Five Leaves Left

I'm starting to suspect that Nick Drake might have been one of the greatest songwriters the world has ever seen. His early death at 26 robbed the world of something great. These songs are heartwrenchingly beautiful. Their dark sadness offer a window into the heart and mind of a man who overdosed on anti-depressants. He just wanted to feel better. Absolutely heart breaking.

When I listen to Nick Drake, I can feel my brain expanding. I’d give it seven stars out of five if I could.

This album absolutely gripped me from start to finish. I don’t even really remember my drive to work this morning. This is the kind of music that simultaneously makes me want to create, and dashes my hopes that I will ever make something close to this level of a masterpiece.

Sounds like a Wes Anderson movie where the protagonist wears the same outfit everyday and is pining with unrequited love and unresolved sexual tension. So it basically sounds like any Wes Anderson movie. You really just want to see our hero get laid. Don't dig too deep into the biography of Nick Drake. He had more problems than a high school arithmetic book.

A friend has been trying to get me into Nick Drake for as long as I can remember because he's obsessed with him. I've tried so hard and it just doesn't happen. It should, everything about him is right up my alley, but it just doesn't work. It's the voice, it's far too monotone, he drones on. It's a shame, those who like him really adore him, like some kind of religion. I do not attend the church of Nick Drake.

Quiet, reserved, almost mystical sounding folk. Love the strings, the guitars, and the vocals are quiet, not too dynamic, but they’re still very melodic and I feel like I’m hanging on every word. Feels like a mystic dream or a dark fairy tale. Really enjoyed this and will come back

It's very pleasant and moody and all but honestly I find it a bit of a yawn.

If music can make you feel such strong emotions, then it has done its job of moving you. Drake's debut should be considered one of the best debut albums of all time. He was a lyrical maestro whose untimely passing at 26 left the musicians' world with a gaping hole in its heart. The mystical feel of the songs transports you to a place where you never wish to leave. I wish I could listen to this album for the first time again, as it is an experience I will never forget.

What a hidden gem. Drake is so talented and tasked at the same time . He seems so sad. The music is so beautiful I almost wanted to here only the acoustics. I read up his background and see he is another short lived artist. Had many favorites: River Man, Three Hours, Cello . The eery line from Fruit Tree tells it all “They’ll all know that you were here when you’re gone” So very true Nick

I'm no statistician, but I think the odds of getting two Nick Drake albums this close together are like 200000:1 so do with that what you will. Normally I'd be annoyed to have the same artist so soon but I loved Pink Moon so much that I've been itching to listen to his other albums. This one's really good too. It's brighter, more engaging, but less impactful than Pink Moon. Once again, I'm really digging the guitar work, and I love the low-key drums on "Three Hours," that's a really cool song. Plenty of great tunes here, but it reveals to me why his career panned out the way it did. He's clearly a talented guitarist and songwriter, but his voice is very understated. I can see why this didn't sell--there's nothing really special or exciting about it. Nick sounds much better in the minimal style we heard on Pink Moon, but who would give some college kid a major label deal to make a singer-songwriter album in 1969? I hope this doesn't come off too negative because I did really like the album, it's just clear to me why Pink Moon is his masterpiece. Favorite tracks: Three Hours, Fruit Tree, Cello Song. Album cover: I like the green frame around the picture, but this is pretty tame. It looks like some "easy listening" album you would pick up at a spa giftshop. 4/5

One of the most striking lyrics in “Five Leaves Left” comes towards the end, in “Fruit Tree”. “No one knows you but the rain and the air… open your eyes to another year; they’ll all know that you were here when you’re gone.” Aged 21, Nick Drake released this record of gentle, pastoral folk, stacking it full of meditative musings, mature lyrical themes, and promising guitar playing. Five years later, he’d be dead, presumably with no thought of one of his albums being remembered as one of 1001 for people to hear before they died. All three of them made the list: 100% of his recorded output in his lifetime, which surely isn’t true of many artists on here. It’s been very hard to look at Drake’s music in the same objective way as the others I’ve had on the list so far, as part of me feels the slim output he graced us with in his short life should be treasured unequivocally. However, now that I’ve heard all three of the albums released during his lifetime, I think I would comfortably put this one in somewhere on par with “Bryter Later”, and still a way behind the devastatingly beautiful “Pink Moon” (which I couldn’t stop myself drawing comparisons with). Drake’s guitar playing here isn’t quite as much in the foreground as it became in his later work, sometimes absent altogether. However, the orchestrations are used to much greater effect than they were in “Bryter Layter”. There are no unnecessary instrumentals or overdone arrangements- it all feels very well balanced. The strings in “Riverman” and “Day is Done” are a thing of beauty: elegant, dramatic, understated until they need to leap out. Elsewhere, the bongos in “‘Cello Song” add a somewhat hypnotic feel, and the woodwind in “The Thoughts of Mary Jane” perfectly compliments Drake’s vocals, which float along on a wisp of air- hushed, fragile, cracked. While it’s very well arranged and a great sounding record, with some eerily prescient lyrics, unfortunately for me it lacks some of the same high points from Drake’s other two records. There’s nothing quite as beautiful as “Northern Sky”, or “From the Morning”- nothing as raw as “Place to Be”. Instead, Nick Drake is in enigmatic mode throughout. “Five Leaves Left” is an immersive, all-encompassing set of hazy songs to get lost in. Full marks for atmosphere, but his best work will always be “Pink Moon” for me.

