Rating: 
Summary: Here's some of what the press have been saying:
Review: 'Humphries' great talent as a biographer comes in bringing this ephemeral character to light against the backdrop of the English folk scene of the '60's and '70's...In the end Humphries' biography serves as a wonderful tribute to a lost soul.' BookPage'Humphries blows away cobwebs with plenty of new research...It captures a songwriter whose work touched Elton John, R.E.M., and Paul Weller.' Pulse! 'To Patrick Humphries credit, he neither tries to blackwash Drake or deify him. Instead, he presents a lush musical vista of the sixties and seventies...' New City Lit '...his fans do have reason to be grateful for the book. It's one more nail out of Drake's coffin.' Time Out New York
Rating: 
Summary: Diminish the aura
Review: Any biographical information about the life of Nick Drake has to be welcomed and Patrick Humphries has done his best in tracking down Nick's old aquantinces. But you'd have to be close to illiterate not to figure out there's an awful lot of padding and repetition in this book. The life and recording career of Nick Drake was so short that ironiclly the lack of visual images featured here only adds to the aura. It's as if we only had a miniscule visual record of Nick Drake. On the contrary, photos of him seem to be in relevant abundance and seeing them would have done more to humanize his past than speculation and half-forgotten anecdotes. A lot of time was given over to descriptions of Nick's appearance and there was some interesting details supplied by the photographers who shot the album photos. But I felt myself wanting to see the actual photos of Nick and interpret them for myself rather than read about what somebody else thought about them. Interpreting already available photos is hardly great autobiographical insight. As such I think this would have been a much more complete reflection on Nick's life if it had been released as a photo book. That way the biographical text could have been shortened to 100 pages or so of the most relevant and important information and the rest of the book could include a photographic record of Nick Drake with the complete photo sessions of every album.
Rating: 
Summary: Masterley!
Review: Drake's life and music are carefully represented in Humphries' book. To Humphries' credit, he resisted the strong temptation to give a lopsided and over-romanticised account of Drake's life, instead relying on meticulous research based on interviews with contempories, friends and family. Two factors come through quite strongly in this book; the power and beauty of Drake's music, and the extent to which his tragic demise was such a harrowing and drawn-out affair. Well done Patrick! I take exception to one point however. The song Saturday Sun on Five Leaves Left is described as a filler, "unsuccessful jazz meanderings". Wrong Patrick, this is one of Drake's most beautiful songs, certainly my favourite!
Rating: 
Summary: Nick the unknown
Review: From a friend's review: "The more of the ND bio I read, the more I like it. Kind of tiring, though, of the continual descriptions of Nick's live act: the way he's always showing up drunk and screaming and trying to bring his chicks onstage with him and all the onstage arrests because of his penchant for unzipping his dark trousers and waggin his flaccid member around at the audience and even sometimes urinating on them. Jeez, get a grip, Nick. Now I see where David Lee Roth stole his schtick from. How about the way Nick was always trying to think of new and bizarre ways to make his appearances -- like the one gig where he dropped naked from a helicopter onto a trampoline with a bottle of whiskey in his hand, pouring its contents all over the crowd at Wembley?" Seriously, though, the descriptions of Nick staring at his shoes and mumbling get a bit tiring. It's great to have ANYTHING on Drake, but it just seems like there has to be somebody who knows something in-depth about him. The most revelatory paragraph in the whole book comes from a John Martyn interview given to someone else that the author merely quotes. And who cares about Burma? Anyway, it's cool that Humphries made the effort and we have this much. Next?
Rating: 
Summary: A disappointment
Review: I have found most biographies will give some insight into an artist/person's reason, background, or basis for their work(s). This book, whilst interesting and as factual as he can make it, infuriatingly, only makes Nick Drake the man of mystery) more enigmatic and puzzling.
If you are looking for the man behind the cult, give up now; we will never know, understand, or fathom how he was able to receive a recording contract (for three albums), let alone what spurred him on to create these monumental albums.
Rating:
Summary: I love him but ...
Review: I have found most biographies will give some insight into an artist/person's reason, background, or basis for their work(s). This book, whilst interesting and as factual as he can make it, infuriatingly, only makes Nick Drake the man of mystery) more enigmatic and puzzling.
If you are looking for the man behind the cult, give up now; we will never know, understand, or fathom how he was able to receive a recording contract (for three albums), let alone what spurred him on to create these monumental albums.
Rating: 
Summary: some good stuff but it over extended itself
Review: I read the book roughly and got a great idea on the life of I believe to be a genuis, Nick Drake. While I was reading it however I noticed an alarming trend. The stories center seems to be focused on Nick Drakes depression. Now I do sympathize with Nick on his illness but the book is drowning in self-pity for him. Every other page described how bad Nicks depression was and they would elaborate it and attack it at different angles. Not necessary. It definately detracted from the experience which was kinda cozy until it wallowed in depression repitition. However the book has enough shine to it so its worth reading if you like Nick Drake. Just dont read it when your depressed.
