Robert Kirby
Encyclopedia
Robert Kirby was a British
born arranger
of string sections for rock
and folk music
. He is best known for his work on the Nick Drake
album
s, Five Leaves Left
and Bryter Layter
, but has also worked with Elton John
, Ralph McTell
, Strawbs, Paul Weller and Elvis Costello
.
He sang in a group called 'The Gentle Power of Song'. His tutor once told him that his compositions sounded like a breakfast cereal commercial. This was intended as an insult, but Kirby took this as his high praise: "As good as that, eh?" Kirby went to Caius College, Cambridge
and made friends with Paul Wheeler. They were both members of the Caius Breakfast Club, also called "The Loungers". There were few rules. You had to have a Loungers' breakfast on Sundays, and 'stand by ye gate once a day and observe what strange creatures God hath made'. There was a rule that permitted an outsider (the 'Oddefellowe') to become a member. Robert and Paul were both friends with Nick Drake so they invited him to be the Oddefellowe. There is a line in Drake's song "Way To Blue" which seems to echo one of the rules of the Loungers:
"We will wait at your gate, hoping like the blind..."
(Leopold Mozart
and Tomaso Albinoni
).
recruited Drake to record an album, he already had a string arranger in mind, Richard A. Hewson
. Drake rejected the few Hewson arrangements produced and announced that he already had a friend at university who could do a better job—Kirby. Drake had decided to leave university without completing his final year. When Kirby was offered the contract to arrange music for an entire album, he, too, gave up Cambridge university. Though Kirby arranged and conducted strings for the majority of Five Leaves, Harry Robinson was commissioned to arrange the strings for the centerpiece song, "River Man
".
- John Wood
, sound engineer for Five Leaves Left
, Deadlines and Burning for You
). He also did some further arranging for Strawbs with Baroque & Roll
(2001), Déjà Fou
(2004) and Dancing to the Devil's Beat
(2009). He talks extensively about his career in Nick Awde's study Mellotron
, subtitled The Machine and the Musicians That Revolutionised Rock (2008) - the book opens with a quote from him.
's Central Park
for a show of Drake's music, using his original scores. Five Leaves Left was performed in its entirety as well as excerpts from Bryter Later and Made To Love Magic. The show starred guitarist Josh Max and singer Julie James of the Manhattan-based group The Maxes
, and was attended by 3,000 Drake fans from all over the US.
, The Absolutes, have played in various venues in London.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
born arranger
Arranger
In investment banking, an arranger is a provider of funds in the syndication of a debt. They are entitled to syndicate the loan or bond issue, and may be referred to as the "lead underwriter". This is because this entity bears the risk of being able to sell the underlying securities/debt or the...
of string sections for rock
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
and folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
. He is best known for his work on the Nick Drake
Nick Drake
Nicholas Rodney "Nick" Drake was an English singer-songwriter and musician. Though he is best known for his sombre guitar based songs, Drake was also proficient at piano, clarinet and saxophone...
album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s, Five Leaves Left
Five Leaves Left
Five Leaves Left, recorded in 1969, was the first of three albums by British folk musician Nick Drake. Like Bryter Layter but unlike Pink Moon, this album contains no completely solo songs...
and Bryter Layter
Bryter Layter
Bryter Layter, recorded in 1970, was the second of three albums by British folk musician Nick Drake. Like Five Leaves Left, the album contains no unaccompanied songs: Drake was accompanied by part of the British folk rock group Fairport Convention and John Cale from The Velvet Underground, as well...
, but has also worked with Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
, Ralph McTell
Ralph McTell
Ralph McTell is an English singer-songwriter and acoustic guitar player who has been an influential figure on the UK folk music scene since the 1960s....
, Strawbs, Paul Weller and Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
.
At Cambridge
Patrick Humphries book Way To Blue gives some details of Robert Bruce Kirby's time at university.He sang in a group called 'The Gentle Power of Song'. His tutor once told him that his compositions sounded like a breakfast cereal commercial. This was intended as an insult, but Kirby took this as his high praise: "As good as that, eh?" Kirby went to Caius College, Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
and made friends with Paul Wheeler. They were both members of the Caius Breakfast Club, also called "The Loungers". There were few rules. You had to have a Loungers' breakfast on Sundays, and 'stand by ye gate once a day and observe what strange creatures God hath made'. There was a rule that permitted an outsider (the 'Oddefellowe') to become a member. Robert and Paul were both friends with Nick Drake so they invited him to be the Oddefellowe. There is a line in Drake's song "Way To Blue" which seems to echo one of the rules of the Loungers:
"We will wait at your gate, hoping like the blind..."
