"Time of No Reply" is the title of a posthumously-released collection of songs by Nick Drake. This album was originally a bonus record in the box set "Fruit Tree," which offers Nick's complete discography.

Nick Drake was an enigmatic talent in music. Too shy to perform in public, and never successful during his short life, he is now acknowledged as one of the major talents in folk music. He produced three albums in his five year career, plus this posthumous collection.

The tracks on this album span Nick's short career. The first batch of songs on "Time of No Reply" are out-takes from Nick's first album "Five Leaves Left." Nick chose not to include these songs in the final cut of the album. The title track may be the best title ever for a posthumous work, is one of these songs.

The songs "Strange Meeting II" and "Been Smoking Too Long" were part of a tape Nick recorded in 1967 for his parents. The latter song was written by a friend of Nick's, which makes it his only recorded cover song.

The version of "Fly" comes from Nick's "work tape." It's not nearly as polished as the album version from "Bryter Layter" (and of course does not feature John Cale on violin). Other songs on the "work tape" are "Parasite" and "Place To Be" (later recorded on Pink Moon).

The last four songs Nick recorded in 1974, the year of his death, are included on this album. These are the songs Nick was working on in the weeks before the end of his life. Whether he committed suicide or not is still not known. This music offers some of the most direct, stomach-churning impressions of what it is like to be very, very depressed. The music and the lyrics are painfully beautiful. These last four songs show the full range of the talent that Nick could have been.

Tracks:

  1. Time of No Reply
  2. I Was Made To Love Magic
  3. Joey
  4. Clothes of Sand
  5. Man In a Shed
  6. Mayfair
  7. Fly
  8. The Thoughts of Mary Jane
  9. Been Smoking Too Long
  10. Strange Meeting II
  11. Rider On The Wheel
  12. Black-Eyed Dog
  13. Hanging On a Star
  14. Voice From the Mountain