Album Club - Week 110: 10.09.2013: Nick Drake - Five Leaves Left (1969)

[Album Club]

Welcome to the first offering in the latest round of AoS's Album Club. Many thanks go to John for kicking things off with this utterly legendary album:

Nick Drake - Five Leaves Left (1969)

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/519z4uw31eL._SY450_.jpg


This is Nick's first album and probably my favourite. Nick has a clean, mature voice and the music is beautifully recorded and haunting.
Some of my personal favourite tracks include 'Cello Song' and 'Man in a Shed'. The lyrics on this album are Nicks most hopeful.
Nick never got the commercial success he wanted and unfortunately his life was all too short. For me the music has a timeless quality to it

spotify:album:5zau80zbjOc2uEO5P1olK1

Grooveshark Link to Five Leave Left (http://grooveshark.com/#!/album/Five+Leaves+Left/114760)

Video of 'Cello Song':

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Nick Drake Wiki Page (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Drake)
Five Leaves Left Album Wiki Page (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Leaves_Left)

If you want to learn more about Nick, this BBC documentary is highly recommended:

Kaleidoscope

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[losenotaminute]

I listened to the album with interest, not having heard more than a couple of tracks previously. Nice "relaxing" music, but not really enough variety for my taste. I voted 7. He does have a very pleasant singing voice, the tempo of most of the tracks was too slow for me.

Lawrence

[John]

Understand where you coming from Lawrence For me its about his voice and guitar playing It is such a good combination

[Ashmore]

A wonderful album, though bettered in my opinion by both Bryter Layter and Pink Moon, which is my personal favourite for its sparseness and tragedy.

9

[John]

Pink Moon is just to painful at times for me

[Bazil]

The vocals are just too monotone for me, its a chill out album and yes the guitar playing is nice but he comes across as a poor man's Donovan.

6/10 from me.

[John]

lol

[Bazil]

The vocals are just too monotone for me, its a chill out album and yes the guitar playing is nice but he comes across as a poor man's Donovan.

6/10 from me.

Yeh a bit harsh on ND that, Donovan is only a busker, I like a tune so the guitar work is a bit wasted on me.

Anyway a negative comment is better than no comment, I'm sure people think they have to be a member of Album Club to post :scratch:

[John]

I always see music as a very subjective experience so no worries about negative comments, music taste is personal

[Audioman]

I've just been listening to the new boxed vinyl version of this. Still fuming as they have pressed the entire run with misprinted labels. There is also conjecture as to if they used 24/96 digital source or found a usable tape (the original master apparently being beyond use though it was still fine only a few years ago). This after receiving the Mary Black No Frontiers reissue with a locked groove. Anyway Audio quality at least is pretty good but dark sounding.

That aside this is a great album. I'm puzzled how anyone can describe Drake as a poor man's Donovan. It's got to be 9/10 only because I like his next album 'Bryter Layter' even more. Superb guitar playing and string arrangements by the late Robert Kirby.

[loo]

Really enjoyed this , fantastic sting arrangements and really great voice , I was just going to buy the posh box released in timely fashion until I read Pauls comments (thanks for that) so I will save £13 and wait for the back to black release at the end of the month :)
a very positive 7 from me:thumbsup:
Paul

[pjdowns]

Not a bad album but not one of my favourites, 4/10 from me!

[The Grand Wazoo]

From the very first time I ever heard 'Time Has Told Me' on a ratty old home made compilation tape, I have been utterly mesmerised by everything Nick Drake released. That was a looong time ago - I think I was about 15 years old - but I still play all of the albums on a regular basis. I've played Five Leaves twice tonight and, believe me, it was no chore!
Great guitar playing, a great voice and some wonderful lyrical imagery - 10/10!

[synsei]

This album is truly beautiful and the string arrangements are particularly well done, the standard of musicianship is excellent. Nick's vocals are haunting... 9/10 as I do slightly prefer Bryter Layter and Pink Moon :)

[Audio Al]

I have listened to this album , another first for me

Yes it has good vocals and guitar playing but this is where it ends for me

Most tracks are low key , they dont seem to get up and get going

I gave this 7 out of 10 :)

[MartinT]

Fantastic emotional content and great songs, but (perhaps for that very reason) I only ever take Nick Drake in small helpings. It's good to listen to that first album again. 7/10.

[Thing Fish]

Great album I never get tired of hearing. 10/10

Not sure i'll be buying the box set yet even though I have the other two. Probably will though...:)

[RichB]

A 9 from me. I only discovered this a few years ago and was having a bit of a troubled time at work, I would take this as melancholy balm and go for long walks by the river in the freezing cold with this on my iPod. Perfect decompression music. The reason I didn't give it a 10 is that it reminds me of those difficult times but I guess connecting with you at an emotional is what the best music should do.

[jollyfix]

Great album, but i seldom play it these days. I tracked this album down in the early 80's, quite hard to find then ( for me anyway). I discovered Nick Drake from the old sampler LP's ( Bumpers), soon after i tracked down this LP, and bought all of his work not long after that, no one i knew had heard of him at that time. He became very popular in the mid 90's, but having played his stuff so much by then i had become a wee bit bored with him ( to much of a good thing maybe).
I prefer Bryter layter., but this is a good one so 8 out of 10 from me.

[martinjohn308]

great album from a very talented singer, songwriter and guitarist.

9/10 for me.

Regards,

Martin