96. Nick Drake, Way To Blue: An Introduction To… (Island, 1994)
Drake-niks argue over which of the three original albums is his finest: the jazz-folk Five Leaves Left, the winsome near-AM radio pop of Bryter Layter, or the stark, austere Pink Moon. I’m most impressed by the third, but the other two have more than a few essential songs (“River Man”, “Time Has Told Me”, “Fly”, “Northern Sky”) and without them, you’re only getting a fraction of the man’s genius. So, if you’re not ready to buy all three, you could do worse than test the waters with this intelligently-picked sixteen track overview, which collects all of Drake’s best moments (save for the curiously omitted “Fly”). And it opens with career highlight “Cello Song”, where East meets West and wafts from your stereo speakers like a warm wool blanket or a sweet, spicy tea.
Drake-niks argue over which of the three original albums is his finest: the jazz-folk Five Leaves Left, the winsome near-AM radio pop of Bryter Layter, or the stark, austere Pink Moon. I’m most impressed by the third, but the other two have more than a few essential songs (“River Man”, “Time Has Told Me”, “Fly”, “Northern Sky”) and without them, you’re only getting a fraction of the man’s genius. So, if you’re not ready to buy all three, you could do worse than test the waters with this intelligently-picked sixteen track overview, which collects all of Drake’s best moments (save for the curiously omitted “Fly”). And it opens with career highlight “Cello Song”, where East meets West and wafts from your stereo speakers like a warm wool blanket or a sweet, spicy tea.
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