Bryter Layter

Nice bar music, discreet & smooth

Son 2ème album. C'est très folk, c'est doux, c'est rêveur, c'est bon.

Nick Drake’s breezy vocals softly float over melancholic and moody instrumentals. The only word that comes to mind when describing the vibe of this album is Americana. It’s a quick easy listen, but left more to be desired. Fav songs: At The Chime of a City Clock, One of These Things First, Poor Boy

Relaxing Sunday vibes with beautiful instrumentals. I obviously read his Wikipedia after listening and sad to learn that he never saw his own success. Might listen again if I’m in the mood.

Pretty cool

Again, some very lovely and lush orchestrations backing Nick’s folk melodies. This album feels more time stamped than Five Leaves Left. Some of the melodies brought to mind Dan Fogelberg song, “Longer,” which I haven’t thought about or heard in decades. The album is nice, but after one listen, I didn’t have much to take away. 3.0

Very nice. I like the jazzier elements and think it suits his guitar parts well, but it doesn't suit his voice as well. IMO there's a sweet spot with somewhat sparse accompaniment supporting his voice/guitar (similar to "Five Leaves Left") but here it's more structured arrangements, bordering on folk pop. It's good and no one can imitate Drake. He's a unique talent. 3.8

Decent, if not slightly bland. Nice voice, good songs but not something to write home about. May revisit at some point

I don't love it as much as his other two records, but I still like it well enough. Although I’m not as enamored with the lush production as I am the sparseness of Five Leaves Left and especially Pink Moon, his songwriting is still excellent and the album as a whole flows extremely well. 3.5/5

More of this reminded me of the Sims 3 soundtrack than I care to admit. Favourite track: Poor Boy.

Another artist in the "I've heard of them, but never really listened to" category. Beautifully crafted folk, but the benefit of hindsight always looming in the background

Not a bad album but I got a little bored. The jazz vibe held me in there but I had to skip some songs half way thru. Otherwise he has a good voice, the songs are balanced very well and the sax was a nice plus when they added it.

Very hit or miss. I remember a wave of people liking Nick Drake after the “Garden State” soundtrack but I think they mostly liked the idea of liking a lesser-know musician. This album has kind of a weird mix of jazz and folk. And his voice seems so fragile that a soft breeze would blow it away. It’s at times annoying and other times very beautiful. “Northern Sky” might be one of the most beautiful songs about new, innocent love out there. But most of the songs kind of sound like a slightly worse copy of someone else. Like Van Morrison’s “Astral Weeks” or Love’s “Forever Changes.”

Good composition, but was just a bit boring to me. 2.5/5

I like the sound, the guitar is very technically skilled, but the music kind of dragged for me. I don't think it's quite my type, although I have a lot of respect for Nick Drake and how he influenced many great artists that came later.

I would give this a 3.5. It’s good, a nice chill acoustic vibe if that’s what I’m looking for

Not a bad album, but very melancholy and sounds similar to some other artists from that time. The instrumentals are nice.

3/5 I liked some songs, had a cool ambiance to it. Not sure if I like the singers voice on this one, but I did like everything else. Unique.

Smooth and easy. Reminds me of a polished Rodriguez 7/10

Obviously a highly influential and well constructed album, but I can't get over the horne voice and find it difficult to distinguish between the maudlin warblings.

I've heard of him before, can't wait to hear his music😋, ooo I like his vocals. Idk this is an okay album, not my cup of tea but there's some alright songs here‼️

I found the music somewhat sad

OK yeah, it’s another Nick Drake album with… luxurious arrangements? Strings? Brass? What’s going on? This is definitely the odd duck of the three just due to its production, though I don’t feel substantially different about it. His voice is frankly too weak to sell some of these songs, but the album is sometimes beautiful. One worth coming back to once or twice. Best song: Northern Sky

Very enjoyable.

Nice folk album, a bit melancholy.

Excellent music and song composure. A bit on the dry side, but nevertheless strong song composition. I don’t really vibe with his singing style, and the music does not elicit an emotional response.

Reminded me of 70s Dave Matthews

Not my favorite album by Nick Drake, but still a good listen

Easy listening, some nice songs, but not remarkable

Un poco rollo.

Interesting and a little odd. Van Morrison singing jazz/folk lounge music.

I enjoy this album every time I hear it. The songs have a forward motion to them even when melancholy. The arrangements with the backing musicians suggests a greater scope — I find myself mostly swept up in it. I could do without the title track, actually. It is almost the only thing holding back a solid four-star review. I don't mind the instrumental song Sunday as an album closer as much. With this record I get the feels at all the right times but without being overwhelmed like I sometimes am with Pink Moon.

This is all very nice and pleasant, but a bit more variety or texture would be nice. I wonder how much of the shine from Nick Drake's star is down to him being the tragic hero of the British Folk Revival (cf. your Buckley of choice, perhaps). There is nothing not to like about his stuff, but after a while it does get a little boring.

