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: #1143 in Music
• Released on: 2000-06-26
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• 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

CD 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.

Customer Reviews

PRICELESS..
Its not often you find an album that works perfectly from beginning to end as a complete body. Hearing this for the first time, i was so very concious of the outright 'sensitivity' of the music lyrics & voice- I found it thouroughly engaging. Upon the 2nd & 3rd listen i was gobsmacked at just how beautiful these arrangements were & just how ridiculously talented this person was. Technically-the musicianship is outstanding, acoustic guitars, flute, piano, strings etc.. There is a fairly big orchestration compared to his other 2 albums, the difference being that all of these tracks stand up in their own right. Its an original sound - sort of folky & jazzy at the same time. They set a romantic - reflective mood that is somehow tinged with the slightest bit of sadness- but is ultimately totally uplifting!
Its hard to comprehend someone so young being so developed in his art, 20 - 21 i believe- really! - to be able to articulate his vision & express himself in such a way so as it can be universally experienced; this is what sets him apart from so many.
I cant say that there is a stand out track in particular, with catchy hooks that reel you in- this music doesnt work that way- all i know is that i dont mess around with the 'skip' button at all- but by no means is this just 'background fodder'. The lyrics are beautiful & reflective without being trite or cliched, & reveal a sense of vulnerability & a sense of wonder of himself & the world around him. Its powerful in its understatedness, beautiful & heartfelt. Some may prefer PMoon- a much more sombre minimal affair, withjust Nicks breathy vocals & acoustic guitar- some with a Robert Johnson bluesy feel. Five Leaves has some outstanding tracks but fails to be as consistent as BLayter- my favourite.
If you want a gentle uplifting album to make you reflect the hours away, i cant reccomend this enough. An album i know ill always connect with & for that .. well... its priceless!

Gentle Masterpiece
The cinematic instrumental, Introduction, opens this treasure trove of an album, and is followed by Hazey Jane II, a lilting dreamy pop number. At The Chime Of A City Clock has its jazzy moments with lovely sax, while One Of These Things First, with its lively piano, is the closest Drake comes to happiness. The wistful and spacious Hazey Jane I is followed by the title track, an elegant breezy instrumental, and the sublime Fly. This version, with its fuller instrumentation, is my top favorite Nick Drake song, displaying the man at his best in its exquisite spirituality. Poor Boy is a jazzy/R&B song with soulful backing vocals, while John Cale's celeste, piano and organ contributions on Northern Sky make this track a classic. Like two of his collaborators, Richard Thompson and Cale, Nick had his own poetic voice from the beginning, and his legacy is being rediscovered by a new generation of musicians. This album is the perfect entry point to investigate Drake's magic. So many styles, but so coherent. Bryter Layter's variety, sympathetic production and breathtakingly beautiful songs make it my favorite by this gifted artist.

Just a unique album.
This is Nick Drake's most balanced, beautifully played and sung and thus,best work. Whilst'Five Leaves' has some great stuff (and is highly recommended) I feel that as a whole it is quite cloyingly meloncholic.On the other hand I feel this album is very diverse, and is therefore never depressing. 'Pink Moon' could have been his masterpiece but the songs are still rough diamonds, like sketches rather then the finished article. It is also-lets be honest-very very bleak. 'Bryter Layter' is book-ended by instrumentals that give this an album an extra sheen. The album can be viewed as one piece rather then 10 songs. Nick's singing is at it's most alluring, his voice floating rather then forced. I particulary like the vocals on 'One of these things First'; soothing to suit the music. The playing is awesome and the combination of the said voice and the orchestra is a marriage made in heaven. I just feel that everything is beautifully understated. Imagine the album to be like a Seurat, the dots merging into an unforgettable image. A bit of flute here, a piano there. And what image does this album convey? This is why the albums a classic; everyone has their own opinion on why the album is so powerful. I listened to this album before I knew anything about Nick Drakes'tragic life; and it blew me away. How can someone have such a beautiful vision of the world? And convey it through such beautiful music? So the image I had of Nick was that of someone so at odds with the cynical world. Sadly naive. I was not suprised when I learnt about his downfall because hopeless romantics are often undone by a society which can't live up to there dreams. Nick wanted a better world and certainly the superlative 'Fly' and 'Northern Sky' take us to a place far far away, the sort of place you used to dream could happen to you oneday. This work sort of takes you back to the magic land of your innocence. Let it uplift you!