If you hate this album you cannot conceive of true beauty in the world. This has always been my favourite of Nick Drake's albums. His singing, the string arrangements, the Richard and Danny Thompson's contributions, Joe Boyd's masterful production - all just perfect.

If i owned a coffee shop somewhere where it rains, i would probably play this album. It has a mood

My history with this album has been extensive. This album directly reminds me of several of the most important women in my life, both past and continuing. Of course, it's a truism to say that Nick Drake is a potent female aphrodisiac, but it's better for both parties that teenage boys try to impress girls with this album than with attempting to neck a pint of vodka then spewing in their hair. And yes, it is an astonishing work. The legend of Nick Drake has him as one of the great tragic figures in music, a little (6'3") lost boy of exquisite fingerwork and calm, yet desolate imagery, but this album proves that his music is stupefying and hypnotic on its own, without needing to conjure Nick Drake's melancholy end. That said, despite the wistfulness of, say, The Thoughts of Mary Jane, Five Leaves Left has an undercurrent of anguish throughout, together begetting a wonderful bittersweetness. For my money, this is the strongest of his three albums, a warm, reflective and rather diverse collection as beautiful, intricate and delicate as a cobweb. Now, I have recently reviewed Unknown Pleasures and Never Mind The Bollocks, and have declared each of those perhaps the greatest debut album of all. I'm going to be greedy and put Five Leaves Left in the same category.

I had heard songs from this album before, but I had always assumed they were from this decade. This album is phenominally timeless and filled with rich arrangements. I've honestly listened to the album 5 times already and each listening is revealing more and more to enjoy. This is exactly the type of experience I had hoped to have with this site!

Beautiful, brooding. Relaxing yet depressing? I love the instrumental arrangements!

Beautiful guitar melodies and soft voice. Will listen again.

Really good, happy to have learned about this guy, I didn't know him. Because of this, he deserves my first 5 stars!

Nr. 116/1001 Time Has Told Me 3/5 River Man 4/5 Three Hours 3/5 Way to Blue 4/5 Day Is Done 3/5 Cello Song 3/5 The Thoughts Of Mary Jane 4/5 Man In A Shed 3/5 Fruit Tree 3/5 Saturday Sun 3/5 Average: 3,3 Great songwriting. Just felt for me the vocal variety wasn't enough to really pull me in.

A peaceful, gentle masterwork to begin a career that would end in tragedy.

Each of the albums Nick Drake left us are a little piece of perfection. Such a shame that he wasn't appreciated in his own time, and a shame he had so little time to share his genius. And at the same time I'm thankful we have what remains that we do. RIP Nick P.S.: Learned from his Wiki that The Cure got their name from the line "a troubled cure for a troubled mind" from Time Has Told Me. An interesting connection I never knew about!

Five Leaves Left is such a poetic album, it sounds so beautiful throughout all 10 tracks, every single one masterfully crafted by Nick Drake's voice and acoustic guitar. The string arrangement in "River Man" is one of folk music's finest and, also, most tracks have unusual instruments, but they always work so fine. We have congas, flutes, oboes and vibraphones - the result is a little bit minimalistic, a little bit experimental, pushing the boundaries of folk music.

Simply one of the GOAT. I can understand it's not for everyone but in it's genre it's unsurpassed. Nick's voice, guitar playing and the production make this a great friend when you need it.

Close to perfection. Pink Moon gets all the praise but I'd say that it's just as good in many ways. It has the beautiful arrangements of Bryter Layter and the automnal, introspective mood of Pink Moon. Best of both worlds, really.

A friend once told me to read Nick Drake’s Wikipedia page because his story is incredibly sad. He was right. I’ve been a fan of Pink Moon for years, but goddamn if this album isn’t just about as beautiful and mournful as that one.

