Project 1001: Five Leaves Left by Nick Drake
This album is beautifully sung and played by an artist who had a very short life and by many accounts a very troubled life. It’s hard to listen to these wonderful songs without thinking about how the man’s life ended. For me a melancholy record made me quite sad upon initially listening. Nevertheless, I very much enjoyed this album, and I hope, if you’ve never heard it, you’ll give it a listen. My rating:
AllMusic praised the “fine production” and string and wind arrangements.
“His own performance itself steered a careful balance between too-easy accessibility and maudlin self-reflection, combining the best of both worlds while avoiding the pitfalls on either side. The result was a fantastic debut appearance, and if the cult of Drake consistently reads more into his work than is perhaps deserved, Five Leaves Left is still a most successful effort.”1
NME said Drake’s “guitar playing, which (i)s so obsessively perfect it almost escapes comprehension. You will never hear a single string buzz. It's not the sort of virtuosity that quiets a chattering crowd, but once you've attuned to the absolute silence, it quickly grows otherworldly.”2
In 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, Joel McIver wrote:
“Although the cult of Nick Drake, like those of later luminaries such as Marc Bolan and Kurt Cobain, has elevated him beyond his music to an entirely different level, the work of this most understated of British folk artists remains essential listening for anyone interested in finding out what the Sixties were actually about.”3
Enjoy and listen without prejudice. Cheers!
Prime Playlist: 219. Five Leaves Left by Nick Drake
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For details about this project, read this: Project 1001 Albums
Charts
• Peak on Billboard 200 album chart: n/a
• Singles on Billboard Hot 100 chart: n/a
• RIAA certification: n/a
Released on July 3, 1969. Here’s what else was happening:
Pop Culture
• Number one song: “Love Theme From Romeo & Juliet” by Henry Mancini And His Orchestra4
• Number one album: Hair Original Cast Recording5
• Number one movie: The Love Bug by Robert Stevenson
• Most watched TV programs: Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In, Gomer Pyle, USMC, Bonanza, Mayberry RFD, Family Affair6
• NYT bestseller, fiction: The Love Machine by Jacqueline Susann7
• NYT bestseller, non-fiction: Jennie by Ralph G. Martin8
Some other albums released that month
• Unhalfbricking by Fairport Convention
• Hallelujah by Canned Heat
• Happy Sad by Tim Buckley
• The Soft Parade by The Doors
• Blind Faith by Blind Faith
• Yes by Yes
• What About Today? by Barbara Streisand
• In a Silent Way by Miles Davis
• Early Steppenwolf by Steppenwolf
• Here We Are Again by Country Joe and the Fish9
Sport
• Jul 4 Wimbledon Women's Tennis: Home favorite Ann Jones upsets 3-time defending champion Billie Jean King 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.
• Jul 5 Wimbledon Men's Tennis: In an all-Australian final Rod Laver beats John Newcombe 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 for the 3rd leg of his Grand Slam.
• Jul 12 British Open Men's Golf, Royal Lytham & St Annes GC: Tony Jacklin wins the first of his 2 major titles, 2 strokes ahead of Bob Charles of New Zealand; first Briton to win The Open since 1951.10
Notable Births
• Jul 2 Jenni Rivera, Mexican-American singer-songwriter (Jenni, 2008), born in Long Beach, California.
• Jul 6 Brian Van Holt, American actor (Bobby-Cougar Town, Bo Sinclair-House of Wax), born in Waukegan, Illinois.
• Jul 7 Joe Sakic, Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame center (Colorado Avalanche, Canada 1998-2002) and executive (GM Colorado Avalanche), born in Burnaby, British Columbia.11
Historical Events
• Jul 3 Newport Jazz Festival, Newport, Rhode Island opens, 78, 000 attend over 4 days; performers include: George Benson; Blood, Sweat, and Tears; Jeff Beck; James Brown; Bill Evans; Sun Ra; Mothers of Invention; Dave Brubeck; Miles Davis; Stephane Grapelli; and Sly & The Family Stone.
• Jul 4 140,000 attend 2-day Atlanta Pop Festival in Byron, Georgia; performers include: Janis Joplin; Blood, Sweat & Tears; Chicago; Led Zeppelin; Delaney and Bonnie; Creedence Clearwater Revival, Canned Heat; Joe Cocker; Chuck Berry; Spirit; and Johnny Winter.
• Jul 4 The Ohio Fireworks Derecho kills 18 Ohioans and destroys over 100 boats on Lake Erie.12
Notable Deaths
• Jul 3 Brian Jones, British blues and rock guitarist, organist and sitar player (Rolling Stones, 1962-69), drowns in his swimming pool at 27.
• Jul 5 Ben Alexander, American actor (Dragnet, All Quiet on the Western Front), dies of natural causes at 58.
• Jul 7 Gladys Swarthout, American mezzo-soprano (La Gioconda), dies of heart disease at 68.
McIver, Joel, 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, Fifth printing, ed. by Robert Dimmery p. 168.
Ibid.