The full life of one of the greatest singer-songwriters of the twentieth century, with a Foreword by his sister Gabrielle Drake.This is the book we've been waiting for - the one Nick's legacy deserves and so badly needs. Richard Morton Jack has reconstructed Nick's life with great sensitivity and care, and in remarkable detail. It is
a biography to be treasuredThe definitive account. Faultless in its detail. The Drake completist could ask for nothing elseMorton Jack's book honours its title: it is
The Life, not just a death,
a rich depiction of Drake's world and the way he moved through it . . .
this book might be as close as anyone's going to get to finding himThe most factual and detailed picture of the singer's twenty-six years on earth we are ever likely to read, debunking many of the mythsIlluminating. The definitive word on DrakeDrake's flickering presence in 1970s folk-rock, recognised as a maestro by peers but not the public, is told with sensitivity and skillThe account worthy of a musical messiahRichard Morton Jack's Nick Drake: The Life is a model of its kind - a biography that clears up dozens of mysteries and permits the reader to contemplate something larger: the lasting wonder and power of Drake's songs.
Nick Drake: The Life is the book we have neededFamously, no film of Drake exists, but through its granular detail . . . this book feels as close as you might come to seeing him in motion againThrough the careful accretion of granular details a fully formed human being emerges from the myth. Particularly welcome are the vignettes that show Drake at his most un-wraith-like . . . These very human moments shine like starlight
Morton Jack has done a tremendous job
The most complete and authoritative study of Nick Drake's life and work to date, an outstanding document of an extraordinary artist[Nick Drake's] story has been told before but
the detail and research evident here must qualify as the definitive last wordWritten with the blessing and involvement of his Estate and his sister Gabrielle (who wrote a foreword)
Richard Morton Jack gives a private insight, courtesy of personal documents like letters, journals, and diaries
This phenomenally detailed biography reveals how much those who knew Drake loved, admired and puzzled over himMorton Jack resists the temptation to romanticise Drake's lifeMorton Jack's book is the
first of its kind to be written in tandem with Drake's family and
seeks to bring an equal measure of light and shade to an English musical figurehead who has become uniquely mythologised . . . Morton Jack's book is
founded on "minutiae", bringing its subject into unparalleled focusNick Drake's story seems made for mythReading this
immensely detailed and thoroughly engaging biography is something of a mixed joy for a fan like me . . . I knew
the story of course. But it's
told here in such a stark and unflinching manner that it's a bit like being hooked by a dark, sad and tortuous thrillerNick Drake: The Life sets out to finally provide a detailed account of his life as the first biography of Drake to have the blessing and involvement from his sister and estate. Jack draws on extensive research material, including new interviews with friends, family, and collaborators, as well as previously unseen essays, private correspondence, and his father's diaries
The detail and research evident here must qualify as the definitive last word.
Richard Morton Jack's other books include
Galactic Ramble,
Endless Trip and
Labyrinth. He has overseen reissues of many classic rock, jazz and folk albums, and edits the music history magazine
Flashback. He is the co-founder of the music marketplace and archive elvinyl.com.