Search - Nick Drake :: Treasury (Hybr) (Ms)

Review of the SACD content of A Treasury

Chad D. Ross | 07/20/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It's already been discussed on what should of been include / removed from this collection, so I will just talk about the improved sound and 5.1 mix. The stereo SACD lived up to my expectations to the format, the songs had the a warm quality that I expected. The improved sound was noticeable even on the "new" version of Magic (as listed on the cd), I noticed some distortion and background noise on the cd version of the track but not on the SACD. The 5.1 mix I thought were well done, even with the acoustic tracks such as Black Eyed Dog. The vocals are mixed in the center channel and the rear channels and the guitar is in front and rear channels. Other SCAD with just acoustic/vocal tracks just had a three channel mix, which didn't add much over the original stereo mix. Anyway I give the sound 5 stars and the song selection 4 stars."

Great sound and even better music

James R. Parrett | toronto, canada | 11/23/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is probably the finest-sounding CD in my collection. The guitars glisten with warmth and Drake's voice never sounded so good. Instruments and voices have wonderful soundstage. Every sound on this CD has dimension and palpability. If you like MSFL or DCC discs, you'll love this CD. (I mostly play the CD layer because my CD player is far superior to my SACD player.)



Like Tim Hardin, Drake is much more a jazz musician than a folkie. The songs here are not always obvious. They sometimes take time to sink in. But the groove is what takes you along. Even during the most quiet acoustic numbers. I recently played this for a Jack Johnson fan and she loved it."

Beautiful...Nick Drake made love into magic

Snorre Smari Mathiesen | Norway | 01/10/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It doesn't provide many "special features," but A TREASURY is an excellent introduction to Nick Drake's work, including various songs from his three albums FIVE LEAVES LEFT, BRYTER LAYTER and PINK MOON, as well as a couple of rarities (the re-arranged "Made to Love Magic" and "Black-Eyed Dog"). The Introduction is a brief, beautiful musical arrangement without vocal, followed by the jazzy "Hazey Jane II" and mysterious, rather dark "River Man."



If you already own Drake's three albums, the next step to go is TIME OF NO REPLY, which includes various outtakes of Drake's work, but if you are unfamiliar with his work and eager to know why he's received so much praise, go right ahead and buy A TREASURY; I can tell as much as that none of my friends have been disappointed when I've introduced them to Drake through this album. Although it may be required to examine his three albums in their entirety to truly understand the whole picture, the songs play splendidly also as a mix, combining the minimalistic sound from PINK MOON with the more arranged highlights of FIVE LEAVES LEFT and BRYTER LAYTER."