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Remembered for a While
A vivid portrait of the English singer-songwriter and musician Nick Drake
Nicholas Rodney "Nick" Drake was an English singer-songwriter and musician, known for his acoustic guitar-based songs. Drake released only three complete albums -- Five Leaves Left (1969), Bryter Layter (1970), Pink Moon (1972) -- and was not well known before his death in 1974. Yet he gained a massive posthumous following, inspiring leading musicians such as R.E.M.'s Peter Buck and Robert Smith of The Cure and bands such as Coldplay and The Black Crowes.
Forty years after Nick's death, Remembered for a While peels back some of the mystery surrounding his life. The book will feature gorgeous color photographs, as well as original letters and interviews with family and friends. As Nick's sister writes in the introduction, Remembered for a While will reveal "the poet, the musician, the friend, the son, the brother, who was also more than all of these together, and as indefinable as the morning mist."
At long last, Remembered for a While paints a portrait of a visionary musician who inspired a fanatical following and whose legacy continues to inspire future generations of musicians -- and the lives of his fans.
Nicholas Rodney "Nick" Drake was an English singer-songwriter and musician, known for his acoustic guitar-based songs. Drake released only three complete albums -- Five Leaves Left (1969), Bryter Layter (1970), Pink Moon (1972) -- and was not well known before his death in 1974. Yet he gained a massive posthumous following, inspiring leading musicians such as R.E.M.'s Peter Buck and Robert Smith of The Cure and bands such as Coldplay and The Black Crowes.
Forty years after Nick's death, Remembered for a While peels back some of the mystery surrounding his life. The book will feature gorgeous color photographs, as well as original letters and interviews with family and friends. As Nick's sister writes in the introduction, Remembered for a While will reveal "the poet, the musician, the friend, the son, the brother, who was also more than all of these together, and as indefinable as the morning mist."
At long last, Remembered for a While paints a portrait of a visionary musician who inspired a fanatical following and whose legacy continues to inspire future generations of musicians -- and the lives of his fans.
448 pages, Hardcover
First published November 4, 2014
46 people are currently reading
593 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
February 24, 2015
My first comment would be about the physical book itself. The book is beautifully produced, like an art book. Heavy binding, high quality paper. If there is a down side i guess it would be the weight of the book itself, perhaps four or five pounds, which makes it difficult to hold and read in bed, cus if it slipped out of your hands it would dent your head. So one must sit and read it on one's lap or on a table.
Next the content. This is an Amazing book. The book gives every aspect of an amazing musical artist, beginning with the history of Nick's parents and family.
The book is part autobiography and part biography utilizing letters that Nick wrote, letters from his parents, reminiscences from friends who shared his life, and stories from his acquaintances.
The book is filled with hundreds of photographs, lyrics to most of the songs Nick composed and an all encompassing discography.
Nick Drake (19 June 1948 – 25 November 1974). Drake suffered from depression, particularly during the latter part of his young life. This was often reflected in his lyrics. Drake began recording his debut album Five Leaves Left later in 1968. At some time during the night of 24/25 November 1974, Nick Drake died at home in Far Leys, Tanworth-in-Arden, from an overdose of amitriptyline, a type of antidepressant.
By the mid-1980s Drake was being cited as an influence by musicians such as R.E.M.'s Peter Buck and Robert Smith of The Cure; Smith credited the origin of his band's name to a lyric from Drake's song "Time Has Told Me". English electronic duo Goldfrapp have also cited Drake as a big influence on their music.
This was all together a fantastic book.
Next the content. This is an Amazing book. The book gives every aspect of an amazing musical artist, beginning with the history of Nick's parents and family.
The book is part autobiography and part biography utilizing letters that Nick wrote, letters from his parents, reminiscences from friends who shared his life, and stories from his acquaintances.
The book is filled with hundreds of photographs, lyrics to most of the songs Nick composed and an all encompassing discography.
Nick Drake (19 June 1948 – 25 November 1974). Drake suffered from depression, particularly during the latter part of his young life. This was often reflected in his lyrics. Drake began recording his debut album Five Leaves Left later in 1968. At some time during the night of 24/25 November 1974, Nick Drake died at home in Far Leys, Tanworth-in-Arden, from an overdose of amitriptyline, a type of antidepressant.
