Bryter Layter
| Bryter Layter | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 5 March 1971 | |||
| Recorded | 1970 | |||
| Studio | Sound Techniques, London | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 39:09 | |||
| Label | Island | |||
| Producer | Joe Boyd | |||
| Nick Drake chronology | ||||
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Bryter Layter is the second studio album by English folk singer-songwriter Nick Drake. Recorded in 1970 and released on 5 March 1971 by Island Records, it was his last album to feature backing musicians, as his next and final studio album, Pink Moon, had Drake perform all songs solo.
Content and production
Like Five Leaves Left, the album contains no unaccompanied songs: Drake was accompanied by part of the British folk rock group Fairport Convention and John Cale from The Velvet Underground, as well as Beach Boys session musicians Mike Kowalski and Ed Carter. Arranger Robert Kirby says that Drake intended the instrumentals to evoke Pet Sounds. Initially scheduled for release in November 1970, with UK promotional copies being sent out at the time, dissatisfaction with the artwork meant that the album was held over into the New Year.
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |
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| Encyclopedia of Popular Music |
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| Entertainment Weekly | B+ |
| Pitchfork | 9.7/10 |
| Q |
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Contemporary reviews were mostly positive. In Sounds Jerry Gilbert called the album "superb" and said, "On their own merits, the songs of Nick Drake are not particularly strong, but Nick has always been a consistent if introverted performer, and placed in the cauldron that Joe Boyd has prepared for him, then things start to effervesce." Gilbert praised the "splendid arrangements" of Robert Kirby, and said that the songs "take time to work through to the listener, with help from the beautiful backing which every track receives". Lon Goddard of Record Mirror was also impressed by Drake's guitar technique and Kirby's arrangements, and "Nick isn't the world's top singer, but he's written fantastic numbers that suit strings marvellously. Definitely one of the prettiest (and that counts!) and most impressive albums I've heard ... Happy, sad, very moving." "The Disc Panel" in Disc and Music Echo stated that Drake "sings his own very personal songs in a strange, deep vaseline voice, probably more suited to crooning, accompanied at times by really funky backing" and called the record "an extraordinarily good hefty folk album". However, Andrew Means of Melody Maker described the album as "late-night coffee'n'chat music" and said, "This is a difficult album to come to any firm conclusion on", stating that the reaction depended on the listener's mood and that "the 10 tracks are all very similar – quiet, gentle and relaxing."
Mojo called the album "certainly the most polished of his catalogue". Alternative Press called it "[one] of the most beautiful and melancholy albums ever recorded".
In his book Never a Dull Moment: 1971 – The Year That Rock Exploded, David Hepworth described the song "At the Chime of a City Clock" as "the perfect soundtrack for the dispensing of a cup of tea in a polystyrene cup, marrying sound and image in a way that made me unsure whether I was watching a commercial or actually in a commercial".
Legacy
In 2000, Q placed Bryter Layter at number 23 in its list of the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever. It ranked at number 14 in NME's list of the Greatest Albums of the '70s.
It was voted number 306 in the third edition of Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums (2000).
In 2003, the album was ranked number 245 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
Track listing
All tracks are written by Nick Drake
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Introduction" | 1:33 |
| 2. | "Hazey Jane II" | 3:46 |
| 3. | "At the Chime of a City Clock" | 4:47 |
| 4. | "One of These Things First" | 4:52 |
| 5. | "Hazey Jane I" | 4:31 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Bryter Layter" | 3:24 |
| 7. | "Fly" | 3:00 |
| 8. | "Poor Boy" | 6:09 |
| 9. | "Northern Sky" | 3:47 |
| 10. | "Sunday" | 3:42 |
Personnel
- Nick Drake – vocals (2-5, 7-9); acoustic guitar
- Additional musicians
- Dave Pegg – bass (1-3, 5-10)
- Dave Mattacks – drums (1, 2, 5, 6, 10)
- Robert Kirby – string arrangement (1, 3, 5, 10); brass arrangement (2)
- Richard Thompson – electric guitar (2)
- Ray Warleigh – alto saxophone (3, 8)
- Paul Harris – piano (4)
- Ed Carter – bass (4)
- Mike Kowalski – drums (4, 5, 8, 9)
- Lyn Dobson – flute (5, 6)
- John Cale – viola, harpsichord (7); celeste, piano, organ (9)
- Ray Warleigh – alto saxophone (8); flute (10)
- Chris McGregor – piano (8)
- Pat Arnold – backing vocals (8)
- Doris Troy – backing vocals (8)
- Production
- Joe Boyd – producer
- John Wood – engineer
- Nigel Waymouth – sleeve design and front cover photograph
- Keith Morris – back cover photograph
Release history
| Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalogue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 5 March 1971 | Island | LP | ILPS 9134 |
| May 1987 | CD | CID 9134 | ||
| 26 June 2000 | IMCD 71 |