When the day is done : the orchestrations of Robert Kirby

"It was Robert Kirby's arranging which gave Nick Drake's songs their brittle, haunting, almost autumnal finish and this, the first tribute to his orchestrations, is long overdue. When I heard rumours about a compilation the thought did cross my mind that it'd be loaded with the familiar and predictable. Thankfully, however, compiler Bob Stanley is a magpie who has balanced the known with gems that required serious archaeology ... Sadly, when the '70s became the '80s Robert Kirby gave up orchestrating and got an office job, though as he passed in 2009 he was plotting with Vashti Bunyan once more. "When Day Is Done" hopefully won't be the last collection of his labours, but until there are further volumes this is both enchanting and vital".