Family Tree (Nick Drake album) explained

Family Tree
Type:Compilation
Artist:Nick Drake
Cover:Nick Drake - Family Tree.jpg
Released:9 July 2007
Recorded:Various (1967-1968)
Genre:Folk, blues, jazz, classical
Length:66:10
Label:Island (UK CD), Tsunami LG/Fontana (US CD), Sunbeam (UK 2LP)
Producer:Various,
Prev Title:A Treasury
Prev Year:2004
Next Title:Tuck Box
Next Year:2013

Family Tree is a 2007 compilation album of home and demo recordings by English singer/songwriter Nick Drake. The album is notable for the appearance of Nick's sister Gabrielle on one track and the contribution of two original songs performed by Nick's mother, Molly Drake. Recorded before the release of his first album, Five Leaves Left, most of the tracks on the album circulated on bootlegs in the years before the official release from the Drake family.[1] The album reached #35 on Billboards Top Independent Albums chart, making it Drake's first album to chart in America. The recordings are all from the 1960s, consisting of home recordings by Nick and his father Rodney in Tanworth-in-Arden, England; demos recorded by Nick in Aix en Provence, France; and 1968 demos recorded at Cambridge University by Nick's later frequent collaborator Robert Kirby.

Track listing

All songs written and performed by Nick Drake except where noted.

  1. "Come Into the Garden (Introduction)" – 0:31
  2. "They're Leaving Me Behind" – 3:16
  3. "Time Piece" – 0:43
  4. "Poor Mum", written and performed by Molly Drake – 1:38
  5. "Winter Is Gone" (traditional) – 2:42
  6. "All My Trials" (trad.), with Gabrielle Drake – 1:55
  7. "Kegelstatt Trio for Clarinet, Viola and Piano" (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart), Nick on clarinet with his aunt & uncle – 1:14
  8. "Betty and Dupree" (Chuck Willis) – 2:17 †
  9. "Strolling Down the Highway" (Bert Jansch) – 2:50
  10. "Paddling in Rushmere" (trad.) – 0:24
  11. "Cocaine Blues" (trad.) – 2:59
  12. "Blossom" – 2:41
  13. "Been Smokin' Too Long" (Robin Frederick) – 2:13
  14. "Black Mountain Blues" (trad.) – 2:37
  15. "Tomorrow Is a Long Time" (Bob Dylan) – 3:40
  16. "If You Leave Me" (trad., arranged by Dave Van Ronk) – 2:04
  17. "Here Come the Blues" (Jackson C. Frank) – 3:53
  18. "Sketch 1" – 0:59
  19. "Blues Run the Game" (Frank) – 2:25
  20. "My Baby So Sweet" (trad., arr. by Blind Boy Fuller) – 1:45 ‡
  21. "Milk and Honey" (Frank) – 3:00
  22. "Kimbie" (trad., arr. by Frank) – 3:26
  23. "Bird Flew By" – 2:54
  24. "Rain" – 3:07
  25. "Strange Meeting II" – 4:27
  26. "Day Is Done" – 2:20
  27. "Come Into the Garden" – 1:59
  28. "Way to Blue" – 2:51
  29. "Do You Ever Remember?", written and performed by Molly Drake – 1:37

† "Betty and Dupree" is only available on the Sunbeam 2xLP (UK) edition.
‡ "My Baby So Sweet" is only available on certain releases, including the Sunbeam vinyl version and the original pressing of the Island CD version.

Personnel

Nick Drake sings and plays acoustic guitar except on those performed by Molly Drake, and clarinet on the Mozart piece. Gabrielle Drake and Molly Drake appear as noted.

Notes and References

  1. http://www.jambase.com/headsup.asp?storyID=10321 Nick Drake: Family Tree On Jambase

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Family Tree (Nick Drake album)".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.