Customer Reviews

Nick Drake: Under Review

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

 

 

It tells the story of what some of his most noticed songs were about. It gives you insight on what was happening in Nick Drakes career. They discuss songs like River man, Fruit tree, Parasite, pink moon, when the day is done, and many more. The DVD is focused on Nick Drakes influences and the three first albums along with his last four songs he was working on before he died. The DVD is worth the purchase. All nick Drake fans should buy this DVD.

I bought this with a certain measure of expectation that I would be disappointed. Thankfully I was not, in fact I have to say that this is one of the most carefully assembled tributes to an artist that I have seen. Friends & fellow musicians (such as Ralph McTell, John Renbourn, Robin Williamson & Ashley Hutchings) bring to this project a creative & personal insight into the life and the music of Nick Drake, who remains one of England's most treasured & profoundly influential of artists. This carefully assembled DVD gives to us (who have appreciated Nick Drake from the release of his very first album - 'Five Leaves Left', which I still listen to on Vinyl) a deeper understanding & appreciation of the man & of the music. Thank you to all who made this project a possibility. This is a worthy tribute to Nick Drake.

...nor by Island Records." It should be noted that while this is an interesting piece with some insight, the above words, taken directly from the back cover, might give some people pause before purchasing it, as this goes against the wishes of the keepers of the Drake flame, his sister Gabrielle, Joy Boyd, and Cally, the guy behind the official remasterings and other "official" projects. A very interesting interview with Cally that touches on some of these issues can be found at: [...]

Calling all Nick Drake rookies or casual fans: this is the place to start learning more about the gifted, woefully overlooked late British folk musician.

You get intelligent, even-handed analysis and commentary on Drake's modest output (three classic albums) by critics and musicians---both Drake's contemporaries and those influenced by him. You get in-depth biographical material from, among others, the one and only journalist who ever interviewed Drake and a school friend who was the subject of a Drake song. On top of that, you get a healthy taste of Drake music, in both original and tasteful cover versions.

Aside from hiring a spiritual medium to "interview" Nick himself, this DVD is as good as anyone could've made it. Perhaps input from Drake's surviving relatives or some unreleased demos would've been cool; but that's for the definitive (as-yet-to-be-made) N.D. documentary. This is an introduction, and as such, it's well done and well worth its price.

I liked the documentary becuase of the information. You get a lot of facts about Drake's influences and about how he started in music. It is also very interesting to listen about what he wanted to reach with his discography and how he got dissapointed with the poor sells of his albums. In the interviews you listen people that knew the artist in his youth, colleagues, biographers and even a couple of artist that now pay tribute to Drake. The critics about his music are really fulfilling.

For me there where two negative aspects: you don't get to see too much pictures of Nick Drake, in fact you can count them with your hands. A lot of parts of the documentary are illustrated with random images of landscapes and trees (WTF?) The rest of the time you are looking at the people interviewed, and honestly it turs boring.

There is not even one video of Drake, and not a lot of anecdotes. I missed those two aspects a lot, and that's why I put this DVD 3 stars.

PD: you would not be able to put subtitles in any language and it has the worst menu I've ever seen.

I bought this DVD about 3 weeks ago and have watched it twice since then.
I once saw a documentary of Nick Drake on the Sundance Channel last year,
but it was nowhere near as detailed as this one was.
Nick Drake was a shy, esoteric and uniquely gifted genius who came on
to the british folk / singer-songwriter scene with his amazing debut album
"Five Leaves Left" in late 1968. He had a tone, a sound, an energy that was
subtle & melancholy yet forceful and compelling at the same time!
He used time signatures and chord progressions that his contemporaries
weren't even thinking of in the late 60's and early 70's when he made
his 3 brilliant studio albums: "Five Leaves Left", "Bryter Layter" and "Pink Moons".
Sadly, he was plagued with self-doubt, depression and other demons which were
further intensified by the fact that his music was not well-recieved in his lifetime
and sold poorly due to lack of exposure, outstanding support of the critics, etc.
Nick Drake only performed his music once or twice in public, then after that
fell off the radar. He died at the very young age of 26 from an accidental
(some say intentional) overdose of medication he was prescribed for his
depression in November of 1974.
But his manager and friend never wavered in his belief that Nick Drake was a genius
far ahead of his time, and made a deal with the record company that they always keep
Nick's work in print and eventually this paid off as subsequent generations were
to discover his brilliance and be influenced not only by his musical prowess, but
his unique singing voice as well. Nick Drake's influence spans folk, rock, pop
and beyond today some 35 yrs after his death, and 41 yrs since he made his debut.
His recording became so popular in the late 80's and early 90's that
a special box-set "Fruit Tree" was released to raves!
Such a pity he didn't get to taste any of this while he was alive.
It might've kept him alive....but then, in a strange way, through his music, he is immortal!

This documentary is a must for Nick Drake fans as well as for musical historians and critics. The people interviewed offer heartfelt and relevant insight into this young man who influenced many despite his tragically short life. His music is analyzed brilliantly from the perspectives of his background, the prevailing musical trends, and its technical composition. For me, this video added yet another layer of appreciation to Nick Drake's music. Don't miss it.