Amazon.co.uk allows you to pay for your items in your local currency. Restrictions apply. Learn More. |
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
Listen to Samples and Buy MP3s
Songs from this album are available to purchase as MP3s. Click on "Buy MP3" or
view the MP3 Album.
|
Product Description
Review
Recognition of Nick Drake's talent was slow in coming during his brief lifetime. The three albums he recorded between 1969 and 1972 barely sold a bean, and it's a safe bet that with his aversion to gigging and promotion, a fourth album, had it been forthcoming, would have gone the same way.
Dying young is no obstacle to a successful career and the trickle of reappraisal that began in the 70s became an unstoppable tidal wave of praise and celebrity endorsement from the 80s onwards as the world found it loved Drake after all. The ensuing clamour for yet more 'new' material turned up the valuable unreleased demos, Time Of No Reply, and 2003's less than essential, Made To Love Magic.
But fans always want more as many a happy bootlegger would tell you. Nth-generation, execrable quality boots of a pre-Five Leaves Left Drake at home and in France, have been reeling punters in for many a year and it's these original recordings that make up the bulk of Family Tree.
Happily the tapes have been resuscitated and remastered by John Wood, (engineer on all his studio albums), and though that's good news, there's little on this collection of interest to anyone but the most avid - sorry, make that rabid - completist.
In addition to ill-fitting covers from the Dylan, Van Ronk, and folk standards songbooks (all sung in a toe-curling American accent), there are tunes written and performed by his mother, an earnest duet with his sister, and a family rendition of a Mozart trio in which Nick plays clarinet. As might be expected from material that was never intended to be commercially available, none are noteworthy in any respect.
As for the original material upon which Drake's reputation correctly rests, the stilted versions of 'Day Is Done' and 'Way To Blue' only demonstrate how crucial his friend, John Kirby's string arrangements were in making these songs really bloom and ultimately flower.
If you don't know Nick Drake, just buy the first three albums. If you already have them then you won't need this bottom-of-the-barrel compendium. --Sid Smith
Find more music at the BBC This link will take you off Amazon in a new window
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
37 of 37 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
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
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
23 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
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.
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.
25 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
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!)
(Oh and on a side note the packaging, which caused the delayed release, is pretty special too!)
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Does what it says on the tin!
This is for the enthusiast. Definitely a family effort so if you would be embarrassed by listening to your mother prepare for the event . Read more
Published on 28 May 2010 by Mr. A. Murphy
Dig a little deeper
In my opinion, 'Family Tree' is not 100% essential listening but is an interesting audio document if you want to dig deeper into the Nick Drake legacy. Read more
Published on 17 Feb 2010 by A. Murdoch
Nick Drake completed
I thought I owned everything by Nick Drake until I came across this gem. The track by Nick's mother was quite haunting with echoes of Nick's own voice. Read more
Published on 24 Nov 2009 by Dr. C. G. J. Kinchin
i love it
it makes me almost feel uncomfortable listening to the album because its like nick drake is sitting in your room with you.
Published on 24 Nov 2009 by Mr. Peter J. Bryant
Legal Bootleg
I have heard about these tapes for years and it is great at last to get them for myself in reasonable quality sound.
Published on 8 Oct 2009 by David Morrow
I have just found Nick Drake again
I have recently purchased Family Tree which was put together by Nick Drakes sister Gabrielle. It reminded me what a different sound he tried to create and what an innovative artist... Read more
Published on 7 July 2009 by J. Hall
It wasnt the planes that killed him
I am sorry to disagree with the other reviewers of this album, but for me this is the disc that made me put my Nick drake albums to the back of the cupboard. Read more
Published on 9 Jan 2009 by 70s
Great, But Should Have Been better!
Other reviewers have already commented at some length as to the merits of these old home recordings by the masterful Nick Drake and they are excellent, but I feel this collection... Read more
Published on 3 May 2008 by T. Neale
A beautiful packaged gem...
I agree with the other reviewers here by saying that this is definitely one to check out after you've heard Nick's three studio albums. Read more
Published on 30 Jan 2008 by B. Garner
What a real shame!
This is a very disappointing release after expectations were very high. The US CD release was brilliant and a similar packaging style had been promised but infact this is not the... Read more
Published on 29 Nov 2007 by J. MOORE
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
![[Start the discussion]](http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/02/x-locale/communities/discussion_boards/start-new-discussion-sec._V192198663_.gif){kind=small}
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