Incredible folk. This album gets slept on unfairly compared to Pink Moon. 1969 is really one of the best years in music history to me.

A true work of creative genius. This album will be held in awe centuries from now when all but a fee of these thousands of albums have been forgotten. Vital and important.

I could never even hope to be able to play guitar like this and also sing, even if I spent the rest of my life practising. That makes this so impressive to me. Nick Drake creates the most beautifully sad music (this album in particular is stunning) and my life would be different without said music in it, so I think that's enough said and it's a five from meeeee.

It's crazy how sometimes these album a day is just exactly what you need on a day. Nick Drake--particularly Saturday Sun, just hit the SPOT. It's raining and this is just hitting all the right notes.

Listening to Nick Drake gives me deep feelings of warmth and safety. It's like being swaddled and held. I find this ironic and profoundly sad considering the animosity that apparently existed between this talented artist and his own brain. I'm grateful for what he left us with.

This is an album filled with beauty, depth and wisdom. I was doing tasks around the house while listening and by the end of “Three Hours” had to stop and just sit and listen. Nick Drake’s voice is beautiful, the music spare in all the right places without being dull, the lyrics profound. Every song on this is a treasure. The lyrics are impressive from start to finish. Each song brings something unique and special… “Time Has Told Me” with its noodly electric guitar and piano accompaniment is a perfect opening. “River Man” has a great cinematic quality with a real drama added by the orchestration. Love the light percussion in “Three Hours” - really takes you on a journey. “Way To Blue” feels like musings on a lonely, windswept plain. “Day Is Done” is absolutely beautiful. Gorgeous song with beautiful string accompaniment. “‘Cello Song” is so good - it was at this point on the album when I revisited the cover and looked up Nick Drake’s age. A college student wrote this stuff?! He sounds like he has the wisdom of 1000 years behind him… “Thoughts of Mary Jane” is such a sweet song… lightened by the flute. A real contrast in many ways to the other songs, but yet it feels perfect in-place. “Man In A Shed” is a total delight. It tells a perfect little story. I love this song. “Fruit Tree” is such a perfect musing on fame and life… so poignant knowing how Nick Drake died at such a young age. “Saturday Sun” may be my favorite song on the album. Really beautiful song that I can’t stop thinking about. I was deeply moved by FIVE LEAVES LEFT. It’s an amazing gift from a truly incredible artist.

There is something otherworldly about Nick Drake's. His lyrics never truly make sense but you know what he is saying. It's fair to say he created moods and that is what tells the story. One of the most creative acoustic guitar players even though he never shows off. Loads of great songs here, the best ones for me are "Three Hours", "Cello Song", "Saturday Sun" and "River Man".

Nick Drake is one of those artists that I have heard a lot about but haven't listened to yet. This album has really impressed me. I love the vocals, instrumentals, and the poetic lyrics. Looking forward to listening to more of his discography

Nick Drake’s cannon is immaculate

Having not heard of Nick Drake, I judged the album by its cover and was not looking forward to listening However, upon listening I was blown away by the musicianship and song writing.

Goergeous album. Impressive and intricate arrangements. The string sections are sublime. Nick Drake will always be one of my favorite folk artists and more people should familiarize themselves with this album and not just Pink Moon.

I'm so happy to have discovered Nick Drake- how did I miss his genius for so long!?

Boring

There's not enough coffee in the world to keep me awake through this unhappy, meandering, arpeggiated bullshit.

song writing genius, gone too soon

When I look back to my time with 1,001, I’ll be grateful that despite the shite mediocre Brit pop albums, it showed me the ways of Nick Drake (beyond what I knew from Garden State). Saturday Sun is one of the best closers to an album.

The mysterious melody and folk style across the album created an eerie aura (complimentary). The music brought out the weight of his lyrics. Quite enjoyable, first album we got that I had never heard of the artist

Excellent and tragic

Nick Drake really was something else. I read about him after listening to Bryter Layter because I loved that album, and his story is such a tragedy. Five Leaves Left is on parr for me with Bryter Layter. There is some beautiful acoustic guitar playing here, his lovely vocals and orchestration bringing it together. This will be another album I’ll be keeping an eye out for in the record fayres.

Just an excellent album from an unheralded excellent artist

Already heard Pink Moon on this list. After hearing this, have to imagine will be hearing his remaining album as well. So personal and beautiful, instantly recognizable and enjoyable.

Beautiful and delicate, like a spider web glistening in the morning dew; fetching, aching, and transient beauty. I felt this one deep in my soul.

