Nick Drake
Family Tree

THE REVIEW

Calmness is the virtue of the strong, as we know.

Often, things said gently and softly find more listening and have more effect than things shouted or said with the wrong tones and out of place. For example, my wife, if she asks me for something, is more likely to get it if she tells me in a low voice, with a half-smile and maybe acting sweetly. Fortunately, she hasn't realized this yet (and she's not the only one), giving me the opportunity to get angry most of the time even if I don't want to.
The fact is that I was biased and ready to go heavy (as usual) with this "Family Tree," a posthumous album (not the first, alas) of the never lamented Nick Drake. Biased in labeling the album as yet another exploitation, another commercial operation to deceive fans, and so on.

But perhaps it was the soft and whispered voice of the artist, the innocence of certain phrases heard among various out-takes, the sweet harmony of certain barely sketched songs that retain the raw flavor of pure improvisation in the act of creation, the fact that there are very few songs already featured in other albums... in short, for one reason or another, and to my utmost astonishment, this time I had to change my mind.

But how can you inflict harm on such delicate and ethereal poetry as that contained in many compositions still in their raw state within this album? How can you disparage or doubt the artistic skill of this introverted and shy young man, who sadly passed away prematurely on November 17, '74 due to an overdose of antidepressants? How much malice does it take not to grasp the great humanity and the purity enclosed between the voice and guitar (sometimes the piano) of songs that narrate like pages of an intimate diary for a few friends, often sung in multiple voices (even with his mother and sister)? How much bad faith and arrogance are needed to attack the uniqueness of these rare tapes (discovered in a trunk by the singer's manager) containing 28 tracks including Bob Dylan’s cover "Tomorrow is a long time" and other more or less known covers?

In short, whatever the case may be, I completely shifted my initial intent of bashing and changed my mind about the preconceived idea I had of the album.

A Great Album, truly deserving, enchanting from the first note to the last!

P.S. It's nice to allow yourself the luxury of changing your mind about things and people: I did it both with this album (not with Nick Drake of whom I maintain the highest esteem since I discovered him in 1991) and with some people I've met (both in reality and here on debaser). Being able to change your mind and dismantle the walls and barriers we create in our heads can often be a very pleasant surprise. Especially to ourselves.