A self-taught guitarist that died at 23, Nick Drake is one of the most unique musicians I have heard. He plays off very dead strings, his fingering is unique and the songs he wrote tend to have a dark tone that reflected his own deep depression. Few knew who he was when he passed but now he is universally recognized for his talent. Oh how I wish we could have heard more than his three albums.
Well there is more than the 3 albums. Several posthumous releases have added more to his canon, Time of No Reply, Made To Love Magic, Family Album, and there have been several bootlegs down the years with more home recordings and BBC tracks.
@@theplanetruth I regret that it wasn't until the 2001 movie "Serendipity" that I became aware of Nick. I was so struck by his song Northern Lights featured in it that when I got home from the theater I immediately looked him up.
This song is an invitation to the amazing world of Nick Drake. Please check out more, "River Man", "Northern Sky", "Three Hours", "Hazey Jane I", just off the top of my head. All three of his albums are masterpieces.
Go with the three hours version with reebop kwakubah on conga. It's absolutely a template that John martyn ran with.. th-cam.com/video/XS76eOoYQZY/w-d-xo.html
I sadly missed knowing Nick existed when his albums first came out, and hearing just a snippet of this song on a Volkswagen commercial in the 90's was enough to make me fall in love with him and he's now one of my top ten favorite artists of all time. This album, sadly his last before he died - and I firmly believe it was an accidental overdose and NOT suicide - and was the only one without orchestral arrangements. Hhe was in such a depressed/manic state that he just sat on a stool facing a wall to record the whole album. Nick is also known for having some of the craziest alternate tunings and I think there might be some that still haven't been deciphered; this song is actually one of the only ones I can play (once you look up the tuning). He definitely has become a cult legend and there are many covers and videos of live tributes with different artists covering his songs. Hope you listen to more of his stuff.
There are also many pop culture references to him in alternative rock of the 80s and 90s. The Cure got their band name from a Nick Drake lyric. Pretty much every one of your favorite songwriters from that time were obsessed with him.
I was a Nick Drake fan back when he was alive, and I'm always amazed at how people think they can start with the "Pink Moon" album, as the most "iconic" or whatever. and get right into "getting" him. It's a culmination, and to me it was so startlingly and shockingly spare that I still don't quite know what to make of it. I think you have to start with "Five Leaves Left" (also dark and spare, but so rich) and follow the swerve through "Bryter Later" (sweeter and so tender) before you descend into "Pink Moon." Of course, for any artist worth his or her weight, the body of work gives essential context, but at the time of these records people were deliberately working in the album format. So you can certainly gather a lot more from reacting to the whole of the "Pink Moon" album than to one song. But for Nick Drake? Give the first two album a couple of spins-no need to film and edit a reaction, just for your own benefit. (Although I love love those two records in a way I don't love "Pink Moon," much as it too awes me.)
This is part of a true masterpiece. The full album is about 30 minutes long, and definitely should be heard as a full album. it's the sound of Nick cracking up, and some say it's his suicide note. The "pink moon" is death and that's what the album is about. The album is a perfect jewel and the songs have been used in many soundtracks. Nick was an exquisite acoustic guitar player and his guitar was always beautifully recorded. He used a lot of innovative tunings, some of which fans have not been able to figure out to this day. The full album is a mood that I don't have the words to describe. If you don't do that on the channel do it on your own. Next Nick Drake songs for the channel: Three Hours or Cello Song.
You put it better than I could, Lucie. There's a whole world to dive into there, especially anything Joe Boyd produced. John Martyn's Solid Air should be on their radar too...
@@loosilu - I mentioned this in my comment earlier, but there is plenty of evidence from his family and friends that it was more likely an accidental overdose. I'm going to hold on to that theory, even though his history of depression was well-documented. Such amazing artistry from such a sad soul. Not unusual in the history of art, however.
This is tough song to appreciate on first listen if approached with an analytical mindset. I think Andy picked up on that right away. I first heard this song while driving in the deserts of southern Utah at 2:30ish in the morning in the mid ‘90’s. I was tired, emotionally and physically, and this song just showed up on whatever radio station I happened to have reception for. In this sort of unguarded intellectual state, this song seeped right into me and lit up my bones. I turned off the radio when it was over and just let the song and the feeling resonate for the rest of my drive. Big stuff. Thanks for being open to stuff like Nick.
Nick Drake is truly special. His delivery, his tunings, lyrics...the longing...the mood. I play him on rainy days. Must listen to "Fly" which is just stunning.
I highly suggest you listen to River Man, it’s considered his masterpiece. I also suggest you check out his biography. It’s very sad but it makes you appreciate his music that much more
Never heard River Man till I saw the recommendations here. Stunning, absolutely stunning song and made even better by being the first time I've heard it. Won't be the last. A&A should definitely hit it. Failing that, Northern Sky
@@Chalkerfan most of his songs are melancholy and I do love that, but one that’s uplifting is Time has told me. The acclaimed British folk singer/songwriter Richard Thompson played steel guitar on that one. It’s one of my favorites
Trust me when I say, this is a song that is part of a complete masterpiece. Nick Drake's Pink Moon album is a work of unique and delicate beauty. It is achingly, gloriously perfect.
No one knew who he was until Volkswagen made a TV commercial using this song. Just 30 seconds long, the commercial was so good and became so popular, people by the hundreds of thousands went to music stores to find out who the artist was so they could buy it. Probably sold more VW's as well. Ironically, he and his anti-commercial music would have died in obscurity if not for that commercial, and almost all the money it earned came after his suicide.
So tickled that you two finally got to Nick Drake. You mentioned his guitar playing…well, most of his songs (including Pink Moon) are in alternate tunings, so that is going on as well. Also, this album is Nick’s last, and there is just him, his guitar, and that brief piano overdub you heard on the title song. Otherwise, no other overdubs on the album. My favorite song on Pink Moon is From the Morning. It’s the final track and it brightens up an otherwise dark album. But it’s similar to the sparseness of Pink Moon so if you want to hear something different from Nick you should try his other two albums, Five Leaves Left (1969) or Bryter Layter (1970). Pink Moon gets all the attention but my fave album is Five Leaves Left. (I believe it’s Van Dyke Parks who is responsible for the strings)
From the Morning is absolutely gorgeous. It's the resurrection on his album about his own death. My favorite on the album is Parasite, but I'm a little afraid to tell people that because it's so depressing.
