Five Leaves Left
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| Five Leaves Left | |||||
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| Studio album by Nick Drake | |||||
| Released | September 1, 1969 | ||||
| Recorded | July 1968-July 1969 at Sound Techniques Studio, London | ||||
| Genre | Folk | ||||
| Length | 41:43 | ||||
| Label | Island Records | ||||
| Producer | Joe Boyd | ||||
| Professional reviews | |||||
| Nick Drake chronology | |||||
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Five Leaves Left, recorded in 1969, was the first of three albums by British folk musician Nick Drake.
Like Bryter Layter and unlike Pink Moon, this album contains no completely solo songs. Nick was accompanied by members of the British folk-rock group Fairport Convention.
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[edit] Album information
The title of the album is said to be derived from a contemporary message contained within packets of Swan cigarette papers, which warned people that only five papers were left in the packet. It is sometimes suggested that this was aimed at people rolling marijuana joints, since many joints required five individual papers in order to be assembled. However, even up to the present day many smokers in the UK prefer to roll their own tobacco cigarettes. Rizla is the most popular brand of "skins" for this purpose as well. Today the message near the end of a pack of Rizlas reads "There's only 10 left." instead of "Five leaves left."
There has been some speculation into the name being acquired from O. Henry's short novel The Last Leaf, in which a woman states that she can happily die when all the leaves have fallen from her tree, she states that it will not be long as there are only five leaves left [1].
[edit] Reception and influence
Five Leaves Left was ranked 85th in a 2005 survey held by British television's Channel 4 to determine the 100 greatest albums of all time.
In 2003, the album was ranked number 283 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
The website "Acclaimedmusic" collates recommendations of albums and recording artists. The site credits Nick Drake as number 91 in "Artist Rank" and "Five Leaves Left" as number 160 in "All Time Rank" of albums.
NME (10/2/93, p.29) - Ranked #74 in NME's list of the 'Greatest Albums Of All Time.'
Q magazine (11/99, p.162) - Included in Q Magazine's Best Folk Albums of All Time - "The pinnacle of a melancholy canon of work so distinctive that admirers can only speculate miserably on what might have been."
Entertainment Weekly (5/12/00, p.24) - "On his ageless debut, everything - Drake's lispy voice and delicate guitar fingerpicking, arranger Robert Kirby's stately strings - feels shrouded in mist....Drake's most glorious miniatures." - Rating: A
Alternative Press (3/01, p.88) - "With a voice paradoxically feather-light and grave, [one] of the most beautiful and melancholy albums ever recorded."
Mojo (7/00, p.99) - "Represents the first flourish of promise....God, how damn confident it all sounds. He knew how good he was."
[edit] Track listing
All songs written by Nick Drake
- "Time Has Told Me" – 4:27
- "River Man" – 4:21
- "Three Hours" – 6:16
- "Way to Blue" – 3:11
- "Day Is Done" – 2:29
- "'Cello Song" – 4:49
- "The Thoughts of Mary Jane" – 3:22
- "Man in a Shed" – 3:55
- "Fruit Tree" – 4:50
- "Saturday Sun" – 4:03
[edit] Personnel
Nick Drake performs vocals and acoustic guitar on all songs, except where indicated otherwise.
- "Time Has Told Me"
Paul Harris - piano
Richard Thompson - electric guitar
Danny Thompson - bass guitar
- "River Man"
Harry Robinson - string arrangement
- "Three Hours"
Danny Thompson - bass
Rocki Dzidzornu - congas
- "Way to Blue"
Robert Kirby - string arrangement
- "Day Is Done"
Robert Kirby - string arrangement
- "'Cello Song"
Clare Lowther - 'cello
Danny Thompson - bass
Rocki Dzidzornu - congas
- "The Thoughts of Mary Jane"
Robert Kirby - arrangement
- "Man in a Shed"
Paul Harris - piano
Danny Thompson - bass
- "Fruit Tree"
Robert Kirby - arrangement
- "Saturday Sun"
Nick Drake - piano
Danny Thompson - bass
Tristram Fry - drums & vibraphone
[edit] External links
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