Interesting album

Sehr feinsinniger guter Folk - und wieder folk...

Dat flute doh. Pretty chill, pretty pleasant, didn’t fully grab me

Never heard of this guy. Boring so far. Nothing grabbed me here. Can’t deny the guys talent just didn’t do it for me. It maybe a grower but not interested enough to continue trying. Interesting story about him - very sad.

Somber, nice n dark.

"Poor Boy" and "Sunday" 4/5. The rest is okay

Second half of that album has some more enjoyable music. The rest (including vocal) is not so good.

Vanilla ice cream is good, I guess. Another album that is fine, but literally like "no one listens to this and gives a fuck".

Calm

Very gentle, but full of emotion. The whole album reminds me of being on the verge of tears but not actually crying. Love the instrumentals, especially the sax and flute. I wish there was more of that on this album, but it's enjoyable.

Meditative, peaceful, but lyric apologetic.

Un poco rollo.

Similar to a lot of singer songwriters of the 70’s. Definitely a chill vibe.

Nice easy listen. Dont know if I’d revisit it but I can recognise why people would be drawn over and over to this album

Mellow folksy. More like background music. Doesn't engage my mind, but relaxing

Pretty good! The instrumental pieces are the high points for me.

This album has "Sunday Morning Chill" written all over it. I was pleasantly surprised, but not necessarily blow away either.

Decent easy listening. Not sure why everyone thinks this guy is the shit though

Far more upbeat than I was expecting. 3.5 stars.

Soothing vocals for background music but not something I'd actively listen to. It's a little to snoozy for me & actually fell asleep while listening.

It was a nice, chill morning, so this fit in well. Not really my thing though.

Introduction - instrumental and really pretty Hazey Jane II - 6/10. Sounded like it had some jazz influence? He sang-spoke (he rushed a lot of words into a stanza). At the Chime of a City Block - 7/10 VIOLINS! Definitely jazz influences. I couldn't understand all the lyrics. Slow, but relaxing. He sung in higher notes. One Of These Things First - 6/10. Piano. Slow. I wish he would enunciate more. I liked it tho! Hazey Jane I - 7/10 VIOLINS! super interesting that HJII came first. This is one my favorite so far. Had an upbeat start? Bryter Layter - 8/10 title track. Maybe the first time I've heard/recognized flute outside orchestras. Instramental. New favorite. Peaceful. Fly - 5/10. I am just rating with my gut but this didn't grab me. Poor Boy - 7/10 more upbeat. Piano. Choir that I like! Sax is back! Second favorite. Northern Sky - 7/10 "Would you love me in the winter?" Made me think of ASD. I like this one. Sunday - 7/10 Closer. Flute. Sounds really pretty. Instramental. Sounds both hopeful and sad. I liked the instramental tracks a lot! Sometimes when I am having a bad day, I just want to go take a shower and listen to peaceful music and this sounds like good music for that. I liked the other songs, but I don't like it when I can't understand the words.

Nice calming voice. I am lyric blind.

It was fine. Not the right kind of sad boy music for me, really.

very 70s folk rock. I think the hush puppies on the album cover sum it up well

First real exposure to Nick Drake other than "Pink Moon." Easy to listen to but didn't really catch my attention too often.

Not bad very mellow

I like all the instruments here, it's very relaxing. It gives you calm vibes, and i think that's cool. Not the type music i would listen very often, but it's great!

I read some reviews and wiki pages before listening and decided I was going to be a fan. But unfortunately, the music had very little impact on me. All very forgettable.

Yes, good.

Surprising album, very easy listen, would say first half of the record is the stronger half.

Nice instrumentals, casual vibes

Thoughts before listening: Quiet, introspective folk music. I'm expecting some nice melodies and lyrics, but an overall sleepy album. I feel like I have heard this before, but I'm not sure. Review: This is a little less sleepy than I was anticipating, although there are certainly some slow, maudlin songs that drag in places. However, there is a driving rhythm to a lot of these songs that I'm enjoying. \"Hazey Jane II\" and \"One of These Things First\" both have a jazzy swing to the music that I'm quite enjoying. Overall I can see how this is considered a classic album, and I'm reminded quite a bit of later artists like Elliott Smith. However, like with ES, the slow depressing songs just drag down the album as a whole. I give this a 3.

Fine. Pleasant. Although the song Fly is a small child pointing at me saying “you feel sad now”.

Plätschert so vor sich hin. Zu viel Monotonie!

This was alright I guess.

nice discovery

done

Nice easy listening album

I like the cut of his jib.

Very nice instruments and vocals. Easy listening for any time of day 3.9

Hadnt heard of Nick Drake before. Very pleasant album. Will check out more of his work. No standout track for me but while album was nice. Good back ground music

Quite a pretty sound for such sad content, and accomplished work even if not so much my thing.