Please check out Northern Sky, River Man, Cello Song, Bryter Layter. Nick Drake has been a great influence on modern band. He suffered from depression and dropped out of university and passed away at his parents home from an accidental overdose, he died quite young. He plays all the instruments too. It is sad that his music wasnt appreciated much when he was alive but now we appreciate his beautiful gift to the world.
His mother Molly Drake was also an amateur singer-songwriter and has some great songs as well (check out I Remember, which was recently featured in a Ted Lasso episode and drew attention to her for the first time for many).
I heard River Man in the independent movie, “Dreams With The Fishes” back in 1997. I liked the song so much that I practically ran to my local record store and asked if they had any new Nick Drake releases, to which the central casting snobby record store employee started laughing under his breath and informed me that Nick Drake had died in the 70’s.
@loosilu exactly..like what...29 minutes long or something? It's one of those albums too that I think doesn't hit the same the 1st time. If you're like me, you've heard all of his albums at least 50 times, and we understand the true greatness and uniqueness of Drake. He has such a unique sound...it doesn't necessarily jump out as much initially, but as I listened more when I got into him around 2003 (I was 22), I started to find myself loving his stuff more and more. My favorite all time songwriter
@@drink_with_the_dead I heard Cello Song in 1997 when I was living in the UK. It actually got me out of bed (with a hangover, no less) because I had to know who this was.
So glad you've finally got round to hitting some Nick Drake, one of the great song writers of recent times, a trouble soul, an underrated guitarist and a genuinely engaging troubadour, such a sad loss, all his work is pure class. He was also such a great influence on so many other artists.
Just to give you some context & to expand on a few things people have touched on: Nick was extremely shy. He was also a bit insecure about his abilities. Chris Blackwell, the head and founder of Island Records, loved his music and did attempt to pull out the bells and whistles in the studio for the first two albums, a move which made Nick uncomfortable and left him feeling overwhelmed and unhappy with the results, but he felt too embarrassed to say so. He went on to record Pink Moon on his own, but then was too embarrassed to let anyone know that he did, so he left the tapes on one of the secretaries desks at the Island offices and made an Irish exit. It was three or four weeks before anyone found the tapes and realized what they were
this was probably the best reaction Alex has ever done. There is unique brilliance in the sparse arrangement of this song. As a one-off this sounds cool and gives off the cool vibe you both seemed to pick up on, but listening to an entire album like that creates a more dense and deeper mood. In that sense, Pink Moon was a departure from Nick Drake's previous two albums. Still, Drake - like solo Syd Barrett and maybe a handful of other musicians I have ever heard - have the ability to create songs that just stop me dead in my tracks, no matter where I'm at or what I'm doing. I recommend listening to "Hazy Jane II" next in order to get an idea of an opposite side of Drake - a song full of horns, funky 70s guitar, etc.
I’ve never heard of him but this gives me some “new” 70s music to discover. I was 10 in ‘72 and mostly listened to hard rock within a few years but diversified as I got older. Still, I thought I knew everything from the 70s but somehow Nick didn’t get the airplay on the CT stations I listened to.
Kevin, I know exactly what you're talking about - I grew up listening to older siblings' music, which included lots of Dylan, the Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, Jim Croce, etc., so the fact that there was somebody this talented making great music at the same time who I'd never heard of at the time, blew me away. I only became aware of him after hearing one of his songs used in Zach Braff's movie Garden State (which for some reason I was thinking came out 10 years ago, but it's nearly 20 years old now! - whew). Then I hunted down everything I could find of his, and now he's one of my favorite singer/songwriters. Thing is, Nick was never really popular during his lifetime, sadly. It wasn't until a decade after his death (a suspected suicide in 1974) that other artists started discovering him, and that really took off in the '90s, with artists like Kate Bush, Beck, the Black Crowes, and others citing him as a musical influence.
So this is from 3rd and last studio album and it was recorded without a backing band .. Just Drake on vocals, guitar and brief piano (really personal album).. if you want a more full sound do “Northern Sky” from his second album with use of backing band and it’s hauntingly beautiful song
I first came across Nick Drake in the late '70s. I was 15 and my older brother bought 'Fruit Tree', the first release of the boxed set of Nick's three albums. I fell in love on the first listen and I'm still in love with Nick's music over 40 years later. Andy and Alex, all three albums are worth a listen. As others have said, Pink Moon is best listened to in its entirety to get the best effect and for the other two albums, just off the top of my head listen to Northern Sky. Time Has Told Me, River Man, Hazy Jane I and Hazy Jane II and Poor Boy. In fact, just listen to all three albums, you won't be disappointed.
Check out Drake's bio...Kind of like theVan Gogh of music. Literally no recognition or fame during his life. He also had an extremely bizarre and untimely death. I always wonder if his life would've been different had he had any notoriety whatsoever
I can't disagree with any of the recommendations -- the quality of almost all of his songs is ridiculously high -- but Three Hours may be the best one to check out next. Or River Man, or Northern Sky, or...
If I could see any artist live, past or present, it would be Nick Drake. There is zero video footage of him performing live in existence, so the only people who will ever know what Nick’s live performances were like are the people who were actually there.
Pink Moon and Bryter Layter had a big influence on the indie scene in the 90s and later, which is maybe why I like his first album -- Five Leaves Left -- the best. The songwriting is more sophisticated, the melodies are tighter, and you can feel the 1960s folk, pop and R&B undercurrents to the songs. "Time has Told Me" and "River Man", the first two songs on the album, might be my two favorite songs of his.
