather than flooding the market with overstuffed "legacy editions" and live collections, Drake's sister Gabrielle has wisely put out only the best of his work. This is probably the best rarities collection yet - finally remastering the so-called "Tanworth-in-Arden demos" which have been circulating in inferior sound quality on the net for years.
Family Tree gives you a mixture of Drake's pre-fame home demos, comprising covers of blues classics and prototypes of songs which were later to appear on his debut album Five Leaves Left. The blues covers offer a surprising amount of insight into how Drake's own songwriting was to develop, the wistful sadness with which he imbues them contrasting with the summery sweetness of his very English voice. The brilliance of his fingerpicking style on guitar is also highlighted here, with his work on Robin Frederick's "Been Smokin' Too Long" an especial delight.
Not widely circulated in bootleg form are a couple of bittersweet, Ivor Novello-ish songs from Nick's mother Molly, a duet with his sister and a version of Mozart's Kegelstatt trio played by a collection of family members, with Nick himself on clarinet - a reminder of how close-knit and creative this middle-class rural family was. Drake's youthful experience was as far from the bluesmen whose songs he explores here as it's possible to get - yet his disappointment and depression was every bit as real.
Yes, Family Tree is for completists - for an introduction to Nick Drake, choose the "greatest hits" compilation Way To Blue or just pitch in and sample the genius of his final work, the bleak and beautiful Pink Moon. But for those already familiar with his work, these recordings offer a fascinating glimpse into a genius just beginning to flower.
First published at subba-cultcha.com
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24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Come into the Garden...., 11 Jul 2007
I was nervous about listening to this album as I feared it might be material which was being released just for the sake of it rather than because it needed a wider audience but I needn't have been, it's an absolute joy. The recordings are understandably not amazing quality (though most are perfectly fine to listen to) but that doesn't detract from how special they are. To hear him talking and joking in between tracks and chuckling in the middle of one song when he forgets the words is truly precious. For someone who has only ever heard his 3 studio albums it is nice to get a glimpse of Nick Drake the person as well as the musician... The mix of traditional folk and blues covers alongside his own compositions and his mother's songs strikes a good balance and gives an interesting idea of his early influences. ... I hope other Nick Drake fans and those just discovering him through this album enjoy it as much!
(Oh and on a side note the packaging, which caused the delayed release, is pretty special too!)
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