Nick Drake - Way To Blue (1994)

Way to Blue is a gathering of tracks taken from Nick Drake's 3 albums 'Five Leaves Left' (1969), 'Bryter Layter' (1970), 'Pink Moon' (1972) and a compilation of unreleased tracks called 'Time Of No Reply'. Critics and artists alike speak of Drake in oft-reverential tones and it's easy to see why. A lot of the tracks here are over 30 years old but sound remarkably fresh and interesting. Nick Drake's music is uncomplicated folk yet all the while an 8-piece orchestra does its stuff in the wings. 'Hazey Jane I' uses the string section to creates a wonderful foil to Drake's gentle guitar plucking. 'Fruit Tree' is a journey all on its own, full of lavish arrangements and poetry with a grand musical tapestry in tow. Drake's voice is a mirror image of Stuart Murdoch's from Belle and Sebastian (that should read the other way around I guess) and you can see how much he has influenced that band. The overall tone is very low key, never going beyond a certain decibel level. It could almost be a Belle and Sebastian unplugged session. The acoustic guitar work is distinguished and a lot of the tunes boast stupendous hooks. 'Time Of No Reply' is wistful and shy but deeply affecting all the same. All you get is Drake and guitar but the product of this fusion is overwhelmingly powerful. Music just waiting for the newest break-up in town to beckon a backdrop. Tears could have been invented for this type of thing.

'Poor Boy' is a funky effort, with sax thrown in for good measure. Drake remains his calm self regardless of the din around him. 'Cello Song' is one of his better known tracks and when the fabled instrument makes an entrance you can almost smell the melancholy. 'Northern Sky' is as dreamy as it sounds, shuffling on that lazy beat, the intermittent piano and the distant organ drone. It gives off the impression of anti-cool but it is beyond all that. There is a deep but hushed sadness to a lot of the early part of Way to Blue. The mist of gloom is never more evident than on the title track 'Way To Blue', a sort of funeral march put to music. It is immaculate and beguiling but provides little hope or solace. Thank the lord then for 'Things Behind The Sun’, which is a little more uplifting. On the album sleeve Drake looks alone and deeply puzzled, a perceptive marker for what goes on inside. Nick Drake's lyrics are often vague and open to different interpretations but looking between the lines you can pick up on the inner demons that would eventually lead to his demise. His music is very wordy, as is a lot of folk music, but there are also many beautiful musical moments on the album. 'One Of These Things First' is an example where the guitar and bass persuasions are even more memorable than the haunting vocals. It is a merry ramble that is easily filed in memory. Drake does attempt to work up a sweat on 'Hazey Jane II' but even then it is likely that your toes will be the only thing wiggling in time. That is the scope of this album; it is delicate but full of strong tunes. 'Pink Moon' for example is so cute, so damn simple yet so stirring the leaves hardly need to brew.

So is Way To Blue enough to wet the appetite for future Drake purchases? The answer is most definitely in the affirmative. Drake’s music could well be given a very timely boost with the emergence of the new acoustic movement but there are so many gems on Way To Blue it is hard to see when it will ever become unfashionable. Way To Blue is the perfect soundtrack to summer days spent picnicking. The bees are in no mood for stinging, just happy to deliver pots of sweet honey to the soft crust placed on the checked sheet that covers the bed of daisies underneath. It’s a world away from hectic lifestyles, computers, careers and fast cars. In saying that it still retains a marked relevance in today's world. Subtitled ‘An Introduction To Nick Drake’, Way To Blue is the subtle handshake that’ll begin your lifetime admiration for Nick Drake’s back catalogue. An acoustic fanfare for the common man.

Rating: 8/10

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