Customer Reviews

Made to Love Magic

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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" (fka Voice from the Mountain) are the same tracks from ToNR, remastered and sonically spruced up.

"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. 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 this disc (which runs a little under 42 minutes as it is), and now there are a mere couple tracks 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.

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.

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.

This beautiful cd should be rewarded a grammy , John Wood , Joe Boyd, Robert Kirby , and Gabrielle Drake accepting. This would be a fitting and deserved act to acknowledge Nick's legacy. Music awards are basically meaningless but in this case we are talking about the BEST unrecognized songwriter ever , basically ignored even though he was head and shoulders above his peers- literally and figuratively. Much of this disconnect in fate had to do with Nick's reluctance to tour and play live , again ahead of his time .

It is very cool to hear the first lines of this cd from the song Rider on the Wheel "and now you know my name" because now many people do know the music of Nick Drake , 30 years after his death I might add. If you are reading this you probably know the story , that Nick wrote and recorded some of the best music ever from 1969 to approx 1972 when he personally delivered his last recording to Island without much of an explanation. I don't think they even knew what he had dropped of until weeks later as it was difficult for him to converse with people at that point. Fortunately that recording made it to vinyl and is titled Pink Moon, probably the best voice and acoustic guitar record ever recorded. Funny how it took a snipet of the song in a Volkswagen commercial to add fuel to the fire , shows you how great his writing was. It is unfortunate that Drake did not receive the acclaim due during his short life but in a case of romantic irony Nick's path through life was set before him and any straying may have kept this music from being created in the fashion that it was , similar to the story of Van Gogh. If you have read much about Nick he was obviously consumed by music and was very introspective to the point of eccentricity . It is eerily evident that he existed in order to make these recordings as he shut himself off from much of the world , especially from 1971 to 1974. The music was all that mattered to him , not marketing etc. Fortunately after giving up music for a while Nick began to write again and he recorded much of the music on Made to Love Magic , although it was not released until well after his death.

This new cd contains many of the same songs as the last vault release "Time of No Reply" however the takes are different on many and some new arrangements have been superbly applied , mainly on the title track. Nick apparently did not like the string arrangement for this song and now on this cd Robert Kirby has corrected that for Nick , stunning piece. The take of "River Man" on this cd is really cool as well, it sounds the way it probably did when Nick was originally writing it and playing it for friends- just that wonderful voice and guitar. The version on his Five Leaves Left album is no slouch either-sheer genius . Other highlights on this cd include "Black Eyed Dog" which is a very haunting song supposedly about depression and a new song called "Tow the Line" which is really good. It is a good thing that Island can share these rare recordings as Nick Drake was a very unique writer and his fans are rabid .

Musically Drake was a paradox as well, he apparently was very obsessive about inventing new ways to tune the guitar and was able to create sounds that suited his vocal tone very well. Many of his tunings are still unknown , he did not necessarily use the stand by drop "D" or DADGAD tunings, yet another mystery to solve. Drake also used odd finger patterns -inverted thumb , odd time signatures etc. This combination of inventiveness , intuition , musical skill , and poetry is what makes Nick a must listen for anyone. I highly recommend all of his recordings , they will touch upon a part of your being that has not been explored musically.

True Magic .

When I first read about this album, before hearing it, I was disappointed to think that it was really a rehash of the Nick Drake material we've heard before. OK, I was wrong! One thing this album gives us in these gorgeous songs is an in-depth look at Nick's Guitar playing. We get to hear what River Man really sounds like, as well as Mayfair, a brand new song from the last session called Tow the Line, a great live studio take of Three Hours, the final session remastered -- as well as remastered editions of Joey and Clothes of Sand -- and more. Robert Kirby adds his original string arrangements to two songs, from a tape he had in his potting shed! Nick's guitar and his playing have a clarity here that is stronger than on Time of No Reply. What this album also does is help cast Nick's last session in a different light. When the Fruit Tree booklet notes were written two decades ago, the final four songs were supposedly sqeezed out of a depressed young man who was all out of songs. Listening to them now, they appear to be the first few songs of the fourth Nick Drake album, never completed due to his accidental death. Even Black Dog doesn't sound terrifying, as the Fruit Tree booklet notes then made it out to be. We tend to make up stories, particularly about artists who died young. Forget what you have heard and just LISTEN to Nick's songs, to their depth and beauty.

There isn't much Nick Drake floating around. If you have the three records he issued while he was alive, though, this one will get you as close to complete as I think you need to be.