Nick Drake is my greatest musical “discovery” of the 21st century, and all because of a Volkswagen commercial. Just shows you how capricious and random life can be. One moment you are half paying attention to a television commercial and the next moment your life is completely changed.
When I was an Uber driver, I had different playlists to play for different times of the day/evening/nighttime/whatever. I had an upbeat/party list for picking people up in the early evening to take them out to the bars, and a mellow playlist for picking them up from the bars at/near closing time to keep them lulled and not jolt them from their generally tired state. This song and a handful of other Nick Drake songs were on it.
FINALLY got to Nick!! Wasn't sure if it would ever happen. This song, and album, are so beautiful and perfect. The piano in this song is the only other instrument on the entire album. All the other songs are just Nick and his masterful guitar. Such a sad and brilliant man. Hope you do check out more.
Nick's songs sound so, not sure how to say, joyous? If you get down into his albums, the music represents his true feelings. The man suffered from extreme depression. He ended up dying from an OD of antidepressants. Sometimes the most suffering souls make the greatest art.
Finally! A troubled genius. I watched a documentary about him and one of the engineers that worked on his albums said that he had a metronome in his head basically, when he played guitar his timing was perfect.
Day is Done is short, sweet and even more impactful after learning Nick Drake’s story. The 2000 documentary, A Skin Too Few-The Days of Nick Drake really puts it all into perspective.
God, I forgot all about this day. I think it was used in a VW commercial years ago. 1999 Volkswagen Cabriolet advertisement. It really pushed this song up the charts again in the early 2000's.
His guitar is tuned CGCFCE and I believe he has a capo on the 2nd fret.... he used some of the craziest tunings ever and just wrote some of the most beautiful music, otherworldly almost!
So short. But so sweet! This tune and "40" by U2 are my two favorite short songs. I love them but wish they were much much longer! This was used in a Volkswagen commercial back in the day. Probably one of the best ads of all time.
As I understand it, Nick Drake was an old-school folk singer and would play and sing at the same time when he recorded album tracks. He did not do separate takes devoted solely to either the vocals or instrumentation. Thus, Andy's observation about the difficulty of singing along with his strumming patterns is more of a compliment to Drake than you might have imagined. The additional instrumentation was typically added by the producers, sometimes, in my opinion, a bit heavy handedly, and I think it might have been better to leave his songs a little more stripped down. (Nick himself was reportedly unhappy with how much some of his tracks had been "dolled up" in the studio.) I would recommend "River Man" as your next Nick Drake song. It is a good example of both the uniqueness of his melodies and the difficulty he was willing to tackle on the guitar parts.
Actually on Pink Moon, according to engineer John Wood, Nick recorded the guitar parts and vocals separately, perhaps due to his troubled state of mind.
Tough to judge with this one short song. It’s more of an intro into the rest of side one. The piano on this track is the only time another instrument is used on the album. And it is a great album.
John Wood, the engineer, could record acoustics so beautifully. Nick Drake an incredible songwriter, incapable of live performance, made 3 genius albums.
Just discovered Nick this past year. The authenticity in his voice is lost on many contemporary artists with their contrived, faux-whispery, sensitive vocal style. Also, how much can Andy squat?
If you don’t do anything else in life, even if you don’t do it on the channel (though I highly suggest you do, you’ll be lost in the sauce, perhaps as you’ve never been before on the channel), if you want to understand Nick Drake’s genius wrapped up in one song, you need to listen to “Three Hours.” There are a few versions of the song you can get your hands on, but it needs to be the version from the album “Five Leaves Left.” Y’all talked about his unique strumming, Nick has a wildly unique fingerpicking style too, and he experimented with alternate tunings long before it was de rigeur. He is a wildly unique guitarist, and his vocals on “Three Hours” are particularly haunting, even for him. Nick Drake listening is a rabbit hole for sure, but his library is very consumable because he didn’t record much due to his early death. “Three Hours.” Do it.
Nick Drake was a good friend of John Martyn who is a brilliant acoustic guitarist and singer with a body of work that is well worth checking out. The albums " Solid Air" and "Bless the Weather" are a good starting point.
another Folk singer that got ignored is Sixto Rodruguez. made famous by the doc Searching for Sugarman. he put out two albums and failed to get recognition until decades later. fortunately he waa still alive to see it.
I haven't listened to Nick Drake for over 25 years. Got into him heavily for a few months but his music never really took hold for me after that. Still, this was refreshing to hear again.
I first heard this song in the 1990s Volkswagen Cabrio commercial, which is still an awesome commercial, lol...wish I had more friends like that :) The song got my attention right away. I love the guitar and how beautifully layered the rhythms and sounds are. Another artist we lost too soon.
So glad you guys got around to checking out Nick Drake. This song is his most well known, but agree with fellow commenters that his work is best listened to as full albums (they're all quite short as albums go). He only released three albums, in a relatively short period of time, but the progression between them shows the hyperbolic nature of his life and career, culminating in the darkest of his albums in his final release in Pink Moon. Look forward to maybe seeing an album review on the Patreon, but if you're looking for individual songs I'd check out (in order): Cello Song, From the Morning, Northern Sky, Saturday Sun, Hazey Jane II. Many other great ones though!
Such a perfectionist at guitar that he seized up in the live setting and ultimately suffered for his craft. A genius and sits nicely next to Elliott Smith at the coffee shop Beyond
Nick Drake was the real deal. A true artist who's songs transcend time space life and death. The album Pink Moon is fragile but also totally earnest and honest.
