None of these early 1970s albums are ones that I actually remember from the time. If I know my mum, most of what I would have been hearing would have been Radio 1.
I came across Nick Drake on a compilation album I picked up in the late 1990s and became somewhat captivated by his song River Man. That came from his 1969 debut album Five Leaves Left, and that’s a year too early to qualify in the rules that I have made up for how this project works (I’ve also ruled out compilation albums, which sadly discounts the unbelievable pair of Coldcut’s and Gilles Petersons awesome Journeys By DJs).
The two albums that do qualify, 1971’s Bryter Later and 1972’s Pink Moon are both wonderful too. Beautifully constructed, superb songs. There’s a melancholy to Drake’s voice that is also stunning, although that may be hindsight applied to what was his tragic end.
You can see the #51for50 project to date here: https://mmitii.mattballantine.com/category/projects/51-for-50/
mmitII 
One thought on “51 for 51 – 1972”