The May Ball
Kirby recruited eight musicians (seven women and one man) to play alongside Nick Drake at the Caius May Ball. Kirby wore evening dress, and the seven women wore black ankle-length dresses with white feather boas. They performed in the library. Four of the songs were with the string orchestra and a couple of others were Drake solo. After every third song, they played classical musicClassical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
(Leopold Mozart
Leopold Mozart
Johann Georg Leopold Mozart was a German composer, conductor, teacher, and violinist. Mozart is best known today as the father and teacher of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and for his violin textbook Versuch einer gründlichen Violinschule.-Childhood and student years:He was born in Augsburg, son of...
and Tomaso Albinoni
Tomaso Albinoni
Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni was an Italian Baroque composer. While famous in his day as an opera composer, he is mainly remembered today for his instrumental music, such as the concertos, some of which are regularly recorded.-Biography:Born in Venice, Republic of Venice, to Antonio Albinoni, a...
).
Five Leaves Left
When Joe BoydJoe Boyd
Joe Boyd is an American record producer and former owner of the Witchseason production company. Boyd was instrumental in launching the careers of Nick Drake, Fairport Convention, and The Incredible String Band.-Career:...
recruited Drake to record an album, he already had a string arranger in mind, Richard A. Hewson
Richard Anthony Hewson
Richard Anthony Hewson is an English producer, arranger, conductor and multi-instrumentalist, who is best recognized for his studio group The RAH Band.-Career:...
. Drake rejected the few Hewson arrangements produced and announced that he already had a friend at university who could do a better job—Kirby. Drake had decided to leave university without completing his final year. When Kirby was offered the contract to arrange music for an entire album, he, too, gave up Cambridge university. Though Kirby arranged and conducted strings for the majority of Five Leaves, Harry Robinson was commissioned to arrange the strings for the centerpiece song, "River Man
River Man
"River Man" is the second listed song from Nick Drake's 1969 album Five Leaves Left, remastered and released as a single in 2004. According to Drake's manager, Joe Boyd, Drake thought of the song as the centre piece of the album....
".
- John Wood
John Wood (music producer)
John Wood is an English sound engineer and producer, best known for his work with Fairport Convention, John Martyn, Cat Stevens, Sandy Denny, Nick Drake, the Incredible String Band, Pink Floyd, Nico and Squeeze.-Career:...
, sound engineer for Five Leaves Left
Five Leaves Left
Five Leaves Left, recorded in 1969, was the first of three albums by British folk musician Nick Drake. Like Bryter Layter but unlike Pink Moon, this album contains no completely solo songs...
Life as an arranger
Although Kirby had recorded arrangements for over 40 albums by 1978, it was a struggle to make ends meet. In the end he decided to work in marketing industry instead. He was rumoured still to have his scores for Drake's records in his mother's potting shed. (He also was for three years, 1975-1978 one of the two keyboard players for Strawbs, touring the UK and internationally, and getting some composing credits on the albums Deep CutsDeep Cuts (Strawbs album)
Deep Cuts is a studio album by English band Strawbs.-Side one:#"I Only Want My Love to Grow in You" – 3:00#"Turn Me Round" – 3:42#"Hard Hard Winter" – 2:54...
, Deadlines and Burning for You
Burning for You
Burning for You is a studio album by English band Strawbs.-Side one:#"Burning for Me" – 4:01#"Cut Like a Diamond" – 3:44#"I Feel Your Loving Coming On" – 2:56...
). He also did some further arranging for Strawbs with Baroque & Roll
Baroque & Roll
Baroque and Roll is a studio album by Acoustic Strawbs. Acoustic Strawbs were formed by accident after Dave Cousins and Brian Willoughby were booked to perform as a duo in Twickenham in 2000. Cousins damaged his wrist and Dave Lambert stepped in to cover while Cousins sang. The format was...
(2001), Déjà Fou
Déjà Fou
Déjà Fou is a studio album by English band Strawbs. The title is a play on the phrase déjà vu, French for "already seen", as the band line-up had been seen 30 years before on the Hero and Heroine album...
(2004) and Dancing to the Devil's Beat
Dancing to the Devil's Beat
Dancing to the Devil's Beat is a studio album by English band Strawbs.-Track listing:#"Revenge " – 5:18#"Beneath the Angry Sky" – 4:29#"Copenhagen" – 4:46...