Wanna hear something weird? I'm a music lover old enough that I should have heard the thing when it came out. i didn't. But I'm also a 'car guy'. Was heavy into watercooled VWs in the '90s-'00s. Also, my career was television. VW made a commercial for their convertible. They called it the 'cabriolet', which is an old term meaning the fabric roof of the car could be peeled back with the side structure of the car standing..I guess the marketing folks were proud of that roll bar in the middle of the car. I worked in TV, and saw an ad one day that damn near had me tearing up. The thing had a pack of young folks going to a party up in the hills. They've got the top down in a lil' VW Caddi, they're enjoying the night sky. They arrive at the party, all they see is drunks stumbling all over the place. They all look at each other - and go back down the hill in the moonlight. I found a copy of it, that thing with the white lights on the back cutting on (happens when you shift into reverse) at :46 on the link I'll provide was the one that got me. And of course, I went "WHO WROTE THAT (effing) SONG?" on the internet. Broke my heart that it was so long ago, and I'd never heard of him. My daughter looked at VW Cabbies when she was looking for her first car, but her mom was straight-up, "No convertables!!" Yeah...like a VW Golf with the roof shaved off is gonna rollover like your stupid SUV. Do more Drake, guys! He's brilliant. Here's the ad I was talking about: th-cam.com/video/_-kqUkZnDcM/w-d-xo.html
Pink Moon is a beautiful album, very sparse and delicate. On most of the songs, including Pink Moon itself, he was singing and playing together live. His first album, Five Leaves Left, has slightly more instrumentation than this, but his middle album, Bryter Layter, has all the songs worked up into a band arrangement. Not loud or complicated or anything, but it gives different dimensions to those delicate vocals and intricate guitar. He was very good friends with John Martyn, who's another you really need to hit.
This is a great taste of Nick Drake but just scratches the surface. The song "Time Has Told Me" is and Epic along with "River Man". If you'd like something with more meat. The truth is he has a whole catalouge of masterpieces though.
The great Richard Thompson, who played guitar on several Nick Drake tunes, has stated that Nick Drake was the saddest human being he has ever come across in all his years. Great talent that suffered through depression but was still able to gift us with songs like this. Check him out, he's tremendous.
Come back to Nick Drake guys. You want to take a look at one of his songs from Bryter Layter with all of it's intricate and beautiful arrangements. Northern Sky is my favourite Nick Drake song - it has the perfect mix of his lyrics and their imagry, his songwriting talent and the wonderful arrangement by John Cale (of the Velvet Underground, and also an actual genius).
A self-taught guitarist that died at 23, Nick Drake is one of the most unique musicians I have heard. He plays off very dead strings, his fingering is unique and the songs he wrote tend to have a dark tone that reflected his own deep depression. Few knew who he was when he passed but now he is universally recognized for his talent. Oh how I wish we could have heard more than his three albums.
26. (But who's counting?)
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@@johnbeach7985 26, you're right. I wasn't counting my three lost years. :)
I discovered him twenty years ago after the Volkswagon commercial.
Well there is more than the 3 albums. Several posthumous releases have added more to his canon, Time of No Reply, Made To Love Magic, Family Album, and there have been several bootlegs down the years with more home recordings and BBC tracks.
It took a Volkswagen commercial to introduce me to Nick Drake. A rare time in life I was thankful for advertising 🙏
Peace from Pennsylvania ✌️
And that commercial was perfect for the song...they get to the party and decide to skip and and just hang out together, driving around.
Everything he wrote is a masterpiece. His story is incredible and very sad. Listen to Northern Sky and it’ll change your life!
Shout out to Serendipity.
@@theplanetruth I regret that it wasn't until the 2001 movie "Serendipity" that I became aware of Nick. I was so struck by his song Northern Lights featured in it that when I got home from the theater I immediately looked him up.
That’s a stretch.
Ahh yes. Northern Sky is my favourite of all Nick Drakes incredibly beautiful songs.
I’m 58, owned hundreds of albums, listened to thousands more. I’ve never heard of this guy. 🤷🏼♂️
This song is an invitation to the amazing world of Nick Drake. Please check out more, "River Man", "Northern Sky", "Three Hours", "Hazey Jane I", just off the top of my head. All three of his albums are masterpieces.
Three Hours is my favorite ND song.
Go with the three hours version with reebop kwakubah on conga. It's absolutely a template that John martyn ran with..
th-cam.com/video/XS76eOoYQZY/w-d-xo.html
I'd say THREE HOURS is his peak masterpiece, amazing song
@@wb2463 Me too! It's my favorite song from him. I think it really shows his eastern influence. He was born in Burma.
@@wb2463 I always limed this version with the conga mixed just right
th-cam.com/video/XS76eOoYQZY/w-d-xo.html
To expand on what Alex said -- This song IS a part of a body of work that is a masterpiece. Next check out the atmospheric "River Man."
Morning Allison!
Hey,@@Shadowrider1872! Happy Wednesday!!!
I'm voting for both Three Hours and Cello song above River Man.
@@loosilu it’s all good. There are no bad choices, tbh.
The whole Five Leaves Left album is a masterpiece. One of my favourites tracks there is When the day is done
I sadly missed knowing Nick existed when his albums first came out, and hearing just a snippet of this song on a Volkswagen commercial in the 90's was enough to make me fall in love with him and he's now one of my top ten favorite artists of all time. This album, sadly his last before he died - and I firmly believe it was an accidental overdose and NOT suicide - and was the only one without orchestral arrangements. Hhe was in such a depressed/manic state that he just sat on a stool facing a wall to record the whole album. Nick is also known for having some of the craziest alternate tunings and I think there might be some that still haven't been deciphered; this song is actually one of the only ones I can play (once you look up the tuning). He definitely has become a cult legend and there are many covers and videos of live tributes with different artists covering his songs. Hope you listen to more of his stuff.
There are also many pop culture references to him in alternative rock of the 80s and 90s. The Cure got their band name from a Nick Drake lyric. Pretty much every one of your favorite songwriters from that time were obsessed with him.
He supposedly delivered the album to the record company by leaving the finished product on their doorstep and walking away without talking to anyone.
I have the same story, heard the song on the commercial and investigated and ended up buying everything I could from him.❤
VW and his estate deserve ALL the kudos for putting this song into that commercial because it brought it to SO many people.
