For many years after his death, unreleased home tapes that Nick Drake made shortly before beginning his official recording career have been bootlegged among collectors. The 28 songs on Family Tree add up to an extensive (though not quite complete, missing some minor covers like "Get Together," "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright," and "Summertime") compilation of the performances he recorded on such equipment before he cut his debut album, 1969's Five Leaves Left. The bulk of it, and the part that's been oft-bootlegged, was recorded on a reel-reel at his family home (and include a vocal duet between him and sister Gabrielle Drake on "All My Trials," though otherwise they're all solo performances). Less familiar, and hence probably new even to many hardcore Drake collectors, are eight songs taped on cassette somewhat earlier during his spring 1967 stay in Aix-En-Provence in France, as well as a couple of earlier versions of songs that later appeared on Five Leaves Left that were taped by Robert Kirby in 1968, and a couple recordings of songs sung and played (on piano) by Nick's mother, Molly Drake. Many Drake fans will already be familiar with the performances he taped at his family home, but the cleaned-up sound here makes this disc much easier to listen to than those earlier unauthorized releases, though everything's still (inevitably given the sources) a little lo-fi.
As for the music, it's a very pleasant and listenable portrait of Drake's folk roots, though not on par (and not meant to be) with his studio releases. For one thing, at this point, he wasn't playing much of his own material; most of the songs are raditional folk tunes, or covers of compositions by '60s folk songwriters that were obviously big influences on Drake, such as Bert Jansch, Jackson C. Frank, and Dylan (and, on "Been Smokin' Too Long," a friend he met in France, Robin Frederick). Also, both his guitar work and singing are more derivative of the likes of Jansch, Donovan, and country bluesmen such as Blind Boy Fuller (whose "My Baby's So Sweet" he covers here) than they would be by the time he settled into his own style on Five Leaves Left. Still, much of what makes Drake special does come through, even with the relatively low percentage of original material and primitive recording conditions. His folk guitar work is already nimble, but more striking are his vocals, which already boast his characteristic mixture of assured slight smokiness and English reserve. And the few Drake compositions put his reclusive yet poetic world view in greater, more original focus, though it's really only on the songs later used on Five Leaves Left (and, perhaps, the haunting if Donovan-esque "Strange Meeting, Pt. 2") that it becomes fully mature. The two Molly Drake songs, incidentally, aren't mere completist add-ons; they make it clear that she was likely a substantial influence upon her son's melancholy melodies and songwriting, if perhaps a subliminal one. Less essential, though still illuminating for the dedicated Drake fan is a classical instrumental (by "the Family Trio") with Nick on clarinet.
*First tentative steps towards a criminally short career*A precocious and ultimately fragile figure, the death of 26-year-old Nick Drake in 1974 has unfairly garnered as much public and critical attention as the music he made. It was inevitable that his early demise, and the question marks over what led to such a tragedy, would trigger detailed, almost academic consideration of the songs he gav...
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As "previously reported":PR, The estate of the late singer-songwriter Nick Drake release an album of his rarities and classics. ??Family Tree?? (Tsunami LG/Fontana) dropped June 19.Drake's estate has allowed for a Nick Drake Myspace page featuring a video and a few songs off the album. Check it out:"Way to Blue - Video From ??Family Tree??":VI http://www.myspace.com/nickdrake [VI]http://vids.m...
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The estate of the late singer-songwriter Nick Drake released a track off his upcoming album of rarities, ??Family Tree?? (Tsunami LG/Fontana).The track, Black Mountain Blues is a folk standard that has been played by Janis Joplin, Tom Rush and various other artists."Click Here":CH to listen to the track.Drake died in 1974 of an overdose of anti depressants at his parents home. In the years foll...
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*First tentative steps towards a criminally short career*A precocious and ultimately fragile figure, the death of 26-year-old Nick Drake in 1974 has unfairly garnered as much public and critical attention as the music he made. It was inevitable that his early demise, and the question marks over what led to such a tragedy, would trigger detailed, almost academic consideration of the songs he gav...
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An album of Nick Drake recordings made before his official debut, 1969's Five Leaves Left, will be released on June 19.The 28 tracks on the new album, Family Tree (Tsunami LG/Fontana) are lo-fi recordings made on a reel-to-reel tape recorder in the late '60s at Drake's home, Far Leys in Tanworth In Arden, as well as eight songs recorded on cassette during his sojourn in Aix En Provence. There a...
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I've just finished slowly treading my way through Nick Drake’s “Family Tree,” an album featuring recordings he made before 1969's “Five Leaves Left.” While its appeal is probably limited, I think it's worthwhile for those of us interested in hearing Drake's progression as a songwriter. Be warned though, "Family Tree" is difficult to take in one sitting(28 tracks/bad sound quality), bu
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"silent and mum, silent and mum..."last night i had a nightmare about facebook, this morning i woke up and de-activated it. hopefully (doubtfully) for good.
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Paste Magazine has an article about a June 19th release of 26 Nick Drake songs on the album Family Tree that were recorded to reel before his debut, including two by HIS MOTHER. Sounds odd, but ya gotta check it out.
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| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 Come in to the Garden (Introduction) |
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| 2 They're Leaving Me Behind |
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| 3 Time Piece |
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| 4 Poor Mum |
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| 5 Winter Is Gone |
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| 6 All My Trials |
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| 7 Mozart's Kegelstatt Trio |
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| 8 Strolling Down the Highway |
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| 9 Paddling in Rushmere |
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| 10 Cocaine Blues |
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| 11 Blossom |
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| 12 Been Smoking Too Long |
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| 13 Black Mountain Blues |
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| 14 Tomorrow Is a Long Time |
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| 15 If You Leave Me |
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| 16 Here Comes the Blues |
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| 17 Sketch, Pt. 1 |
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| 18 Blues Run the Game |
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| 19 My Baby's So Sweet |
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| 20 Milk and Honey |
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| 21 Kimbie |
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| 22 Bird Flew By |
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| 23 Rain |
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| 24 Strange Meeting, Pt. 2 |
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| 25 Day Is Done |
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| 26 Come into the Garden |
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| 27 Way to Blue |
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| 28 Do You Ever Remember? |
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Click to purchase…
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 "Family Tree")
