Editing Nick Drake (section)

==Career==
In January 1968, Drake met [[Robert Kirby]], a music student who went on to write many of the string and woodwind arrangements for Drake's first two albums.<ref>Dann (2006), pp. 40–43.</ref> By this time, Drake had discovered the British and American [[folk music]] scenes, and was influenced by performers such as [[Bob Dylan]], [[Donovan]], [[Van Morrison]], [[Josh White]] and [[Phil Ochs]] (he later cited [[Randy Newman]] and [[the Beach Boys]] as influences).<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lister |first=Kat |date=5 July 2022 |title='I knew this was different': Nick Drake's producer on misunderstood classic Pink Moon |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/jul/05/nick-drake-pink-moon-50-years-producer-misunderstood-classic-john-wood |access-date=11 June 2023 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> He began performing in local clubs and coffee houses around London, and in December 1967, while playing at a five-day event at [[Roundhouse (venue)|the Roundhouse]] in [[Camden Town]], made an impression on [[Ashley Hutchings]], bass player with [[Fairport Convention]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Robinson |first=John |date=19 January 2018 |title=Nick Drake remembered: "My first impression was that he was a genius – it was that simple" |url=https://www.uncut.co.uk/features/nick-drake-remembered-first-impression-genius-simple-103042/ |access-date=2 November 2022 |website=UNCUT |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref name="Chronology">{{Cite web |last=Organ |first=Michael |title=Nick Drake Chronology |url=https://documents.uow.edu.au/~morgan/drake2.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210316120441/https://documents.uow.edu.au/~morgan/drake2.htm |archive-date=16 March 2021 |access-date=11 June 2023 |website=Nick Drake}}</ref> Hutchings recalls being impressed by Drake's guitar skill, but even more so by his image: "He looked like a star. He looked wonderful, he seemed to be 7 ft [tall]."<ref name="Paphides">{{cite web |last=Paphides |first=Peter |date=21 May 2004 |title=Like a Heart with Legs On |url=https://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5008063651 |url-access= |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110815213051/http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5008063651 |archive-date=15 August 2011 |access-date= |publisher=[[Western Mail (Wales)|Western Mail]]}}</ref>

Hutchings introduced Drake to the 25-year-old American producer [[Joe Boyd]], owner of the production and management company [[Witchseason Productions]], which at the time was licensed to [[Island Records]].<ref name="Paphides1"/> Boyd, who had discovered Fairport Convention and introduced [[John Martyn]] and the [[The Incredible String Band|Incredible String Band]] to a mainstream audience, was a respected figure in the UK folk scene.<ref name="Paphides"/> He and Drake formed an immediate bond, and Boyd acted as a mentor to Drake throughout his career. Impressed by a [[Stereo-Pak|four-track]] demo recorded in Drake's college room in early 1968, Boyd offered Drake a management, publishing, and production contract. Boyd recalled listening to a [[Reel-to-reel audio tape recording|reel-to-reel]] home recording Drake had made: "Halfway through the first song, I felt this was pretty special. And I called him up, and he came back in, and we talked, and I just said, 'I'd like to make a record.' He stammered, 'Oh, well, yeah. Okay.' Nick was a man of few words."<ref name="Paphides"/> According to Drake's friend Paul Wheeler, Drake had already decided not to complete his third year at Cambridge and was excited about the contract.<ref name="Paphides"/>

===''Five Leaves Left'' (1969)===
Drake recorded his debut album ''[[Five Leaves Left]]'' later in 1968, with Boyd as producer. He had to skip lectures to travel by train to the sessions in [[Sound Techniques]] studio, London. Inspired by [[John Simon (record producer)|John Simon]]'s production of [[Leonard Cohen]]'s 1967 album ''[[Songs of Leonard Cohen]]'', Boyd was keen to record Drake's voice in a similar close and intimate style, "with no shiny pop [[reverb effect|reverb]]".<ref name="b192">Boyd (2006), p. 192.</ref> He sought to include a string arrangement similar to Simon's, "without overwhelming&nbsp;... or sounding cheesy".<ref name="b192"/> To provide backing, Boyd enlisted contacts from the London [[folk rock]] scene, including Fairport Convention guitarist [[Richard Thompson (musician)|Richard Thompson]] and [[Pentangle (band)|Pentangle]] bassist [[Danny Thompson]] (no relation).<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Rosen |first=Dave |date= |title=Five Leaves Left |url=http://inkblotmagazine.com/rev-archive/drake.htm |url-status=dead |magazine=Ink Blot Magazine |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071014082115/http://inkblotmagazine.com/rev-archive/drake.htm |archive-date=14 October 2007 |access-date=11 June 2023}}</ref>

