A Treasury

by Nick Drake

Overview

Poor Nick Drake. The soft-spoken introvert may have spent his days upon this earth as a struggling singer/songwriter, but since leaving, his atmospheric and distinctly melancholy songs have become a pop culture fixture. Rescued from British folk oblivion by a one-off Volkswagen commercial, his name has since been bandied about by critics looking to link the English bard with every winsome, dough-faced up-and-comer who puts out a record with strings on it. What's on a Nick Drake compilation is never as interesting as what was left off. The insistence of compilers to show the "whole" scope of Drake's sound is a bit laughable, as his four records -- despite the sparse arrangements on Pink Moon and 1986's demo collection Time of No Reply -- are essentially the same. On the SACD Treasury, his third "best-of" (not counting the Fruit Tree box), listeners get the usual suspects: "Hazey Jane II," "River Man," and "Way to Blue"; stereo remixes of "Black Eyed Dog," "Road," and "From the Morning"; and the posthumously released U.K. "hit" single "Magic," a flatly sung composition that Robert Kirby's spooky new string arrangement can't rescue from mediocrity. This leaves no room for essential Drake offerings like "Fly" or "Time of No Reply," resulting in a mix that, while still classic, suffers from the very knowledge of the aforementioned tracks' existence. Newcomers, if there are any by now, would be better off picking up 1994's Way to Blue: An Introduction to Nick Drake, a far more comprehensive look at an artist who continues to enchant and inspire, despite his somber demeanor and bitterly contested end. ~ James Christopher Monger

Product Details

Release Date:	12/09/2014
Label:	Island
UPC:	0602547000569

Tracks

1. Introduction
2. Hazey Jane II
3. River Man
4. Cello Song
5. Hazey Jane I
6. Pink Moon
7. Poor Boy
8. Magic [Orchestrated Version 2]
9. Place to Be
10. Northern Sky
11. Road
12. Fruit Tree
13. Black Eyed Dog
14. Way to Blue
15. From the Morning

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Nick Drake   Primary Artist
P.P. Arnold   Vocals (Background)
Chris McGregor   Piano
John Cale   Organ,Piano,Celeste
Richard Thompson   Guitar,Double Bass
Ray Warleigh   Sax (Alto)
Mike Kowalski   Drums
Dave Mattacks   Drums
Dave Pegg   Bass
Doris Troy   Vocals (Background)
Clare Lowther   Cello
Kwasi "Rocky" Dzidzornu   Congas

Technical Credits

Joe Boyd   Producer
Robert Kirby   Producer,Orchestration,Brass Arrangement,String Arrangements
Nick Drake   Composer,Producer
Harry Robinson   Arranger
Clive Gregson   Mixing
John Wood   Mixing,Producer
Clive   Assembly,Photo Retouching
Paul Rider   Photography
Stella MacPherson   Assistant
Cally   Design,Photography,Art Direction,Production Supervisor
Charlie Larby   Release Coordinator
Peter Paphides   Liner Notes