Nick Drake: Family Tree
Family Tree is a colleciton of lo-fi recordings
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Tuesday, 10, Jul 2007 01:34
Island, July 9th 2007.
In a nutshell.
Stark, disjointed, timeless, unfinished loveliness
What's it all about?
The late Nick Drake's super-talented family influenced the material eventually released on his three studio albums. Here can be heard a selection of songs and instrumentals recorded by the family at their home and during their time in Aix En Provence in the 1960s, pre-Five Leaves Left, encompassing covers of Mozart, Bert Jansch and Bob Dylan as well as original work.
Who's it by?
Under-appreciated folk singer Nick Drake, who achieved acclaim for his music only after committing suicide in 1974, with appearances from his mother Molly, sister Gabrielle and aunt and uncle.
The shy and introspective cult star released his first studio album, Five Leaves Left, in 1969 while studying at Cambridge University, following this with the melancholy but colourful LPs Bryter Layter and Pink Moon.
Several collections have since been created, including Made to Love Magic, a collection of unreleased rarities and remixes, which features a previously unheard solo version of River Man.
As an example.
"Poor mum, poor mum / After a lifetime of dreaming / Poor mum, poor mum / Whatever became of your scheming / Nothing worked out in the way that you planned /
Nothing was quite as you thought / Try very hard not to misunderstand / Joy as it flies cannot be caught." - Molly Drake
"God bless the sky / I knew the reason why / They made way for you and the blossom." - Nick Drake
What the others say
"I hope that, in the circumstances, you could have given Family Tree your blessing. Or if not, that you could have at least looked on with that wry smile of yours." (Gabrielle Drake in a letter to her brother)
"In our modern, neon, computerised world you can't help but feel that these delicate, soulful songs are slightly out of place." (NME)
So is it any good?
For those infatuated by new technology and its crisp remastering qualities, the beauty of this may perhaps be lost on you. But the amateurish, lo-fi sound of the reel-to-reel tape recorder takes you back to a time when needs were humble and pleasure more simple.
Had this been an average family, the effect could have been somewhat gauche, but the Drakes are not an average family and the result is all the more wonderful for factors such as the clattering of teacups in the background on his cover of Dylan's Tomorrow is A Long Time.
The moment Molly reveals her fragile yet powerful vocal style on the self-penned Poor Mum, it is clear where Nick Drake inherited his musical might - and his way with words (as well as, perhaps, his deep sadness) is echoed through her astute and powerful lyrics about the personal sacrifices made by a parent.
Equally spine-prickling is the harmony fulfilled by him and his sister, Gabrielle, on All My Trials, a traditional folk song, while the classical is touched upon as he joins his aunt and uncle for a rendition of Mozart's Kegelstatt Trio, upon which Nick plays clarinet and exercises the same effortless calm and finesse as that with which he sings his songs.
His own haunting early attempts at songwriting are offered on delicate tracks such as Blossom and Way to Blue and if released earlier would be an imagination-grabbing yet unpolished taster for better things to come by way of his studio albums.
The only fault that could be picked with the collection is its purpose; cynics would guess this was a money-spinning venture to milk the last drops out of Nick Drake's small but perfectly formed back catalogue.
However, a family who once invited fans in and gave them free copies of demo tapes is unlikely to be so ruthlessly business-minded and there is a chance that perhaps they just genuinely wish to share with the world their enigmatic son's rare aptitude for mixing the finest melody with the finest poetry.
Much as the legend of Nick himself, Family Tree feels incomplete, enchanting and ever so slightly awkward, meanwhile succeeding as a satisfying glimpse into his seemingly idyllic, short-lived world.
8/10
Kate Horstead