By the mid-1980s Drake was being cited as an influence by musicians such as R.E.M.'s Peter Buck and Robert Smith of The Cure; Smith credited the origin of his band's name to a lyric from Drake's song "Time Has Told Me". English electronic duo Goldfrapp have also cited Drake as a big influence on their music.
This was all together a fantastic book.
January 28, 2015
The notion that a complete history of Nick Drake, a thorough biography, may never happen, but this is the closest anyone can come to it. Edited by his sister Gabrielle, this incredible anthology of anecdote, analysis and photo montage makes this book not only accessible to the neophyte, but for this long term fan of forty years a revealing experience. Nick's life was not easy and I suspect many people after reading this book may not actually come to like him, but almost anyone who reads this will come to respect him and his genius. Lavishly illustrated and beautifully presented, this is well worth the money and the time and leaves one both saddened and inspired by the singer's life
March 24, 2015
I have only just started reading this but I love it already. It is like holding a big, traditional journal in your hands and there is such a lot of content to dip into and savour for anyone who loves Nick Drake. Lots of photos I have never seen before as well.
Really enjoyed this book. I'm still dipping in rather than reading it cover to cover, but there is so much new material to discover, for anyone who is a Nick Drake fan. My only criticism would be that the cover lets it down slightly. It feels like a solid, lavishly produced coffee table book, but the colours and visual arrangement don't really work. I guess that may be just personal preference.
Really enjoyed this book. I'm still dipping in rather than reading it cover to cover, but there is so much new material to discover, for anyone who is a Nick Drake fan. My only criticism would be that the cover lets it down slightly. It feels like a solid, lavishly produced coffee table book, but the colours and visual arrangement don't really work. I guess that may be just personal preference.
February 7, 2015
This was an incredible read. Nick Drake's sister, Gabrielle, should be awarded some kind of medal for all of the interviews, memorabilia, personal effects, photos, family items, etc. that she compiled for this tribute to her brother. When I first got into Nick Drake (mid-90's), he was as mysterious and misunderstood as Robert Johnson or Charley Patton and, in some ways, probably more so. Gabrielle's book de-mystifies Nick and makes him human, showing his triumphs as well as his flaws. Everything after 1971 is heartbreaking to me - his slow, painful, inevitable decline into the legend we know today. This book covers that and the other side. It is the other side, the side that highlights his dreams, aspirations, influences that was the most interesting. Reading his father's journals (started right after his severe depression set in in 1971) stung. Obviously, no one wins. However, this chronicle is a landmark history of Drake. I can't say enough about this book. Any fan of Nick Drake should own this. There will never be a book on him that will be able to touch its honesty, completeness, and level of compassion like this one did.
September 8, 2015
Sometimes I put a book on hold at the library expecting one thing (in this case, a typical music biography about Nick Drake), and when I go to pick it up, I find something completely unexpected (in this case... an encyclopedia-sized, 400+ page master course in all things Nick Drake, featuring letters, photos, his handwritten lyric sheets, and so much more). I was only a casual fan looking for an introduction to his work, and this book looked like it was meant mainly for superfans, but I'm glad I took the plunge and gave it a read.
I'm giving this 4 stars because there were a few things in it that didn't feel completely needed, but this book definitely had a big impact on my life recently, and gave me a deep understanding and love for Nick's music. To me, all three of his albums are at that elite level of art where they're so good it almost hurts to listen to them.
I'm giving this 4 stars because there were a few things in it that didn't feel completely needed, but this book definitely had a big impact on my life recently, and gave me a deep understanding and love for Nick's music. To me, all three of his albums are at that elite level of art where they're so good it almost hurts to listen to them.
September 2, 2025
Una obra de arte, como lo era su música.
September 23, 2020
I reserved this slab of a book from the library, not realizing its heft or format. Remembered For a While takes the form of a chunky coffee table book packed with essays and personal notes, but also scans of family albums, drawings, clippings, and photos. While this isn’t a straight biography with a single author, the collection of essays, family letters, discovered personal effects and artifacts all help – obliquely, indirectly – to provide a living portrait of Nick Drake as he was: son, brother, friend, artist, legend.
