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Subject: RE: Nick Drake: Any Fans??? From: GUEST,Shining Wit Date: 19 Dec 11 - 11:10 AM Love Nick Drake, been a fan for years after seeing the CD in my library for ages and then one day getting it out to give it a listen. I grew up on the outskirts of Birmingham and he was living down the road in a country village whilst I was living there, so I feel a sort of kinship. His mother was a gifted musician too, and if you can ever hear any of her music you'll realise her influence on him (I heard it on a documentary once but can't recall the name). |
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Subject: RE: Nick Drake: Any Fans??? From: GUEST,JohnnyBeezer Date: 19 Dec 11 - 10:50 AM Nurse, the acid flashes are returning. Make that 1970. |
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Subject: RE: Nick Drake: Any Fans??? From: GUEST,JohnnyBeezer Date: 19 Dec 11 - 10:22 AM I bought Bryter Later in the 60's from Taylors music shop in Walsall. I'd never heard of Nick but the album cover looked groovy and interesting. How right I was. A talent sorely missed. |
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Subject: RE: Nick Drake: Any Fans??? From: theleveller Date: 18 Dec 11 - 10:56 AM It's a huge tribute to Nick's music that people (me) have been listening to and enjoying his music for 40 years and that he has inspired so many other great singer/songwriters. |
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Subject: RE: Nick Drake: Any Fans??? From: Bobert Date: 18 Dec 11 - 09:27 AM Never too late, Big Al-W... BTW, I've been trying to get my CD collection in order and played a little of yours last night... Sounded good... B~ |
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Subject: RE: Nick Drake: Any Fans??? From: Edthefolkie Date: 18 Dec 11 - 09:15 AM Bobert, there's loads of stuff all over the web about Drake so I won't regurgitate it all. But he was very good indeed. Ashley Hutchings (frequently) tells the story of how he saw Drake do a few songs at a "happening" at the Roundhouse in London, was impressed, and mentioned this to Joe Boyd. I differ from Big Al re the production of his records (by Joe and John Wood, who were/are serious talents) and the string arrangements by Robert Kirby (Nick's own choice). As far as I can tell Drake had the same dichotomy in his nature as Sandy Denny, only much more serious. He wanted to be successful but he couldn't face the crap involved. And when his records didn't sell that well, he took it very hard. But I won't get into all that - it's been written about gazillions of times before. I will say that his fame is in part due to the "dead hero" syndrome but he's good in spite of that. |
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Subject: RE: Nick Drake: Any Fans??? From: GUEST,pete from seven stars link Date: 18 Dec 11 - 08:39 AM i had heard him played on sounds of the sixties on radio 2.when i saw a compilation in asda i bought it and was not disapointed.i liked the orchestration as well. |
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Subject: RE: Nick Drake: Any Fans??? From: Big Al Whittle Date: 18 Dec 11 - 04:36 AM I've got to admit - it wasn't love at first sight with me. I'd heard Drake on and off for years- the breathy vocal, the songs apparently about sod all, the ghastly string sections obscuring the barebones of the song, the hideous talentless production (yes I know it was the 1960's and 70's, but the Beatles and The stones and John Martyn and Paul Simon knew how to use compresion and EQ and get the important bits to the front of the mix) - all worked their subtle magic. Then a couple of things happened. The scales were lifted from my eyes, and I suddenly saw everything I had missed. 1) i heard a German jazz orchestra play Riverman - and i realised what a great song it was. 2) I was a doing a gig in Salisbury - the sort of thing i can still manage. An outside craft market. people walking past - no pressure, no fee. Next to me was this bookstall - I got chatting with the bloke running it and more to do him a favour than anything I bought a scuffy version of patrick Humphies biog of Drake for £4. ( I found out afterwards I could have bought a brand new one on Amazon for £3). Anyway. Drake was born a year before me. He had rich parents. mine were poor, but because I got an exhibition grant for about fifteen months I attended a public school - like Nick did (unlike Nick the posh kids used to call me Fred, because they thought it sounded working class and one or two used to tell me to get back in the gutter - where I came from). However those posh kids taught me to love folk music - they had records, record players, tape recorders, and beautiful guitars and banjos that I never would have encountered at Boston Grammar School. I knew a lot of kids like Nick. Talented,intelligent, capable, confident - all the things English public schoolboys are supposed to be. But I never met one like Nick who took their musical talents seriously and ran with it and saw what they could do with it. And when I really listened, then I undestood what this artist had wrought from the dull earth, and then I saw her face and I'm a believer! |
