Review:Nick Drake - Five Leaves Left (1969)

The mystique that surrounds the short career of Nick Drake undoubtedly adds to the fervent worship that greets his work today. Just three studio albums, no video or live recordings and few interviews, the cult of the folk icon gathers critical acclaim not only from his body of work but from the sympathy for his debilitating depression and ultimately, his lonely demise at the age of 26. There is a definite sense of what might have been had he been able to overcome his demons, but the listeners are left with a few still pictures and a body of work that imbues a sense of doomed romanticism that feels timeless, making it easy to understand the continued reverence he is held in to this day.

Discovered by Fairport Convention's bass player Ashley Hutchings and signed to Island Records via Joe Boyd's Witchseason production company, Drake’s debut album has a uniquely rural English charm that combines his intoxicating vocal performance with an acoustic guitar style that is both imaginative and technically gifted in equal measure. Robert Kirby fleshes out the sparse autumnal soundscapes with orchestral arrangements that deliberately create a counter melody that drifts in and out of prominence, and yet never dilutes the singer’s world weary musings. Veteran composer Harry Robinson steps in for the highlight, and possibly Drake’s best song “River Man”, which perfectly bridges the composer’s metronomic guitar line and the transitions between major 7ths and minor chords with a succinct yet vital string accompaniment. The prophetic irony of the lyrics to “Fruit Tree” suggests the dreadful slide into depression that Drake would eventually succumb to. His whispered baritone burr on “Day Is Done” and “Time Has Told Me” portray a poetic sage well beyond his tender years.

The public indifference to this and subsequent recordings would embitter Nick Drake for the remaining six years of his life. The resignation to his feelings of isolation and insecurity would dominate later recordings, and in many ways “Five Leaves Left” marks the start of the journey into the shadowy wilderness that would envelop his artistic career and ultimately his life, and for that reason will always be a unique, often remarkable recording.

8/10

Manics And Shirley Bassey: Another Woeful Collaboration?

Who's excited by the prospect of Cardiff's very own Dame Shirley Bassey singing the Manic Street Preachers penned "The Girl From Tiger Bay"? Yes, believe it people; the 72 year old cabaret singer and Bond theme girl is aiming for contemporary street "cred" with the kids by performing a song written especially for her by Mr Wire and cohorts.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8242716.stm

Now I've got a lot of respect for the Manic Street Preachers, but the last time they wrote a song for someone desperate for indie appeal (or anyone's for that matter), it was the diminutive Australian diva Kylie Minogue. "Some Kind Of Bliss" from 1997 was so bad it virtually de-railed her career completely until she found those golden Hot pants, got the cameraman to focus in on her from behind and began spinning around.

What's Shirley gonna do if this one's a pile of poop? She's 72 remember.

Kylie Minogue - Some Kind Of Bliss

Wogan Quits: Moyles Celebrates!

It seems mighty ironic that on the day Radio 1 breakfast host Chris Moyles celebrates the record as longest serving early morning "DJ" on the national station, his glory is overshadowed by the announcement that Radio 2 breakfast host Terry Wogan is stepping down at the age of 71 at the end of this year. Methinks some latent skulduggery from the old timer and a slap round the chops for the youngster Moyles (35), who at one stage seriously challenged old Tel for listener ratings. And let's be frank, the vital component that BBC contemporary music stations consider when appointing a host is how many listeners he or she can pull in. Wogan and Moyles have been slugging it out for the past five years, with Terry leading the way (7.93 Million/day) followed closely by Chris and his team (7.3 Million/day).

Personally, I stopped listening to national music radio when they decided to cease playing music. Sorry, I'm being glib but there is a point to all this. Wittering Wogan and Mundane Moyles have created shows that enable attention to themselves, with little thought or respect for the music loving public. These people are not Disc Jockeys. They are ruthless light entertainers who treat the records as a rude interruption to their "funny" stories, silly catchphrases and "in" studio "jokes". Wogan tells of the problems Frank from Wellingborough had when clearing his loft out, whilst Moyles shares a jibe at the expense of minor celebrities with his seriously unfunny assailant, "Comedy" Dave.

Like MTV and its dereliction to duty in serving music, BBC Radio 1 and 2 breakfast shows have equally forgotten that there's 30-40 million UK listeners who don't want meaningless chit chat when they wake up and start the day.

The Smiths - Panic

New Cribs Album: Ignore The Ignorant

Today sees the release of The Cribs 4th long player "Ignore The Ignorant" on the Wichita label. The first to feature legendary Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr as a full time member, there's a sense of high expectation given that the lead off single "Cheat On Me" shows a distinct movement away from the raw indie sound of previous releases in favour of an ironed out, more conventional hard Rock sound. Marr's ascending, distinctive licks are imprinted over what is an impressive opener, and an exciting taster of what we all hope will be one of the albums of 2009.

"Cheat On Me"


http://wichita-recordings.com

Supermarkets Cover Up New Manics Album

The decision by four major supermarket chains to cover up the brilliant front cover of the latest Manic Street Preachers album shows not only bewildering "political correctness", but incredible naivety.

Jenny Saville's intense portrait of a young Richey Edwards look-alike perfectly serves as an accompaniment to the contents of the album. Edwards presented Bass guitarist Nicky Wire with a set of lyrics and prose just weeks before his disappearance. 14 years on, and with Edwards now declared officially deceased, the band set to work on creating a musical backdrop to his words.

I haven't purchased the album yet, but as a long time Manics fan I look forward to hearing what has been heralded by many critics as the best complete recording since 1994's "The Holy Bible".

The naivety of the shopping chains is that by covering up the album artwork only serves to bring more attention to it. There's also a certain amount of hypocrisy in my view. If this is deemed "inappropriate" then surely they should have considered covering up a number of other albums with a similar, if inferior theme.

I didn't see this get the plain white cover.Or this?

Blur Are Back

Thank goodness. One of the best pieces of news that has come from what has been a pretty ordinary year for contemporary music.

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1670076655/bctid4319131001

Old Grey Whistle Test Memories: Eric Clapton

Here's Eric and his band performing "I Shot The Sherriff"