(2009). He talks extensively about his career in Nick Awde's study Mellotron
Mellotron (book)
Written by writer and musician Nick Awde, - subtitled 'The Machine and the Musicians That Revolutionised Rock' is a series of discussions with influential British musicians who innovated popular music through the use of the Mellotron.-Symbol of social heritage:...
, subtitled The Machine and the Musicians That Revolutionised Rock (2008) - the book opens with a quote from him.
Public performances of Nick Drake's music
On 2 July 2005, Kirby conducted an 18-piece orchestra in ManhattanManhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
's Central Park
Central Park
Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...
for a show of Drake's music, using his original scores. Five Leaves Left was performed in its entirety as well as excerpts from Bryter Later and Made To Love Magic. The show starred guitarist Josh Max and singer Julie James of the Manhattan-based group The Maxes
The Maxes
The Maxes are a Manhattan-based musical duo headed by Josh Max and Julie James. Max is the guitarist, singer, songwriter and arranger of music for the group and James is vocalist. Live, the act usually has four pieces; standup bass, drums, guitar and vocals, but piano and brass are occasionally...
, and was attended by 3,000 Drake fans from all over the US.
Death
Robert Kirby died in a West London hospital following emergency heart surgery after a short illness on 3 October 2009. He was 61 years old.Legacy
His son Henry Kirby is also actively involved in music. His rock bandRock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
, The Absolutes, have played in various venues in London.
Discography
- Nick DrakeNick DrakeNicholas Rodney "Nick" Drake was an English singer-songwriter and musician. Though he is best known for his sombre guitar based songs, Drake was also proficient at piano, clarinet and saxophone...
: Five Leaves LeftFive Leaves LeftFive Leaves Left, recorded in 1969, was the first of three albums by British folk musician Nick Drake. Like Bryter Layter but unlike Pink Moon, this album contains no completely solo songs...
(1969) - Nick Drake: Bryter LayterBryter LayterBryter Layter, recorded in 1970, was the second of three albums by British folk musician Nick Drake. Like Five Leaves Left, the album contains no unaccompanied songs: Drake was accompanied by part of the British folk rock group Fairport Convention and John Cale from The Velvet Underground, as well...
(1970) - Vashti BunyanVashti BunyanVashti Bunyan is an English singer-songwriter. In 1970, Bunyan released her first album, Just Another Diamond Day. The album sold very few copies, and Bunyan, discouraged, abandoned her musical career...
: Just Another Diamond DayJust Another Diamond DayJust Another Diamond Day is the debut album of English singer-songwriter Vashti Bunyan.In the mid to late 1960s, Bunyan was under contract to Andrew Oldham, which saw her release two singles. However, Bunyan found the experience frustrating, and decided to head for the Scottish islands in search of...
(1970) - Bernie TaupinBernie TaupinBernard John "Bernie" Taupin is an English lyricist, poet, and singer, best known for his long-term collaboration with Elton John, writing the lyrics for the majority of the star's songs, making his lyrics some of the best known in pop-rock's history.In 1967, Taupin answered an advertisement in...
: Bernie Taupin (1970) - Shelagh McDonald: Stargazer (1971)
- AudienceAudience (band)Audience is a cult British art rock band which existed between 1969 and 1972, and reformed in 2004.The original band consisted of Howard Werth on nylon-strung electric acoustic guitar and vocals, Keith Gemmell on tenor...
: The House On The HillThe House on the Hill (album)The House on the Hill is the third album by British art rock band Audience and was released in 1971. At about the same time, a single "Indian Summer" reached number 74 on the Billboard Hot 100;...
(1971) - Gillian McPherson: Poets and Painters and Performers of Blues (1971)
- Ralph McTellRalph McTellRalph McTell is an English singer-songwriter and acoustic guitar player who has been an influential figure on the UK folk music scene since the 1960s....
: You Well-Meaning Brought Me HereYou Well-Meaning Brought Me HereYou Well-Meaning Brought Me Here is the 1971 album by British folk musician Ralph McTell. The album was produced by Gus Dudgeon, who also produced Elton John's early albums.-Track listing :All tracks composed by Ralph McTell...
(1971) - Keith ChristmasKeith ChristmasKeith Christmas is an English singer and songwriter. In 1969 his first album Stimulus was released...