Initial recordings did not go well: the sessions were irregular and rushed, taking place during studio downtime borrowed from Fairport Convention's production of their ''[[Unhalfbricking]]'' album. Tension arose as to the direction of the album: Boyd was an advocate of [[George Martin]]'s approach of using the [[studio as an instrument]], while Drake preferred a more organic sound. Dann observed that Drake appears "tight and anxious" on bootleg recordings from the sessions, and notes a number of Boyd's unsuccessful attempts at instrumentation.<ref>Dann (2006), pp. 59–60.</ref> Both were unhappy with arranger [[Richard Anthony Hewson]]'s contribution, which they felt was too mainstream for Drake's songs.<ref>Dann (2006), p. 60.</ref> Drake suggested his college friend Robert Kirby as a replacement. Though Boyd was sceptical about taking on an inexperienced amateur music student, he was impressed by Drake's uncharacteristic assertiveness and agreed to a trial.<ref>Boyd (2006), p. 194.</ref> Kirby had previously presented Drake with some arrangements for his songs.<ref name="Paphides1"/> While Kirby provided most arrangements for the album, its centrepiece, "[[River Man]]", which echoed the tone of [[Frederick Delius]], was orchestrated by the veteran composer [[Harry Robertson (musician)|Harry Robertson]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Jones |first=Chris |date=2007 |title=Review of Nick Drake - Five Leaves Left |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/3g54/ |access-date=11 June 2023 |website=BBC Music}}</ref>{{listen
| filename     =
| title        = "River Man"
| description  = "River Man" is noted for its 5/4 time, harmonic changes and use of [[prosody (poetry)|prosody]]. An early solo acoustic version recorded in Drake's Cambridge college bedroom appears on the 2004 compilation ''[[Made to Love Magic]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fitzsimmons |first=Mick |date=2004 |title=Review of Nick Drake - Made to Love Magic |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/cnhj/ |access-date=11 June 2022 |website=BBC Music}}</ref>
}}

[[Post-production]] difficulties delayed the release by several months, and the album was poorly marketed and supported.<ref>Dann (2006), p. 133.</ref> In July, ''[[Melody Maker]]'' described ''Five Leaves Left'' as "poetic" and "interesting", though ''[[NME]]'' wrote in October that there was "not nearly enough variety to make it entertaining".<ref>Humphries (1997), pp. 101–02.</ref> It received little radio play outside shows by more progressive BBC DJs such as [[John Peel]]<ref>Boyd (2006), p. 197.</ref> and [[Bob Harris (radio)|Bob Harris]]. Drake was unhappy with the inlay sleeve, which printed songs in the wrong running order and reproduced verses omitted from the recorded versions.<ref>Dann (2006), p. 134.</ref> In an interview, his sister Gabrielle said: "He was very secretive. I knew he was making an album but I didn't know what stage of completion it was at until he walked into my room and said, 'There you are.' He threw it onto the bed and walked out!"<ref name="Paphides1"/>

===''Bryter Layter'' (1971)===
[[File:Nick drake running man.jpg|thumb|Image of Drake by Keith Morris in 1969]]
Drake ended his studies at Cambridge nine months before graduation and in late 1969 moved to London. His father remembered "writing him long letters, pointing out the disadvantages of going away from Cambridge&nbsp;... a degree was a safety net, if you manage to get a degree, at least you have something to fall back on; his reply to that was that a safety net was the one thing he did not want."<ref name=ASTF/> Drake spent his first few months in London drifting from place to place, occasionally staying at his sister's [[Kensington]] flat but usually sleeping on friends' sofas and floors.<ref>Humphries (1997), pp. 107–08.</ref> Eventually, in an attempt to bring some stability and a telephone into Drake's life, Boyd organised and paid for a ground floor [[bedsit]] in [[Belsize Park]], [[London Borough of Camden|Camden]].<ref>Dann (2006), p. 141.</ref>

On 5 August 1969, Drake pre-recorded four songs for the [[BBC]]'s [[Night Ride (BBC Radio 2)|Night Ride]] show presented by [[John Peel]] ("Cello Song", "Three Hours", "River Man" and "Time of No Reply" ), which were broadcast after midnight on 6 August. Nick subsequently recorded "Bryter Layter" for another BBC radio broadcast, in April 1970. A month after the initial BBC recordings, on 24 September, he opened for Fairport Convention at the [[Royal Festival Hall]] in London, followed by appearances at folk clubs in Birmingham and Hull. According to the folk singer [[Michael Chapman (singer)|Michael Chapman]], the audiences did not appreciate Drake and wanted "songs with choruses". Chapman said: "They completely missed the point. He didn't say a word the entire evening. It was actually quite painful to watch. I don't know what the audience expected, I mean, they must have known they weren't going to get sea-shanties and sing-alongs at a Nick Drake gig!"<ref name="Chronology" />{{listen
| filename     =
| title        = "Northern Sky"
| description  = "[[Northern Sky]]" features piano, organ, and [[celesta]] performed by [[John Cale]].
}}