His most beautiful song, "Hanging On A Star," one of the very last ones he recorded, is here. I played it this morning-into-afternoon, over and over, the CD player on repeat. It was an effort to take it off (and put on Nick's "Bryter Later.") He never played guitar better and his voice never sounded so frail and damaged as it does here. If you must find his "suicide note," which, well, many seem to be looking for, go no further: "Why leave me hanging on a star/When you deem me so high?/Why leave me sailing on the sea/When you hear me so clear?" I find it unaccountable that not a word I've read about this record even mentions this song, a hidden gem if ever music held one.

The rest of the record is a perfect mix, some spare voice-and-guitar arrangements (some of songs that appeared on his albums with more elaborate arrangements), a few sporting the tasteful flourishes of flute, strings, and Richard Thompson's superlative guitar that so many who misunderstand Drake's atmospherics mistake for overkill. There's not an instrument playing on any of Nick Drake's records that Nick didn't want there, doing precisely what it's doing. Take anything you've heard on any Drake piece away and the piece would be lessened by it.

This isn't a studio release; but the people who mattered most to Drake's life and career put it together. And it sounds as if Nick paced it and arranged it. He certainly made the music. And if you want Nick's "fourth album," this ranks right up there with the other three in my book.

Nick Drake once sang: "Now we rise and we are everywhere." This is true. The folk music of Drake is now omnipresent in pop culture. This is music to listen to with a close friend, girlfriend, or alone before you decided to kill yourself. Nick Drake is often discovered by the discontent youth of every generation. He is like the Kurt Cobain or Ian Curtis of another generation. People like Devendra Banhart have brought back an interest in the music of Drake. Most of Drake's music was previously released in three albums: Five Leaves Left, Bryter Layter, and Pink Moon. Some of this material was released in a box set back in 1986. A new song "Tow The Line" was only recently discovered. It may be the last Nick Drake song ever written. It is a beautiful song and totally changes my mind about Drake: he was a genius.

Nick Drake's body of work is getting a bit cannabilized at this point, having been packaged and repackaged several times over. This is yet another collection of tracks that did not make his three studio albums (or did, but this provides alternate takes). Drake was such a wonderful guitarist and had such a unique voice that anything he did is worth grabbing up, but for his diehard fans a lot of this is going to be duplication. The new listener might want to check out highlights such as "Mayfair," "Hanging On A Star," or "Black Eyed Dog." A better starting point, though, would be his actual albums: "Five Leaves Left," "Bryter Layter," and the haunting "Pink Moon."

This album contains unreleased rarities, remixes and new arrangements of songs by the late Nick Drake, who died 30 years ago at age 26. The closing song ("Tow The Line") is believed to be the last song ever recorded by him. If you want to listen to a preview of it, go to NPR's web site, and check it out in the archives of "All Songs Considered" (Episode 64). You will be happy to hear his voice, which has become one of the most important re-discoveries of 2004.

"Made To Love Magic" is a collection of outtakes, alternate versions and other previously unreleased numbers recorded by the legendary Nick Drake. Despite the fact that several tracks were probably only intended as demos, the CD holds a very good high level, especially because the songwriting is fully compatible with Drake's three official albums.

After Drake's third album "Pink Moon" in 1972, he more or less stopped recording and it was only in 1974, a few months before his death that he seriously starting to prepare a fourth album. The five new songs he wrote and recorded in 1974 are all here and they are all important additions to his fine song catalog. Particularly interesting is "Tow the Line", partly because the song just recently discovered (this is the first time the number has been released) and partly because it is such a nice song. Also "Rider on the Wheel" is among Drake's finest. All five songs faeture Drake alone with his guitar and his vocals.

Among the earlier songs you'll find the very moving "Time of No Reply"; here in a version with a strings arrangement written by Robert Kirby;. Whether you prefer the earlier released more naked version or this newly aranged one is a matter of taste; at any rate it is one Drake's very best songs. "Magic", which comes from the period around Drake's first album, is a fully arranged recording that inexplicably was not considered fit for any of Drake's Orignal albums.

"River Man" and "Mayfair" are obviously demos; but fine songs anyway.

"Joey" and "Clothes of Sand" from 1968 also never the way to an album, though both sound and song quality could justify this.

"Thoughts of Mary Jane" and "Three Hours" are fine alternate versions of two songs from Drake's first album. "Thoughts of Mary Jane" is without the strings arrangement, but features a tasty electric guitar instead to accompany Drake's acoustic. "Three Hours" has a previously unheard flute-part besides the wellknown congas and acoustic guitar.

Some of the tracks have previously been released on the posthumosly released album "Time of No Reply," but it has so much "new" material that it is impossible to ignore. On the other hand, there are tracks on "Time of No Reply" which are not found here, so it's hard to skip any of the two albums.