Nick Drake - hype and reality

Subject: RE: Nick Drake - hype and reality
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 03 Oct 18 - 04:28 PM

My God!

What a horrifying thread!

I love Nick Drake's work. I didn't always. I was travelling along in my car abut five or six years back. Riverman came on the radio - a cover version by a German jazz orchestra. About a month later, I was doing a gig at an open air market. There was a bookstall , the only book of any possible interest was Trevor Dann's biography. Just skimmimg through, I could see Nick must have been in the same room as me at the same gigs, back in 1960's. I never knew him, and had I heard his music - I wouldn't have got it, back then.

But in about three weeks from reading the book I was a completist. The three albums seem to me a wonderful life's work.

Yes I think he was influenced by the poet's he came across in his studies. I hear Houseman somewhere between these lines and the guitar is deceptively simple, but utter perfection.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCRks_98790

Subject: RE: Nick Drake - hype and reality
From: GUEST,colin Holt
Date: 05 Oct 18 - 09:21 AM

I agree Big Al....
Horrifying
I stumbled across Drake at Art College in 1975, and have loved his stuff ever since. In my view the first 2 albums are timeless. Not just down to Drakes writing and delivery, but the sensitivity of the production alongside the beautiful string arrangements, especially as Al says Riverman. Harry Robinson created a wonderful landscape which Drake plays over. Pink Moon is naked and at times painful. Drake was obviously a complicated guy....but I agree with Al again.... Lifes work on three discs
The one point I disagree with Big Al on is the guitarbeing deceptively simple.... (Left hand sometimes ... but never the right hand)

Subject: RE: Nick Drake - hype and reality
From: GUEST,colin Holt
Date: 05 Oct 18 - 09:27 AM

Scanning this thread ... so much dislike amongst so many of you of songwriters.....Why is that ????

Subject: RE: Nick Drake - hype and reality
From: Lost Chicken in High Weeds
Date: 25 Oct 20 - 04:23 PM

Indeed, some of the stances in here are rather strange to me. It's one thing for a given artist to simply not be someone's "cup of tea", but, well, I won't address any specifics from above.

Anyway, I very much love Nick Drake. I am not aware of whatever "hype" there might be "out there", I haven't owned a TV since 1993, very rarely "listen to the radio", etc., and generally only read about specific things I'm searching for on the Internet.

I discovered him in 1994 after reading an interview with Rich Robinson of The Black Crowes. I'd already been playing guitar in open G thanks to Keith Richards being one of my teenage musical heroes, and in the interview Rich said that most people assumed that's where he got open tunings from, but that it was actually Nick who prompted him. So, I had to investigate and it happened that 'Way to Blue: An Introduction' had just been released. I found some of the pieces quite stunning and still enjoy listening from time to time. Something hit me today to dig him out again so I've been at it for a couple of hours and thought to see what discussions might have gone on here.

Subject: RE: Nick Drake - hype and reality
From: Lost Chicken in High Weeds
Date: 25 Oct 20 - 05:04 PM

BTW, I'll leave one example: "Black Eyed Dog". The first time I heard it struck me indescribably. To me, what makes guitar (or any instrument) work most "impressive" is not technical ability/difficulty/gymnastics/etc., but what he does here is use the instrument as an implement of *art*, to create a mood, "paint a picture" along with the poetics. It's a haunting piece. I have no idea what he's singing about here, yet I know exactly as well.

Another I recall being immediately drawn to was "'Cello Song". It's just a beauty of a piece, and I love these poetics as well:

"You would seem so frail
In the cold of the night
When the armies of emotion
Go out to fight
But while the earth sinks to its grave
You sail to the sky
On the crest of a wave"

Everyone is internally unique, and personally struck by differing things, but I don't think one can accurately generally declare something "not really that good, this person is better", "undeserved attention" or such. Otherwise there wouldn't be so many folks that a given thing "we all know about" means so much to. Obviously Nick strikes chords with a good many.

As was said by someone above, I've never personally been able to "get into" Richard Thompson, despite having read articles in guitar and other types of magazines back in my youthful initial bursts of learning and exploration into the wide open world of music/music history/etc., telling me how great he is. It just never *resonated*, but it's obvious that there are many people who consider him among the tops, probably some at the very top, even. It's understandable, everyone is internally unique.