Nick Drake

I've only got 5 Leaves and listened to it again today. I came to the conclusion that I don't like his voice very much very un-varied, musically very good with some excellent players on the album.

Well you tried

Do you like Robert Johnson's guitar playing? I think there are great similarities between Nick and RJ - none more so than on the Pink Moon album.

I don't know Robert Johnson's work I'll investigate. Thanks.

Robert Johnson died in 1938 -

According to a legend known to modern Blues fans, Robert Johnson was a young black man living on a plantation in rural Mississippi. Branded with a burning desire to become a great blues musician, he was instructed to take his guitar to a crossroad near Dockery's plantation at midnight. There he was met by a large black man (the Devil) who took the guitar from Johnson and tuned it, giving him mastery of the guitar, and handed it back to him in return for his soul. In exchange Robert Johnson became able to play, sing, and create the greatest blues anyone had ever heard.

You can get Robert Johnson recordings on an album called King of the Delta Blues Singers - sound quality is mediocre, but the playing is sensational.

My recommendation would be



You get Peter Green's renditions of Robert Johnson plus the originals. It is a superb package.

At his most stark on Pink Moon and particularly on some of the outtakes on the Nick Drake box set or the single album Time of No Reply - you can hear the influence of Robert Johnson shining through.

The most haunting track Nick ever did was Black Eyed Dog

A black eyed dog he called at my door
The black eyed dog he called for more
A black eyed dog he knew my name
A black eyed dog.

I'm growing old and I wanna go home
I'm growiing old and I don't wanna know
I'm growing old and I wanna go home.

A black eyed dog he called at my door
A black eyed dog he called for more.

Here is Robert Johnson's Hell Hound On My Trail

ATB Rotf

Ah the crossroads man!

I have the Fruit Tree Set. I love it. I think Nick was special. There are a lot of things I enjoy about his music but one thing that stands out for me is way that he phrases his vocals. It is far from conventional, yet flows and engages effortlessly. I read a more technical analysis of his phrasing a while back, and it made sense to me, but I can't elaborate more other than to say that I think it is brilliant.

BTW, Nick's "One of These Things First" was used on the "7 Pounds" movie soundtrack.

quote:

Originally posted by BigH47:
...I don't like his voice very much...

Nick Drake was from an upper middle class background, and this is reflected in his voice, both speaking and singing.

Speaking, he sounds very much like his sister, the actress Gabrielle Drake. Singing, he sounds very much like his mother, Molly Drake (whose own amateur song writing was a strong influence on him also), who, being a young person in the '30s and '40s, is herself strongly influenced by (high period) Noel Coward.

Perhaps I should have said, it's more the phrasing than accent, although that must impinge to some extent.
I'll persevere, see what the library catalogue can come up with.

PS. That would be Pink Moon and Bryter Later.

Although I was vaguely aware of Nick Drake by seeing him being cited as an influence by various people, I had not actually heard anything by him until I heard River Man on the radio a few years ago.

The record came on without me hearing who it was by and it stopped me in my tracks. When I found out who it was I went out and bought Five Leaves left, and subsequently Bryter Layter and Pink Moon.

Since then I have picked up Family Tree, a copy of Five Leaves Left on vinyl, and read Joe Boyd's book White Bicycles. Now a total convert, I can understand what all the fuss was about.

Regards

Nic

quote:

Originally posted by JWM:
You might like to look at this past thread Nick Drake 200gm Japanese Vinyl Re-pressings.

I particularly remember with great affection a lovely afternoon at tonym's geekily comparing several different vinyl versions!

James

Yes, a great day indeed James! We need to do another Nick Drake event soon...

It was River Man with me too. I really can't remember where or in what circumstances I heard it but I was struck by its sheer "Englishness", an elusive term and impossible to define exactly;it might be something to do with the tunes coupled with Nick's singing voice that somehow captures the scent of England that runs through all his music.

There's no doubt in my mind that he was a truly great artist and will amply repay all those who persist with his music.

Keep at it Howard!

I was in my local pub last night and prompted by the posts on this thread i found a song on the juke box called 'River Man'. What a lovely song...i will have to get the album
Another convert?

Munch,

Got there eventually man..

Yup

...As many others have said I was also a late developer as far as Nick Drake is concerned ....I knew of him from way back ...as a 14 yr old purchaser of the seminal Island Records sampler "Nice enough to eat" ..Nick's "Time has told me" was one of the tracks I habitually skipped (!)

As a 14 yr old "rocker" listening to NETE I liked King Crimson ...Free ...etc. not the wimpy low key track that none of my mates ever even mentioned when discussing that album (at a special low cost of fourteen shillings and sixpence most of my mates had the album!)

...And then ...like Diccus I heard him on the radio occasionally - especially late night radio 2 (Bob Harris mebbe's?) and if I'm honest other (more sophisticated?) friends kept telling me how great he really was ...as did nearly every music monthly published over the past few years.

It was "River Man" that did it for me - a truly special very moving piece of music follwed by hearing the other albums that had lain undiscovered in the racks years ago whilst I indulged myself with Ten Years After ..Rory Gallagher ..The Groundhogs et al'

It took some time but yes he really was as good as so many on this forum have discovered.

There is available a compilation set of all of Nick Drakes' recordings on 180gram audiophile vinyl.

I would like to get a copy of 'Five Leaves Left' on vinyl but looking at my usual sites it is really expensive...anyone got any ideas where i could get it a bit cheaper?
Thanks..

For anyone interested cdjapan has just announced a limited pressing of Nick's first 3 albums, avaliable til April. Non SHM so much less pricey than the Fruit Tree collection.

I heard word of a ND tribute album, too. Sadly, very few tribute albums are worth more than one listen IMHO.