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70-465: The song marked a strong redirection in Drake's sound. He was pleased with Cale's production and anticipated that the song would be his commercially successful breakthrough. However, Island Records decided against releasing it as a single, and the accompanying album, like its predecessor, did not receive marketing support, and so failed to sell. Having tried lush arrangements, Drake's following album Pink Moon

140-469: A Greek mother, Victoria. He has an elder brother, Aki. His father ran the 'Great Western' fish bar in Acocks Green , and the family lived upstairs. In 1979, the family moved to the suburb of Olton , where his father ran the 'King Fisher' (now 'George's Fish Bar'). The name Panayiotakis was shortened to " Takis ", before he decided he preferred to be called Peter. As a child, he had a lisp, and when he

210-564: A Losing Game " and Bob Marley's passport application form. The exhibition contained 800 prints showcasing the work for Island of the photographers Adrian Boot, Jean-Paul Goude , Anton Corbijn , Gered Mankowitz , Keith Morris and Brian Cooke, and the London exhibition also featured live performances at the Vinyl Factory Gallery by DJ Shadow and PJ Harvey . Following its 50th anniversary in 2009, Island Records entered its sixth decade on

280-603: A Question & Answer session. There was also a major exhibition at the Vinyl Factory Gallery in Soho, held in an open space beneath the record shop Phonica. The exhibition featured a display of treasured musical artifacts, including the Trabant car from the sleeve of U2 's Achtung Baby , Nick Drake 's guitar, the dress worn by Amy Winehouse at the 2008 Grammy Awards, the handwritten lyric sheet for Winehouse's song " Love Is

350-529: A ballot. 2016 proved a particularly successful year for the label in the UK: over a seven-week period between April and June, four separate Island acts spent at least one week at number one. The albums concerned were PJ Harvey 's The Hope Six Demolition Project , Drake 's Views (which spent two weeks at number one), Ariana Grande 's Dangerous Woman and Catfish & The Bottlemen's The Ride . PJ Harvey 's eighth studio album, 2011's Let England Shake ,

420-642: A major label in England with artists including Roxy Music , King Crimson , Sparks , Traffic , the Wailers , Cat Stevens , Steve Winwood and many others. (In the US, many of their releases were licensed to A&M prior to signing up distribution deals with Capitol and later Atlantic , and also independent distribution.) For Toots and the Maytals , the group that introduced the term " reggae " in song with their 1968 single " Do

490-556: A pilot for BBC 6 Music show Vinyl Revival which was later commissioned for a seven-part series, and was broadcast from 4 December 2011. In 2019, Paphides launched Needle Mythology, a record label aimed at reissues of old albums that had not previously been available on vinyl. In October 2020, the label released its first album of new material, In Memory of My Feelings, an original collaboration between The Anchoress and Bernard Butler . Paphides has also written for Melody Maker and Time Out . In 2020 his memoir, Broken Greek ,

560-537: A practice that was highlighted at the Island Records 50th anniversary event, at which new artists provided the entertainment. This list is probably incomplete, and some of the dates are uncertain. Peter Paphides Peter Paphides (born 1969 as Panayiotakis Paphides or Panayiotis Paphides ) is a British journalist and broadcaster. Paphides was born in Birmingham to a Greek Cypriot father, Chris, and

630-435: A recording session for the following day, on the condition that Cale would be allowed to add accompaniment to the tracks. That morning, with Wood and Kirby engineering and assisting, they recorded "Northern Sky" and "Fly". Cale improvised piano, celeste, and Hammond organ parts on "Northern Sky", and viola and harpsichord arrangements on "Fly". In his 2006 biography of Drake, Trevor Dann describes Cale's contribution as infusing

700-527: A significant breakthrough was Yorkshire singer John Newman , who topped the UK charts with his first solo single, " Love Me Again ", and his debut album Tribute . In May 2018, incumbent president David Massey left Island to join Sony Music Entertainment 's relaunch of Arista Records . Darcus Beese , OBE took on the role of president upon Massey's departure. To make the transition, Beese relocated from

