The Rabbit’s Hat – Flesh & Nail (A Tribute To Nick Drake)
Interest in the music, myth and short life of Singer songwriter Nick Drake is as keen now as at anytime. In fact it is hard to reflect that an artist who received scant recognition for his work whilst he was alive has been the subject of television documentaries, radio shows and still has a regular fanzine ‘Pink Moon’ dedicated to him. Nick Drake has been constantly name checked as an influence by many modern day musicians and some years ago, he was the subject of a tribute album called ‘Brittle Days’. On that release, a number of artists turned their hand to re-interpreting some of Nick’s songs – some to good effect although the vast majority of them were less successful. The Rabbit’s Hat have also acknowledged their interest in Drake by producing their own tribute to the man, entitled ‘Flesh & Nail’ and have kindly sent us a copy to review.
There are eleven songs in total on this set which runs for just under 40 minutes of actual playing time. The selection of songs from Nick’s back catalogue leans heavily towards the later years of his career. Nick’s final release ‘Pink Moon’ is strongly represented with six songs with a further four songs culled from the posthumous outtakes album ‘Time Of No Reply’.
Steve Ellis has done a good job interpreting the feel of the songs which generally stay close to the original arrangements. His desire for the music led him to learning Nick’s extremely complex tunings via the Internet aided by the provision of guitar tabs from one Chris Healey. The outcome of all of this, with Terri-B complementing well on ethereal backing vocals is very satisfying indeed. The addition of unobtrusive piano, strings and synth at various points on the album is very successful and serves to enhance the music in an almost understated way. The overall melancholic feel of Nick’s songs remains as strong as ever and the interpretations of the titles on the tribute set are of a high standard.
Being very familiar with Nick Drake and his work, I must say that I was not disappointed at all by this release and reckon that The Rabbit’s Hat have done a fine job. So much so, that I was left wanting to hear further interpretations.
RN – Ken Brook’s Art Beat Reader Magazine
Interest in the music, myth and short life of Singer songwriter Nick Drake is as keen now as at anytime. In fact it is hard to reflect that an artist who received scant recognition for his work whilst he was alive has been the subject of television documentaries, radio shows and still has a regular fanzine ‘Pink Moon’ dedicated to him. Nick Drake has been constantly name checked as an influence by many modern day musicians and some years ago, he was the subject of a tribute album called ‘Brittle Days’. On that release, a number of artists turned their hand to re-interpreting some of Nick’s songs – some to good effect although the vast majority of them were less successful. The Rabbit’s Hat have also acknowledged their interest in Drake by producing their own tribute to the man, entitled ‘Flesh & Nail’ and have kindly sent us a copy to review.
There are eleven songs in total on this set which runs for just under 40 minutes of actual playing time. The selection of songs from Nick’s back catalogue leans heavily towards the later years of his career. Nick’s final release ‘Pink Moon’ is strongly represented with six songs with a further four songs culled from the posthumous outtakes album ‘Time Of No Reply’.
Steve Ellis has done a good job interpreting the feel of the songs which generally stay close to the original arrangements. His desire for the music led him to learning Nick’s extremely complex tunings via the Internet aided by the provision of guitar tabs from one Chris Healey. The outcome of all of this, with Terri-B complementing well on ethereal backing vocals is very satisfying indeed. The addition of unobtrusive piano, strings and synth at various points on the album is very successful and serves to enhance the music in an almost understated way. The overall melancholic feel of Nick’s songs remains as strong as ever and the interpretations of the titles on the tribute set are of a high standard.
Being very familiar with Nick Drake and his work, I must say that I was not disappointed at all by this release and reckon that The Rabbit’s Hat have done a fine job. So much so, that I was left wanting to hear further interpretations.
RN – Ken Brook’s Art Beat Reader Magazine