In 2016, Neil Storey was asked by Johnny Chandler, Island Records A&R to see if he could find any old tapes of Nick Drakes album Five Leaves Left
…but was sworn to secrecy … for ten years.

The box set of four LPs (or CDs) of Neil’s discovery was nominated for a 2026 Grammy.

“We live in a world governed by TikTok,” says Storey, “where everything has to be captioned..
A release like this… it’s beyond all that.”

Making of Five Leaves Left project overview

The following was originally written for inclusion in the forthcoming Making of Five Leaves Left set which I began work on at the start of 2016 – initially the tape research aspect before that role evolved quite considerably. Now that the set has (finally) been officially revealed I’ve found itmore …
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Discovering the Nick Drake mastertapes of Five Leaves Left

The box set illuminates how Drake’s haunting debut took shape, from lost demos and early sessions to the subtle brilliance that defined his sound. (Jim Allen's interview on Udiscover - Universals Music website - with Neil Storey published Nov 7, 2025) Music archivist Neil Storey’s assignment to investigate the Nickmore …
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Explained: The Making of Five Leaves Left

By  NEIL STOREY: The following was originally written for inclusion in the forthcoming Making of 5LL set which I began work on at the start of 2016 – initially the tape research aspect before that role evolved quite considerably. Now that the set has (finally) been officially revealed I’ve foundmore …
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We are very happy to announce UNCUT magazine,
one of the world’s leading music industry and authoritative journals
has voted The Making of Five Leaves Left as the top reissue of 2026.
Also in the running was Bruce Springsteen,
Bob Dylan and David Bowie.

We are very happy to announce
we also to appear in MOJO magazine,
another leading music industry journals
has voted The Making of Five Leaves Left
as the top reissue of 2026.