: Pigmy (1971) - Tim Hart and Maddy Prior: Summer Solstice (1971)
- Cochise: So Far (1971)
- Steve GibbonsSteve GibbonsStephen William Gibbons , Australian politician, has been an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian House of Representatives since October 1998, representing the Division of Bendigo, Victoria...
: Short Stories (1971) - Andy Roberts: Nina and the Dream Tree (1971)
- John Kongos: John Kongos (1971)
- SpirogyraSpirogyra (band)This article refers to the British folk band. For the American jazz fusion band, see Spyro Gyra.Spirogyra are a British folk/prog band that recorded three albums between 1971 and 1973, with further original albums in 2009 and 2011.-History:...
: St. Radigunds (1971) - Elton JohnElton JohnSir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
: Madman Across The WaterMadman Across the WaterMadman Across the Water is the fourth studio album by British singer/songwriter Elton John, released in 1971 through DJM/Uni Records. The title song, "Madman Across the Water", was set to be released on Elton John's previous album Tumbleweed Connection. However, it was set aside and would...
(1971) - Claggers: Chumley's Laughing Gear (1971)
- Strawbs: Grave New WorldGrave New WorldGrave New World is a studio album by English band Strawbs. It was the first album to be released after the departure of Rick Wakeman, under circumstances about which band leader Dave Cousins was very bitter. Cousins has admitted that the track "Tomorrow" was written about Wakeman...
(1972) - David AcklesDavid AcklesDavid Thomas Ackles was an American singer-songwriter. He recorded four albums between 1968 and 1973.Describing Ackles's style in 2003, critic Colin McElligatt wrote, "An unlikely clash of anachronistic show business and modern-day lyricism...deeply informs his recorded output...
: American GothicAmerican Gothic (album)American Gothic is the third album by singer-songwriter David Ackles, released in 1972. It was produced by Bernie Taupin and conducted by Robert Kirby....
(1972) - Mick Audsley: Dark and Devil Waters (1972)
- B.J. Cole: The New Hovering Dog (1972)
- David Elliott: David Elliott (1972)
- Dave CousinsDave CousinsDave Cousins has been the leader, singer and most active songwriter of Strawbs since 1967.-Career:...
: Two Weeks Last Summer (1972) - Strawbs: Bursting at the SeamsBursting at the SeamsBursting at the Seams is a studio album by English band Strawbs. It contains their two most successful singles and reached number 2 in the UK Album Chart.-Side one:#"Flying" – 4:49#"Lady Fuchsia" – 3:59...
(1972) - Mike Silver: Troubadour (1973)
- Lindsay DePaul: Surprise (1973)
- Steve Ashley: Stroll On (1974)
- Steve Ashley: Speedy Return (1975)
- John CaleJohn CaleJohn Davies Cale, OBE is a Welsh musician, composer, singer-songwriter and record producer who was a founding member of the experimental rock band The Velvet Underground....
: Helen of TroyHelen of Troy (album)Helen of Troy is an album by John Cale, the last of three albums for Island Records.This album came out without the consent of Cale, who considered that the tapes were not finished...
(1975) - Gary Shearston: The Greatest Show on Earth (1975)
- Richard Digance: Trading the Boards (1975)
- Chris DeBurgh: Spanish Train and Other Stories (1975)
- Strawbs: Deep CutsDeep Cuts (Strawbs album)Deep Cuts is a studio album by English band Strawbs.-Side one:#"I Only Want My Love to Grow in You" – 3:00#"Turn Me Round" – 3:42#"Hard Hard Winter" – 2:54...
(1976) - Design: By Design (1976) (three tracks)
- Spriguns: Time Will Pass (1977)
- Sandy DennySandy DennySandy Denny , born Alexandra Elene Maclean Denny, was an English singer and songwriter, perhaps best known as the lead singer for the folk rock band Fairport Convention...
: Rendez Vous (1977) - Strawbs: Burning for YouBurning for YouBurning for You is a studio album by English band Strawbs.-Side one:#"Burning for Me" – 4:01#"Cut Like a Diamond" – 3:44#"I Feel Your Loving Coming On" – 2:56...
(1977) - Strawbs: Deadlines (1978)
- Arthur BrownArthur Brown (musician)Arthur Brown is an English rock and roll musician best known for his flamboyant, theatrical style and significant influence on Alice Cooper, Peter Gabriel, Marilyn Manson, George Clinton, Kiss, King Diamond, and Bruce Dickinson, among others, and for his number one hit in the UK Singles Chart and...