That Volkswagen commercial sent me down the rabbit hole ❤
I was a Nick Drake fan back when he was alive, and I'm always amazed at how people think they can start with the "Pink Moon" album, as the most "iconic" or whatever. and get right into "getting" him. It's a culmination, and to me it was so startlingly and shockingly spare that I still don't quite know what to make of it. I think you have to start with "Five Leaves Left" (also dark and spare, but so rich) and follow the swerve through "Bryter Later" (sweeter and so tender) before you descend into "Pink Moon." Of course, for any artist worth his or her weight, the body of work gives essential context, but at the time of these records people were deliberately working in the album format. So you can certainly gather a lot more from reacting to the whole of the "Pink Moon" album than to one song. But for Nick Drake? Give the first two album a couple of spins-no need to film and edit a reaction, just for your own benefit. (Although I love love those two records in a way I don't love "Pink Moon," much as it too awes me.)
Well said
Listening to his music, I’m often overwhelmed by profound sadness for his short time on this earth.
This is part of a true masterpiece. The full album is about 30 minutes long, and definitely should be heard as a full album. it's the sound of Nick cracking up, and some say it's his suicide note. The "pink moon" is death and that's what the album is about. The album is a perfect jewel and the songs have been used in many soundtracks.
Nick was an exquisite acoustic guitar player and his guitar was always beautifully recorded. He used a lot of innovative tunings, some of which fans have not been able to figure out to this day.
The full album is a mood that I don't have the words to describe. If you don't do that on the channel do it on your own.
Next Nick Drake songs for the channel: Three Hours or Cello Song.
You put it better than I could, Lucie. There's a whole world to dive into there, especially anything Joe Boyd produced. John Martyn's Solid Air should be on their radar too...
The "pink moon" is not death. It's love.
Pink Moon is only about 29 minutes long, but it’s total intensity. I still think ‘newbies’ would be better off hearing his previous two albums though.
@@urbeatle I guess we'll never know his intention. To me the Pink Moon album is an obvious suicide note.
@@loosilu - I mentioned this in my comment earlier, but there is plenty of evidence from his family and friends that it was more likely an accidental overdose. I'm going to hold on to that theory, even though his history of depression was well-documented. Such amazing artistry from such a sad soul. Not unusual in the history of art, however.
I've never heard this guy before. It really touched me. I want to hear more.
I have a feeling that you won't be disappointed.
@@BCTMarcus I bought two of his albums already and I've been listening to them all day.
Verlopil that is what happens.
Welcome home
@richardharris5533 what a kind thing to say, dude =)
This is tough song to appreciate on first listen if approached with an analytical mindset. I think Andy picked up on that right away. I first heard this song while driving in the deserts of southern Utah at 2:30ish in the morning in the mid ‘90’s. I was tired, emotionally and physically, and this song just showed up on whatever radio station I happened to have reception for. In this sort of unguarded intellectual state, this song seeped right into me and lit up my bones. I turned off the radio when it was over and just let the song and the feeling resonate for the rest of my drive. Big stuff.
Thanks for being open to stuff like Nick.
I can totally envision how that felt. Perfect way to hear Nick for the first time.
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yep beautiful. that album is always my go to when driving northern new mexico.
Nick Drake is truly special. His delivery, his tunings, lyrics...the longing...the mood. I play him on rainy days. Must listen to "Fly" which is just stunning.
Volkswagen made a very beautiful and unique commercial with this wonderful song.
I highly suggest you listen to River Man, it’s considered his masterpiece. I also suggest you check out his biography. It’s very sad but it makes you appreciate his music that much more
Never heard River Man till I saw the recommendations here. Stunning, absolutely stunning song and made even better by being the first time I've heard it. Won't be the last. A&A should definitely hit it. Failing that, Northern Sky
@@Chalkerfan most of his songs are melancholy and I do love that, but one that’s uplifting is Time has told me. The acclaimed British folk singer/songwriter Richard Thompson played steel guitar on that one. It’s one of my favorites
I'm always so wary of how Nick will be received. He is so delicate & unique. (You shouldn't put the good crystal in the dishwasher.)
Trust me when I say, this is a song that is part of a complete masterpiece. Nick Drake's Pink Moon album is a work of unique and delicate beauty. It is achingly, gloriously perfect.
No one knew who he was until Volkswagen made a TV commercial using this song. Just 30 seconds long, the commercial was so good and became so popular, people by the hundreds of thousands went to music stores to find out who the artist was so they could buy it. Probably sold more VW's as well. Ironically, he and his anti-commercial music would have died in obscurity if not for that commercial, and almost all the money it earned came after his suicide.
Funny...I discovered him from a 30 second AT&T commercial that had "From The Morning" in it. :)
This song also appeared on the soundtrack of one of my fave movies, "The Lake House" 🌅
So tickled that you two finally got to Nick Drake. You mentioned his guitar playing…well, most of his songs (including Pink Moon) are in alternate tunings, so that is going on as well. Also, this album is Nick’s last, and there is just him, his guitar, and that brief piano overdub you heard on the title song. Otherwise, no other overdubs on the album.
My favorite song on Pink Moon is From the Morning. It’s the final track and it brightens up an otherwise dark album.
But it’s similar to the sparseness of Pink Moon so if you want to hear something different from Nick you should try his other two albums, Five Leaves Left (1969) or Bryter Layter (1970). Pink Moon gets all the attention but my fave album is Five Leaves Left. (I believe it’s Van Dyke Parks who is responsible for the strings)
From the Morning is absolutely gorgeous. It's the resurrection on his album about his own death.
My favorite on the album is Parasite, but I'm a little afraid to tell people that because it's so depressing.
Robert Kirby who befriended Nick Drake at Cambridge did nearly all of the string arrangements for his first two albums.
Please check out "Northern Sky" by Nick Drake!! One of the most beautiful and melancholic songs of all time.
"River Man" is gorgeous.
Please check out Northern Sky, River Man, Cello Song, Bryter Layter. Nick Drake has been a great influence on modern band. He suffered from depression and dropped out of university and passed away at his parents home from an accidental overdose, he died quite young. He plays all the instruments too. It is sad that his music wasnt appreciated much when he was alive but now we appreciate his beautiful gift to the world.