770-416: A strong commitment to Toots and the Maytals, saying: "I've known Toots longer than anybody – much longer than Bob (Bob Marley). Toots is one of the purest human beings I've met in my life, pure almost to a fault." Despite the initial establishment work that Blackwell completed almost single-handedly, Island struggled as a business in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Bob Marley 's 1981 death was detrimental to

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840-544: A tide of optimism. The years that followed saw fresh success for a number of established acts, including PJ Harvey , Keane , Paul Weller and Bombay Bicycle Club and an exciting wave of new signings. In its largest live production since its 2009 anniversary, the label also staged a concert by The Weeknd and Jack Garratt on Osea Island , a small island in Essex , as part of a bespoke one-day festival for 400 guests, including label staff, media and 200 fans who obtained tickets via

910-597: A vibrant new wave of folkish, countrified rock, their debut album, Sigh No More , sold two million, reaching number two in Britain and America. It also won best British album at the BRIT Awards in February 2011. The follow-up, Babel , did even better in 2012, becoming the UK's fastest-selling album of that year, going to number one in Britain and the US and winning album of the year at the 2013 Grammy Awards . Island also secured

980-500: Is a fluid, sometimes dangerous, always exhilarating union of systems and beliefs and the best way of allowing the world to progress is to mix up and place in glorious conflict these various systems and beliefs. In 1983, the film production company formed a partnership with Shep Gordon 's Alive Enterprises to form Island Alive and had success with Kiss of the Spider Woman , Koyaanisqatsi , and Stop Making Sense . The partnership

1050-432: Is characterised by bleak vocals and sparse guitar parts, but again only received limited release. In the 1980s "Northern Sky" became pivotal in resurrecting interest in Drake's music that until then had been largely forgotten. Biographer Patrick Humphries describes the song as "the finest ... to which Nick Drake ever lent his name. Again sounding alone and vulnerable ... he pleads for the brightness to come." “Northern Sky”

1120-487: Is written in Drake's favoured DADGDG tuning , with a middle eight composed by Cale during the recording. The accompaniment by the classically trained Cale reflects Drake's desire to move away from the pastoral sound of his 1969 debut album Five Leaves Left , which was a commercial failure. Cale's own career was similarly in tatters; he had been fired from the Velvet Underground by Lou Reed two years earlier, and

1190-753: The Palm Pictures company and run a chain of boutique hotels in Miami, US and the Caribbean, including the very exclusive Goldeneye , once the Jamaican home of James Bond creator Ian Fleming . Then in May 1998, all of PolyGram and its associated labels were purchased by Seagram which announced its plan to integrate PolyGram with UMG to produce an estimated cost savings, within a couple of years, of between US$ 275 million and $ 300 million annually. Seagram further explained that

1260-463: The Spencer Davis Group to the label (at that time, many Island releases were being distributed by Philips / Fontana ). The group became very popular and Island started their own independent series to spotlight UK rock talent. They signed artists such as John Martyn , Fairport Convention , Free , and greatly influenced the growing FM radio market. By the late 1960s and early 1970s, they were

1330-511: The ZTT label under the Island banner and Blackwell was known to approve excessive spending by the label. Morley recalls in a 2009 book about Island Records: I eventually grew to appreciate how Chris Blackwell, and therefore Island Records, was not about one thing, or one style, or one system, or one way of doing things ... [I began] reflecting how the world functions and reinvents itself precisely because it

1400-572: The Coconuts , Grace Jones , Steel Pulse , Keane , Tom Tom Club , Toots & The Maytals , The Mighty Diamonds , Yusuf Islam/ Cat Stevens , Bombay Bicycle Club , Baaba Maal and U2 . Another Island 50 tribute event was held over four nights at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, with Marianne Faithfull , Grace Jones and Sly & Robbie all appearing, and Chris Blackwell holding