The essays take us to leafy Warwickshire in Tanworth-in-Arden for Drake’s childhood. He learns to play piano and composes early songs on a reel-to-reel recorder his mother kept in the family drawing room. He discovers her album collection and provides hilarious, dismissive one-liner reviews in a little notebook: “Silly,” “Good for toddlers,” “Sorry & utterly wet,” “Can’t remember it,” etc. He then goes to public school, followed by an incomplete study at Cambridge.
Between college and university, Drake takes six months in Aix, busking about town, smoking, and taking hazy trips to Morocco with friends. Incredibly, he and his friends encounter the Rolling Stones while in Morocco, not once, but twice. The first time they tracked the Stones down at their hotel, El Mingah, and after boldly suggesting that Drake play for them, are politely turned down. The next time, they’ve found themselves all drawn together at a medina, watching as a line of cross-legged snake charmers play for a pile of very sleepy snakes. This time they agree to hear Drake play. (This is a passing exchange, rather than a catalyst.)
The years at Cambridge are fraught, and Nick is ready to dedicate himself full time to music. At this point in the book, after hearing from old childhood friends, other buskers from days in Aix, and family, the analysis of his songs begins, with hand-written lyrics and observations about his evolution as a musician, beginning with Family Tree (his oldest recordings) and Five Leaves Left in 1969.
I enjoyed slowly reading these sections and listening back through every album, poring through the riddle-like imagery of Nick Drake’s lyrics, and reading Chris Healey’s running commentary song-by-song on Drake’s tuning, note drops, meter, and melody. Healey has a nice way of bridging and interpreting riverine phrasing, his music’s technical difficulty, and the effect of tone layering through diverging melody and vocal tuning. Healey argues that too much is made of Nick’s lyrics, when much more in conveyed through sound. For example, the vocals in ‘Time of No Reply’ seem to imply that things are not actually as good as they appear when Drake employs the minor in the B section of his melody, in contrast with chord tuning. Similarly, the re-tuning just one string does a lot of work in conveying tone by adding a nagging, double tonic note or a sense of being doomed in many other songs.
When Island Records release Five Leaves Left, Nick dropped out of Cambridge with less than a year to finish. The album is considered a commercial failure with very little recognition, mostly because Nick Drake hates performing live and has virtually no stage presence.
A year later, Bryter Layter, in all its ornamentation is released… again barely noticed.
And then finally, Pink Moon, in 1971. The full album, just twenty-eight minutes, was recorded over just two nights in October 1971. Drake dropped the master off at Island Records reception without saying a word, and the stark album was released as it was, stripped right back.
‘Pink Moon’ has two popular meanings: in folklore, a pink moon appears around April when the snow first melts and the first flowers of spring appear. The other reference is a blood moon which appears during a total lunar eclipse. The latter is traditionally seen as an evil omen, therefore more apt for the dark years that followed Pink Moon’s release.
The last section, as you can imagine, is incredibly sad and difficult reading. Over the course of three very heavy years, Gabrielle (Nick’s sister) gathers together snippets from his father Rodney’s daily diary where he notes the progression and changes in Nick’s mental illness and the difficulties they faced in trying to communicate with or understand him when he was living back home with them. These short entries fill more than thirty large, crowded pages and make it clear how much agonizing and tenderness his parents put into watching out for him and wanting only his happiness.
A line from one of the final essays by Ian Macdonald, originally published in Mojo, summarizes what so many of the contributors to this collection seem acutely sensitive of:
“We are, in the end, what we leave behind, but we too spoil in the memories of others, augmented or diminished as they try to trap and pin us.”
The form that this vast and varied biography has taken responds to that menace of misinterpretation or miscalculation in spectacular form, and while it doesn’t dispel the notion of Drake as a very troubled and ill man towards the end of his very short life, it honors the memory of Nick Drake as everything he was and should be recognized as.
The essays take us to leafy Warwickshire in Tanworth-in-Arden for Drake’s childhood. He learns to play piano and composes early songs on a reel-to-reel recorder his mother kept in the family drawing room. He discovers her album collection and provides hilarious, dismissive one-liner reviews in a little notebook: “Silly,” “Good for toddlers,” “Sorry & utterly wet,” “Can’t remember it,” etc. He then goes to public school, followed by an incomplete study at Cambridge.