Hard to call this an easy listen, given the stories behind it, but it's quite a gentle sound. It's very serene, a nice album to have as gentle background but the depth is there in the lyrics should you wish to listen to it a bit harder. Probably gets elevated above other similar songwriters by virtue of his early death, but that doesn't mean that this isn't good. 3/5.

Had I ever asked what folk music would sound like if it was a little bit more jazzy then this album would have been a perfectly adequate answer. But I didn't ask and they did it anyway.

"the perfect soundtrack for the dispensing of a cup of tea in a polystyrene cup"

There's a fine line between smooth and enjoyable and smooth and bland. For this album it was 75/25 being more bland than enjoyable. There were a few tracks that I enjoyed. But most of the time I was waiting for the song to end hoping that the next song would be better. Scale: 5 - My absolute favorites. 4 - Albums I like. 3 - It was ok to listen to but I wouldn't seek it out. 2 - Didn't like. 1 - Absolute shit.

This was relaxing and enjoyable 6/10

meh. doesn't feel terribly unique from other 70s folk songwriter albums

Als je fan bent, ben je gelijk groot fan. En als je deze muziek voorafgaand aan deze snoblijst niet kende, zoals ik, dan is het moeilijk om er in te komen. Het is ongetwijfeld muziek die groeit, naarmate je het vaker luistert. Ik kan het ouderwetse singer-songwriter genre op zich wel waarderen, al is het wel echt iets wat hoogtij vierde zo begin jaren '70 en we daarna nooit meer zo hebben gehoord. Maar zo heeft elk decennium zijn specifieke genres waarschijnlijk. Anyway, de stem blijft natuurlijk lastig aan te wennen, maar het is een prima plaatje verder.

Pretty good. The music was incredible, but just not my thing. Bossa Nova, jazz type with some hawaiian inspiration. Incredible understanding of soundscape but not my type of thing.

I enjoyed Nick Drake’s voice a lot and the guitars. Sometimes the songs sounded all the same. The songs that stood out: At The Chime of the City Clock, Sunday, Hazy Jane II

Really beautiful soft vocals, nice folky album. One criticism is that it is a bit generic and one dimensional, it doesn't have much to it. I was slightly bored at points. Still solid album

I know there’s something wrong with me because hearing this album made me extremely anxious. sorry mr. nick drake, I know it’s objectively very pretty music

I'm glad I listened, but it's a little sleepy, and I really just needed to hear Pink Moon.

Mierīgi un akustiski.

šajā sarakstā būs arī kāds albums, kas nav dad rock? :D

I love Pink Moon. This album is over-arranged. The 4th track was cool because it was stripped down. The other songs' arrangements tended to overpower Nick and his tunes.

Easy listening. Not terrible. Not amazing. Good background for writing.

Was pretty good. I enjoyed

Wasn’t my cup of tea unfortunately

5 Very relaxing, and calming. Not my style, but brings a sense of chill

Folk, pop. Mi ricorda l'autunno. Toni soffusi e tranquilli, voce confortante, manca frenesia. L'unione degli strumenti crea una tela dai colori caldi che sembrano indurre memorie nostalgiche. Primo album folk che ho il piacere di ascoltare.

Meh, 80s hits very much better.

There is, and I can't emphasize this enough, no reason to have all three of Nick Drake's albums in this book. Why in the world would I need to hear EVERY SINGLE ALBUM THAT NICK DRAKE PUT OUT? I do not dislike his music and recognize he can be seen as underrated, but this is the peak of Boomers picking music they think will make them sound cool for inclusion in this book. Should you hear one of those Nick Drake albums? Sure, why not. Should you hear two Nick Drake albums? Maybe, but there isn't a reason to do so. Do you need to hear all three Nick Drake albums? Absolutely not. There are good songs on these albums, just like there are good songs on thousands of other albums that did not make this list. Good songs and a legacy of being underrated does not make a "must-listen" album. This is by no means a bad album, but I'm going to dock it points because I only need one Nick Drake album in this book. It's the same thing with the three Tim Buckley albums in this book. It's not a negative at either artist's legacy if there is one album in this book. "Hey, here's an artist you should appreciate and here is his best album. If you want to explore more of his albums, then you should do that." That's all that needs to happen. So yes, this isn't a bad album. Yes, there are good songs on "Bryter Layter" and there are also boring songs on this album. It's not his best album, so it should not be in the book. Nick Drake suffers a lot from the Very Important Artist Syndrome where he's an artist you should know and now you are going to be forced to literally every single thing this artist has done. This does not make him an Actual Important Artist. At some point, so many people will say an artist is underrated that he/she/it/they actually become properly rated...then eventually overrated. Nick Drake's music isn't bad. It's boring at times and really good at times. Give this a listen or don't give it a listen. Pick one album and listen to that one. There's no need to listen to everything this guy has recorded.

Good easy listening.