1470-633: The Island-signed Mike Posner having held the number one spot with " I Took a Pill in Ibiza " for four consecutive weeks before being replaced by "One Dance", Island held the top spot in the UK singles chart for 19 consecutive weeks between March and August 2016. To crown a record-breaking year, Drake was named the world's best-selling recording artist of 2016 by international music industry organisation IFPI in February 2017. Canadian singer and songwriter The Weeknd also cemented his position as one of

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1540-444: The Maytals band. First it was Toots and the Maytals, three guys: Toots , Raleigh, and Jerry. ... And then they were signed to Island Records, Chris Blackwell. And we were their recording band. One day we were summoned to Chris' house. And he says, "Alright gentleman, I think it's time. This Toots and the Maytals looks like it's going to be a big thing". By this time he had already signed Bob (Marley). So in his camp, Island Records, there

1610-460: The Mercury label in the mid-2000s and signed with Mercury for the UK and Interscope Records for the US. However, successful artists such as Tricky and PJ Harvey were impressed by the label and signed on as artists. Tricky explained: "I knew I could get freedom. I knew I could do what I wanted to do.", while Harvey later stated: I came to work with them, sort of fully formed—the way that I looked,

1680-587: The PolyGram UK Group for £180 million; he explained in 2009: "It had gotten too big and too corporate for me and I couldn't really handle it." Following the sale, Island was no longer an independent company, but Blackwell was given a position on PolyGram's board and stayed on as CEO of PolyGram's new Island Entertainment division for ten years. PolyGram immediately began reissuing much of the Island back catalogue on compact disc and expanded Island's reach through its global manufacturing and distribution network, but

1750-500: The Reggay ", Chris Blackwell was the one who decided on the line-up of the group before introducing them to an international audience. Blackwell had signed Bob Marley , and now Toots and the Maytals. In November 2016, Jackie Jackson described the formation of the group in a radio interview for Kool 97 FM Jamaica. Accompanied by Paul Douglas and Radcliffe "Dougie" Bryan in studio, Jackson explained: We're all original members of Toots and

1820-469: The UK. In 1994, Island sold the distribution licenses for most of Manga's releases to Siren Entertainment, an independent entertainment company in Australia. Those rights were then given to Madman Entertainment in 1999 when Siren became solely an acquisitions company. The recording roster of Island Records, both past and present, has been and continues to be diverse. The label continues to champion new music,

1890-621: The United Kingdom to Island's offices at Universal Music Group 's New York City building. Beginning in 2024, Island began operating under the Republic Records branding. On 23 July 2020, Universal Music Group and its local subsidiary MCA Music launched Island Records Philippines , the first Southeast Asian branch of the 61-year old label. The Philippines branch is led by former Sony Music Philippines and Sindikato Management executive Enzo Valdez. Island World Communications, under

1960-796: The Youngest English-Albanian Dua Lipa ), his first single for Island, in November 2016. Signed to Island via a licensing deal with independent label PMR, Disclosure were formed by two brothers from Reigate in Surrey , Guy and Howard Lawrence. The duo discovered the joys of nineties house , techno and two-step garage while studying music production at college, and went on to enjoy success with their two Island albums Settle (2013) and Caracal (2015), making extensive use of an array of guest vocalists including Sam Smith , Jamie Woon , Eliza Doolittle , Lorde and Gregory Porter . One of

2030-488: The acquisition would unite a significant international presence with a thriving domestic business, as more than three-quarters of PolyGram's sales were outside the US. In December 1998 and the first three months of 1999, UMG placed three divisions under the management of the Island brand: one in the UK, one in the US, and one in Germany. In each territory, these companies were merged under umbrella groups: However, in 2001, UMG

2100-517: The acts who guested on Settle was AlunaGeorge , a boy-girl duo from London (singer Aluna Francis and musician and producer George Reid), who released their debut album, Body Music , on Island in 2013. Like Disclosure, Jessie Ware signed to Island through a link with independent label PMR . A soulful singer-songwriter from Brixton, Ware was nominated for the 2012 Mercury Music Prize with her smooth debut album, Devotion , and enjoyed further success with 2014's Tough Love . Another Island act to enjoy