Between college and university, Drake takes six months in Aix, busking about town, smoking, and taking hazy trips to Morocco with friends. Incredibly, he and his friends encounter the Rolling Stones while in Morocco, not once, but twice. The first time they tracked the Stones down at their hotel, El Mingah, and after boldly suggesting that Drake play for them, are politely turned down. The next time, they’ve found themselves all drawn together at a medina, watching as a line of cross-legged snake charmers play for a pile of very sleepy snakes. This time they agree to hear Drake play. (This is a passing exchange, rather than a catalyst.)
The years at Cambridge are fraught, and Nick is ready to dedicate himself full time to music. At this point in the book, after hearing from old childhood friends, other buskers from days in Aix, and family, the analysis of his songs begins, with hand-written lyrics and observations about his evolution as a musician, beginning with Family Tree (his oldest recordings) and Five Leaves Left in 1969.
I enjoyed slowly reading these sections and listening back through every album, poring through the riddle-like imagery of Nick Drake’s lyrics, and reading Chris Healey’s running commentary song-by-song on Drake’s tuning, note drops, meter, and melody. Healey has a nice way of bridging and interpreting riverine phrasing, his music’s technical difficulty, and the effect of tone layering through diverging melody and vocal tuning. Healey argues that too much is made of Nick’s lyrics, when much more in conveyed through sound. For example, the vocals in ‘Time of No Reply’ seem to imply that things are not actually as good as they appear when Drake employs the minor in the B section of his melody, in contrast with chord tuning. Similarly, the re-tuning just one string does a lot of work in conveying tone by adding a nagging, double tonic note or a sense of being doomed in many other songs.
When Island Records release Five Leaves Left, Nick dropped out of Cambridge with less than a year to finish. The album is considered a commercial failure with very little recognition, mostly because Nick Drake hates performing live and has virtually no stage presence.
A year later, Bryter Layter, in all its ornamentation is released… again barely noticed.
And then finally, Pink Moon, in 1971. The full album, just twenty-eight minutes, was recorded over just two nights in October 1971. Drake dropped the master off at Island Records reception without saying a word, and the stark album was released as it was, stripped right back.
‘Pink Moon’ has two popular meanings: in folklore, a pink moon appears around April when the snow first melts and the first flowers of spring appear. The other reference is a blood moon which appears during a total lunar eclipse. The latter is traditionally seen as an evil omen, therefore more apt for the dark years that followed Pink Moon’s release.
The last section, as you can imagine, is incredibly sad and difficult reading. Over the course of three very heavy years, Gabrielle (Nick’s sister) gathers together snippets from his father Rodney’s daily diary where he notes the progression and changes in Nick’s mental illness and the difficulties they faced in trying to communicate with or understand him when he was living back home with them. These short entries fill more than thirty large, crowded pages and make it clear how much agonizing and tenderness his parents put into watching out for him and wanting only his happiness.
A line from one of the final essays by Ian Macdonald, originally published in Mojo, summarizes what so many of the contributors to this collection seem acutely sensitive of:
“We are, in the end, what we leave behind, but we too spoil in the memories of others, augmented or diminished as they try to trap and pin us.”
The form that this vast and varied biography has taken responds to that menace of misinterpretation or miscalculation in spectacular form, and while it doesn’t dispel the notion of Drake as a very troubled and ill man towards the end of his very short life, it honors the memory of Nick Drake as everything he was and should be recognized as.
November 1, 2020
Solo los racionalistas más empecinados se negarán a creer que una mano divina intervino cuando un amigo común le comentó a Nick Drake que su viejo compañero de estudios, Robert Kirby, podía hacerle el tipo de arreglos que estaba buscando. Ambos eran poco convencionales. Kirby adoraba la buena música pop tanto como repudiaba el amor del departamento de música de Cambridge por conceptualistas tipo Stockhausen o Boulez. «Mi fuerte nunca han sido los ruidos raros», explicaría más adelante. Hablando de la primera composición que presentó a sus profesores, Kirby recordaba que «tenía una frase que iba repitiendo, y mis profesores escribieron debajo "parece un anuncio de Corn Flakes". A mí me encantó, porque me dije: ¿O sea es tan bueno como para que salga en un anuncio de Corn Flakes?».
