#108 Nick Drake – Northern Sky

Born on June 19, 1948, Nick Drake would have been 65 today. It’s not an original thought to describe him as the Vincent van Gogh of British music, but it’s too romantic a link not to make. Both led troubled lives, both died young and both were underappreciated in their lifetimes. Such is its established place in the canon of British folk classics, it’s almost hard to credit that Drake was only 21 when Bryter Later, his second and now best-loved album, was recorded. ‘Northen Sky’, one of the record’s many highlights, is a beautiful, uncomplicated love song and the perfect way to celebrate one of the best folk artists this country has ever produced.