Another artist I’ve never listened to before. I’m actually really enjoying this album, listening to it on a sunny relaxed Saturday morning and I’m loving it. It’s just really nice and chill and full of nice guitar and just made my head feel clear and happy. Definitely would listen to some of these songs again. Think it’s exactly what I needed today.

Loved this album. Soft rock style. “Fly” by Nick Drake saved to my playlist

Blind album and artist. It's creative and calming, just not for me u fortunately. I'm very selective when it comes to folk I guess? Piano is always underrated. I'm glad it's used throughout the album.

Op zich wel chill, maar ik denk dat ik het vaker moet luisteren om erachter te komen of het meer dan dat is, of het echt goede muziek is om naar terug te keren. Het is een beetje singer songwriter, maar dan met meer instrumenten in de mix. En ik weet niet of dat nou helemaal goed werkt, en blijkbaar wist hij dat zelf ook niet. Voor nu 3 sterren.

If you asked me to imagine a Nick Drake album I'd spontaneously come up with this

It was very chill and easy to listen to. I could happily have that playing in the background as I pottered around the house.

Really liked it. Nothing too memorable but enjoyable the whole way through. Rating: 3.5

It was nice to listen to, the voice was a bit thin sometimes

2.5/5

I enjoyed this album. It was very mellow. Even melancholy. It was good background music too work to.

Prima, maar niet speciaal

It was a nice listen

Very peaceful and well-suited for fall. Cozy album. Poor Boy is my favorite. Not necessarily to my taste but I'd play it in the background.

Nice vibes

Funny voice sounds like he got rocked in the nards before singing.

First thing I thought of was, "male Joni Michelle." Not precisely my jam, but it's a thoughtfully-put-together album. Very pretty. Perfect for a rainy day indoors.

While I did not enjoy the heavy melancholy of the album and it took me several tracks to warm up to his vocal style, the instrumentation and production of the album is why I don't rate it lower than 3/5. It seems like the first half of the album features a different 'non-standard' instrument in each track...orchestral strings, trumpet, sax, piano, tenors, flute. The acoustic nature of the album elevates these instruments to be the highlight of each song. The standard guitar & bass compliment both these and his vocals, but give each unique instrument room to shine. I particularly loves the tracks without vocals, and would happily listen to an entire instrumental album of this style.

it sounded really nice, and i liked the 70s rock vibe, but still as a whole had some duds. I would give it a 3.5 if i could

I'm saddened by this one. I love the instrumental parts. I love the strings and the guitar and the orchestra instruments in use. The voice ruins it. If there were no vocals, this would be an easy 5. Sorry Nick.

Pretty chill 70s music. Great voice.

It was ok.

Smooth

Not my favourite by him but still decent.

It was alright. I am starting to realize that I don’t like folky singer/songwriter music that much.

Too much orchestration - not enough fingerpicking

Bien bueno, seguramente lo escuchare de nuevo

Pleasant background music

I don't know what I'm getting out of this. Bryter Layter has a sound that is very period and Drake's lyrics don't really sync. Had his career lasted longer, I wonder how this album would rank. 3/5.

no le conocía, la portada del álbum es bien chula y en verdad su voz es muy de chill con su guitarrita. i liked it.

Not my favorite from good ol’ Cousin Nicky

B Introduction 3 Hazey Jane 2 4 At the Chime of a City Clock 5 One of These Things First 3 Hazey Jane I 3 Bryter Layter 2 Fly 2 Poor Boy 4 Northern Sky 3 Sunday 4 Nick Drake, you're a frickin' American gem. Born in Upstate New York to a middle-class family, he knew he wanted to be on 1001albumsgenerator.com since he was a kid.

It was okay. It made me think of a movie's background music

I enjoy Nick Drake’s sound and style but this got pretty samey after a while

Did I had a couple of bops

My least favourite Nick Drake album. The sparser tracks are beautiful, but the backing instrumentation is overdone on too many occasions.

Lovely chill album to

Great! Some new music.

Very familiar with Nick Drake, but usually when I go to listen to him, it's almost always Pink Moon that I put on. It's an amazing album but I was happy to give another listen to one of his other albums. While I still don't enjoy it quite as much as Pink Moon, all the added instrumentation makes these songs really beautiful, the production is amazing. Nick's voice is soothing and gorgeous as always. Will need to give it more listens as is still blends together a lot for me, have trouble picking out any particular song, but still worth a listen.

Very Jazzy, not too bad, a laid back album

this album was fine and pleasant background music. nothing here that i'd really seek out or revisit, personally. i had never heard of this guy before now and I'll probably forget his name in a week :\ favorites: one of these things first, at the chime of a city clock

Pretty lovely.

I enjoyed it

First listen Saved 4/10 Top track: One Of These Things First

Decent album I've listened to many times

Super nice chill album really reminds me a sufjan

Very pretty but too understated, paired with the whispery vocals it just fades into background music

Often beautiful but I found it a little too meandering and low energy.