His mother Molly Drake was also an amateur singer-songwriter and has some great songs as well (check out I Remember, which was recently featured in a Ted Lasso episode and drew attention to her for the first time for many).
Next pink moon due on April 19, 2023
This is completely new to me. Really beautiful song.
I can assure you that 90%+ of us had never heard this song before it was brilliantly used in a VW commercial beginning in late 1999.
I heard River Man in the independent movie, “Dreams With The Fishes” back in 1997. I liked the song so much that I practically ran to my local record store and asked if they had any new Nick Drake releases, to which the central casting snobby record store employee started laughing under his breath and informed me that Nick Drake had died in the 70’s.
When I lived in the UK in 1997, my friends introduced me to his music. Cello Song was my introduction.
you need to do a full album reaction to Pink Moon. One of the top albums of all time.
No doubt..nothing like Nick Drake
I think the full album would be much better than picking out individual songs. The whole thing is very short.
@loosilu exactly..like what...29 minutes long or something? It's one of those albums too that I think doesn't hit the same the 1st time. If you're like me, you've heard all of his albums at least 50 times, and we understand the true greatness and uniqueness of Drake. He has such a unique sound...it doesn't necessarily jump out as much initially, but as I listened more when I got into him around 2003 (I was 22), I started to find myself loving his stuff more and more. My favorite all time songwriter
@@drink_with_the_dead I heard Cello Song in 1997 when I was living in the UK. It actually got me out of bed (with a hangover, no less) because I had to know who this was.
@@loosilu so good
So glad you've finally got round to hitting some Nick Drake, one of the great song writers of recent times, a trouble soul, an underrated guitarist and a genuinely engaging troubadour, such a sad loss, all his work is pure class. He was also such a great influence on so many other artists.
Just to give you some context & to expand on a few things people have touched on: Nick was extremely shy. He was also a bit insecure about his abilities. Chris Blackwell, the head and founder of Island Records, loved his music and did attempt to pull out the bells and whistles in the studio for the first two albums, a move which made Nick uncomfortable and left him feeling overwhelmed and unhappy with the results, but he felt too embarrassed to say so. He went on to record Pink Moon on his own, but then was too embarrassed to let anyone know that he did, so he left the tapes on one of the secretaries desks at the Island offices and made an Irish exit. It was three or four weeks before anyone found the tapes and realized what they were
His playing is phenomenal. Black Eyed Dog is probably my favorite of his.
this was probably the best reaction Alex has ever done. There is unique brilliance in the sparse arrangement of this song. As a one-off this sounds cool and gives off the cool vibe you both seemed to pick up on, but listening to an entire album like that creates a more dense and deeper mood. In that sense, Pink Moon was a departure from Nick Drake's previous two albums. Still, Drake - like solo Syd Barrett and maybe a handful of other musicians I have ever heard - have the ability to create songs that just stop me dead in my tracks, no matter where I'm at or what I'm doing. I recommend listening to "Hazy Jane II" next in order to get an idea of an opposite side of Drake - a song full of horns, funky 70s guitar, etc.
I’ve never heard of him but this gives me some “new” 70s music to discover. I was 10 in ‘72 and mostly listened to hard rock within a few years but diversified as I got older. Still, I thought I knew everything from the 70s but somehow Nick didn’t get the airplay on the CT stations I listened to.
Kevin, I know exactly what you're talking about - I grew up listening to older siblings' music, which included lots of Dylan, the Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, Jim Croce, etc., so the fact that there was somebody this talented making great music at the same time who I'd never heard of at the time, blew me away. I only became aware of him after hearing one of his songs used in Zach Braff's movie Garden State (which for some reason I was thinking came out 10 years ago, but it's nearly 20 years old now! - whew). Then I hunted down everything I could find of his, and now he's one of my favorite singer/songwriters. Thing is, Nick was never really popular during his lifetime, sadly. It wasn't until a decade after his death (a suspected suicide in 1974) that other artists started discovering him, and that really took off in the '90s, with artists like Kate Bush, Beck, the Black Crowes, and others citing him as a musical influence.
So this is from 3rd and last studio album and it was recorded without a backing band .. Just Drake on vocals, guitar and brief piano (really personal album).. if you want a more full sound do “Northern Sky” from his second album with use of backing band and it’s hauntingly beautiful song
'Time has told me' and 'River Man', just some of the best songs ever
Time has Told Me is where the band the Cure got their name.
I first came across Nick Drake in the late '70s. I was 15 and my older brother bought 'Fruit Tree', the first release of the boxed set of Nick's three albums. I fell in love on the first listen and I'm still in love with Nick's music over 40 years later. Andy and Alex, all three albums are worth a listen. As others have said, Pink Moon is best listened to in its entirety to get the best effect and for the other two albums, just off the top of my head listen to Northern Sky. Time Has Told Me, River Man, Hazy Jane I and Hazy Jane II and Poor Boy. In fact, just listen to all three albums, you won't be disappointed.
I'm riding in the back seat of Dad's '75 Buick watching the snow covered trees and the rolling hills go by.
Check out Drake's bio...Kind of like theVan Gogh of music. Literally no recognition or fame during his life. He also had an extremely bizarre and untimely death. I always wonder if his life would've been different had he had any notoriety whatsoever
Should have started with his true masterwork, River Man. No one sounds like Nick Drake, everything he ever recorded is 5 stars.
I can't disagree with any of the recommendations -- the quality of almost all of his songs is ridiculously high -- but Three Hours may be the best one to check out next. Or River Man, or Northern Sky, or...
Yeah, you could throw a rock at Nick Drake's catalog end likely hit a brilliant song.
If I could see any artist live, past or present, it would be Nick Drake. There is zero video footage of him performing live in existence, so the only people who will ever know what Nick’s live performances were like are the people who were actually there.
