NICK DRAKE – THE MAKING OF FIVE LEAVES LEFT (4 x LP or 4 x CD) (Island Records): Release date 25th July, 2025

I remember well my first exposure to the music of Nick Drake: the song Time Has Told Me on an Island sampler. I was hooked and bought the album forthwith, going on to purchase “Pink Moon” in a bargain bin in London to complete the set. The significance of the bargain bin is, of course, that Nick Drake died prematurely in relative obscurity but is now is household name in the music world.

I first read about this release in UNCUT magazine and I highly recommend the comprehensive article there if you want to find out more. Also, if you wish to pre-order as I have it’s best to order direct from Island Records at around £100 including P&P for the 4 x LP set. Other outlets charge a similar amount for the 4 x CD set. A quality 60-page booklet is included.

Tracks recorded on a Grundig reel to reel in Robert Kirby’s room in Caius College, Cambridge are among the 30 tracks on the compilation. The six songs Nick recorded in a demo for Island producer Joe Boyd are included along with tracks from what is known as the Beverly Martin tape alongside non album tracks like Mickey’s Tune, My Love Left with the Rain, Blossom and an untitled instrumental. Nick can be heard relating how he had played Made to Love Magic at a charity gig in the Roundhouse on 21st December, 1967. I don’t wish to steal Uncut’s thunder here and I dare say other music publications will be covering this historic recording in some detail over the coming weeks,