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62 of 63 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Magic, indeed., June 22, 2004
We didn't think it would happen, but here it is - another new compilation of recordings by Nick Drake, that troubled and marvelously talented young man who in his short career nevertheless managed to produce three of the most heartbreakingly beautiful albums ever made. You can't go wrong with any of them, as the Amazon critic above says, but this disc is still no less essential. It's seemingly meant to replace Time of No Reply - which was the previous offering of gems-from-the-vault - and so there's still a little overlap here. Here's the breakdown for those wondering what's really 'new':"Joey," "Clothes of Sand," "Thoughts of Mary Jane," "Rider on the Wheel," "Black-Eyed Dog" and "Voices" (aka Voice from the Mountain) are the same tracks from ToNR, remastered and spruced up as much as possible. "Hanging on a Star," "Mayfair" and "River Man" are solo takes with just Nick and his guitar, previously unissued. "Three Hours" is also an alternate take from the studio, this time with congas and flute. The differences in those last two give a fresh new twist, especially "River Man" which had only been released with full strings. (I Was Made to Love) "Magic" and "Time of No Reply" itself have had orchestral backings freshly recorded, working from the original charts made in the late 60s (and in the case of ToNR never used). Again, a wonderful new twist. "Tow the Line" is apparently a new discovery and has never been released anywhere. It could have easily belonged on Pink Moon - it's another pretty solo song and shares the same not-really-fatalistic mood. On its own it's not exactly spectacular, but of course it's noteworthy as the only Drake song heretofore unknown. Well, as far as we know. So there it is, although I'm probably not the only one who had to have it sight-unseen just because everything the man put to tape was stellar. I'm not sure why a couple of the ToNR tracks were still left off here; they could have easily been added to MTLM (which runs a little under 42 minutes as it is), and now there are a mere couple recordings that are unfairly fading into the realm of the out-of-print. But that can't be helped now, so all I can do is encourage anyone who hasn't discovered this wonderful artist yet to rectify the situation whenever possible. Nick's is a catalogue that's as fresh, vital and exquisitely beautiful today as it was 30 years ago, and Made to Love Magic stands as the (almost) perfect finish. Buy, marvel and wonder.
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25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Return of Drake's Spirit, June 26, 2004
I must say that when I heard about the gathering of these recordings, I imagined it the work of vultures squeezing a few more pounds and dollars, out of material that might have been rejected earlier for good reasons.
I'm so glad to say that I was absolutely wrong!
Indeed, this album is comprised from outtakes, demos and alternate versions from his output -unfortunately limited by his suicide- yet the result is not the shameless hawking of sub par stuff. Quite in the contrary, it is more nectar from one of the most influential Folk singer-songwriters who ever lived.
Nick Drake's spirit is back in 13 gorgeous tunes -including even a new song, Tow The Line- reminding us of his keen talent for introspective moods, and tender melodies that could create an intimate moment even in a busy NYC subway trains.
After all, although Drake died so lamentably young at 26, he managed to influence several generations of young men and women who went on, in their own right to be distinct folk voices themselves. From Elliott Smith to Devendra Banhart, Damien Rice or Joanna Newsom, the sad and thoughtful touch of Nick Drake's universe has bore its influence.
I can only think of Tim Buckley, his graceful and doomed contemporary in the States as having etched a similar deep course in the new Folk scene.
If you haven't heard Drake before, this may not be the place to start -although I don't know how it could hurt- since those three albums, which he released while still alive, might offer you a better sense of what he was after and a beautiful example of the integrity and development of each of those song-cycles.
Gathered finally thirty years after his death, the songs included here, as different as they may be to the Drake-refined ear, still represent a stronger set than most contemporary Folk offerings.
Sadness well expressed, with the poetic depth found here, could never cease to speak to any age. Sadness turns beauty, when you are as talented as Nick Drake.
Enter this album expecting to be awed by its quiet marvel, and let your heart be educated by his timeless spirit.
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22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent outtakes/rarities collection, June 2, 2005
Nick Drake was woefully overlooked during his lifetime, so much that the American music press virtually forgot him for many years ("Rolling Stone Album Guide" even dropped his name from their second edition in 1982). Fortunately, he had a small but devoted set of fans, and his admirers continued to grow, so much that his music found its way into TV commercials and critically acclaimed films. His three original albums are wonderful, but they're an unfortunately small legacy, making MADE TO LOVE MAGIC essential to anyone who's grown to love Nick Drake's music.
If you're new to Nick Drake, I'd suggest getting PINK MOON, FIVE LEAVES LEFT, and BRYTER LAYTER first. They're the only three albums fully realized by Drake before his early death. Outside of those three albums, you have your choice between this CD or an earlier CD called TIME OF NO REPLY (now out-of-print). Though they are very similar, both discs have distinct differences, and this one, MADE TO LOVE MAGIC, is the superior collection. The sequencing is better, and the song selection is a bit stronger.
So what are the differences? First of all, two songs, "Time Of No Reply" and "Magic" (titled "I Was Made To Love Magic" on the TIME OF NO REPLY disc) have been overdubbed with orchestrations on this newer CD, MADE TO LOVE MAGIC. Posthumous work on any artist's recordings is often dubious, but there are rare cases where it works. According to the liner notes, Drake knew Robert Kirby since his days at Cambridge University, and he had Kirby arrange orchestrations for "Time Of No Reply" and "Magic." Both songs were intended for his first album, FIVE LEAVES LEFT, but before Drake could record these orchestrations, he already had a surplus of songs, so Kirby's orchestrations remained on manuscript only and both songs were shelved indefinitely. Raw tracks for both songs were issued on TIME OF NO REPLY, but for this CD, the producers went back to Kirby's arrangements, recorded them, and overdubbed them on Drake's raw tracks. The results are excellent.
As for the other tracks, "Tow The Line" is a newly discovered song, and it's heard for the first time on MADE TO LOVE MAGIC. "Clothes Of Sand," "Black-Eyed Dog," "Rider On The Wheel," "Voices (aka 'Voice From The Mountain')," "Joey" and "The Thoughts Of Mary Jane" are heard in crisp, well-balanced mixes (the versions on MADE TO LOVE MAGIC had some echo and some more pronounced flanging). "The Thoughts Of Mary Jane" fades out a few seconds earlier on MADE TO LOVE MAGIC, cutting out a dissonant guitar note that ended the performance, but it's a very minor difference.
"Hanging On A Star" is presented here in a different take that is preferable for the stronger vocal (Drake actually recorded his voice and guitar separately for the first time on this recording). "Mayfair" is presented here in a Cambridge-era demo, and some say it's better than the later version on TIME OF NO REPLY; I actually prefer the later version. "River Man" is presented here in a pleasant solo acoustic version, and there's a nice alternate take of "Three Hours"; neither of these two are on TIME OF NO REPLY.
Several outtakes and alternate takes, including "Man In A Shed," "Fly," "Been Smoking Too Long," and "Strange Meeting II," cannot be found on MADE TO LOVE MAGIC, but are available on TIME OF NO REPLY. They're interesting, but not essential, so unless you're a completist, MADE TO LOVE MAGIC will suffice.
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by Nick Drake 
