Product Description

After crafting a debut album full of beauteous, somber chamber-folk, Nick Drake pulled something of an about-face with the follow-up, BRYTER LAYTER. With a bright, sparkling production and orchestrations that occasionally border on Easy Listening, the framework is light and airy where FIVE LEAVES LEFT was dark and foreboding. The key, however, is that Drake's artfully expressed inner turmoil peeks through at every turn in the lyrics and in his understated-but-heartfelt vocaldelivery.
"At the Chime of a City Clock" finds Drake facing existential despair at every turn, despite an almost-lugubrious string arrangement. Perhaps the crucial moment of BRYTER LAYTER occurs on "Poor Boy", where female backing vocalists literally mock the singer's anguished laments. Clearly,for as much as Drake's heart and soul were bared in every note of his music, he was self-aware enough to know that his disillusioned-romantic view of the world was one that put him on the fringes of society. Of course, some 25 years later,his early-1970s work would find a much wider audience, eventhough the initial era of the sensitive singer/songwriter had long since passed.

Track Listing

1. Introduction
2. Hazey Jane II
3. At The Chime Of A City Clock
4. One Of These Things First
5. Hazey Jane I
6. Bryter Layter
7. Fly
8. Poor Boy
9. Northern Sky
10. Sunday

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3604 in Music
• Released on: 2000-06-26
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 39 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Bryter Layter, the second album from Nick Drake, came in 1970, and while not quite as melancholy as his debut, Five Leaves Left, there are certain brooding qualities that continued to propagate the Nick Drake mystique. Horn, flute and string arrangements lift such songs as "At the Chime of a City Clock" and "Hazy Jane I" and "II" out of the realm of sad, folk-guitar music into something jazzier and lighter, while the beautiful piano and simple guitar of "One of These Things First" laments what could have been without sounding like a song of despair. But two tracks featuring John Cale on various instruments (such as viola and harpsichord) have the dark fragility of "Pink Moon": the lovely "Fly" is a fragile apparition, and "Northern Sky" is a dreamy, brooding plea for long-lasting love. It's definitely not the same mood music as his starker work, but it's still a fine showcase for Nick Drake. --Lorry Fleming

Customer Reviews

Quintessentially English Perfection
The middle album of Nick Drake's all too short recording career is his shot at what some world call "pop". Obviously a kind of 'folk-rock pop', some distance from the desolate tone of his last record Pink Moon, and a fuller, more upbeat sound from his sensational debut Five Leaves Left.

Everything about Bryter Layter is extraordinary. Nick's incredible guitar style pushes songs on just like FLL, Joe Boyd's elegant production is still in place, but here he is comlimented by a "who's who" of Island record label-mates as backing, including John Cale, Dave Mattacks, Richard Thompson and Dave Pegg.

The song's themselves are among Drake's very best. The three instrumentals are certainly not filler material, but the other songs simply take ones breath away.

Hazey Jane II, with it's jazzy trumpets is as upbeat as Drake ever sounded. It seems a shame he never made more songs like this.

At The Chime Of A City Clock is the song-ifercation of Nick Drake - only he could have written it. English, understated, clever and ultimately very charming.

One Of These Things First is simpler than his usual fare, but has always been a favourite of mine. The yearning lyrics and driving piano solo last long in the memory.

Hazey Jane I wouldn't hardly be a song but for Drake's incessant plucking, but somehow it works! At one moment every instument falls away bar Nick's guitar before he pulls them all back together, leaving this heart to skip a beat.

Fly is classic Drake: a short, sweet, longing, remarkably poetic lovesong. Again his voice is crying out for love, losing the mind and breaking ones heart.

Poor Boy is a lengthy track that sees Drake almost seem like the leader of a folky-blues band, with rousing backing vocals and grooving piano guitar drums and bass. Again, no-one else could write it.

Northern Sky, almost a duet with Cale, is perhaps the finest love song ever written. I can only think of Joni Mitchell's A Case of You and Nina Simone's If You Knew that come close. It is simply an astonishingly beatiful song.

This album, like his others, should be known by the masses rather than worshipped by the priveliged few. That, however, is something I'm quite pleased about!

Brighter sooner
After a sublime, intimate debut album, Nick Drake recorded a more band-based album. The most commercial album of his trio, 'Bryter Layter' features constant support from members of labelmates Fairport Convention and a liberal dose of strings. Though an album of immense charm, this approach partly sacrifices the effect of Drake's prodigious guitar playing.

'Hazey Jane II' is a rare r&b oriented track, yet even this is light and smooth. Drake's vivid verse and soft voice come to the fore on 'At The Chime Of A City Clock', while on the three time 'One Of These Things First' his fluid guitar patterns complement a confident, sustained vocal.
'Hazey Jane I' features some imaginative percussion and more inspired guitar. Without question, the first half of the album is flawless.

Some might not like the presence of instrumentals on a Nick Drake album, but the title track distinguishes itself with a lovely flute-led melody, as does the melancholic 'Sunday'. 'Fly' starts at the upper edge of Drake's vocal range, but settles against John Cale's comforting viola. 'Poor Boy', the longest track, is a latin jazz-oriented track featuring sax and female backing singers. It's a decent song, though not what he does best. John Cale resurfaces on 'Northern Sky' with soothing keyboards against Drake's strumming. Apart from a mild reservation about 'Poor Boy', then 'Bryter Layter' is Drake's second superb album of 1970. Though 'Five Leaves Left' is his best, this one offers the easiest way into his music.

Great production, a classic
Nick's Bryter Layter is a rich and full sounding album, a direct contrast to the stark Pink Moon. Jazzy in parts ( one of these things first ), orchestral in others ( title track ) and gentle clever acoustic in others, this album is an uplifting moment frozen in time before Nick lost his way. A stunning album, totally recomended.