Robert Kirby, arreglista de Nick Drake, Vashti Bunyan, Strawbs y de alguno de los mejores discos que he escuchado nunca. Algunas de sus palabras sobre su trabajo con Nick Drake
Arreglos y producciones destacados (para mí) de Robert Kirby:
Vashti Bunyan - Swallow Song (1970). Arreglos de cuerda
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zULSJ...
Shelagh McDonald - Baby go slow (1971). Arreglos de coro
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZ5PR...
Nick Drake - river man (1969). Arreglos de cuerda
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQ9JB...
Maddy Prior & Tim Hart - Dancing at Whitsun (1971). Arreglos de cuerda
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuFBf...
Nick Drake - Fly (1970). Arreglos de cuerda
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2HHp...
Audience - Raviole (1971). Arreglos de cuerda
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8yfZ...
Ralph McTell - The Ferryman (1971). Arreglos de cuerda
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9mt5...
Vashti Bunyan - Feet Of Clay (2005). Arreglos de cuerda y viento (en los créditos del disco solo se señala a Robert Kirby como "intérprete" de trompeta y corno inglés. Los arreglos generales se le atribuyen por defecto a Max Richter y Vashti Bunyan)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhsKZ...
Paul Weller - Fightened (2000). Arreglos y orquestación
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4KqC...
Robert Kirby, arreglista de Nick Drake, Vashti Bunyan, Strawbs y de alguno de los mejores discos que he escuchado nunca. Algunas de sus palabras sobre su trabajo con Nick Drake
Arreglos y producciones destacados (para mí) de Robert Kirby:
Vashti Bunyan - Swallow Song (1970). Arreglos de cuerda
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zULSJ...
Shelagh McDonald - Baby go slow (1971). Arreglos de coro
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZ5PR...
Nick Drake - river man (1969). Arreglos de cuerda
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQ9JB...
Maddy Prior & Tim Hart - Dancing at Whitsun (1971). Arreglos de cuerda
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuFBf...
Nick Drake - Fly (1970). Arreglos de cuerda
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2HHp...
Audience - Raviole (1971). Arreglos de cuerda
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8yfZ...
Ralph McTell - The Ferryman (1971). Arreglos de cuerda
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9mt5...
Vashti Bunyan - Feet Of Clay (2005). Arreglos de cuerda y viento (en los créditos del disco solo se señala a Robert Kirby como "intérprete" de trompeta y corno inglés. Los arreglos generales se le atribuyen por defecto a Max Richter y Vashti Bunyan)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhsKZ...
Paul Weller - Fightened (2000). Arreglos y orquestación
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4KqC...
January 9, 2018
The best biography I've ever heard. Simply amazing.
October 3, 2021
An excellent book
July 25, 2016
I read this large book in pieces over many months. It is split into loads of different articles by people who knew Nick, others who only met him briefly and others who came to his music long after he sadly passed away.
Nick Drake was possibly the greatest musical talent of the past 45 years. I have listened to alot of music from every decade since the 30s and I find myself continually going back to the three albums he made over a short period of time in the late 60s / early 70s.
This book has just about every piece of information you want to know about Nick and his life. There are even extracts from his father's diary which shows just how moody and difficult he got, even smashing his guitars at one stage. We learn about his love of driving and his escapades to London and mainland Europe which always seemed to begin with Nick in optimistic mood but ending sadly with Nick returning in a defeated mood. Even the oil crisis affected him deeply as it left him trapped at home for long periods. But maybe he wrote more songs as a result ?
There are some nice pieces of musical analysis if like me you want to learn a bit of the music theory behind his unique music. The hypnotic effect of the music and lyrics is explained in detail and you're left appreciating his work even more. There are lyrics from unreleased works in progress which sadly won't see the light of day.
