Friday Flashback: Nick Drake - River Man

Nick Drake's is a sadly familiar tale, a hugely talented artist who has received much of his recognition and acclaim posthumously. A mysterious figure, the English folk singer-songwriter release his debut album Five Leaves Left in 1969 at the age of twenty and would release two more (Bryter Layter -1970 and Pink Moon - 1972) before overdosing on anti-depressants in 1974 at the age of 26.

His music is impressively timeless with cinematic quality that sucks you into a beautiful but sombre world.  'River Man',  from his debut, is said to be one song Drake was particularly proud of and considered it to be the centre piece of the album. Unfortunately there is no live footage of Nick Drake, his aversion to the live stage another reason for his lack of success during his lifetime, but you can listen via this video...

If you're interested to read more about Drake, there is a pretty good article over here at The Guardian which they posted in 2007 upon the discovery of an unreleased Drake song thought to be the last one he wrote/recorded.

We also rediscovered this great cover of 'Cello Song', also from his debut, by The Books and Jose Gonzalez that featured on The Dark Was The Night Compilation released a few years back.