2170-449: The alchemy is fuelled by Cale's hymnal organ and soaring piano figures." Music critic Peter Paphides described it as, "the most unabashedly joyful song in his canon." The 1985 UK hit single " Life in a Northern Town " by The Dream Academy was based on and inspired by "Northern Sky", and contributed to the early to mid-80s revival of interest in the songwriter's career. Singer Nick Laird-Clowes 's vocals directly echo Drake's style, while

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2240-615: The big successes of Island's sixth decade. Having topped the charts with their five million-selling debut album Hopes and Fears in 2004, they went on to secure five consecutive number-one albums in the UK (a feat bettered only by The Beatles ), with subsequent releases Under the Iron Sea (2006), Perfect Symmetry (2008), Night Train (2010) and Strangeland (2012) all topping the charts. Paul Weller 's relationship with Island dates back to his fourth solo album, 1997's Heavy Soul , and its 2000 follow-up Heliocentric . He returned to

2310-457: The closing scene of the 2001 American romantic comedy film Serendipity . It is also featured over the opening title sequence of the 2019 film A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood . In April 2024, the song was the subject of BBC Radio 4 's programme Soul Music . Island Records Island Records is a Jamaican multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group . It

2380-455: The contrasting approach of the two men produced accompaniment that is "opulent without overpowering the fragile little song". The song was probably written during Drake's brief period of living in Hastings with John Martyn and his wife Beverley . According to Beverley Martyn, "He wrote that one around us. We had a tree in the garden across the pavement – hence the line, 'Smelt sweet breezes at

2450-479: The first BBC Music Awards in 2014 and were crowned British Breakthrough Act at the BRIT Awards in 2016 (an award voted for by Radio 1 listeners). Their second album, 2016's The Ride , was a UK number one. Island was also responsible for securing major British breakthroughs for two of the 21st century's biggest international superstars in Drake and The Weeknd . The success of Toronto hip-hop artist Drake came after

2520-420: The fuck *is* this guy? I have to meet him, where is he right now." He described his first impressions after meeting Drake as of "a very quiet guy. It was very difficult to figure what was going on in his mind. He made music with a real sensuality – very different from English folk music". Boyd phoned Drake, and was given consent – Boyd claims Drake's only words during the conversation were "Oh, uh, OK". He arranged

2590-412: The label had worked patiently to build his profile over a number of years, culminating in the success of his fourth album Views and its attendant singles in 2016. " One Dance ", Drake's first number one single in the UK, had 1.95 million sales to become Britain's biggest-selling single of 2016. The single's 15-week run at number one equalled the mark for the second longest in UK chart history. With

2660-490: The label in 2008 and began an outstanding trilogy of releases that contained some of his strongest solo work 22 Dreams (2008), the Mercury Music Prize -nominated Wake Up The Nation (2010) and Sonik Kicks (2012). North London quartet Bombay Bicycle Club also released four albums on Island, with each one signalling a change of direction: the indie-rock of 2009's I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose paved

2730-573: The label that the songwriter's catalogue might be ideally placed for re-issue to the then developing adult CD market. The song was issued as a promotional CD maxi-single for the 1994 compilation album Way to Blue: An Introduction to Nick Drake . In 2004 the NME described the song as the "greatest English love song of modern times". The song appears on the 2005 compilation album Anthems in Eden: An Anthology of British & Irish Folk 1955–1978 , and in

2800-580: The label was relatively unfocused in the 1990s. Between 1992 and 1995, Island had a sub-label called the Island Red Label , which focused on independent artists. Blackwell eventually ended his association with the company in 1997, as the corporate life hindered the independent ethos of his personal life. "I never really had a job until I sold Island to PolyGram in 1989. It had gotten too corporate," he commented afterwards. After Blackwell left, PolyGram closed Island's film business. Blackwell left to found

