Time of No Reply

by

Nick Drake

Edit

Time of No Reply is an album of studio outtakes and home-recordings that was first released on cd in 1986, as part of the Fruit Tree box set.

Drake fans will enjoy the little mistake, complete with a joke and laugh in "Mayfair," the alternate versions of "Man in a Shed" and "The Thoughts of Mary Jane" (both originally found on Five Leaves Left (1969)), and "Fly" (originally from Bryter Layter (1970)). ("Fly" was also seen/heard in the great film The Royal Tenenbaums). The last four songs here were recorded in 1972, two years after the classic Pink Moon album, and were the last songs Drake recorded in a studio ("Rider on the Wheel," "Black Eyed Dog," (as heard in the films Practical Magic, Serendipity and The Good Girl, among others), "Hanging on a Star," and "Voice from the Mountain").

Other highlights include the intriguing "Clothes of Sand," (most likely written about Drake's travels in sunny Morroco, where he travelled as a youth with a group of friends, and came across and met and played for none other than the Rolling Stones, at a random restaurant (the group was later mistaken for the Stones when they went to get their car fixed at a nearby mechanic. He didn't want money for the work, only their autographs/photos. Little did he know that (a) not only was it not Mick Jagger and the Stones he was talking to, but (b) the tall, quiet young Englishman in question, complete with guitar, was none other than Nicholas Drake, who would become increasingly famous in his own right as the years went on). Also hinting at these sunny travels is the haunting and pretty "Strange Meeting II." Finally, there is a somewhat down-hearted cover of Robin Frederick's "Been Smoking Too Long." (Fans should check out her website for more on Drake, she has a wonderful original song dedicated to him, called "Sandy Grey," which you can find there).

Long-time fans and newbies alike will enjoy this cd, and as with all of Drake's work, I highly recommend it.

firstly, I'll admit it - I'm an avid fan of Nick Drake's work - the three studio albums are the most directly emotional and beautifully melodic works I know.

a word to the wise, though - I certainly don't recommend this album as a starting point for anyone new to his work - much better to try the well-constructed "Way to Blue" compilation. This collection of offcuts and alternative versions was released to satiate the fans need to have everything that Nick ever committed to tape, so it has none of the coherence and polish of the main three albums. It also spans his entire career, and so there are jarring stylistic differences between the sing-song saccharin of "I was born to love magic" and the death-obssessed whisper of "Black Eyed Dog".

still, there's a rare magic in most of these off-cuts which makes it essential from a fan's point of view, and the sparsity and vulnerability of the later recordings is deeply affecting. Like Joy Division's Ian Curtis, Nick Drake converted his fragile mindstate brilliantly into music & words. The earliest work here is relatively weak, hence three stars, but I would still recommend it as the last chapter of a compelling story.