Five Leaves Left
Nick’s first album, named after the warning found towards the end of a packet of Rizla cigarette papers, was begun in July 1968 at Chelsea’s Sound Techniques studios, an 8 track studio built on the site of the old Chelsea dairy at 46a Old Church Street SW3. The finished album wasn’t released until over a year later.
Joe Boyd produced the album in terms of booking studios and hiring musicians but it was John Wood, the album’s engineer, who was responsible for the finished sound. Around this time the emphasis for popular music was starting to shift from the single to the LP and bands were starting to experiment with instrumentation beyond the usual guitar, bass and drums and take longer to find the sounds they wanted. This suited Nick’s material and, in any case, he didn’t exactly have a well-performed live act to commit to tape anyway.
Initially in-house arranger at Apple Richard Hewson was drafted in to arrange the strings, but Nick wanted Cambridge friend Robert Kirby for the job. Despite Kirby’s youth (he was 19 at the time) and relative inexperience, Boyd was impressed with the results and Kirby was given the job. The four tracks Kirby arranged (for string quartet, bowed double bass and – on one track – flute) were recorded in a single 3 hour session with Nick playing live in the same room. One further string arrangement on ‘River Man’ was done by Harry Robinson.
Other musicians brought in to fill out the sound included Fairport Convention’s Richard Thompson on electric guitar and Danny Thompson on double bass. The bass parts were overdubbed after Nick had recorded his guitar and vocal parts.
The cover image was shot by Keith Morris in a shoot on April 29th 1969.
TRACKS
Time Has Told Me lyrics |
|
Nick |
Vocal, acoustic guitar |
Paul Harris |
Piano |
Richard Thompson |
Electric guitar |
Danny Thompson |
Bass |
|
|
River Man lyrics |
|
Nick |
Vocal, acoustic guitar |
Harry Robinson |
String arrangement |
|
|
Three Hours lyrics |
|
Nick |
Vocal, acoustic guitar |
Rocki Dzidzornu |
Congas |
Danny Thompson |
Bass |
|
|
Way To Blue lyrics |
|
Nick |
Vocal |
Robert Kirby |
String arrangement |
|
|
Day Is Done lyrics |
|
Nick |
Vocal, acoustic guitar |
Robert Kirby |
String arrangement |
|
|
Cello Song lyrics |
|
Nick |
Vocal, acoustic guitar |
Clare Lowther |
Cello |
Rocki Dzidzornu |
Congas |
Danny Thompson |
Bass |
|
|
The Thoughts Of Mary Jane lyrics |
|
Nick |
Vocal, acoustic guitar |
Robert Kirby |
Arrangement (flute, strings) |
|
|
Man In A Shed lyrics |
|
Nick |
Vocal, acoustic guitar |
Paul Harris |
Piano |
Danny Thompson |
Bass |
|
|
Fruit Tree lyrics |
|
Nick |
Vocal, acoustic guitar |
Robert Kirby |
String arrangement |
|
|
Saturday Sun lyrics |
|
Nick |
Vocal, piano |
Danny Thompson |
Bass |
Tristan Fry |
Drums, vibes |