Fantastisch. Ich habe dieses Album bereits gehört aber nie so aktiv wie dieses Mal. Und es ist es nicht nur wert aktiv gehört zu werden, es verdient es auch.

Great all the way through. Every track was outstanding.

Stunning, beautiful, timeless. Artists are STILL chasing this sound. So thankful to get to hear this music.

Just perfect. Nourishment for the soul.

Great album. More accomplished than his subsequent releases.

Gorgeous - happiest sounding of the the Nick Drake albums but they are all beautiful. I always enjoy them more than I expect to when I put them on.

One of my favorite albums

Nick Drake albums are perfect

Very emotionally salient album. Huge contract to the U2 album.

Fingerpicked guitar, gentle, understated vocals with rich string arrangements and piano, an amazing accomplishment for this talented, if troubled, young man.

It's been a while since I listened to this album!! I forgot how amazing it is.

This is an album that goes beyond star ratings. Such a rare talent. A delicate magic. Poetry put to the most exquisite music. I think of Nick Drake as a bird singing in a cage: trapped by the ugliness of the world, yet setting us free. This is music for the soul ... The Thoughts of Mary Jane makes me cry every time I hear it. Nick Drake is a ray of hope: all the terrible things people do, the state of the planet, but we must remember that the human soul is capable of beauty such as this. More souls like this, please.

I bought the NME every week in the late 80s/early 90s and a name kept popping up in interviews. Robert Smith mentioned him a lot, then Paul Weller, but I never heard or bought any Nick Drake records. Then about 15 years ago I heard 'Northern Sky' on the radio while driving home one evening, the sun setting, and I still remember the moment. He became a favourite in the house and was played a lot (!) but not so much recently so it's great to listen to this again in full. It's a beautiful album, a haze of hushed words, gorgeous folk guitar and jazz bass. An underlying sadness is clear from the start, 'a troubled cure for a troubled mind', but this only adds to the emotion of it all. He worked with great musicians, there is so much feeling in every word and note, it's so sad that he wasn't more widely recognised in his lifetime. Favourite track: 'Three Hours' is incredible

I've liked this before but never loved it this much. I think my brain needed this kind of peace today.

Freakin beautiful

Amazing

Such a beautiful melancholy album. The arrangements are simple and timeless comprising in the most part of Nick Drake’s voice and an acoustic guitar.

Incredibly gorgeous album, without a flaw. I prefer the stripped down sound of Pink Moon, but this album is absolutely its equal in depth and quality. Melancholy, dreamy and elegantly arranged, with contemplative vocals and a rich use of instrumentation that's never heavy handed or distracting. Drake's acoustic playing is beautifully expressive and Richard Thompson's appearance on the opening track was a lovely surprise. Fave Songs (All songs, from most to least favorite): Three Hours, River Man, Way to Blue, Day Is Done, Saturday Sun, The Thoughts of Mary Jane, Man in a Shed, Time Has Told Me, 'Cello Song, Fruit Tree

beautiful, unique in its choices, creative and soulful sound in a way that feels effortless. My fav from him. River Man especially gets me everytime

My favourite Nick Drake album. "Three Hours" is probably his most impressive, hypnotizing guitar playing and "Cello Song" is just perfect. Great flow to the tracklist and perhaps the greatest acoustic guitar tone ever recorded.

There's nothing else like Nick Drake. While this isn't, in my opinion, his best or most famous record, it's a five even by its title...

One of the smoothest vocalists. Guitar playing is mesmerizing. Introspective and dreamy

Haunting yet soothing vocals.

I could listen to Nick Drake sing and play for hours on end. His soothing croon, unique melodies, and purposeful string accompaniments on this record are simply stunning. Three Hours demands your attention and holds it steadfast with a haunting, melodic guitar and hand drumming. Standout tracks: Time Has Told Me, River Man, Three Hours, Saturday Sun

Fantastic. Favourite songs were Saturday Sun, Cello Song, Time Has Told Me, and The Ballad of Mary Jane.

79 days in, and this is the first album I’ve gotten that I’d already heard before. Although I prefer Pink Moon, this is still an amazing album. One can only wonder what Nick Drake might have gone on to do had this album been a success.

Fantastic album.

A prodigious debut for Nick Drake. This is minimal music at its best. Sad and beautiful at the same time. While the later releases may be better, this is an incredibly high bar.

Magical. Nick Drake is three things: a guitarist, a songwriter and a vocalist. As a guitarist, he was exceptionally talented; as a songwriter, he consistently produced moments of utter greatness; as a vocalist… these things are subjective, but to me he is otherworldly. This album is less edgy than Pink Moon and less polished than Bryter Layter, and hits the sweet spot betwixt the two. As a result it may be my favourite of his trilogy.