: Chisholm in my Bosom (1978) - Richard and Linda Thompson: First Light (1978)
- Roger McGough: Summer with Monika (1978)
- Iain Matthews: Stealin' Home (1978)
- Elvis CostelloElvis CostelloElvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
: Almost BlueAlmost BlueAlmost Blue is an album by Elvis Costello and the Attractions. It was recorded May 1981 in Nashville, and released on 23 October 1981. The record's songs consist entirely of country covers, including works originally written by Hank Williams, Merle Haggard, George Jones and Gram Parsons...
(1982) - Nick LoweNick LoweNicholas Drain "Nick" Lowe , is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer.A pivotal figure in UK pub rock, punk rock and new wave, Lowe has recorded a string of well-reviewed solo albums. Along with vocals, Lowe plays guitar, bass guitar, piano and harmonica...
: Nick Lowe and his Cowboy Outfit (1984) - Any Trouble: Wrong Eng of the Race (1984)
- The London Symphony Orchestra: Screen Classics, Vol. 7 (1994)
- CatchersCatchersCatchers was an Irish indie pop band formed in 1993 and led by singer-songwriter Dale Grundle. The band consisted of Dale Grundle , Alice Lemon , Peter Kelly , Ger FitzGerald , Craig Carpenter and Jonathan Lord...
: Stooping to Fit (1998) - Ben & JasonBen & JasonBen & Jason were a singer-songwriter duo from London consisting of Ben Parker and Jason Hazeley. Formed in 1998 and pre-empting the so-called New Acoustic Movement by about a year, they released three albums on Go! Beat/Universal: Hello, Emoticons and Ten Songs About You...
: Hello (1999) - Steve Ashley: The Test of Time (1999)
- Paul Weller: Heliocentric (2000)
- Acoustic Strawbs: Baroque & RollBaroque & RollBaroque and Roll is a studio album by Acoustic Strawbs. Acoustic Strawbs were formed by accident after Dave Cousins and Brian Willoughby were booked to perform as a duo in Twickenham in 2000. Cousins damaged his wrist and Dave Lambert stepped in to cover while Cousins sang. The format was...
(2001) - Flemming: Starry Night (2001)
- Flemming: Old Boys, Chances for tomorrow (2002)
- Nick Drake: Made to Love MagicMade to Love MagicMade to Love Magic is a 2004 compilation album of out-takes and remixed tracks by English singer/songwriter Nick Drake. It is notable for featuring a previously unreleased solo acoustic version of "River Man", dating from early 1968, and the song "Tow the Line", a previously unheard song from...
(2004) - Strawbs: Déjà FouDéjà FouDéjà Fou is a studio album by English band Strawbs. The title is a play on the phrase déjà vu, French for "already seen", as the band line-up had been seen 30 years before on the Hero and Heroine album...
(2004) - Vashti Bunyan: Lookaftering (2005)
- Steve Ashley: Live in Concert (2006)
- The Magic Numbers: Those The Brokes (2006)
- a balladeerA balladeerA Balladeer is a Dutch band, originating in Amsterdam, It was formed by singer-songwriter Marinus de Goederen.In 2002, the band won the 3FM BuZz Award and another award the following year at the final of the annual Dutch musical contest De Grote Prijs van Nederland...
: Panama (2006) - Linda ThompsonLinda Thompson (singer)Linda Thompson is a British singer. Born Linda Pettifer in Hackney, Thompson became one of the most recognised names—and voices—in the British folk rock movement of the 1970s and 1980s, in collaboration with her former husband and fellow British folk rock musician, guitarist Richard...
: Versatile Heart (2007) - Steve Ashley: Time and Tide (2007)
- Luke Jackson: ...And Then Some (2008)
- Strawbs: Dancing to the Devil's BeatDancing to the Devil's BeatDancing to the Devil's Beat is a studio album by English band Strawbs.-Track listing:#"Revenge " – 5:18#"Beneath the Angry Sky" – 4:29#"Copenhagen" – 4:46...
(2009) - James Edge And The Mindstep: In The Hills, The Cities (2010)
- The Magic NumbersThe Magic NumbersThe Magic Numbers are an English pop rock band comprising two pairs of brothers and sisters from Greenford. The group was formed in 2002, releasing their critically acclaimed debut album titled The Magic Numbers on 13 June 2005...
: The Runaway (2010)