Aldous Harding and her longtime producer John Parish have covered Nick Drake‘s Five Leaves Left track ‘Three Hours’. The pair’s rendition is the latest preview of the upcoming Nick Drake tribute album The Endless Coloured Ways ahead of its arrival in July.
Harding and Parish’s dark-edged version of Drake’s 1969 song transforms the sparse folk of the original, with hypnotic bass and drums and buzzy, distorted guitars underscoring their haunting twin vocals. Their version also arrives alongside a video filmed and edited by Bill Jackson. Watch that below.
John Parish and Aldous Harding – ‘Three Hours’
In addition to ‘Three Hours’, today also sees the release of two more covers from the upcoming album: Bombay Bicycle Club and The Staves doing ‘Road’, and Karine Polwart and Kris Drever performing ‘Northern Sky’.
The Endless Coloured Ways is set to arrive on Friday, 7th July via Chrysalis Records. Pre-orders are available here. We’ve already heard a slew of the tracks that will feature, such as Irish post-punks Fontaines D.C.’s take on ‘Cello Song’ back in March. The double LP will also feature reworkings of Nick Drake songs by the likes of Liz Phair, Radiohead‘s Philip Selway, Let’s Eat Grandma, Christian Lee Hutson, Skullcrusher and AURORA.
The upcoming collaboration was organised by Cally Callomon, the manager of Drake’s estate, and Jeremy Lascelles, co-founder of Blue Raincoat Music and CEO of Chrysalis Records. “Cally and I embarked on this venture with one simple brief to each of the artists – that they ignore the original recording of Nick’s, and reinvent the song in their own unique style,” Lascells has said.
“It was really humbling to hear so many similar responses, with everyone saying how important Nick’s music was to them, and how much they wanted to be part of this project. As the results came in one by one, we were thrilled by the brilliance and invention that each artist had shown. They had done exactly what we hoped for – they had made the song their own.”
Callomon said she thought Drake would be “overjoyed to hear his art revisited and newly promoted by so many vibrant and talented artists.” She added: “We are honoured and so grateful to all our friends, old and new, who took part in the making of this beautiful set.”
The Endless Coloured Ways: The Songs of Nick Drake
- The Wandering Hearts – ‘Voice from the Mountain’ (prelude)
- Fontaines D.C. – ” Cello Song’
- Camille – ‘Hazey Jane II’
- Mike Lindsay featuring Guy Garvey – ‘Saturday Sun’
- Bombay Bicycle Club & The Staves – ‘Road’
- Let’s Eat Grandma – ‘From the Morning’
- David Gray – ‘Place to Be’
- John Parish & Aldous Harding – ‘Three Hours’
- Stick in the Wheel – ‘Parasite’
- Ben Harper – ‘Time Has Told Me’
- Emeli Sandé – ‘One of These Things First’
- Karine Polwart & Kris Drever – ‘Northern Sky’
- Craig Armstrong featuring Self Esteem – ‘Black Eyed Dog’
- Bombay Bicycle Club & The Staves –’Road’ (reprise)
- Nadia Reid – ‘Poor Boy’
- Christian Lee Hutson featuring Elanor Moss – ‘Which Will’
- Skullcrusher & Gia Margaret – ‘Harvest Breed’
- Katherine Priddy – ‘I Think They’re Leaving Me Behind’
- AURORA – ‘Pink Moon’
- Joe Henry & Meshell Ndegeocello – ‘Time of No Reply’
- Famous Blue Cable featuring Feist – ‘River Man’
- Liz Phair – ‘Free Ride’
- Philip Selway – ‘Fly’
- John Grant – ‘Day is Done’
- The Wandering Hearts – ‘Voice from a Mountain’
Further Reading
Listen to Fontaines D.C. Cover Nick Drake’s ‘Cello Song’ from Upcoming Tribute Album
Love Letter To A Record: Jack Carty On Nick Drake’s ‘Pink Moon’
Amanda Brown, Formerly of The Go-Betweens, on Eight Songs That Inspire Her