The only criticism, although it is a minor one, one could make is perhaps his mental condition is over - analysed somewhat. Nick was a man with an overflow of talent, I think he knew this, and he simply could not understand why he wasn't appreciated like his contemporaries were - John Martyn for example had a good following at the time playing a similar style of music that didn't court chart success. Nick would turn up for sessions and always performed with perfection, unlike say Syd Barrett who became unreliable and unpredictable.
40 years on, the internet has got Nick's music out to a larger audience. His mysteriousness makes him an interesting read especially in these times of shallow celebrity culture. "Fame is but a fruit tree" - that tree has flourished greatly since his passing and hopefully for many more years to come.
Nick Drake was possibly the greatest musical talent of the past 45 years. I have listened to alot of music from every decade since the 30s and I find myself continually going back to the three albums he made over a short period of time in the late 60s / early 70s.
This book has just about every piece of information you want to know about Nick and his life. There are even extracts from his father's diary which shows just how moody and difficult he got, even smashing his guitars at one stage. We learn about his love of driving and his escapades to London and mainland Europe which always seemed to begin with Nick in optimistic mood but ending sadly with Nick returning in a defeated mood. Even the oil crisis affected him deeply as it left him trapped at home for long periods. But maybe he wrote more songs as a result ?
There are some nice pieces of musical analysis if like me you want to learn a bit of the music theory behind his unique music. The hypnotic effect of the music and lyrics is explained in detail and you're left appreciating his work even more. There are lyrics from unreleased works in progress which sadly won't see the light of day.
The only criticism, although it is a minor one, one could make is perhaps his mental condition is over - analysed somewhat. Nick was a man with an overflow of talent, I think he knew this, and he simply could not understand why he wasn't appreciated like his contemporaries were - John Martyn for example had a good following at the time playing a similar style of music that didn't court chart success. Nick would turn up for sessions and always performed with perfection, unlike say Syd Barrett who became unreliable and unpredictable.
40 years on, the internet has got Nick's music out to a larger audience. His mysteriousness makes him an interesting read especially in these times of shallow celebrity culture. "Fame is but a fruit tree" - that tree has flourished greatly since his passing and hopefully for many more years to come.
Read
December 29, 2019I fell upon Nick Drake a few years back as I was flipping through channels on the telly. I caught the end of a movie in which this wonderfully haunting song was playing. Both upbeat and sad at the same time; a rare combination. I rushed to find the song and it was Northern Sky by Nick Drake. Who was this Nick Drake and why had I never heard of him before? Being a fan of singer/songwriter music, I thought I would have known him. I played the song for my kids, and my son said, "my language arts teacher plays this song..." Since then my family and I have downloaded all his songs; we realized we had stumbled upon a treasure of music by a gifted artist. My son found his book at our library and once again, we felt privileged to be a part of Nick's life. An absolutely lovely book. Thank you to his family for allowing us to be a part of their world with Nick. My family and I love and cherish not only his music, but also his story. When Nick released his third album and, at the time, didn't earn the recognition he deserved, he said to a friend, (paraphrasing) "Now you know where I am..." My heart sank as I understood the frustration this beautiful artist had with the world. In my humble opinion, he wasn't looking for fame, he just wanted to share his music and have it make a connection with people.
December 19, 2021
Not so much a biography as a delicately curated trawl through the documentation of a lifetime, a collection of diary entries, lyrics, photographs and essays from friends, family and passing acquaintances. The same scenes reappear occasionally from various different viewpoints and the whole effect is being given all the evidence and the freedom to come to your own conclusions. As such, it is mostly free from the hero-worship or lengthy theorising that often crops up in biographies of Nick Drake. It is also a very open an heart-rending view of mental illness and the way it can develop over time, as well as its impact on families.
The book is beautifully bound and presented in a way that begs to be revisited and pored over, which you might need to do with a magnifying glass in hand, as the footnotes and newspaper clipping text is tiny. I personally found the ligatures to be quite distracting for the first few chapters, something of an affectation, though ultimately they are just another part of the flavour of this book.
The book is beautifully bound and presented in a way that begs to be revisited and pored over, which you might need to do with a magnifying glass in hand, as the footnotes and newspaper clipping text is tiny. I personally found the ligatures to be quite distracting for the first few chapters, something of an affectation, though ultimately they are just another part of the flavour of this book.
