Nick Drake Covered By David Gray and Stick In Wheel

05-03-2023

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(Big Hassle) "Place To Be" by David Gray and "Parasite" by Stick in The Wheel is the third double A sided 7'' single to be issued from The Endless Coloured Ways - The Songs Of Nick Drake. An anthology of twenty three of Nick Drake's best loved songs, adopted and reimagined by thirty two of the most talented artists across the musical spectrum, the album will be released on July 7th via Chrysalis Records.

"Place To Be" / "Parasite" will be available from May 3rd as the third of a set of five limited edition double A sided 7'' singles featuring a selection of the assembled artists. Each single has a visual panel donated to each artist to write, paint, describe whatever they wished as if this was their own record. The series will be completed with a one-off, strictly limited and previously unreleased bonus vinyl of Nick Drake's home recording of Bob Dylan's 'Tomorrow Is A Long Time'. A 7'' singles bundle option is available on the Chrysalis D2C Store here.

Speaking about their involvement on the record the artists had the following to say: Pink Moon is such a perfect spell of a record, immaculate in its simplicity. Like the ghost of the blushing moon that haunts the album's title track, the record seems to be woven from some strange and delicate magic that both mesmerises the ear and utterly disarms the heart. Place To Be is one of my favourites from that record and like many of Nick's songs, a lot of the lyric has a slightly detached, enigmatic feel, but every time the line 'now I'm weaker than the palest blue' hits home, it really feels as if I can taste the sadness and fragility from which so much of the music on Pink Moon seems to have sprung. It is my favourite of Nick's albums and in my opinion his masterpiece. He was a unique talent, master guitar player and a gentle and poetic soul who found this bruising 'elbows out' world pretty hard to take." - David Gray

"Nick Drake's idiosyncratic approach to composition and harmony has had a big impact on our musical approach over the years. His outsider status and his struggle to push forward, against rejection, and his search for an original voice in English folk music also has felt meaningful to us. We're grateful to have had the opportunity to reinterpret his work with the support of this project and his estate." - Stick in the Wheel

The brainchild of Cally Callomon, Manager of the Nick Drake Estate, and Jeremy Lascelles, co-founder of Blue Raincoat Music and CEO of Chrysalis Records, The Endless Coloured Ways also features recordings from among others Fontaines D.C., Let's Eat Grandma, John Grant, Self Esteem, Emeli Sandé, David Gray, Philip Selway, Nadia Reid and Bombay Bicycle Club.

The album unfolds across four seasons and the track-listing is as follows:

Season 1:
1) The Wandering Hearts - Voices (prelude)
2) Fontaines D.C. - 'Cello Song
3) Camille - Hazey Jane II
4) Mike Lindsay feat. Guy Garvey - Saturday Sun
5) Bombay Bicycle Club & The Staves - Road
6) Let's Eat Grandma - From The Morning
7) David Gray - Place To Be

Season 2:
8) John Parish & Aldous Harding - Three Hours
9) Stick In The Wheel - Parasite
10) Ben Harper - Time Has Told Me
11) Emeli Sandé - One Of These Things First
12) Karine Polwart & Kris Drever - Northern Sky
13) Craig Armstrong feat. Self Esteem - Black Eyed Dog

Season 3:
1) Bombay Bicycle Club & The Staves - Road (reprise)
2) Nadia Reid - Poor Boy
3) Christian Lee Hutson feat. Elanor Moss - Which Will
4) Skullcrusher & Gia Margaret - Harvest Breed
5) Katherine Priddy - I Think They're Leaving Me Behind
6) AURORA - Pink Moon
7) Joe Henry & Meshell Ndegeocello - Time Of No Reply

Season 4:
8) Famous Blue Cable feat. Feist - River Man
9) Liz Phair - Free Ride
10) Philip Selway - Fly
11) John Grant - Day Is Done
12) The Wandering Hearts - Voices

Speaking about the inspiration behind the making of the record Jeremy says: "Cally and I embarked on this venture with one simple brief to each of the artists - that they ignore the original recording of Nick's and reinvent the song in their own unique style. It was really humbling to hear so many similar responses, with everyone saying how important Nick's music was to them, and how much they wanted to be part of this project. As the results came in one by one, we were thrilled by the brilliance and invention that each artist had shown. They had done exactly what we hoped for - they had made the song their own."

"Nick Drake was not that concerned with promoting himself as an artist but I think he would have been overjoyed to hear his art revisited and newly promoted by so many vibrant and talented artists. Jeremy and I also felt it crucial that the album should flow, as a cohesive listening experience, as opposed to a gallery of separate exhibits. Whether we have succeeded in these two ambitions, only the listener can tell. We are honoured and so grateful to all our friends, old and new, who took part in the making of this beautiful set." Cally Callomon.