182. Bryter Layter - Nick Drake

Once again we have an album that Chloe and I do not know at all. The little I knew about Nick Drake was that he did acoustic-y type numbers that were pretty pared back, and he was quite important. It turns out that only the latter of those is really correct, as the orchestration and arrangements on this album take it far beyond the "one man and his guitar" territory I'd expected.

This album is frankly excellent. There are a number of outstanding songs that make up this album, and the range of instruments used is very impressive, and makes for a very full sounding record. "One of these things first" stood out straight away as an excellent track, with interesting lyrics and a great piano and guitar interplay. I am not usually a fan of instrumentals, but the beautifully delicate "Introduction" sets up the album perfectly too. Chloe thinks the album sounds pretty up-to-date, whereas I think it's more that this style of music still sounds old-fashioned, but either way it certainly has been a very influential recording.

Nick Drake's history is a pretty tragic one, as he ended up dying from an overdose of antidepressants following his lack of commercial success at the age of just 26. All three of his albums feature in the 1001, and so my earlier statement that he was pretty important does seem accurate. I'm really looking forward to listening to the next two, as I don't think there's a weak song on this one.

Over the course of the week, one track really started to set itself apart for both of us, and so Chloe and I have both plumped for Northern Sky as our favourite. It is a reserved yet uplifting song, with a wonderfully lush set of instruments laying out a backdrop for Nick Drake's voice.

Chloe's rating: 9
Chloe's favourite song: 9- Northern Sky
Olly's rating: 8
Olly's favourite song: 9 - Northern Sky

Next up is a very early one - 38. The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady - Charles Mingus. Good thing I love instrumentals...