The Making of Five Leaves Left
| The Making of Five Leaves Left | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Box set by | ||||
| Released | 25 July 2025 | |||
| Recorded | February 1968 – April 1969 | |||
| Studio | Sound Techniques Caius College, Cambridge | |||
| Genre | Contemporary folk | |||
| Length | 2:39:26 | |||
| Label | Island | |||
| Producer | Joe Boyd | |||
| Nick Drake chronology | ||||
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| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 100/100 |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| Pitchfork | 9.0/10 |
| PopMatters | 10/10 |
| Record Collector | |
The Making of Five Leaves Left is a music boxed set, released on 25 July 2025 via Island Records, which features studio outtakes and alternative versions of songs by the English singer-songwriter and musician Nick Drake recorded during his sessions for his debut 1969 LP, Five Leaves Left. It was released in both 4LP and 4CD configurations.
Discs 1–3 feature a collection of demos, alternate studio takes and Cambridge home reels covering sessions from early 1968 to April 1969 – including the earliest Sound Techniques session and a newly found Paul de Rivaz Cambridge reel. De Rivaz came to see Michael Burdett when he was performing his show, Strange Face: Adventures with a Lost Nick Drake Recording. On learning about, and having heard, the de Rivaz recording, Burdett informed the Drake estate of its existence. Disc 4/LP4 of the boxed set is the original album, fully remastered, sequenced as Joe Boyd prepared it in mid‑June 1969.
A 60-page book authored by Neil Storey and Richard Morton Jack is included with the set. The book includes a detailed session history of all the tracks and recording notes.