Rating: 
Summary: What happened here?
Review: I'd like to cut to the chase and request that you buy the 4 CD box set of Nick Drake music, "Fruit Tree," and read the booklet included in that, as it contains more beautiful images and is a more straightforward and honest account of Nick's life and music.I was thoroughly disappointed by this book as it doesn't do Nick Drake any justice. Again, the booklet in Fruit Tree is a more complete, concise account--devoid of rambling, repetition, author's own perception and "non-news." Unfortunately, there is not a lot of information out there on Nick and Patrick Humphries tried to "create" a story on plumping up non-details that are so insignificant that it is hard to believe he got the book published in the first place! He meanders and rambles and drones on about the social context of the era to the point that if you cut out all the fat, you'd be left with very little factual information on the artist and his life. No justice was done here . . . no insight was given. If anything, Humphries paints a portrait of a confused and depressed young man that he can't back up with facts, background or any other information. There is no depth or room for understanding in this biography. So the book continues to meander from page to page with no real significance, no real point. It's a shame--Nick would cringe reading this. I know I did. Ultimately, the beauty of Nick and his music shine through everything else that might be said or written about him from this point and well into the future. And no one can argue with that.
Rating: 
Summary: Humphries' Padding Still Doesn't Spoil Drake Bio
Review: I'll spot Patrick Humphries two and a half stars for covering such a relatively unknown but captivating, beautiful artist as Nick Drake. Humphries also earns stars for his respectfully honest treatment and his clean, thorough and engaging writing. But I have to dock him a couple of stars for the repetitiveness that goes from slightly distracting to incredibly irritating as the book goes on. That Drake was painfully quiet and withdrawn for most of his adult life is not a difficult concept for a reader to grasp, and it does not need to be spelled out in every chapter. Island Records did all they could to promote his work, but Drake himself barely helped. How Humphries has managed to fill so many pages in so many chapters with this fact is beyond me. Admittedly, it's a herculean task to draw 271 pages of text from such a short (26 year) life, especially when the subject offered so little of his art (3 albums and change) and even less of himself (we hear from many aquaintances who all offer variations on the one theme of Drake's decline into distant solitude). When the author isn't padding his book with repetition, he does so by going off on tangents. R.E.M.'s Peter Buck has, like many, drawn a parallel between Drake and Robert Johnson. As a result, we get more than we need on R.E.M., Peter Buck (whose interview is revisited later in the book, of course) and Robert Johnson. Rumors have placed Francoise Hardy and Nick Drake together; where that could have been dealt with in a paragraph, we slog through several paragraphs about Ms. Hardy alone. Still, Drake somehow remains such a compelling figure, and Humphries is so commendable for knowing everything one could about his subject (and delivering it with earnest sincerity), that the amazing magnetism of Nick Drake carries the day. Truly, I don't see anyone else out there covering Richard Thompson, Fairport Convention and their ilk, so if you are a fan or are curious about the voice behind last year's "Pink Moon" VW commercial, this book is for you.
Rating:
Summary: A disappointment
Review: It`s quite an achievement to write a book based on one fact: Nick Drake didn`t talk much. The author jumps from Titanic to World War 2 and back to Nick not wanting to talk to anyone. It`s no wonder that Nick`s relatives didn`t want to be a part of this thing, the man isn`t exactly the worlds best writer, and what annoys me the most is the way the author suggests that maybe Nick was gay, just because he had trouble communicating with people!
Rating: 
Summary: A Man too gentle for us mere mortals.
Review: Nick Drake and his music are moments that come around once in a lifetime.Humpheries book takes us on a journey that undertakes a direction of detection. It begs the question we all want to know: What are the origins of the depression that eventually took out this gentle genius.How did his pain help/hinder the creative paths of his music? The book is very thorough and well researched and a must read by all lovers of Nick Drake.
Rating: 
Summary: MEMORIES & RECOLLECTIONS
Review: Once you get past the ridiculous account of the sinking of the Titanic in the introduction, this book becomes quite absorbing. Humphries writes engagingly about Drake's early years, with reference to the culture of the fifties and speculations on possible early musical influences. The description of the British pop scene in the early 1960s and how it related to Drake's years at Marlborough school is very helpful in framing Drake's music in time and place. It's interesting that the singer had completed his schooldays in 1966 when The Beatles released Revolver and Dylan was making waves with Blonde On Blonde. Nick's visits to France and Marrakech are covered in detail. The description of the UK folk scene of those times is very informative, as Humphries writes about musicians like Danny Thompson, Fairport Convention and Richard & Linda Thompson and the clubs and circuits where they performed. Much of the text consists of various peoples' recollections of Drake, most of them within the music industry. So there is an amount of repetition and revisiting the same eras and incidents through the eyes of different narrators. Humphries also discusses Drake's rare coverage by various music publications of the time like Sounds and Melody Maker, including reviews of his albums. In addition, he attempts to recreate the circumstances of the recording of each album and provides illuminating information and opinions on most of the individual songs. I was particularly pleased to read about John Cale's contribution to Bryter Layter and his recollections of the recording sessions. Drake's tragic decline from a happy, well-adjusted school kid to increasingly isolated and alienated young man is treated with understatement, but the overall effect leaves a strong impression. The chapters on Drake's posthumous rediscovery and growing influence are well-researched and provides detailed information on covers of his songs and compilation albums that contain his work. There are eight pages of black & white plates with photographs, a lino cut and a pencil sketch. The book concludes with a discography that includes Drake's individual and compilation albums, multi-artist compilations and the tribute album Brittle Days.