Rating:
Summary: A STONE IN A TIN CAN...
Review: I was very disappointed in this book - and while some of that disappointment is with the style of writing Mr. Humphries employs here, there's more to it than that. Writing a biography is a tricky proposition at best. In the case of an artist like Nick Drake - reclusive and withdrawn, with only one interview given during his brief lifetime - it's a task even more daunting than one would usually expect. Humphries has written bios of other musicians - Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Richard Thompson, Tom Waits, &c - and has evidently built a career and reputation in this area. I'm sure that he felt drawn to the music of Nick Drake in some ways, rather than simply choosing an artist about whom to write in the hope of selling tons of books - there are innumerable choices that would have garnered him greater sales - but without the cooperation of two critical people in Nick's life (his sister Gabrielle and his manager/producer Joe Boyd), given the nature of his subject, the project was more or less doomed from the start. Humphries mentions in his forward that Joe and Gabrielle `had decided not to cooperate' - and since Joe's Warlock Music is the publisher of all of Nick's songs, this also meant that Humphries would be unable to quote from Nick's lyrics. He was thus reduced to quoting Gabrielle and Joe from previously available sources. Molly and Rodney Drake, Nick's parents, were deceased, so no direct conversations between them and the author were possible either. The only other sources left for him upon which to draw were the remembrances of various friends of Nick and written articles about the man and his music. What emerges from all of this is inevitably a choppy picture of the man - not unsympathetic, but jarring and incomplete. Many parts of the book are simply strings of quotes strung together - and too many of the gaps have been filled in by well-meaning but ultimately tedious anecdotes about the music scene of the 60s and 70s in general. Referring to the musicians and bands emerging from the public school scene in the UK of the time, Humphries mentions Genesis coming out of Charterhouse to begin their `windy, wuthering road' to success - a reference to their `Wind and wuthering' album of the late 70s. He's trying a little too hard here for my tastes, I'm afraid. Another irritating practice of Humphries is that he contradicts himself in too many places to mention. He can't seem to settle on his own opinion. On p. 93, he says `FIVE LEAVES LEFT is an astonishingly assured and mature debut' - on p. 94, he says `Lyrically the songs on FIVE LEAVES LEFT are largely unremarkable'. Huh? On p. 89, he speaks warmly of how well Robert Kirby (Nick's school chum and string arranger on his first two albums) worked with Nick's songs: `...his arrangements remain an integral part of the distinctive sound of Nick's debut album' - then, again from p. 94: `...perhaps the arrangements are a tad lush'. This sort of `playing both sides' persists throughout the book. These are not instances of Humphries quoting the opinions of others (at least they are not presented in that way) - these are his own words. The publisher, Bloomsbury, must also be taken to task, for their (lack of) editing - there are several errors in the book that have nothing to do with writing style, but everything (apparently) to do with allowing one's computer spell-check program to act as an editor. This point may seem to be a bit picky, but in context of my other problems with the book, it merely added to my inability to appreciate it. There's another review below that wisely suggests that those interested in Nick allow his music to speak for him - and this is of course the closest we can come to him, for his music came from his heart and soul. Over the years since his death, it has become much more widely appreciated than it was in his lifetime - sadly this is the case in too many who die before their time. There is beauty in that music. Humphries speaks in several places of the darkness of Nick's lyrics (but, being unable to quote from them, gives no examples), that his depression was a result of an adolescent never coming into maturity, unable to cope with the world - and many of the songs were dark, without a doubt. There were, however, many moments of light and beauty. One only has to listen to the first track on his debut album (`Time has told me' from FIVE LEAVES LEFT) - to me, the song is one that speaks of hope and patience, of learning and recognizing the important things that are worth waiting for. That sounds like maturity and good judgment to me. Nick may well have been a troubled soul - but he was not without happiness, and he obviously understood and appreciated things that a person stuck in adolescence would not. Near the end of the book, when Humphries is writing of the release of Nick's final four songs, and some additional material - early home recordings and alternate takes - he quotes both Nick's parents and Joe Boyd as saying that they were trying to make sure that anything they released reflected only well on Nick, that they were concerned with how he was represented, that he deserved that consideration. I think that he deserves better than this bio - that might seem harsh, but there's simply too much contradiction and padding here. Rather than a 270+page book, this could have been edited down to a decent magazine article. There are a lot of facts here, but very little understanding. If you have the opportunity to view it, check out the fine documentary A SKIN TOO FEW - it's a much more satisfying portrait of this gentle man.
Rating:
Summary: A STONE IN A TIN CAN...