Essentially background, but so lovely and heartfelt

This is the type of record that projects me back to "the time when": I haven't lived it but I can barely imagine what would it be like being in 1969, coming back from the record store, and playing this for the first time. It might have felt like witnessing history as it was being written. There's another record that I can think of that gives me that feeling, more about that in a future time. Much has been said about Nick Drake's acoustic guitar technique and his songwriting. I would like to mention the arrangements, which seem to broaden the very concept of folk. The first two songs have a bluesy, almost jazzy feel to them, with piano on Time Has Told Me, and strings being introduced on River Man. By Three Hours, bass and percussions become very busy, if also kept in an understated, intimate fashion. The strings on Way To Blue start off in a very dramatic way and then open up and keep swinging between these two moods.  And then there is Day Is Done, which is breathtakingly gorgeous.  And this is only the first half! The rest of it keeps this pace and quality with an outstanding consistency.  This album sounds beautiful, delicate, fragile. A must own.

what an unbelievably incredible album to think he only made three albums before dying at 26, it breaks my heart he was a truly phenomenal artist, I need to listen to his other work, giving this a 10/10 feels like an understatement to just how amazing this is

Very pleasant songs

Fantastic debut. Still holds up.

Juste parfait.

Yes.

Super impressed

loved this

I thoroughly enjoyed it. The entire album is a mood.

Life in a Northern Town.by the Dream Academy is one of my favorite songs, so I definitely have heard of Nick drake before this. A very haunting, chamber atmosphere with these songs. This could grow on me further.

Quite sad, kinda slow, liked it in a way. I can picture myself listening to this on a train, or like the album cover, in a small British cottage and my wife just died

Subtle, magical... not masterpiece like "Pink Moon", but very, very good

The instrumentation on this album is masterful. Nick Drake's voice is instantly recognizable and softly enjoyable. A perfect demonstration of how less is more.

I thought I was going to hate this but this was way better than I expected. This is what Bob Dylan is supposed to be. The songwriting is not incredibly complicated but it's complex enough to be interesting; whether Nick knew it or not he was touching esoteric bits of music theory with his songwriting and he actually knew how to perform it, on tape anyway. You can hear the influence of classical music in nearly every song, with subtle hints to the Baroque masters like Handel and Vivaldi evident in the suspended chords and key changes. His voice isn't annoying like so many other singer/songwriters and you can feel the emotion when he sings. The incorporation of strings in to so many of his songs feels right and unforced. I liked this way more than I should have. I'll have to give his other records a listen.

Every once in a while, the 1001 site will surprise me with an artist who is unknown to me, but whose music is captivating. Nick Drake is one such artist. What an amazing guitarist and singer/songwriter he was.

Listen before you know the history of this artist.

This reminded me of a minstrel walking through the woods. Also thought the strings were kind of a bridge to the 1950s

I've become familiar with Nick Drake's other albums over the years and enjoy listening to them on occasion (mostly Pink Moon). I hadn't gotten around to this one and was excited to give it a listen. I wasn't really vibing with this until Three Hours came on. The instrumentation is really amazing. I definitely need to spend more time with this.

cried multiple times while listening to this, learning more about nick drake through later searches just made it even more emotionally potent. i normally don't listen to folk music, but this album is undeniably special. this definitely isnt something you could listen to every day or have in regular rotation, but god is it good. i cant wait to listen to the rest of his discography. rest in peace nick drake.

I'd heard of Nick Drake but never actually listened to anything by him. What a pleasant surprise. I liked this album a lot; the arrangements were really nice. Particularly liked Three Hours, Cello Song.

This album surprised me. From the start, his voice was so soothing. I almost fell asleep. And the instrumental parts were so beautiful, too. Way To Blue's strings were just AH! He does a lot of chord progressions that remind me of like baroque music where it switches between the relative majors and minors. Overall, I love this album. I think I'll listen to a few of the songs again but it would have to be on a slow and rainy day.

"Exactly the same as my thoughts on Bryter Layter. Just kind of gives up at some point. Preferred this less". These were my initial thoughts. I gave the album a second listen, and I had a much more enjoyable time. Intricate melodies, warm sound, and slow. Three Hours (can't go wrong with an extended instrumental break) and Saturday Sun were particularly memorable. A nice album.

I generally gravitate towards more upbeat or faster paced music, but I do appreciate good folk music. This is relaxing, dark, moody but beautiful, and flows nicely. One of my favorite tracks from this album is ‘Cello Song! Worthy of this list for sure!