The second of three albums by the late British folk guitarist/singer/songwriter. Not quite as melancholy as the first album, Five Leaves Left, this album is still packed with first rate songs. In addition to folk songs, this album includes several straight-ahead pop songs and some instrumental tracks, making it the most accessible and upbeat of Drake's albums. There's also a bit of additional instrumentation, mainly courtesy of members of the Fairport Convention, Richard Thompson, and John Cale. Unfortunately, Drake's attempt at making a commercial album didn't result in album sales (it sold less than 3,000 copies upon its release), and Drake fell even further into the depression he had battled for years.
All 3 of Drake's albums appear on Rolling Stone's 2003 list of the 500 Greatest Albums Of All-Time, but Bryter Layter is ranked the highest of the three, coming in at #245. I feel for the magazine's editors because I'd have a tough time ranking one of Drake's albums above the others. I'm not a folk music guy by any stretch of the imagination, but if all folk music sounded this good, we'd have a different story.
Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: did not chart
Tracks: Like all Nick Drake albums, this must be listened to in its entirety, no skipping. This album contains my favorite Nick Drake song, One Of These Things First, a beautifully calming track. Not a bad track to be found.
Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I first heard One Of These Things First in 2005 and was shocked when I discovered that it was 35 years old and hadn't heard it and hadn't even heard of Nick Drake. I then went out and bought all three of Drake's albums.
Previously revisited for the blog:
Five Leaves Left (1969)
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