Review: I was very disappointed in this book - and while some of that disappointment is with the style of writing Mr. Humphries employs here, there's more to it than that. Writing a biography is a tricky proposition at best. In the case of an artist like Nick Drake - reclusive and withdrawn, with only one interview given during his brief lifetime - it's a task even more daunting than one would usually expect. Humphries has written bios of other musicians - Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Richard Thompson, Tom Waits, &c - and has evidently built a career and reputation in this area. I'm sure that he felt drawn to the music of Nick Drake in some ways, rather than simply choosing an artist about whom to write in the hope of selling tons of books - there are innumerable choices that would have garnered him greater sales - but without the cooperation of two critical people in Nick's life (his sister Gabrielle and his manager/producer Joe Boyd), given the nature of his subject, the project was more or less doomed from the start. Humphries mentions in his forward that Joe and Gabrielle 'had decided not to cooperate' - and since Joe's Warlock Music is the publisher of all of Nick's songs, this also meant that Humphries would be unable to quote from Nick's lyrics. He was thus reduced to quoting Gabrielle and Joe from previously available sources. Molly and Rodney Drake, Nick's parents, were deceased, so no direct conversations between them and the author were possible either. The only other sources left for him upon which to draw were the remembrances of various friends of Nick and written articles about the man and his music. What emerges from all of this is inevitably a choppy picture of the man - not unsympathetic, but jarring and incomplete. Many parts of the book are simply strings of quotes strung together - and too many of the gaps have been filled in by well-meaning but ultimately tedious anecdotes about the music scene of the 60s and 70s in general. Referring to the musicians and bands emerging from the public school scene in the UK of the time, Humphries mentions Genesis coming out of Charterhouse to begin their 'windy, wuthering road' to success - a reference to their 'Wind and wuthering' album of the late 70s. He's trying a little too hard here for my tastes, I'm afraid. Another irritating practice of Humphries is that he contradicts himself in too many places to mention. He can't seem to settle on his own opinion. On p. 93, he says 'FIVE LEAVES LEFT is an astonishingly assured and mature debut' - on p. 94, he says 'Lyrically the songs on FIVE LEAVES LEFT are largely unremarkable'. Huh? On p. 89, he speaks warmly of how well Robert Kirby (Nick's school chum and string arranger on his first two albums) worked with Nick's songs: '...his arrangements remain an integral part of the distinctive sound of Nick's debut album' - then, again from p. 94: '...perhaps the arrangements are a tad lush'. This sort of 'playing both sides' persists throughout the book. These are not instances of Humphries quoting the opinions of others (at least they are not presented in that way) - these are his own words. The publisher, Bloomsbury, must also be taken to task, for their (lack of) editing - there are several errors in the book that have nothing to do with writing style, but everything (apparently) to do with allowing one's computer spell-check program to act as an editor. This point may seem to be a bit picky, but in context of my other problems with the book, it merely added to my inability to appreciate it. There's another review below that wisely suggests that those interested in Nick allow his music to speak for him - and this is of course the closest we can come to him, for his music came from his heart and soul. Over the years since his death, it has become much more widely appreciated than it was in his lifetime - sadly this is the case in too many who die before their time. There is beauty in that music. Humphries speaks in several places of the darkness of Nick's lyrics (but, being unable to quote from them, gives no examples), that his depression was a result of an adolescent never coming into maturity, unable to cope with the world - and many of the songs were dark, without a doubt. There were, however, many moments of light and beauty. One only has to listen to the first track on his debut album ('Time has told me' from FIVE LEAVES LEFT) - to me, the song is one that speaks of hope and patience, of learning and recognizing the important things that are worth waiting for. That sounds like maturity and good judgment to me. Nick may well have been a troubled soul - but he was not without happiness, and he obviously understood and appreciated things that a person stuck in adolescence would not. Near the end of the book, when Humphries is writing of the release of Nick's final four songs, and some additional material - early home recordings and alternate takes - he quotes both Nick's parents and Joe Boyd as saying that they were trying to make sure that anything they released reflected only well on Nick, that they were concerned with how he was represented, that he deserved that consideration. I think that he deserves better than this bio - that might seem harsh, but there's simply too much contradiction and padding here. Rather than a 270+page book, this could have been edited down to a decent magazine article. There are a lot of facts here, but very little understanding. If you have the opportunity to view it, check out the fine documentary A SKIN TOO FEW - it's a much more satisfying portrait of this gentle man.
Rating:
Summary: t h e p i n k m o o n i s o n i t s w a y
Review: I wish Nick had lived to see the following he has today. I think he was one of the greatest musicians of all time, and I think the book pays tribute to the man he was. This book captures what Nick was, and I think it is one of the best biographies ever written. I heard Nicks' music a long time ago, and I learned a lot about him, but there was so much more I wanted to know, and this book tells everything. I read the book in one sitting and when I was done I couldn't stop thinking about him. I have always loved Nick, but after reading the book, I see that there is much more to him than I ever thought. I wish there were more books on Nick. I think most people would love his music, and love reading about him. I gave the book five stars. It is a classic.
|