Rating:
Summary: A solid biography of a shadowy life
Review: Patrick Humphries' greatest achievement in writing a biography of Nick Drake, one of the great singer songwriters of his (or any) generation, is that he was able to find enough material to fill a full-length book. Which is both a blessing and a curse: the last three years of his life must have been a nightmare for Nick Drake, a young man who along with his considerable talent also, it appears, crafted an image of himself as a loner artiste, an image which became the reality that eventually consumed him. Therefore, Humphries was faced with the daunting task of making interesting the interviews with friends and relatives, who, almost without exception, claimed that Drake was quiet, incommunicative, present but not really all there; in short, there wasn't much story to tell: three brilliant albums, a staggering mental breakdown and depression, and a death that may have been accidental, may have been suicide, but in any case was as tragic as it was inevitable. Humphries great achievement is to take the simple facts of Drake's life and put them in a context that makes them seem belong-able to a real human being, rather than part of the myth that Nick Drake has become. Most fascinating is his portrayal of the music scene that Drake became associated with via his manager, Joe Boyd, the legendary producer of many of the great British folk-rock groups of the late 60s; in fact, while Drake is the centerpiece of Humphries' book, Boyd's colorful presence in Nick Drake's life and his role in 60s rock often outshines the story of Nick Drake himself, simply because so much more is known of Boyd. Made most clear by this biography is that to know more about Nick Drake than we knew before would be virtually impossible, because, more so than even a man like Bob Dylan, Drake WAS his music. The story of the music and how it was developed, crafted, and recorded, is therefore the core of Nick Drake's life, and I found the details surrounding these to be the most insightful of the book.
Rating:
Summary: Not enough info to warrant a bio
Review: Since Nick Drake didn't talk much, there just isn't enough info to sustain an enaging text. Worse, the author spends little time trying to glean meaning from the only real record we have of Drake's innermost thoughts: his lyrics and music. Instead, you have a scattered and ultimately insightless bio on a figure that will continue to remain a mystery.
Rating:
Summary: It's the classic romantic tragedy....with a twist
Review: The twist being that this story didn't take place 300 years ago but 30 years ago! I would not be surprised if future generations looked back on Nick Drake's legacy and his place in the late 20th century as we now look back on Mozart, Byron or Van Gogh: with awe. To think that he was from the baby boomer generation is almost surreal. The same generation as Bill Clinton and Al Gore! Nick Drake fans will love this book, but saying that is like preaching to the choir. This book holds appeal for even those who don't know Nick Drake's music that well, but who might be interested in the folk music happenings in London in the late 60s/early 70s. The book really sets the scene--you can almost smell the patchouli incense burning--and gives a rare insight into that world. The book is divided into three sections: "Before, During, and After." I found that the three albums Nick recorded in his lifetime correspond nicely with the tone and mood of each section. If you own them, I would suggest playing them in the background as you are reading for full effect. This book can be very sad at times, but it is essential reading for so many people. If for no other reason than to develop a greater sensitivity toward, and compassion for, those with mental illness who feel so unable to cope with their harsh and confusing world. I am haunted by Nick Drake's story. It seems rather unlikely that it would have had the same tragic ending had he been born 20 years later. What a waste! Meanwhile, all these horrible people get to live on and on and on (I won't name names). It just seems like such a cruel twist that such a gifted genius would also be cursed with such an anguished and brief existence. On an up note, the book does reveal the many happy years Nick had before his illness took hold...which provides some consolation.
Rating:
Summary: The legend of Nick Drake
Review: This biography on Nick Drake by Patrick Humphries is one of the better biographies I have read. Not only is it loaded with just about as much info as probably exists on the short career and lifespan of Nick Drake (a great musician who died in his prime), but it's also a insightful look into the 60's, as well as the development of blues and rock in general. Mostly however, what we get is a fairly insightful look into the life and mental state of Nick. For anyone who might think this book is too biased in one direction or another, too dark, too etc., one has to remember, it is a biography after all, and Nick Drake was who he was. If Nick Drakes's being so introspective and whatnot makes for a darker biography with not as much information as we might like, I don't think that is Patrick Humphries fault here. Sure, I think there was some information not necessarily real important that could have been left out, but with so little info available on Nick, the book is a fine job. Humpries tries to paint a large picture, delving into the past before Nick, etc. If your not a fan of Nick's, you probably won't be too interested in this. As for a previous review that sated that "the author suggests that maybe Nick was gay, just because he had trouble communicating with people", I just finished reading the entire book cover to cover, and this does not seem to be too accurate a statement to me. In fact, Humpries, on pg. 159 of my edition says that "Though Nick's sexuality has increasingly become a focus of attention in the years since his death, there is no evidence that he was gay". Humpries goes on to even state that "Contemporaries from Cambridge even recall Nick's enthusiastic heterosexuality; one even remember 'getting laid at the same party'." According to Humpries, there is "no real evidence of any sustained relationship in Nicks life." But the whole point either way is beside the point, and has nothing to do with Nick's music. For those who know and understand more about the ups and downs of Nick's life, it may become apparent why he was a loner. Thanks Nick, thanks for everything. I wish things had worked out better for you, but maybe they worked out for your best and for our best after all in the long run...
Rating:
Summary: realistic,eye-opening account
Review: this is a great modern tragedy made all the more sobering by its gritty reality.its the story of the genius and the time that he lived.a thorough account of the english folk scene(fairport,mike chapman etc)all revolve around this story of a man who was a great inspiration to many of us.drake`s music and life still inspire my generation(i was born in `76!)with it`s eternally modern themes and emotion`s fueled by it`s gritty,touching realism.a book worthy of standing by the song`s.a great effort considering many people refused(why?)to be interviewed by the author,nevertheless an eye opening account.
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