It's real nice musically, even if it's not massively my thing. I find his voice a bit floaty and too nice, which sounds like a weird criticism. I guess I just prefer something with a bit more bite, and this is just very pleasant and lovely.

That was weird… yet, I didn’t hate it.

Boring but in a good way. I don't know how else to explain it. 3

Musically interesting, and the melancholy in his voice portrays a lot of emotion. His songwriting is certainly great.. but it’s not my vibe. There is very little variation. Fav Song: Hazy Jane II

It's like meeting someone really really nice and they're so nice that you find it tricky to get on with them. They're just too nice in comparison to me... a grub 😅 So in conclusion this is nothing on you Nick Drake, it's me.

This was like elevator music but in a good way.

I have this wonderful project to thank for introducing me to Nick Drake, and his music is fantastic. This album is no exception. He is a gifted composer and performer. There are times when I hear his songs -- particularly his voice and choice of melody -- and my mind thinks I'm listening to someone much more contemporary, which to me speaks to the influence he had on many.

Very nice and sensual

There’s just something about Nick Drake’s voice that drives me crazy. I don’t think this album is bad but I didn’t really get anything out of it.

I don’t think I listened closely enough to give this a fair score, but it wasn’t bad. I can see this being a big influence on Belle and Sebastian and other similar artists.

3.5, would be 4 if his voice cut through a little better. The instrumental parts are so strong, and he's very talented and piano, guitar, sax, and clarinet, but his voice feels thin in the mix.

Another one of those people I'd heard loads about but never got round to listening to. Instant reaction is that I can see where Belle and Sebastian took their influence, it's huge. I liked the album a lot but there's something about it I couldn't quite place. It felt _off_ and I don't really know why. Like the production didn't suit the songs, or something.

Standard

Another album from the OG list. It’s very 3/5 of an album. Will i listen again? no. did i have a bad time listening? also no

The album is quiet and relaxing. The folk music with string accompaniment creates a nice atmosphere. Lost a few stars because the music is so calm that it fell to the background too often while I was listening. 3/5.

Beautiful tunes. Voice is average.

Good! o.o

3/5 Not as bad as I expected. :)

Honestly, Nick Drake is a bit overrated to me. I do like his music though, but I don’t get the people who worship him. I can definitely see how he influenced many modern acts though.

Lovely album for a rainy afternoon.

Bit samey; rather slick orchestrations get in the way of the songs.

Hmmm, dunno on this one. I quite liked some of it. But it also got a bit boring.

Was pretty relaxing but nothing stood out

Was fine, nothing particularly inspiring unless you like someone singing with an acoustic guitar. Reminded me of a man in the corner of a pub

soft and melodic, got a bit lost sometime overall ok - best song "fly" 2.5

Another solid Nick Drake album. Similar to his others, this is an album that has a style I usually don't go for but it's done so well that I actually really enjoyed much of it.

3 for corny strings etc., would be (much?) higher stripped back

Didn't think I knew Nick Drake, but I have heard "One Of These Things First" a ton of times, really like it Mellow, melodic voice, some upbeat piano

It was alright.

3.5

Very peaceful 3/5

Decent stuff, very folksy. Not really my vibe.

From the first couple of songs, I thought I was going to really enjoy it, but the album slowly petered out. I found myself unable to remember any of it. A few too many instrumentals. On paper, this was my kind of thing, but I've read he has two better albums, likely also in this list, so I'll wait for those.

It's a good album, but I don't think its Nick Drakes best. This album, for me, just are too many hits or misses. The song One of These Things First is an absolute jewel though. The instrumentation and orchestrations are masterful accompaniments to the song. Unfortunately that's not the case with all songs. The unnecessary instrumentals Bryter Layter and Sundays but especially Poor Boy feel forced. The accompaniment is unfortunately a disturbing factor. Terrible use of trumpets and background choirs. But luckily we still have Northern Sky. A relief from the previous. And maybe one of the best songs Nick Drake has ever written. No matter how beautiful the title track and Northern Sky are, this album is not that strong throughout.

Excellent guitar. I actually love his voice. 2 thumbs down for the 'whimsical' flute all over everything. Stand out tracks: - One of these things first - Northern Sky - Poor Boy

I mean, I appreciate the musicality, but I think I’m influenced by his other, more stripped down guitar-based tunes, which I love. Some songs are genuinely great, but my preconceived notions keep my from loving this album.

Beautiful and skillful acoustic guitar work here... but the mood/tone is really not doing it for me. A few songs like this are great, but I can't listen to an entire album like this. The piano and strings accompanying the guitar are great as well, but the album as a whole is not doing much.

When I was 15 this was VERY IMPORTANT.

Unremarkably fine.

Really good songwriter and lyricist. Kinda boring though.

