Product Description

A biography of the British singer songwriter who died aged twenty six, having made three albums, all now recognised as classics.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #81388 in Books
• Published on: 1998-09-24
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

Customer Reviews

the soul with no footprint: a paper thin life
Molly Drake's poignant assessment of her son as being a "soul with no footprint" was no understatement. Nick Drake left no writings (beyond a few lyrics, understandably treasured by his family), no film or footage of any sort, virtually no possessions and only one interview. There were a handful of concerts and no proper tours or promotions. Pity, then, poor Patrick Humphries, who has actually managed to produce a highly readable biography of a man who left nothing behind. The book is composed almost entirely of personal reminiscences but the critical lack of co-operation from Gabrielle Drake or Joe Boyd (Drake's producer) has resulted in there being no permission to quote Drake's lyrics. This is a major loss (but hardly the author's fault).

I felt that Humphries was tackling his subject from a little too remote an angle and so the analysis becomes, at times, too close to hypothesis. It may be said that Humphries could have written a briefer book (he had SO little to work with!) but he has developed some themes with skill: the folk scene of the early 1970's; Nick mysterious guitar tunings; his isolation and detachment (the poor man spent hours - even days, it seems - doing nothing whatsoever, in silence, even in company); his gradual tragic slide into deep depression; and the curious cult that now defines him moreso even than his music.

I would have loved to have personal insight from Gabrielle Drake (the book feels hollow without it and, in certain places, it cries out for some personal perspective from someone who wasn't a schoolfriend or a musician) and just a little more anecdote. But the author has done something quite subtle: he has written a book that obliges you to pursue Drake's music further for he raises more questions about the man's brief life than he answers. As I read the book, I listened to Drake's three albums over and over again and I like them even more now. But I still don't feel I know very much about the man who wrote them.

The account of the sinking of the Titanic at the beginning is bizarre and irrelevant - and I'm not sure that the author's grandfather being the doctor who brought Drake into the world is of any concern or interest to anyone except Mr Humphries (who seems disproportionately proud of this incidental achievement of his forebear).

The prose is fine overall but there are purple passages. Try this from page 172: "Pink Moon has all the hallmarks of a finely crafted beauty, a sombre resonance which finds echo all these years on. The songs are pale and wistful, like the late light of a Warwickshire afternoon. It is like watching smoke coil up from a hand-rolled cigarette, as the chill fog of a late-autumn evening sneaks up and wraps itself around you, like an old frind keen to betray you. Hearing Nick Drake's voice here conjures up again the lost boy, creating a mood as irredeemable as childhood, as plaintive as unrequited love, as tragic as lost promise".

MEMORIES & RECOLLECTIONS
Once you get past the ridiculous account of the sinking of the Titanic in the introduction, this book becomes quite absorbing. Humphries writes engagingly about Drake’s early years, with reference to the culture of the fifties and speculations on possible early musical influences. The description of the British pop scene in the early 1960s and how it related to Drake’s years at Marlborough school is very helpful in framing Drake’s music in time and place.

It’s interesting that the singer had completed his schooldays in 1966 when The Beatles released Revolver and Dylan was making waves with Blonde On Blonde. Nick’s visits to France and Marrakech are covered in detail. The description of the UK folk scene of those times is very informative, as Humphries writes about musicians like Danny Thompson, Fairport Convention and Richard & Linda Thompson and the clubs and circuits where they performed.

Much of the text consists of various peoples’ recollections of Drake, most of them within the music industry. So there is an amount of repetition and revisiting the same eras and incidents through the eyes of different narrators. Humphries also discusses Drake’s rare coverage by various music publications of the time like Sounds and Melody Maker, including reviews of his albums. In addition, he attempts to recreate the circumstances of the recording of each album and provides illuminating information and opinions on most of the individual songs. I was particularly pleased to read about John Cale’s contribution to Bryter Layter and his recollections of the recording sessions.

Drake’s tragic decline from a happy, well-adjusted school kid to increasingly isolated and alienated young man is treated with understatement, but the overall effect leaves a strong impression. The chapters on Drake’s posthumous rediscovery and growing influence are well-researched and provides detailed information on covers of his songs and compilation albums that contain his work. There are eight pages of black & white plates with photographs, a lino cut and a pencil sketch. The book concludes with a discography that includes Drake’s individual and compilation albums, multi-artist compilations and the tribute album Brittle Days.

Fascinating but badly written
This book is worth reading if you're a Nick Drake fan because there is a fair bit of research and a lot of interviews with his friends and colleagues and it builds a picture of the tormented life and death of a gifted and tragic young man. Where it is let down is in the writing style and structure:
- it jumps about too much chronologically
- there is a lot of repetition (eg we are told twice, in successive paragraphs, that Churchill nicknamed his depression "a black dog")
- he is hampered by an inability to quote Drake's wonderful lyrics that would have illuminated and enriched the book's theme; instead the author tries to wax lyrical himself, not particularly effectively
- there is too much scene painting, trying to capture the mood of the 60s and 70s pop culture - much of the references are obscure and fairly narrow in scope
- it's hard to escape but there is a lot of speculation, about Drake's motivations, influences, sexuality, drug use
- the lack of cooperation from the Drake family is unfortunate as it limits the amount of childhood background that could be so revealing
- there is not enough technical data on his tunings and songwriting techniques, guitars and playing style - which are unique and also his drug habit and medical history.
- there is a tendency to laziness in comparing Drake to other "victims" of the music industry eg Hendrix and Joplin. The comparison with Robert Johnson is a bit ridiculous (by the author's own admission)although interesting.
Humphries doesn't come across as a particularly big fan of Drake (this isn't important) and I didn't find the work to be hagiographic but there is little room for a view of Drake as a spoilt, upper-middle class, public school boy who couldn't bear it that his debut album didn't receive universal acclaim and guarantee stardom. I don't think that's the case but I'm sure there are those near him who may have felt that at the time.
Don't let this put you off - I'm glad I read the book and discovered what many contemporary musicians thought of Drake, his therapeutic driving excursions and the way Island recorded his stuff and managed him. There is just so much superfluous, mixed up baggage in this book that, as in his short life, it is sometimes a surprise when Drake just appears unannounced on the page. There's a better biography to be written.