Extract 1: Nick Drake
'I saw Nick Drake at the Roundhouse,' Ashley Hutchings recalls. 'He was doing a charity gig, with a friend, and I was playing later. I was in the audience wandering around before going on, and my eyes went to the stage . . . The thing that struck me first of all was his demeanour and his charisma. I didn't take the songs in. He sang well, he played well enough, the songs were interesting. But it was Nick the person; Nick the figure on-stage which really registered. It was a unique impact . . . because in no other case did I then go away and recommend an artist to a manager. I mean, instantly I went away to Joe and related that I'd seen Nick, been very impressed with him . . . To such an extent that I can't remember anything about who played with him. It was Nick I focused on.'
In later years, when Nick's reluctance to perform to promote his records became
legendary, it seemed ironic - almost incredible -that it was his stage presence which first alerted Ashley to his potential. 'I just thought, here's someone who's really got something. It contrasted so nicely with what was going on at the time - there was a lot of extravagance at that time. And he stood very still, and he performed very simply.'