Nick Drake - Bryter Layter

With even more of the Fairport Convention crew helping him out -- including bassist Dave Pegg and drummer Dave Mattacks along with, again, a bit of help from Richard Thompson -- as well as John Cale and a variety of others, Drake tackled another excellent selection of songs on his second album. Demonstrating the abilities shown on Five Leaves Left didn't consist of a fluke, Bryter Layter featured another set of exquisitely arranged and performed tunes, with producer Joe Boyd and orchestrator Robert Kirby reprising their roles from the earlier release. Starting with the elegant instrumental "Introduction," as lovely a mood-setting piece as one would want, Bryter Layter indulges in a more playful sound at many points, showing that Drake was far from being a constant king of depression. While his performances remain generally low-key and his voice quietly passionate, the arrangements and surrounding musicians add a considerable amount of pep, as on the jazzy groove of the lengthy "Poor Boy." The argument could be made that this contravenes the spirit of Drake's work, but it feels more like a calmer equivalent to the genre-sliding experiments of Van Morrison at around the same time. Numbers that retain a softer approach, like "At the Chime of a City Clock," still possess a gentle drive to them. Cale's additions unsurprisingly favor the classically trained side of his personality, with particularly brilliant results on "Northern Sky." As his performances on keyboards and celeste help set the atmosphere, Drake reaches for a perfectly artful reflection on loss and loneliness and succeeds wonderfully.

Nick Drake wikipedia

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Oscar Brown Jr - Sin and Soul

This is Oscar's first album ( though he did contribute the lyrics to the call for civil rights We Insist by Max Roach the previous year ) and was considered a jazz classic as evinced by the sleeve note quotes by , among others , Nina Simone. The record company seem to have invested in the next album Between Heaven and Hell produced by Quincy Jones but then lost interest in Oscar or maybe didnt know whether to promote him to the hip jazz crowd or the middle of the road crooner set, Whatever the reason he never became the star he should have been but remained working throughout his long life in a variety of creative ventures and the civil rights movement.

Oscar Brown Jr obituary in the Guardian
Oscar Brown Jr wikipedia
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St Patricks weekend

Sorry we had no album of the week session this week as we had a big exhibition and talk inworld by Irish artist Jim Fitzpatrick   and all the music was live

Amy Winehouse Frank

Amys first album a bit rough round the edges but an insight into the massive talent that burned out too quickly

amy winehouse wikipedia

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John Martyn Solid Air

This is John's 5th album ( released in 1973 ) but in my opinion the first that he truly found his voice. The title track is an ode to Martyn's friend Nick Drake who sadly didnt heed the warning and died of an overdose 18 months after its release. The backbone of the album is Danny Thompsons double bass - the perfect accompaniment to John's fine finger picking and smoky voice which he slurs in the manner of a junkie jazz sax solo. Every track is a classic and everyone should own a copy for smoky, drunken nights.

john martyn wikipedia

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Fred Neil - self-titled

This is Fred Neil's second album from 1966 then re-released in 1969 to much greater success when " everyones talkin" became a worlwide hit due to the film " Midnight Cowboy " . Never comfortable in the limelight Fred more or less retired after a live album in 71 and dedicated himself to The Dolphin Project which  was established on Earth Day 1970 by Richard O'Barry with a donation from Fred Neil & Steven Stills and is dedicated to the welfare and protection of dolphins worldwide.

fred neil wikipedia

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Harry Nilsson - Aerial Ballet

This is Nilssons 3rd album but the first that features mostly his own compositions ( apart from " Daddys Song " written by Nilssons mother and the big hit  " Everybodys Talkin " by Fred Neil ) . This album features a lot of layering of vocals in the production which would become a Nilsson trademark.

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harry nilsson wikipedia