December 22, 2019
Un libro único. Parte biografía, parte material de archivo, parte análisis lírico y musical, la hermana de Nick, Gabrielle, hizo un trabajo increíble compilando esta obra. Desde diarios que guardaban los padres de Nick hasta reseñas en revistas musicales, recortes e incluso un diagnóstico hecho por un psiquiatra al trastorno mental del cantautor, todo se incluye en el libro para darnos una idea completa e integral de la figura detrás del personaje de culto. Por momentos me resultó dolorosísimo de leer, en particular la última parte del libro donde se ve claramente en los diarios del padre de Nick cómo en el hogar familiar no saben lidiar con la enfermedad mental de su hijo mientras este se vuelve cada errático, deprimido e impredecible. Transmite mucho los hábitos, los gustos y la personalidad de Drake, y la soledad y la depresión que lo comieron vivo. Una enciclopedia de una de las figuras más sensibles e injustamente olvidadas de la música del siglo XX.
January 28, 2015
Fantastic book, I've also just started it, but its so beautifully produced and full of such fascinating detail, right down to Molly Drake's penchant for Morris Minors. Flicking through I think Nick's Dad's accounts of his last days will make for harrowing reading, but feel so lucky to have all these minute particulars of Nick. Much more reliable and readable than the earlier biographies - clearly this points the way to a fully researched, informed and satisfying bio of Nick Drake.
August 2, 2015
What a wonderful book, such care and attention has been taken to capture the fragile world Nick lived in, the letters he wrote as a boy are wonderfully eloquent and the diary of his father kept if his sons illness is so sad to read. Wonderful pictures too. I really savoured this book! A wonderful Christmas present thanks Liz
February 6, 2017
Nick Drake is one of my all-time favorite artists, so I found this biography compelling. This is an informative and heartbreaking look at Nick’s life and music, which makes me appreciate his music even more. A loving tribute that is still honest and extremely well done. Even if you don’t read this book, I hope you’ll put on Nick’s records because they are decidedly great.
October 23, 2017
A very comprehensive compilation of all things Nick Drake. Nick's sister, Gabrielle Drake, was absolutely right in describing this project as her seeking to complicate the Nick Drake story. She does, and it's remarkable. The compilation covers Nick's life, press coverage during his career and after his death, his music (including interviews with Jeff Healy, a guitarist who has written out music for nearly all of Nick's songs).
Ms. Drake an Mr. Callomon pulled together all sorts of authorities--journalists, musicians, and many of those who worked with and knew Nick. The image we gain of Nick Drake as a real, dynamic human being is much more rewarding than the tragic Romantic figure that he's typically cast as.
Ms. Drake an Mr. Callomon pulled together all sorts of authorities--journalists, musicians, and many of those who worked with and knew Nick. The image we gain of Nick Drake as a real, dynamic human being is much more rewarding than the tragic Romantic figure that he's typically cast as.
September 16, 2025
a truly fantastic biography of a quite mysterious artist. little is really known of nick drake besides his music and his untimely death. this books sheds light on his life, via letters to and from his family during his years at Cambridge. It also has a section of his father’s diary during Nick’s final years, and days, which nearly brought a tear to my eye!
there are certain sections of people analysing his lyrics and music which I found to be very skippable.
the first person stories from people who knew and were friends with Nick were also so fun to read. the book really does a great job at pulling back the curtain on Nick’s life.
one of my favourite books ever !
there are certain sections of people analysing his lyrics and music which I found to be very skippable.
the first person stories from people who knew and were friends with Nick were also so fun to read. the book really does a great job at pulling back the curtain on Nick’s life.
one of my favourite books ever !
April 29, 2018
This is such a wonderful companion to the beautiful music of Nick Drake. I came across this book at a local bookstore entirely by chance, and though I had never heard of it before, I immediately knew I just had to buy it. As others have said, this is not a conventional biography - rather a collection of articles and essays and letters and diaries - but I found it to be a fantastic source of information about Nick. It is obviously difficult to read how much he struggled with depression and vicariously experience it, but that's just the way it is. We do love you Nick, thank you for the magic.
