Little is known about the life and music of the British singer/songwriter Nick Drake. He recorded three hauntingly beautiful albums and died of an overdose - a presumed suicide - in 1974, just short of his 27th birthday. He never lived long enough to see the devoted following his music would inspire. As his sister explains in the documentary A Skin Too Few, "I don't think he wanted to be a star but I think he had this feeling that he got something to say to the people of his own generation. He had a feeling that he could make them happier and he didn't feel that he did that."
The mysterious circumstances surrounding Drake's death have left his fans and family asking why. The question will gnaw at his listeners for years to come, but the recently expanded box set, Fruit Tree, provides chilling insight into Drake's mind - offering at least some sense of closure. Fruit Tree collects his major studio recordings: Five Leaves Left (1969), Bryter Layter (1970) and Pink Moon (1972). In the context of a posthumous box set, these songs inevitably take on new autobiographical meaning, his melancholy a cry for help. The titular "Fruit Tree," off Five Leaves Left, particularly demonstrates his personal struggles as he cries with his fragile voice, "So men of fame / Can never find a way / Till time has flown / Far from their dying day." The lugubrious poetry of songs like "Way to Blue" and "Day is Done" situate his death in the context of his music.
The accompanying biographical documentary, A Skin Too Few, sheds new light on his oft-obscured personal life through interviews with Drake's sister, friends and colleagues. While visually dull at times - focusing fussily on the English landscape - it adequately mirrors the centrality of nature in his music.
Fruit Tree, with limited edition cover art, a comprehensive discography, documentary and an in-depth book of lyrical analyses, offers a much needed perspective on Drake's enduring influence and ever-growing popularity. Perhaps he could foresee his future when he reflected in "Fruit Tree": "Don't you worry / They'll stand and stare when you're gone." While this posthumous collection may seem depressing or morose, it is ultimately a beautiful retrospective on the life, death and music of a legend.