A more downtempo, singer-songwriter LP with some frills I found myself enjoying more than expected. The songwriting isn't strong enough to wow melodically for the whole runtime, but the lyricism and fun punches of (somewhat dated) sax keep things interesting enough for Drake's soft lull to work its magic.

3 It’s chillaxing

Digg med nåke eg har hørt før. Bryter Layter (sangen) e ganske nice, resten e litt kjedelig. Kult albumcover

More great guitar playing and lovely vocals from Nick Drake. I think I prefer his sadder stuff than this though but even still it's enjoyable.

An exploration of the profound loneliness one can feel whilst being surrounded by a sea of people. Alone in the crowd with only an equally-lonely alto sax to keep you company. I wonder if his musings on what he could have been is him head-hopping into all the strangers around him. "Fly" is the clear frontrunner here, expanding on his search for identity, be it in faces or names. And only in understanding identity can we make real connections with others. Like many great albums, there's an existential crisis at the core.

A fine album, nice strings, probably won’t revisit

this is alright. not really my kind of music but good for what it is. i love the album cover tho that pic is cold af

I like Nick Drake, but it isn't party music

A very chilled album to cook along to.

Álbum tranquilo, sosegado, calmado. Buena voz Para escuchar relajadamente. Poca instrumentación

‘Bryter Later’ isn’t bad, but for mine, it’s over produced and saturated with unnecessary instrumentation in many places, detracting from the overall listening experience. I think Nick Drake’s music is most effective when it’s stripped down.

Surprisingly enjoyable

I would say this is a product of it’s time

Not terrible, not great. I like Pink Moon better.

Hey Peter

Nice voice and talented guitarist, yet a boring album to me with no real highlights.

Pretty mellow stuff. Nothing offensive here but nothing especially standout either. One Of These Things First was alright.

Weaker than Five Leaves left but still very pleasant

Drake’s voice is amazing as always, but I just couldn’t get into the instrumentation of the album. A few songs were great but overall the shin was too jazzy for what I was looking for.

Some good jazzy influence. Ok but kind of all over the place.

Boo hoo I’m sad

A classic sophomore over extension. The music is still moving and beautiful, but the increased production value of the whole thing really detracts from the essential nature of Nick Drake's brilliance. You just don't need things like a backing strings section, horns and backup vocalists to punch up the tracks. Without much surprise, the noteworthy tracks (i.e. 'One Of These Things First' and 'Northern Sky') from this album are constructed much more closely to tracks from 'Five Leaves Left'.

Nice music for the background but this album fails to grab any attention beyond the usual "standard" listening experience

3,5

I first heard of Nick Drake when my wife got one of his albums for this challenge and we listened to it together. We were both blown away by that album. I definitely want to give this one another listen to fully appreciate the music. On first listen, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Un poco rollo.

I knew Nick Drake's Pink Moon before and loved it, so naturally I had high hopes for this one and it kind of.. disappointed? I tried giving it multiple chances but it just didn't captivate me in any way. I still enjoy Nick's delivery and the jazzy parts on this release are great, however there is not a single track that I'm thinking about after the album is over. It's just a nice record to put on in the back for me but that's it. Maybe I'll grow fonder of it with time, but there's just one day for each album at this point so for now it's 3/5 from me.

3-4

Wide emotional and tonal range, but lacking the depth and sincerity of his other albums. The flute stuff is very elevatory

I liked this album and I recognized one song, easy to listen to but not my favorite

Music is very nice. Singers voice, not so much.

This was well done late 60’s folk/ jazz.

Relaxing and jazzy. 6.5/10.

Prefer Pink Moon but some really nice song-writing and arrangements here

A pleasant listen but ultimately unremarkable.

It’s dank - bite her light her

Lovely music to do other things to.

Melancholie en depressie op gitaarmuziek. Niet direct om vrolijk van te worden, maar wel nog mooi

Very chill. Too chill for me honestly. My favorite song on the album was poor boy. Had a bit more energy than the rest.

Mellow, but with more instruments than solo guitar. Good.

Yeh I mean I've listened to a few Nick Drake songs before, mostly from Pink Moon which is quite different, this is the first full album. Its very jazzy folk, it's pleasant it sounds good. Probably something I would listen more to as individual songs, didn't really engage me as an album experience but it was pretty good.

Mellow

There are a lot of instruments that work with Nick Drake's sound. Melodic and minimalist guitars are great. Piano works wonderfully. Violin too. But not horns! The horns ruined multiple songs on this album. Listening to the first three songs, I was trying to figure out why this didn't sound like the Nick Drake I was familiar with. Something was off... Then came "One of These Things First," a sublime song and the Drake song I know best. So what did it have that the others didn't? Nothing! It's what it didn't have - horns. Get rid of the horns and the two flute-strumentals, and you've got 5-star work.

A jazzy Nick Drake is different but maybe not better than a sad Nick Drake.