May 1, 2020
Beautifully produced. Best biography I've ever read. Definitely worth a read. Gives an in-depth look into Nick Drake. Unlike a good deal of the other books written about him it doesn't rely on a ton of rumours. It gives you a direct look into his life and includes first and accounts from those who knew him best .10/10
September 15, 2021
A great insight into a little known musician who developed extraordinary musical skills at a young age. Some great analysis of his songs and song writing. A must read for Nick Drake fans with photos and other insightful notes. Beautifully presented in hard copy. Be prepared for some very upper class English writing styles from some of the contributors.
August 26, 2023
Pink Moon me cambió como músico y esta edición de malpaso es demasiado increíble y se agradece mucho. Cualquier fan de Nick Drake debe tenerla en su colección.
February 27, 2017
Compiled by Nick Drake's sister Gabrielle, published in 2014, "Remembered For A While" is the first and last resource you should go to, if you want to learn who Nick Drake was, and as fully as possible, deeply connect with his three albums in their historical context of the late 60's and early 70's. His home life, school experiences, and the folk music scene he was a part of are incredibly insightful. This book is all you need. It is hard to put down, and with easy musical access on youtube, you can immediately hunt down the albums, home recordings, and the final five (not four!) tracks that Nick Drake recorded before his death on Monday, November 25, 1974. This book also includes a trove of visual gems: photos, newspaper clippings, handwritten and typed lyrics, recollections of friends and family in their own words--and even excerpts from Nick's father Rodney's daily diary during his son's final years as he struggled with depression. Five stars.
August 9, 2016
This is a profoundly personal collection of essays, letters, photos, clippings, and other ephemera. I was thrilled to read Nick's own letters of his trip to Morocco, on which he met, performed for, and chatted up the Rolling Stones, in addition to absorbing the exotic Moroccan culture and music, as well as surviving a rollover car accident.
The inclusion of Rodney Drake's journal excerpts, chronicling the last two years of Nick's life are nothing less than a devastating, brutally honest account of a parent's struggle to help and understand his struggling artist-son. It is equally astonishing then to read paragraphs written by Nick's friends who remember Five Leaves Left as their favorite album because it represents such virtuosic optimism to them now.
The inclusion of Rodney Drake's journal excerpts, chronicling the last two years of Nick's life are nothing less than a devastating, brutally honest account of a parent's struggle to help and understand his struggling artist-son. It is equally astonishing then to read paragraphs written by Nick's friends who remember Five Leaves Left as their favorite album because it represents such virtuosic optimism to them now.
May 14, 2015
This is not a biography of Nick Drake in any conventional sense, but rather a book of remembrance that gathers together his correspondence, the context in which he created his music and albums, an analysis of his music, and recollections from many people who knew and loved him. I found it mostly compelling to read, particularly the letters between Nick and his parents, and the last few sections in which links between Nick's music and life and other influences, such as Buddhism and the symbolism of William Blake's poetry, are discussed. This book is a treasure and I really recommend it, but suggest that before picking it up you spend a few months listening to Nick's music.
January 31, 2016
The book doesn't begin to explain what makes Nick Drake's music so great. But it does tell how he developed his writing and amazing guitar style.
It's really a gathering of everyone's scrapbooks and amateur writings about him as their friend and family member. Lots of interesting background about Burma, British industrial management culture here though. Recommended if you're curious about those topics, and where this incredible music came from.
It's really a gathering of everyone's scrapbooks and amateur writings about him as their friend and family member. Lots of interesting background about Burma, British industrial management culture here though. Recommended if you're curious about those topics, and where this incredible music came from.
February 24, 2015
Written by those who knew him, joyous in the descriptions of his musical skills. The section with excerpts from his father's diary documenting his spiral into depression are terrifying. A beautiful book.
April 4, 2015
a real encyclopedic account of nick drake. I read the humphries biography which was a lot of rumour conjecture and we just "don't know". well researched, well designed. just well done. pick it up at your local library although if you're a musician this is a must have.
May 24, 2016
Such a beautiful celebration of a man who was, to quote Nick Drake's sister Gabrielle, "as indefinable as the morning mist." A must read for all Nick Drake fans.
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