2870-411: The label's creative core. These festivities centred around a week-long run of shows at Shepherd's Bush Empire and Bush Hall in London. The concerts featured performances tracing the label's history from its reggae and jazz roots to the modern era. Among the artists who appeared were Sly & Robbie , Ernest Ranglin , Paul Weller , The Compass Point All Stars, The I Threes , Aswad , Kid Creole &

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2940-525: The label, especially after its having engineered Marley's international breakthrough only a few years earlier, while Irish rock band U2 , which had signed to Island in March 1980, was growing in popularity, but had not yet reached the international superstar status that was to come. In 1981, Blackwell also used the label to finance a new film production and distribution company, producing the film Countryman . In 1982, Paul Morley and producer Trevor Horn started

3010-478: The leadership of Blackwell and Andy Frain, created Manga Entertainment Ltd, the anime and live action Japanese film division of Island in 1991. In that year, Laurence Guinness, the Senior VP at Island World Communications bought the distribution license for Akira from ICA Projects in London, and the distribution of what was the label's first release is considered a crucial milestone in the establishment of anime in

3080-527: The local Jamaican sound systems proved to be overwhelmingly successful. The label was based at a now demolished basement in Kilburn , London Borough of Brent , in a property that was used by Sonny Roberts 's Planetone label and whose landlord was Lee Gopthal who would later create Trojan Records . The vast majority of the artists who had signed to Blackwell's fledgling label while he was in Jamaica agreed to allow

3150-565: The mid-1980s, achieved some success marketing alternative hip hop and dance-pop music with artists such as Eric B. and Rakim and the Stereo MCs . Mango ( Chaka Demus and Pliers ) was another Island dance-oriented subsidiary, while it was singer Robert Palmer who achieved worldwide success with the rock song " Addicted to Love " in 1986. African musicians such as King Sunny Adé and Angélique Kidjo were also championed by Blackwell. In July 1989, Blackwell sold Island Records and Island Music to

3220-473: The musical entrepreneur to release their music in the UK. While in England, Blackwell travelled throughout the city carrying his stock with him and sold to record stores in the city. He did not provide any copies to radio stations, as they would not play any of the Island music; the music was also not reviewed by the press. Meanwhile, Goodall left to start the Doctor Bird record label in 1965. Blackwell signed

3290-631: The opening act for The Who for about two weeks. In 1969, Island Records acquired a deconsecrated 17th century church building at 8-10 Basing Street, in the Ladbroke Grove area of Notting Hill in West London . The building was refurbished to create the Island Studios recording studio, while also serving as the new location for Island Records' offices. The first Toots and the Maytals album released and distributed by Chris Blackwell's Island Records

3360-491: The record sleeve contains the words "Nick Drake, Steve Reich & Classics for Pleasure ". Drake, then practically unknown in the UK, was name-checked in a Melody Maker interview with Laird-Clowes, who said his song came from a "strong connection with Nick Drake in a way I can't even explain". As a result of this, the BBC began to field requests for Drake's song, while Nick Stewart, head of A&R at Island Records , pitched to

3430-514: The signing of English indie rock band Florence and the Machine whose debut studio album Lungs (2009) sold four million copies, and spent over 12 months on the UK Albums Chart before being crowned British Album Of The Year at the 2010 BRIT Awards ceremony. Lungs was followed by the studio albums Ceremonials (2011), and How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful (2015). Keane were another of

3500-434: The top of a tree.' The top of the tree came to the window where Nick was, and you could see the full moon on the sea at night." There has been speculation as for whom the song was written, with Linda Thompson as the most often mentioned candidate. There is no real evidence for this however, and he was at the time friendly with a number of women. He had platonic friendships with both Sophia Ryde and Beverley Martyn, with whom he

