The Nick Drake Appreciation Thread

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

I just made a mix for a musician friend of mine who had only heard him through the Volkswagen commercial. I said "shit man we need to get you some Drake stat!"

Man what a genius. He wrote the most haunting melodies. Such a sad tale of genius snuffed out by itself!

[FlashHarry]

1. Fantastic stuff. Especially "Five Leaves Left."

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

2. That album is epic

haunting, jazzy and deep

[Screaming Lord Byron]

3. I think the Pink Moon album is my favourite.

I don't find it depressing at all. Should I be concerned?

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

4. I don't find much of his stuff depressing - but I find depressing music

uplifting - so I'm a bad person to ask

[Screaming Lord Byron]

9. I think the whole 'depressing' tag is a red herring.

I don't find him depressing. If anything he's dealing with his demons, often with a self-deprecating sense of humour ('Poor Boy')

[SheWhoMustBeObeyed]

12. agreed....he was depressed

But his music is not depressing.

[felonious thunk]

5. I actually think that VW spot was good

It turned a lot of people on to Nick Drake. His music is beautiful. Northern Sky, From the Morning, Which Way, Time has Told me. So many great songs.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

6. I'm not knocking the exposure. It is good

I just had a little more faith in my friend to go beyond the surface and dig up good stuff

You are correct though.

[dawg]

7. The song fruit tree is so apt ....

I can't help but be a little creeped out by it though. It usually makes me think of Nick lying in his coffin somewhere.

[Madrone]

8. Every one of his cds is a masterpiece.

I can't pick a favorite. I have all 4, plus the released after his death "best of" cd, Way to Blue.

Chavez, I am beginning to think you are a person I need to talk music more with. You have the same diverse taste I do, and it seems, in the same things.

One of these days I'll have to have you make some recommendations of stuff I haven't heard so I can check them out.

[Burma Jones]

10. A Nick Drake song story

It's September 11, 2002, first anniversary of the WTC attack. I'm living in Westchester County NY, basically a suburb of NYC. WFUV, Fordham's wonderful college radio station is pretty much playing music and otherwise reflecting on the events of the first anniversary. It's about 11:00 at night, and I am driving around because that's what I do when I have emotions to sort out.

"Time has Told Me" came on. The brilliant person that programmed that evening understood that the song not only dealt with personal pain and healing, but for a group as well.

I pulled over. I thought about what I had witnessed that day (I was in Washington Square when it happened) I thought about what I hed felt passing by Fire Houses. I could hear the bagpipes in my head as they carried bodies from the site. I remembered the thousands of posters with "MISSING." I thought about all the names being read on that day.

The song finished. I was a mess. It took about 15 minutes to get started driving again.

[bif]

11. I've got the box set. It's amazing.

The only thing is, I don't want to play it too often, because I don't want to get tired of the songs. Each disc is great. To bad there's so little material by this genius.