No Condition Is Permanent

Pictured: Françoise Hardy.

As it was readied for release, [Nick Drake producer Joe Boyd’s company] Witchseason still had the challenge of turning Nick into a viable commercial proposition. He wasn’t gigging, so having him write for others was an obvious area to explore. The Jackie article had mentioned that his ‘songs are widely admired by singers like Françoise Hardy’. She had indeed been struck by Five Leaves Left. By her account, ‘The “soul” that emerged from his songs touched me deeply – romantic melodies, poetic but at the same time refined – as well as the so-individual timbre of his voice, which added to the melancholy of the whole thing.’

Nick was cautiously open to the idea of writing something for her, so Joe set up a meeting through the arranger and producer Tony Cox, who was often in Sound Techniques and was interested in the possibility of arranging and producing Françoise. One day in June the three of them flew to Paris.

‘We checked into a hotel, then went to meet her in her fabulous apartment in an old tenement in the Île Saint-Louis,’ says Tony. According to a contemporary report, the top-floor flat was ‘cool and moody, with white walls and black carpets’. The encounter was no more colourful. ‘I don’t think Nick had a guitar with him, and he didn’t take my cues to speak,’ says Joe. ‘She didn’t say much either, which left me doing most of the talking. The whole meeting was awkward. We left it that she would let us know if she wanted to record anything of his, and didn’t hear from her again.’

— Richard Morton Jack, Nick Drake: The Life.

LISTEN TO EPISODE 358 OF NO CONDITION IS PERMANENT:

DOWNLOAD EPISODE 358 OF NO CONDITION IS PERMANENT BY CLICKING ON THE THREE DOTS /\

Here’s what we played in Ep. 358 of No Condition Is Permanent:

THE FIRST SET

Bettye Swann — “Kiss My Love Goodbye” — Crème De La Crème: Philly Soul Classics and Rarities

The Sweet Talks — “Kye Kye Pe Aware” — Ghana Soundz Vol. 2: Afro-Beat, Funk and Fusion in 70’s Ghana

The A-Jacks — “Fury” — Sleazy Surf! Vol. 1

Champagne — “Funky Do” — Saigon Supersound Vol. 2

The Yardbirds — “Little Games [Single Version]” — Ultimate!

Susan Cadogan — “Dub It” — Clocktower 45rpm

Jack Fascinato — “Road Runner” — Jack Fascinato Arranges Things

Gokben — “Eninde Sonunda” — Turkish Freakout 2: Psych-Folk 1970-1978

IT’S MADISON TIME…

Billy Mize — “Planet Named Desire” — Desperate Rock ‘N’ Roll Vol. 11

THE SECOND SET

Traffic Sound — “Meshkalina” — Traffic Sound ‘68-‘69

Suicide — “Rain of Ruin” — A Way of Life

Les Abranis — “Id Ed Was” — Amazigh Freedom Rock 1973-1983

Bunker Hill — “Little Red Riding Hood” — ‘Black’ Rock ‘N’ Roll – Savage Kick Vol. 01

Joseph Kamga — “Sie Tcheu” — Cameroon Garage Funk 1964-1979

The Scot Richard Case — “Midnight to Six Man” — A Square (Of Course): The Story of Michigan’s Legendary A-Square Records

Phillip Smart Meets The Aggravators — “Flat Foot Hussling Dub” — At King Tubby’s

Pearly Queen — “Jungle Walk” — Quit Jivin’: A Funk Anthology

THE THIRD SET

Françoise Hardy — “Et Même” — The Vogue Years

The Swinging Astronauts — “Crazy Stockings On The Moon” — Trip To The Moon: 14 Obscure R&B, Garage Rock And Deepfunk Songs About The Moon

Orkes Tropicana — “Pantjaran Kasih” — Padang Moonrise: The Birth of the Modern Indonesian Recording Industry1955-69

Damn Sam the Miracle Man and the Soul Congregation — “Sonny B.” — Damn Sam the Miracle Man and the Soul Congregation

El Sexteto Miramar — “Cumbia De Serenata” — The Afrosound of Colombia, Vol. 3

The Sonics — “Psycho” — Nuggets I: Original Artyfacts From The First Psychedelic Era

Remi Kabaka — “African Hustle” — Son of Africa

Jack (The Bear) Parker — “i Need You, I Want You” — Stompin’ 24: More Early Jump!

THE FINAL SET

Cedric Im Brooks & The Light Of Saba — “Sabasi” — Cedric Im Brooks & The Light Of Saba

Funkadelic — “I Got a Thing, You Got a Thing, Everybody’s Got a Thing” — Music for Your Mother

Marijata — “Break Through” — Afro-Beat Airways: West African Shock Waves: Ghana & Togo 1972-78

The Velvet Underground — “I’m Not a Young Man Anymore” — White Light White Heat: Live at the Gymnasium NYC April 30th, 1967

Zia — “Kermani (Instrumental)” — Goush Bedey: Funk, Psychedelia and Pop from the Iranian Pre-Revolution Generation

Bee Gee Stans — “Front Page Love” — Ol’ Virginia Soul Part 1: Jump Up And Down

Houy Meas & Dara Chom Chan — “Nek Na Min Rom (Who Isn’t Dancing)” — Cambodian Nuggets

LORD BUCKLEY’S WEEKLY BENEDICTION…

Jeanne Moreau (avec Marguerite Duras) — “La Rumba Des Iles” — India Song EP

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