3570-560: The tracks with a "subtlety that Robert Kirby's full-blown arrangements didn't quite match on some of the other tracks [on Bryter Layter]. Boyd noticed that Cale was strongly leading the direction of the recording but that Drake gradually seemed to gain trust in Cale's judgment. During the session, he asked the songwriter if he was happy with the direction the songs were taking and was met with an affirmative "Yeh, yeh, I guess so yeh, yeh." Boyd later wrote that "despite [Cale's] domineering manner, [he]

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3640-516: The way for 2010's folkier Flaws , the modern rock of 2011's A Different Kind Of Fix and the broad-based invention of 2014's So Long, See You Tomorrow . Having built a loyal live following, Catfish & The Bottlemen signed to Island in 2014. After reaching platinum sales status in the UK with their Top Ten debut album, The Balcony , the Welsh rock band won the BBC Introducing Award at

3710-502: The way that I sounded: that was already there. And I felt, like, that they just supported where that was going to go. The label celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2009. In 2009, Island Records marked the 50th anniversary of its foundation in Jamaica by Chris Blackwell with a series of live concerts and an exhibition under the Island 50 banner. The events were a celebration of the street-cool, independent outlook and striking visual imagery at

3780-513: The world's leading recording artists, with the 2016 success of his third album Starboy . Its success was the culmination of a strategy that had seen Island build his UK profile over a four-year period that dated from his 2013 studio album Kiss Land . Island's commitment to further nurturing the careers of global superstars was reiterated in June 2016 with the signing of Sean Paul . The Jamaican singer, rapper and songwriter released " No Lie " (featuring

3850-566: Was Funky Kingston . The Maytals had recently added a full-time backing band that included drummer Paul Douglas and bassist Jackie Jackson, and Chris Blackwell joined the group in the studio as a co-producer for the album. Music critic Lester Bangs described the album in Stereo Review as "perfection, the most exciting and diversified set of reggae tunes by a single artist yet released." As Blackwell says, "The Maytals were unlike anything else ... sensational, raw and dynamic." Blackwell had

3920-551: Was Toots and the Maytals], the late Bob Marley; we were talking about reggae is going international now. We kept on meeting and he (Blackwell) decided that the backing band that back all of the songs, the recording band, should be the Maytals band. So everything came under Toots and the Maytals. So we became Maytals also. And then we hit the road in 1975 ... we were the opening act for the Eagles , Linda Ronstadt , and Jackson Browne . We were

3990-405: Was dissolved in 1985. In August 1987, the company was not able to pay US$ 5 million that it owed to U2 in royalties for The Joshua Tree album, as it had diverted the funds to finance several unsuccessful films. U2 responded by negotiating a deal whereby they received a stake in the label that was estimated to be around 10 per cent. The label's 4th & Broadway division, operating since

4060-752: Was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell , Graeme Goodall , and Leslie Kong in Jamaica , and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records , another label recently acquired by PolyGram, were both at the time the largest independent record labels in history, with Island having exerted a major influence on the progressive music scene in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s. Island Records operates four international divisions: Island US, Island UK, Island Australia, and Island France (known as Vertigo France until 2014). Current key people include Island US president Darcus Beese , and MD Jon Turner. Partially due to its significant legacy, Island remains one of UMG's pre-eminent record labels. Island Records

4130-570: Was founded in Jamaica on 4 July 1959 by Chris Blackwell , Graeme Goodall and Leslie Kong , and financed by Stanley Borden from RKO . Its name was inspired by the Harry Belafonte song " Island in the Sun ". Blackwell explained in 2009: "I loved music so much, I just wanted to get into it, or be as close to it as I could." Blackwell's first album was Lance Hayward at the Half Moon Hotel , which

4200-432: Was merged with French company Vivendi S.A. to create Vivendi Universal S.A.; but the music company remains under the name Universal Music Group (UMG). In the US, Island became a predominantly pop/rock label, as their urban artists were assigned to either Def Jam or Def Soul, a new Island/Def Jam R&B imprint. Following the takeover of Island by UMG, flagship band U2 were dissatisfied after chief Jason Iley moved to

