Nick Drake, the late English artist whose seminal influence is invoked by countless contemporary singer/songwriters, will be the subject of an album of rarities, remixes and unreleased material released due May 24 in the U.K. by Universal/Island.
“Made To Love Magic” spans Drake’s early recordings with fellow student and future arranger Robert Kirby at Cambridge University in 1968, through to tracks cut in 1974 that have been remixed by original engineer John Wood as they were meant to be heard. The 13-track set will arrive June 22 in North America.
The album’s true rarity is “Tow the Line,” a never-before-released track that has not been heard since it was recorded in 1974. Drake died in November of that year at the age of 26 from an overdose of antidepressant medication. Also featured is “Magic,” a reworking of one of his earliest songs with a new arrangement by Kirby. This song was released as Drake’s first-ever U.K. single on Monday, backed by “Northern Sky,” from his second album “Bryter Layter.”
“Made To Love Magic” sports an alternate version of “Three Hours” featuring the late “Reebop” Kwaakhu Baah on congas and an unknown musician on flute, recorded two months before the version released on the album “Five Leaves Left.” The version of “Hanging on a Guitar” stems from an alternate take with a different vocal. It was while letting this tape run that engineers discovered “Tow the Line.”
On Saturday (May 22), BBC Radio 2 will broadcast “Lost Boy — In Search of Nick Drake,” a new documentary hosted by Hollywood star Brad Pitt, who describes himself as a “huge admirer” of his records. “When Radio 2 approached me to get involved in this project, I was delighted to be asked and pleased that I was able to fit it into my schedule,” he says.
Drake’s profile was raised exponentially in recent years by the use of “Pink Moon” in a 2000 Volkswagen commercial. The album of the same name experienced a huge sales spike afterward, moving more than 73,000 copies in the United States in 2000, according to Nielsen SoundScan, versus the 18,000 copies it sold the previous year. Overall, “Pink Moon” has sold more than 141,000 units since 2001.
Here is the track list for “Made To Love Magic”:
“Rider on the Wheel”
“Magic”
“River Man”
“Joey”
“Thoughts of Mary Jane”
“Mayfair”
“Hanging on a Star”
“Three Hours”
“Clothes of Sand”
“Voices”
“Time of No Reply”
“Black Eyed Dog”
“Tow the Line”
Source billboard.com.