Pink Moon and Bryter Layter had a big influence on the indie scene in the 90s and later, which is maybe why I like his first album -- Five Leaves Left -- the best. The songwriting is more sophisticated, the melodies are tighter, and you can feel the 1960s folk, pop and R&B undercurrents to the songs. "Time has Told Me" and "River Man", the first two songs on the album, might be my two favorite songs of his.
There's no one like this guy. This is great but Five Leaves Left album is awesome. Listening to Nick Drake just gets better and better
As an acoustic guitar player, I love listening to his tone and chord voicing and his unique alternative tunings. I love trying to play his stuff.
Nick Drake is one of those guys like Jeff Buckley. Brilliant musician who died tragically young.
Nick Drake is my greatest musical “discovery” of the 21st century, and all because of a Volkswagen commercial. Just shows you how capricious and random life can be. One moment you are half paying attention to a television commercial and the next moment your life is completely changed.
When I was an Uber driver, I had different playlists to play for different times of the day/evening/nighttime/whatever. I had an upbeat/party list for picking people up in the early evening to take them out to the bars, and a mellow playlist for picking them up from the bars at/near closing time to keep them lulled and not jolt them from their generally tired state. This song and a handful of other Nick Drake songs were on it.
Without any doubt one of the most talented singer songwriters of all times. Listen to River Man, for me his Master piece.
Been voting for this song! One of my favorites. ❤❤❤
The start of Andy and Alex's Nick Drake journey!
Wasn't my scene obviously why I've never heard of this guy or this song in 50 years 😶, but I can see peeps appreciation for it.
FINALLY got to Nick!! Wasn't sure if it would ever happen. This song, and album, are so beautiful and perfect.
The piano in this song is the only other instrument on the entire album. All the other songs are just Nick and his masterful guitar.
Such a sad and brilliant man. Hope you do check out more.
So much great stuff from Nick Drake. Hazey Jane II is a totally different vibe. Northern Sky is brilliant. Cello Song is a very interesting song.
Cello Song is another great one.
That's the first ND song I ever heard. I actually got out of bed for it.
That’s the one I listen to the most
My vote for next Nick Drake is for Riverman
Nick's songs sound so, not sure how to say, joyous? If you get down into his albums, the music represents his true feelings. The man suffered from extreme depression. He ended up dying from an OD of antidepressants. Sometimes the most suffering souls make the greatest art.
He recorded a record called Fives Leaves Left and then died 5 years after it was released. Spooky.
@@John_Locke_108 Fives Left Left?
@@Johonnac Nice catch. I edited my comment.
You should really listen to river man it's one of the greatest songs ever made
Finally! A troubled genius. I watched a documentary about him and one of the engineers that worked on his albums said that he had a metronome in his head basically, when he played guitar his timing was perfect.
Day is Done is short, sweet and even more impactful after learning Nick Drake’s story. The 2000 documentary, A Skin Too Few-The Days of Nick Drake really puts it all into perspective.
Nick Drake’s songs are like beautiful yet melancholy little poems. He was an exceptional acoustic guitarist too, completely self-taught.
God, I forgot all about this day. I think it was used in a VW commercial years ago. 1999 Volkswagen Cabriolet advertisement. It really pushed this song up the charts again in the early 2000's.
His guitar is tuned CGCFCE and I believe he has a capo on the 2nd fret.... he used some of the craziest tunings ever and just wrote some of the most beautiful music, otherworldly almost!
Very short song, but wow, just amazing...and "heavy" in context. Truly one of the all time most beautiful songs. Thanx! ~Be Blessed
So short. But so sweet! This tune and "40" by U2 are my two favorite short songs. I love them but wish they were much much longer! This was used in a Volkswagen commercial back in the day. Probably one of the best ads of all time.
Whenever I hear Nick Drake, I have to listen to him for the whole day. Just a melodic, wonderous, painfully beautiful body of work.
As I understand it, Nick Drake was an old-school folk singer and would play and sing at the same time when he recorded album tracks. He did not do separate takes devoted solely to either the vocals or instrumentation. Thus, Andy's observation about the difficulty of singing along with his strumming patterns is more of a compliment to Drake than you might have imagined. The additional instrumentation was typically added by the producers, sometimes, in my opinion, a bit heavy handedly, and I think it might have been better to leave his songs a little more stripped down. (Nick himself was reportedly unhappy with how much some of his tracks had been "dolled up" in the studio.) I would recommend "River Man" as your next Nick Drake song. It is a good example of both the uniqueness of his melodies and the difficulty he was willing to tackle on the guitar parts.
Actually on Pink Moon, according to engineer John Wood, Nick recorded the guitar parts and vocals separately, perhaps due to his troubled state of mind.
at last! So happy you check Nick Drape! Thanx
Tough to judge with this one short song. It’s more of an intro into the rest of side one. The piano on this track is the only time another instrument is used on the album. And it is a great album.
GOOOOOOOOOOOOD MORNING A&A FAMILY!!!!!
✌️❤
Definitely River Man next. It’s a beautiful haunting song that will get into your heads!
Northern Sky. River Man. As you picked up on the guy could play a guitar.
Love all 3 Nick Drake albums to death 🎶
uh....phrasing?
Island Records released a fourth, "Time of no Reply" in 1986.
Full of good previously unreleased material like Joey and Strange Meeting II.
River Man should be next.
I'm a rocker at my core, but the first time I heard this, I fell in love with it.
The song "Solid Air" was written about him. the artist is John Martyn. Worth a listen.
While "Pink Moon" is kinda unique and quirky, the qintessential Nick Dake tack is "Day is Done" - check it out
John Wood, the engineer, could record acoustics so beautifully. Nick Drake an incredible songwriter, incapable of live performance, made 3 genius albums.
Just discovered Nick this past year. The authenticity in his voice is lost on many contemporary artists with their contrived, faux-whispery, sensitive vocal style. Also, how much can Andy squat?
My favorite Nick Drake song is "Time of No Reply". The title kinda sounds like it's a cheezy 60s concoction, but it's blistering melancholy.
