Track Listing

1. Cello Song
2. Hazey Jane
3. Way To Blue
4. Things Behind The Sun
5. River Man
6. Poor Boy
7. Time Of No Reply
8. From The Morning
9. One Of These Things First
10. Northern Sky
11. Which Will
12. Hazey Jane II
13. Time Has Told Me
14. Pink Moon
15. Black Eyed Dog
16. Fruit Tree

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10560 in Music
• Released on: 1994-05-24
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
These days the term "genius" is bandied about so routinely that it is practically meaningless. However Way to Blue, a 16-track introduction to Nick Drake, proves that the ill-starred troubadour was indeed a genius in the truest sense of the word. Singer-songwriter Nick Drake released just three poorly selling albums during his brief lifetime. A manic-depressive, he committed suicide in1974 aged just 26. Posthumously, his intricately sculpted pastoral psalms have been discovered by an ever-expanding audience. Way to Blue deftly captures the essence of Drake's unique oeuvre, embracing the plaintive poetry and baroque chamber music of his wistful debut Five Leaves Left, the lighter, verging-on-jazzy Richard Thompson and John Cale assisted follow-up Bryter Layter and his troubled, starkly eerie swansong Pink Moon. Throughout, Drake's seraphic vocals, expressively fluid acoustic guitar picking and elegiac lyrics articulate a lexicon of life, love and loss. --Chris King

CD Description
WAY TO BLUE: AN INTRODUCTION TO NICK DRAKE is the perfect title for this well-compiled collection that exemplifies the full breadth of Drake's work. From the lush orchestrations of FIVE LEAVES LEFT and BRYTER LAYTER to the sparse acoustic guitar work of PINK MOON and the posthumous TIME OF NO REPLY, WAY TO BLUE features a handful of songs from each album, compiled and sequenced by Drake's friend and producer Joe Boyd.
Opening with the gorgeous "Cello Song", the album moves from BRYTER LAYTER's "Hazey Jane I" to the title track, which features Drake's delicate vocals alone over a symphonic swell. Also included are the haunting "River Man", the reflective "One of These Things First", and the melancholy "Time of No Reply", in addition to Drake's most well-known tune, "Pink Moon". Each song presented here (and, in fact, every Nick Drake song) is a testament to his beautifully subdued voice and proficient acoustic guitar playing, offering further evidence of his still-growing influence decades after his death.

Customer Reviews

A Brillient Introduction
I am sure that this was one of the first in Islands Introduction series and is definitely one of the best. Not all of the songs can be considered the best of Nick Drake's work, but it does exactly what it needs to by wetting your appetite to delve further into his very small, but none the less interesting back catalogue.

Arriving at the beginning of what is now seen as the dawning of the singer song writer age (the late 1960's to early 1970's); he passed almost unnoticed during his brief lifetime. He produced several albums of chilling and somber beauty that with hindsight have come to be recognised as peak achievements of both the British folk-rock scene and the entire rock singer/songwriter genre. His was a much darker vision than other writers, with themes of melancholy, failed romance, mortality, and depression lurking just beneath and above the surface. Drake always complained of his lack of success but since his early death, Drake has achieved a far greater stature in the decades following his death, with an avid cult following that grows by the year.

However, even though I have given this a five star rating, it is on the fact the music contained within is of the highest standard. I would recommend purchasing the Fruit Tree Box Set and the Made to Lover Magic album to get the most out of this amazing body of work.

Words do not go far enough
Nick Drake left this earth 7 years before I was born so I am one of the many fans of his legacy. What "Way To Blue" offers is some of the most haunted and beautiful music that you are ever likely to hear.

What first strikes you about this man in his voice, soft yet melancholy, almost mumbling the word but with such focus and purpose. The guitar (stunningly delicate finger picked) is just as soft, making this both a gorgeous and unique sound.

There is a fair bit of diversity on this recording, from the ballad "Northern Sky" (featuring the great John Cale) to the almost harrowing masterpiece "Black Eyed Dog". And let us not forget the title track of this album "Way To Blue"; a true masterpiece.

No matter what genre of music you are into, this is a must of any collection, easily up there with "Sergent Peppers" and "Dark Side of the Moon".

Considering that he died in 1974 and his music still lives on, this is a legacy that most people only dream of, Mr. Drake, your music does live on. Watch out David Gray, you have a long way to go before you release songs of this callibre and brilliance.

gossamer folk heaven
"An Introduction to Nick Drake" is the subtitle to this good-value release and it well describes a record full of Drake's masterpieces and greatest misses. Perhaps "Cello Song" is an unorthodox introduction to this Introduction, but from then on it is pure nectar. "Hazey Jane" (parts 1 and 2) are perhaps Drake at his most musically complex, as is the sumptuous "River Man", recently voted one of best 100 songs ever written by Mojo magazine.

The funereal strings of the title track soon give way to a gorgeous denouement, and the simple pared-down melody of "Northern Sky" is quite breath-taking.

Other highlights are two of Drake's most famous compositions, "Pink Moon" and "Fruit Tree", all of which highlights what a debt the folk and indie scene (Belle and Sebastian et al) owes to this tragic talent.