Family Tree by Nick Drake (CD, Jul-2007, Tsunami Label Group)

Before Nick Drake’s Pink Moon was used to sell Volkswagens and before Zach Braff movie “Garden State”, featured "One of These Things First" and long, before the reissues, fans of the suicidal acoustic musician would make a pilgrimage to the Drake family home in England just to see where talent and tragedy were created. Drake's mother would be cordial, giving visitors who knew so much about her son, "The Artist", an intimate look at where her son first discovered his music talents. Upon departure, each guest would receive a homemade souvenir mix-tape of early recordings that the Drake family made together. These tapes have now been mastered as “Family Tree”. This 28-track offering consists of covers and unreleased home recordings from before Nicks debut release “Five Leaves Left” in 1969. This is Drakes’ own signature somber expressions of traditional folk tunes “Winter is Gone,” “All My Trials,” “If You Leave Me” or tributes to the 60s singer-songwriters “Been Smokin’ Too Long,” “Tomorrow Is a Long Time” country blues “My Baby’’s So Sweet” and even classical clarinet, Mozart’s “Kegelstatt Trio”. Drake expresses the vast range in which he places his gentle, atmospheric deliver and it’s an astonishing range. Despite criticism of the home recording quality in contrast to his studio-shined albums, it is this homey characteristic that makes Family Tree a intimate encounter. The rough-around-the edges sensibility that sounds fuzzy with age, it is a snapshot of an artist as a young man trying to find out what he wants to say to the world. For the uninitiated, there are much better places to start, Drakes’ originally discography includes the three, “Five Leaves Left” (1969), “Bryter Layer” (1970), and “Pink Moon” (1972), the latter two were most prominently crowned his autumnal masterpieces. however with the short legacy Drake left behind, beggars can’t be choosers.

Tracklist:
1. Come In To The Garden (introduction) (Nick Drake)
2. They’’re Leaving Me Behind (Nick Drake)
3. Time Piece (Nick Drake)4. Poor Mum (M.Drake) performed by Molly Drake
5. Winter Is Gone (Traditional, arr: Nick Drake)
6. All My Trials (Traditional) performed by Nick and Gabrielle Drake
7. Kegelstatt Trio for clarinet, viola and piano, (W.A. Mozart)
8. Strolling Down the Highway (Bert Jansch)
9. Paddling In Rushmere (Traditional)
10. Cocaine Blues (Traditional)
11. Blossom (Nick Drake)
12. Been Smokin’’ Too Long (Robin Frederick)
13. Black Mountain Blues (Traditional)
14. Tomorrow Is A Long Time (Bob Dylan)
15. If You Leave Me (Dave Van Ronk)
16. Here Come The Blues (Jackson C. Frank)
17. Sketch 1 (Nick Drake)
18. Blues Run The Game (Jackson C. Frank)
19. My Baby So Sweet (Traditional)
20. Milk And Honey (Jackson C. Frank)
21. Kimbie (Traditional)
22. Bird Flew By (Nick Drake)
23. Rain (Nick Drake)
24. Strange Meeting II (Nick Drake)
25. Day Is Done (Nick Drake)
26. Come Into The Garden (Nick Drake)
27. Way to Blue (Nick Drake)
28. Do You Ever Remember? (M. Drake) performed by Molly Drake

First of all, the packaging is extremely nice and touching, with stories from people who knew Nick Drake, and family pictures, in a beautiful booklet.
And most importantly, the contents of this album is incredible to discover when you mostly know Nick's released studio albums. The first songs he composed, recorded, and a sometimes completely different mood, more intimate, and yet, very much in a Nick style. It also includes songs performed by his mother, and a song sung by Nick and his sister Gabrielle, all of them very touching and just very pleasing to the ear...
This album is a little piece of heaven, and is a very touching tribute to both Nick and his family heritage. Worth not to burn ; )