If you don’t do anything else in life, even if you don’t do it on the channel (though I highly suggest you do, you’ll be lost in the sauce, perhaps as you’ve never been before on the channel), if you want to understand Nick Drake’s genius wrapped up in one song, you need to listen to “Three Hours.” There are a few versions of the song you can get your hands on, but it needs to be the version from the album “Five Leaves Left.” Y’all talked about his unique strumming, Nick has a wildly unique fingerpicking style too, and he experimented with alternate tunings long before it was de rigeur. He is a wildly unique guitarist, and his vocals on “Three Hours” are particularly haunting, even for him. Nick Drake listening is a rabbit hole for sure, but his library is very consumable because he didn’t record much due to his early death. “Three Hours.” Do it.
Nick Drake is a gem!! Other great songs:
"One Of These Things First"
"Fly"
"Saturday Sun"
Nick Drake was a good friend of John Martyn who is a brilliant acoustic guitarist and singer with a body of work that is well worth checking out. The albums " Solid Air" and "Bless the Weather" are a good starting point.
DUDES!!!
FINALLY!!!
Keep going!!!
AT THE CHIME OF A CITY CLOCK!!
NORTHERN SKY!!!
another Folk singer that got ignored is Sixto Rodruguez. made famous by the doc Searching for Sugarman. he put out two albums and failed to get recognition until decades later. fortunately he waa still alive to see it.
Nick's sister Gabrielle is a beautiful and successful actress , quite a star in the UK from the 1970s on.
"Fly" was my Nick Drake gateway drug. By far my favorite. But you can't go wrong with "River Man" or "Northern Sky" as many of your fans suggest.
I haven't listened to Nick Drake for over 25 years. Got into him heavily for a few months but his music never really took hold for me after that. Still, this was refreshing to hear again.
I cannot recommend Nick Drake enough. A true rtist.
"River Man" is the best entry point into Nick Drake. Then, the full albums.
I first heard this song in the 1990s Volkswagen Cabrio commercial, which is still an awesome commercial, lol...wish I had more friends like that :) The song got my attention right away. I love the guitar and how beautifully layered the rhythms and sounds are. Another artist we lost too soon.
So glad you guys got around to checking out Nick Drake. This song is his most well known, but agree with fellow commenters that his work is best listened to as full albums (they're all quite short as albums go). He only released three albums, in a relatively short period of time, but the progression between them shows the hyperbolic nature of his life and career, culminating in the darkest of his albums in his final release in Pink Moon. Look forward to maybe seeing an album review on the Patreon, but if you're looking for individual songs I'd check out (in order): Cello Song, From the Morning, Northern Sky, Saturday Sun, Hazey Jane II. Many other great ones though!
Gotta say, I never heard of this artist, but I did enjoy this tune, thought the piano was a bit upfront, but otherwise pleasant listening.
Such a perfectionist at guitar that he seized up in the live setting and ultimately suffered for his craft. A genius and sits nicely next to Elliott Smith at the coffee shop Beyond
Nick Drake was the real deal. A true artist who's songs transcend time space life and death. The album Pink Moon is fragile but also totally earnest and honest.
Oh, his catalogue of work is so, so worth listening to. Nick Drake's music is a rabbit hole for sure.
Wanna hear something weird? I'm a music lover old enough that I should have heard the thing when it came out. i didn't. But I'm also a 'car guy'. Was heavy into watercooled VWs in the '90s-'00s. Also, my career was television. VW made a commercial for their convertible. They called it the 'cabriolet', which is an old term meaning the fabric roof of the car could be peeled back with the side structure of the car standing..I guess the marketing folks were proud of that roll bar in the middle of the car. I worked in TV, and saw an ad one day that damn near had me tearing up.
The thing had a pack of young folks going to a party up in the hills. They've got the top down in a lil' VW Caddi, they're enjoying the night sky. They arrive at the party, all they see is drunks stumbling all over the place. They all look at each other - and go back down the hill in the moonlight. I found a copy of it, that thing with the white lights on the back cutting on (happens when you shift into reverse) at :46 on the link I'll provide was the one that got me. And of course, I went "WHO WROTE THAT (effing) SONG?" on the internet. Broke my heart that it was so long ago, and I'd never heard of him.
My daughter looked at VW Cabbies when she was looking for her first car, but her mom was straight-up, "No convertables!!" Yeah...like a VW Golf with the roof shaved off is gonna rollover like your stupid SUV.
Do more Drake, guys! He's brilliant. Here's the ad I was talking about:
th-cam.com/video/_-kqUkZnDcM/w-d-xo.html
Pink Moon is a beautiful album, very sparse and delicate. On most of the songs, including Pink Moon itself, he was singing and playing together live. His first album, Five Leaves Left, has slightly more instrumentation than this, but his middle album, Bryter Layter, has all the songs worked up into a band arrangement. Not loud or complicated or anything, but it gives different dimensions to those delicate vocals and intricate guitar. He was very good friends with John Martyn, who's another you really need to hit.
This is a great taste of Nick Drake but just scratches the surface. The song "Time Has Told Me" is and Epic along with "River Man". If you'd like something with more meat. The truth is he has a whole catalouge of masterpieces though.
The great Richard Thompson, who played guitar on several Nick Drake tunes, has stated that Nick Drake was the saddest human being he has ever come across in all his years. Great talent that suffered through depression but was still able to gift us with songs like this. Check him out, he's tremendous.
This song is one of the most beautiful that ever exists. Makes me feel in ease and comfort.
Holy shit didn't think yall would ever get to Nick Drake! My favorite artist of all time.
Come back to Nick Drake guys. You want to take a look at one of his songs from Bryter Layter with all of it's intricate and beautiful arrangements. Northern Sky is my favourite Nick Drake song - it has the perfect mix of his lyrics and their imagry, his songwriting talent and the wonderful arrangement by John Cale (of the Velvet Underground, and also an actual genius).