4270-500: Was one of the key records of Island's sixth decade. Made in a cliff-top church in Dorset , it won the 2011 Mercury Music Prize , making Harvey the only artist to land the prestigious award twice (she had prevailed ten years previously with Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea ). Mumford & Sons , who grew out of a series of jam sessions in London in 2007, signed a licensing deal with Island in 2009. Heralded as standard bearers for

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4340-535: Was only interested in building long-term careers at that stage in time, rather than short-term projects. Suzette Newman has been a close colleague of Chris Blackwell's since working together in the early days of Island Records, and while there she ran the Mango world music label. Suzette Newman and Chris Salewicz were the editors for the book The Story of Island Records: Keep On Running . Blackwell relocated to England in May 1962 to garner greater levels of attention after

4410-432: Was particularly close, although neither of these relationships developed. Dann speculates that the song may have been inspired by Drake's enthusiasm for hashish , a drug which the songwriter was using, according to close associates, to insulate himself from the world around him. Although he does not appear to have developed his drug habit further, it has been suggested that his tastes developed after his contact with Cale, who

4480-502: Was published by Quercus . The book was reviewed positively by Alan Johnson in New Statesman , who wrote that he had "never read anything that tells the immigrant’s story with such clarity and tenderness". It won the 2021 RSL Christopher Bland Prize . He married Times columnist Caitlin Moran on 27 December 1999; they met while both were working for Melody Maker . The couple share

4550-406: Was recorded in late 1959. Tom Hayes, the label's sales manager between 1965 and 1967, referred to the early period of the label in the UK as "organized chaos". The 1964 hit, " My Boy Lollipop ", sung by Jamaican singer Millie Small (1947–2020), was the label's first success in the UK and led to a world tour that also involved Blackwell. Blackwell explained in a 50th anniversary documentary that he

4620-462: Was struggling with a heroin habit. After Bryter Layter failed to sell, Drake rarely left his flat, and then only to play an occasional poorly-attended concert or to buy drugs. Boyd was at the time working as co-producer with John Cale on Nico 's Desertshore album. Boyd sent the recently ex- Velvet Underground member a demo recording of a few of the tracks that were to form Bryter Layter . The morning Cale received them, he rang Boyd asking "Who

4690-564: Was three years old he developed selective mutism , wherein he would speak to no-one except his parents and brother. He read philosophy at the University of Wales, Lampeter . Between 2005 and 2010 he was employed as the chief rock critic of The Times and presented The Times' weekly music podcast for Sounds Music supplement. Since then, he has worked freelance including for The Guardian , Mojo and Q magazine. He has also made various documentaries for BBC Radio 4 and made

4760-409: Was uncharacteristically upbeat. He felt Bryter Layter "was going to be the one with a single on it. I always rated "Poor Boy", but they could have gone with "Northern Sky", but nothing ever happened." Patrick Humphries wrote of the song: "The atmosphere is dense, suggesting silver moons sailing on a raven black sea, wind lightly ruffling the hair of the treetops, all stoked by a crazy kind of magic; and

4830-430: Was very solicitous towards Nick, who seemed to be guardedly enjoying himself: his only choice was to relax and be carried along." Although Boyd is credited with production, he admits his actual contribution was putting the two men in contact. Although Drake's debut album was commercially unsuccessful, Boyd was able to generate a mood of optimism around the lead-up to the release of Bryter Layter . According to Kirby, Drake

4900-563: Was yet to re-establish his reputation as a formidable producer. Drake sought to broaden his own appeal and tentatively agreed to Boyd's suggestion to include bass and drum tracks on recordings for Bryter Layter , and to experiment with a more pop or jazzy sound, which Boyd admitted he imagined would be "more commercial". Yet it essentially retains Drake's original acoustic style, being anchored by long term producers and arrangers Robert Kirby and John Wood 's sharp and stripped-down sparse engineering and production values. Trevor Dann believes that

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