The experience reinforced Drake's decision to retreat from live appearances; the few concerts he did play were usually brief, awkward, and poorly attended. Drake seemed reluctant to perform and rarely addressed his audience. As many of his songs were played in different tunings, he frequently paused to retune between numbers.<ref name="Sandall">{{Cite news |last=Sandall |first=Robert |date=20 May 2004 |title=Brighter very much later |work=The Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/3617296/Brighter-very-much-later.html |access-date=11 June 2023}}</ref> Although ''Five Leaves Left'' attracted little publicity, Boyd was keen to build on what momentum there was. Drake's second album, ''[[Bryter Layter]]'' (1971),<ref name="autogenerated1">Drake, Gabrielle, ''Nick Drake: Remembered For A While'', Little, Brown and Co., 2014.</ref> again produced by Boyd and engineered by [[John Wood (record producer)|John Wood]], introduced a more upbeat, jazzier sound.<ref name="Unterberger">{{AllMusic|id=nick-drake-mn0000336783|title=Nick Drake Biography|tab=biography|last=Unterberger|first=Richie|access-date=11 June 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Holden |first=Stephen |date=6 February 1987 |title=Pop and Jazz Guide |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/02/06/arts/pop-and-jazz-guide-860187.html |access-date=11 June 2023 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Disappointed by his debut's poor sales, Drake sought to move away from his [[pastoral]] sound and agreed to Boyd's suggestions to include bass and drum tracks. "It was more of a pop sound, I suppose," Boyd later said. "I imagined it as more commercial."<ref>Dann (2006), p. 142.</ref> Like its predecessor, the album featured musicians from Fairport Convention, as well as contributions from [[John Cale]] on two songs: "[[Northern Sky]]" and "Fly". Trevor Dann noted that while sections of "Northern Sky" sound more characteristic of Cale, the song was the closest Drake came to a release with chart potential.<ref>Dann (2006), p. 242.</ref>

''Bryter Layter'' was a commercial failure, and reviews were again mixed; ''[[Record Mirror]]'' praised Drake as a "beautiful guitarist—clean and with perfect timing, [and] accompanied by soft, beautiful arrangements", but ''[[Melody Maker]]'' described the album as "an awkward mix of folk and cocktail jazz".<ref name="Sandall"/> Soon after its release, Boyd sold Witchseason to Island Records and moved to Los Angeles to work with [[Warner Brothers]] to develop film soundtracks. The loss of his mentor, coupled with the album's poor sales, led Drake into further [[major depressive disorder|depression]]. His attitude to London had changed: he was unhappy living alone, and visibly nervous and uncomfortable performing at a series of concerts in early 1970. In June, Drake gave one of his final live appearances at [[North East Surrey College Of Technology|Ewell Technical College]], Surrey. [[Ralph McTell]], who also performed that night, remembered: "Nick was monosyllabic. At that particular gig he was very shy. He did the first set and something awful must have happened. He was doing his song 'Fruit Tree' and walked off halfway through it."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Macaulay |first=Stephen |date=2 October 2006 |title=Nick Drake: Bartleby the Musician |url=https://gloriousnoise.com/2006/nick_drake_bartleby_the_musici |access-date=11 June 2023 |website=Glorious Noise |language=en-US}}</ref>

Island Records urged Drake to promote ''Bryter Layter'' through interviews, radio sessions, and live appearances. Drake refused. Disappointed by the reaction to ''Bryter Layter'', he turned inwards and withdrew from family and friends.<ref name=":2"/>