Having been introduced to Nick Drake out of chronological order I would have thought this was after both Pink Moon and Five Leaves Left. I assumed that he started out solo and added layers to his music as time moved on. Instead he stripped all the layers away for Pink Moon, his last album which is the one I enjoy the most. Bryter Layter contains what I like most about Nick Drake, his guitar playing. The additional instruments work some of the time, mostly the strings. The piano is fine as is the brass section. The flute is OK. But we’ve got to talk about the saxophone. No thank you. The second time I listened to At The Chime Of A City Clock I turned my car completely to the left channel and the song vastly improved because the right channel sax was gone. Poor Boy makes Nick sound like the leader of a throw away lounge act unfortunately. Thankfully the misses are limited. Overall the album is uneven, up and down. I’m glad Nick figured out the formula for Pink Moon. It’s just a shame that was his last go at it.

I should listen more to Drake

Pretty wierd, sounds like the soundtrack to some bizarre 70s kids TV show. Strange voice, nonsense lyrics, very outdated. And yet, there is something ethereal and enjoyable there too.

Weird voice, nice instrumentals

Pretty easy listening, relaxed varied instruments

Decent easy listen

Pink Moon far superior Cover art 1/5

nice and chill

Peaceful 70s folk

Boy Mr. Drake took one puff of a marijuana cigarette and look what happened to him...

Already heard it before lol. Although, I do not remember it as well as Drake's other two records.

Nice. But, wish they kept the producer away from mixing strings into just about every track.

7/10 Best Song - Northern Sky

This one didn't work for me like Five Leaves Left did. He's written some very nice poetry and some very nice instrumentals, but they don't always complement each other. Best track: Hazey Jane I

+++

Folk. Melódico. Suave

Interesting album, beautiful compositions

6.5/10 - smooth, easy listening, great for background music when working/concentrating

nice voice

Like his other album. Nothing much to write home about but nothing offensive either.

Enjoyable, but didn’t stick with me.

I like One of These Things First. Fly too. But this one is a bit too airy for me compared to the previous album. Still really nice.

very country/mellow vibe with nice horns, it’s like they put Jim Croce and Simon and Garfunkel in a studio and told them to make music. Very surprised I never heard this.

Well that slipped down very pleasantly. Feel the first side is stronger than the second, but very listenable.

Gentle, sensitive, pleasant. It’s calm and easy listening if you don’t listen too closely. Drake’s delicate songwriting and instrumentation are integral to his vibe. Hazey Jane II was a bit more peppy than the other songs, which was a nice tonal change. But overall, I fail to see a substantial difference between this album and Drake's debut, Five Leaves Left (which I had 2 weeks ago). Seems like only one of them really needs a spot on this list? Having another one that's just more of the same stuff is a wasted space that could have been given to someone else. I liked it, it just didn't offer anything we hadn't already heard. I appreciate the artistry, but I wanted some creative variation on what came before.

Slow, inflective album. An album to match a sad mood. Pain is clear throughout. Nice arrangements. 3* is maybe a bit harsh, but it's not particularly groundbreaking and the style is confused at times.

pretty

In his second of just three albums, Nick Drake sings of his wishes to belong, his fall from grace, while musing on who he could and could never be. It's hard to separate from his tragic suicide just a few years later, to the extent any review feels reductive. But I had a go comparing to his later efforts at least. Even when considering Drake's work in a vacuum, I went into "Bryter Layter" desperate not to compare it with "Pink Moon", which I've always loved for its utter sparsity. In the end, I couldn't escape the feeling that this one just wasn't on the same level. Most notable are of course the orchestrations and extended instrumentals, which it's a little difficult to get used to. Some of it is still excellent. "Northern Sky" is a wonderful song: emotive, elegant and melodic with just the right amount of psychedelia. "Fly" has a lovely cascading acoustic guitar figure which is complemented nicely by harpsichord and viola (ey up John Cale). "Poor Boy" is nicely augmented by the backing vocalists, even if the piano could ease up in places. But a lot of the rest never quite lands on either side of the fence. The lyrics aren't as searing as I'd have liked, the melodies not as immediate. The guitar-playing is deft and accomplished, but all-too-often recedes behind hokey piano or swelling strings. Three instrumentals ("Introduction", "Bryter Layter" and "Sunday") is a bit overkill when the arrangements are fairly basic and twee. I felt especially bad when I heard about Drake's earnest wish for them to be like "Pet Sounds". Poor sweet man. "Bryter Layter" suffers in my head because I can't separate it from the beautiful follow-up Nick Drake would make, and the tragedy of what came afterwards. There are some lovely songs on here, but ultimately it's a sad reminder of just how much more Drake could have achieved with more time.

pretty fun and chill, like the fusion of styles sounds like an early jack johnson kinda

Rating: 5/10

I didn't think I'd ever heard of Nick Drake before but then I heard "One of These Things First" which I recognized from the Garden State soundtrack. Solidly good album that I am sure I don't appreciate as much as I probably should...

very chill but forgettable vibes

This was the third Nick Drake album we got and the third that got 3 stars for me. He's OK, but really nothing more than that.