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Subject: RE: Nick Drake: Any Fans??? From: alex s Date: 17 Dec 11 - 08:29 PM I'm with Will (again) and my boat is unfloated. |
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Subject: RE: Nick Drake: Any Fans??? From: Big Al Whittle Date: 17 Dec 11 - 08:17 PM Just getting into Nick Drake. |
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Subject: RE: Nick Drake: Any Fans??? From: Bonnie Shaljean Date: 18 May 11 - 07:38 PM Bobert, have you heard the song Fruit Tree? If not, dig it out. Nick's version, not a cover (of which there are now quite a number). He's one of the great cult figures of British folkiedom. |
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Subject: RE: Nick Drake: Any Fans??? From: Bobert Date: 18 May 11 - 07:31 PM Thanks all and... ...yeah, I'll check out the "A Skin Too Few"... I'm going to order his CD that has "Cello Song" on it... Fine song... B~ |
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Subject: RE: Nick Drake: Any Fans??? From: nager Date: 18 May 11 - 06:35 PM Nick Drake a true genius... been a fan for many, many years. |
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Subject: RE: Nick Drake: Any Fans??? From: Mavis Enderby Date: 18 May 11 - 02:26 PM Me too. He seems to provoke strong reactions either pro- or anti- but to me his voice, playing and songs are magical. I like Robert Kirby's string arrangements too, on Five Leaves Left and Bryter Later. Bobert - I strongly recommend you have a search for A Skin Too Few on Youtube as it's a good factual documentary about Nick's life and is beautifully filmed. Pete. |
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Subject: RE: Nick Drake: Any Fans??? From: GUEST,number 6 Date: 18 May 11 - 09:48 AM I'm a big fan ... one of the best singer/songwriters of my generation ... he floats my boat. biLL |
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Subject: RE: Nick Drake: Any Fans??? From: GUEST,guest - Jim Younger Date: 18 May 11 - 09:42 AM Mr Drake floats my boat! Great guitar player, apart from his other talents. |
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Subject: RE: Nick Drake: Any Fans??? From: Will Fly Date: 18 May 11 - 03:10 AM I was the instigator of the thread mentioned by michaelr above. Drake was indeed a troubled soul. The general tenor of the thread was a discussion of how much of his media popularity was due to a real and original talent, and how much was a product by the classic notion of the doomed romantic hero - if I remember correctly. Drake had little success as a performer in his lifetime - suffering from stage-fright didn't help - but was taken up more after his death. He doesn't float my boat, I have to say, but I can readily see the appeal of his words and music to those that have a taste for romantic, introspective music. |
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Subject: RE: Nick Drake: Any Fans??? From: Stewie Date: 18 May 11 - 03:02 AM I too still have the vinyl albums. I also had the box set of CDs, issued by Hannibal records, but my son nicked them when he was learning guitar several few years ago and I haven't seen them since. Some lovely stuff! --Stewie. |
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Subject: RE: Nick Drake: Any Fans??? From: michaelr Date: 17 May 11 - 10:45 PM Yeah, he was English, and he died a long time ago. Never got much airplay in the US until "Pink Moon" had those of us who knew it go "huh?" when it showed up in a VW commercial a couple of years ago. I still have vinyl... |
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Subject: RE: Nick Drake: Any Fans??? From: Bobert Date: 17 May 11 - 09:37 PM Thanks, michaelr... I probably need to spend more time above the line... I reckon this guy is a UKer??? Maybe that's why I didn't know him??? Or maybe I been to eat up with the blues that I ain't gettin' out as much as I used to and the joints I play ain't gonna have no Nick Drake playin' in 'um... No matter... From what I have heard his stuff was well thought out and well played... My opinion... B~ |
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Subject: RE: Nick Drake: Any Fans??? From: michaelr Date: 17 May 11 - 09:18 PM Lots of previous discussion here. A troubled soul who left this world way too young. Some like him, some don't... I have been a fan since I heard "Hazy Jane" in the 60s. |
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Subject: Nick Drake: Any Fans??? From: Bobert Date: 17 May 11 - 08:45 PM Just heard this guy fir the first time today... Actually, it was all luck... Jus' flippin' thru radio stations and heard this real nice song and turned out to be someone I had never heard of... Any Nick Drake fans out there??? If not, give listen... Nice sound... B~ |
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