===''Pink Moon'' (1972)===
Although Island had not expected a third album,<ref>Dann (2006), pp. 168–170, 172.</ref> Drake approached Wood in October 1971 to begin work on what would be his final release. Sessions took place over two nights, with only Drake and Wood in the studio.<ref name="Macdonald"/> The bleak songs of ''[[Pink Moon]]'' are short, and the eleven-track album lasts only 28 minutes, a length described by Wood as "just about right. You really wouldn't want it to be any longer."<ref name="Paphides"/> Drake had expressed dissatisfaction with the sound of ''Bryter Layter'', and believed that the string, brass, and saxophone arrangements resulted in a sound that was "too full, too elaborate".<ref>Cooper, Colin. [http://www.stylusmagazine.com/articles/on_second_thought/nick-drake-bryter-layter.htm "Nick Drake&nbsp;— Bryter Layter"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071128014507/http://www.stylusmagazine.com/articles/on_second_thought/nick-drake-bryter-layter.htm |date=28 November 2007 }}, stylusmagazine.com, 2 March 2004; retrieved 3 February 2007.</ref> Drake appears on ''Pink Moon'' accompanied only by his own carefully recorded guitar save for a piano [[overdub]] on the title track. Wood later said: "He was very determined to make this very stark, bare record. He definitely wanted it to be him more than anything. And I think, in some ways, ''Pink Moon'' is probably more like Nick is than the other two records."<ref>Wood, John. Interview conducted by ''Walhalla Radio Station'', 1979.</ref>{{listen
| filename     =
| title        = "Pink Moon"
| description  = The piano overdub on "Pink Moon" displays a musicality absent from some of the barer tracks on Drake's final album.<ref>Dann (2006), p. 245.</ref>
}}

Drake delivered the tapes of ''Pink Moon'' to [[Chris Blackwell]] at Island Records, contrary to a popular legend which claims that he dropped them off at the receptionist's desk without saying a word.<ref>Dann (2006), p. 170.</ref> An advertisement for the album in ''Melody Maker'' in February opened with "''Pink Moon''—Nick Drake's latest album: the first we heard of it was when it was finished."<ref>Sandison, Dave. [http://www.tannforsen.com/nickdrake/media.asp?intId=46&intCatId=44 "Pink Moon"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929130526/http://www.tannforsen.com/nickdrake/media.asp?intId=46&intCatId=44 |date=29 September 2007 }}, UK Press Release (1971); retrieved 14 November 2006.</ref> ''Pink Moon'' sold fewer copies than its predecessors, although it received some favourable reviews. In ''Zigzag'', Connor McKnight wrote: "Nick Drake is an artist who never fakes. The album makes no concession to the theory that music should be escapist. It's simply one musician's view of life at the time, and you can't ask for more than that."<ref>McKnight, Connor, "In search of Nick Drake", ''Zigzag Magazine'', #42, 1974.</ref>

Blackwell felt ''Pink Moon'' had the potential to bring Drake to a mainstream audience; however, his staff were disappointed by Drake's unwillingness to promote it. [[A&R]] manager [[Muff Winwood]] recalled "tearing his hair out" in frustration and said that without Blackwell's enthusiastic support "the rest of us would have given him the boot".<ref>Dann (2006), p. 162</ref> At Boyd's insistence, Drake agreed to an interview with Jerry Gilbert of ''Sounds Magazine''.<ref>Gilbert, Jerry. "Something else for Nick? An interview with Nick Drake". ''Sounds Magazine'', 13 March 1971.</ref> The "shy and introverted" Drake spoke of his dislike of live appearances and little else.<ref name="d163&4">Dann (2006), pp. 163–64.</ref> "There wasn't any connection whatsoever," Gilbert said. "I don't think he made eye contact with me once."<ref name="d163&4"/> Disheartened and convinced he would be unable to write again, Drake retired from music. He toyed with the idea of a different career and considered the army.<ref name="barnes">{{cite magazine|last=Barnes|first=Anthony|date=22 February 2004|title=The forgotten tapes of Nick Drake|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/revealed-the-forgotten-tapes-of-nick-drake-lost-genius-of-british-rock-70490.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220620/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/revealed-the-forgotten-tapes-of-nick-drake-lost-genius-of-british-rock-70490.html |archive-date=20 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|magazine= [[The Independent]]|location=UK|access-date=1 November 2016}}</ref> His three albums had together sold fewer than 4,000 copies.<ref name="Sandall"/>

===Later career (1973-74)===
In February 1973, Drake contacted John Wood, saying he was ready to begin work on a fourth album.<ref name="autogenerated1"/> Boyd was in England at the time and agreed to attend the recordings. The initial session was followed by recordings in July 1974. In his 2006 autobiography, Boyd recalled being taken aback at Drake's anger and bitterness: "[He said that] I had told him he was a genius, and others had concurred. Why wasn't he famous and rich? This rage must have festered beneath that inexpressive exterior for years."<ref>Boyd (2006), pp. 259, 261.</ref> Boyd and Wood noticed a deterioration in Drake's performance, requiring him to overdub his voice separately over the guitar. However, the return to the Sound Techniques studio raised Drake's spirits; his mother recalled, "We were so absolutely thrilled to think that Nick was happy because there hadn't been any happiness in Nick's life for years."<ref name="Hunt"/>