Day 4

Introduction * very nice Hazey Jane 2 * Oh so Belle and Sebastian is a Nick Drake tribute act. At the Chime of a City Clock One of these things first * So far this is all very pretty music I will never listen to or think about again. * Makes me want to listen to early B&S so I can hear the same music with lyrics I find more interesting Hazey Jane I * Why the fuck wasn’t this one first? It would sound way way better after Introduction than the hokey intro of HJ2. * best produced song on the album so far Bryter Layter * pretty, competent library music. He’s obviously imagining walking through a field of flowers on a summer evening with some waifish girl. Fly * his most interesting vocal performance up to now. Does lots with not a lot of range. makes sense that this is the song that Anderson chose for RT. Poor Boy * I think I’d like this song better if it was sung by someone with a modicum of soul. Regardless, it’s one of the better songs on the album. * love the piano solo Northern Sky * here we fucking go again. yawn Sunday * another song that makes the case for Drake to stfu

Not as good as Pink Moon

Did moy

I know I'm supposed to love this, but I just don't. It's pretty guitar work and intimate singing, but I don't connect to it. 3/5.

Some really nice tracks, but a bit meandering at times.

amei a intro tem uma vibe meio eddie vader meio jazz com flauta, violão, violino bem bonito :)

Disco mediano. O “Five Leafs Left” é infinitamente superior

Pleasant but a little boring. Northern Sky is fantastic.

It's fine.

meinlaust og ok

I expect this guy has lots of fans. The lyrics I could figure out are quite good and he sings from the heart. With folk music, the music is typically nothing to write home about. The lyrics are the main event so the music can't be too interruptive. I find the music often is too interruptive on this album. If I had lots of time to listen to this, then the lyrics might get me there, but after listening to this twice, I only know what two songs are about. I haven't invested the time to really figure out the lyrics so can't get to a higher rating.

Hazey Jane II is probably my favourite Nick Drake song. When listening to it I picture myself driving a convertible along the seaside on a sunny day with my long hair flowing in the wind, haha. The rest of the album is fine, very chill folk

Honestly wasn't my cup of tea, and didn't listen too hard.

Ich musste eben erst mal nachsehen, ob Pink Moon auch dabei ist und bin nun beruhigt. Die habe ich so oft gehört, sonst aber nichts von Nick Drake. Eine Lücke. Finde dieses Album reicht nicht an die Pink Moon heran.

6/10

Not a bad album, I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Decent folk music.

Very relaxing voice but also instrumentals.

entspannt anregend. gitarre schwungvoll

A cute little album. Not a huge fan of a lot of the lyrics and vocals, and sometimes the melodies can be simple by today's standards, but really lush instrumentation and the occasional good song with lyrics saves this one.

Top Picks: At The Chime Of A City Clock & Poor Boy. Quite enjoyed this one. Kind of John Martyn-esque, but a slightly more hippy vibe. Some of the tunes were fairly samey, but overall it was a pretty chill album to sit and listen to for an hour.

Highlights - One of these things first, Northern Sky Lowlights - Hazy Jane 2 This is a skillfully-crafted album with crisp melodies...The guitar work as well as piano and flute are quite prominent but never step on each others toes (I suspect that they're all being played by Drake himself). It's not that Hazy Jane 2 isn't a good song, it's just not as good as the rest of the tracks...I get the impression that Drake isn't comfortable singing, because there aren't many vocals, which is a pity. Otherwise, this album is a keeper.

A pleasant-enough folk-rock record. I had received another Drake record previously, and I feel about the same about this record. It's peaceful, nice, good arrangements, just nothing I'm crazy about. Favorite tracks: "Hazey Jane II", "Hazey Jane I", "Poor Boy"

Is it me, or is Poor Boy the proof-of-concept for Screamadelica?

Schönes Album!

Really enjoyed it and would revisit

A lovely listen and quite beautiful in parts. The reality is I probably won’t explore more or go back but I’m glad I listened

I delayed listening to this because the first few notes had sounded slow and I wasn't really feeling that vibe after Chelsea Girls, but this one was pretty pleasant. I could see this being good ambient background music for some situations.

I like Nick Drakes voice more than the rest, it’s just kind of simple comfortable music. Nice but that’s about it

Yea this is fine. His guitar work is great, I am just not into sad boi brit rock.

Pretty good. I liked the jazzy flair at parts

No Pink Moon, but pleasant enough.

Pretty similar sound to the last album which makes me like both a little less. I still prefer Five Leaves Left but still enjoyed this one as well. This is really easy listening music that has more depth than most. 7.3/10

Really enjoyable if a bit mellow.

// Favs: Poor Boy Score: Strong 3

Ik kan Nick Drake prima hebben, maar toch mis ik wat peper om hier echt iets van te maken.