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I came to Nick Drake late, but I found that once you start to expore his music you are entering into an intimate relationship with an artist who is offering you everything. Fragility of a human soul is evident, the melancholic mood of the music stirs the soul. But there is also joyousness to this album in particular, take it on a long country drive and just enjoy it accompanied by the sound of the birds in trees.
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This was Nick Drake's first official album (1969 though my c.d. version states 1970) of just three on the Island Record label, before his untimely death five years later, in 1974. In that context it's ironic that he agreed to the album name 'Five Leaves Left' but this is a coincidence unless he actually did decide to end his life after the terrible mismanagement of his undoubted musical and lyrical ability by his record company and the resultant poor sales which being extremely self critical, caused him to consider himself a failure and lead to severe depression in the last years of his life. Indeed album sales were so few that to find an original first vinyl pressing of 'Five Leaves Left', 'Bryter Later' or his final studio album 'Pink Moon' is quite difficult and copies are now up demanding up to £700 (at the time of writing Oct 2016). I had heard 'Riverman' played a few times over the last forty years but it was only after hearing it being used in a sequence in a B.B.C. documentary about navigating some of the well known rivers in Britain that I really wanted to know who the recording artist was and having the excellent 'Shazam' on my smart phone I was able to identify the composer as Nick Drake. I then entered his name on you tube and was instantly taken with his musical prowess, his lyrical genius (in my opinion) for such a young man and his brilliant (self taught) guitar playing. A check on the wikipedia for his discography led me to buying the 'Nick Drake Tuck Box' set of all the work he had ever created and recorded. His music has touched me in a way not done since I was a very young man listening to early Bernie Taupin / Elton John records, and only just missing out by a few years to be able to 'discover' him for myself as a living recording artist, as I was 8 when he died and I did not recollect hearing his music on the radio in the early 1970's. The reason I bought several copies of 'Five Leaves Left' was to give them to friends and family as I hope that his music may provoke the same enjoyment and thought provoking moments for them that it has for me. As to the music itself, I will not pretend to (be able and) write a lay music critic's technical review other than to say I find it is profound music written and performed by a bright, well read young man who engages with me with such beautiful melodies and lyrics that can both make me think deeply and reflect about my own life experiences or simply allow me to relax and carry on with whatever I am doing - it can be brilliantly engaging foreground music or easy listening in the background depending on your mood and what you want from your chosen music at any particular time. However one statement I will make is that for the price of only a few pounds paid for this artist's work, it is the smallest price I could pay for one of the most valuable musical experiences I have enjoyed in years.Vollständige Rezension lesen
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Fantastic album from a forgotten star who deserves so much more recognition
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