Nick Drake - Pink Moon
In his short lifetime, Nick Drake went almost completely unnoticed. There are certainly many reasons why, the biggest being Nick's reluctance to perform live. At a live show in Cambridge, Nick was noticed by someone who reccomended him to a producer, Joe Boyd who asked Nick for a tape. It was through Joe that Nick released his three albums,
Five Leaves Left,
Bryter Later and
Pink Moon. Nick's sound was unique, his lyrics often hinted at being meloncholy, yet all thoughts of this were destroyed by his uplifting melodies and calm, soothing vocals. His first two albums, however never sold well and Nick sunk into deep depression, making him unable to make music or even walk and talk. However, he was able to record a final album,
Pink Moon, which to this day, stands out as one of the most naked and bleak albums in rock music. On November 25, 1974, Nick died of an antidepressant medication overdose. Many people speculate that it was suicide, but his family and friends disagree.
Nick's music speaks to both the generations of now and their baby boomer parents.
Nick Drake 1942-1974
All guitars, piano and vocals by Nick Drake
All the songs on the album are played with nothing but vocals and acoustic guitar (some have piano, like the title track). If there was more than this on the album, I think it wouldn't have been as good as it is. The vocals on every single track are great, as are the guitar parts. I would give just about every track on this album a 5/5. In fact, the only real problem with this album, is that it is too short, not even touching half an hour. If anyone ever wonders why artists such as Elliott Smith, Lou Barlow, Belle and Sebastian and Robert Smith are such big Drake fans, it's all here on this record.
The songs on this record all sound very similar so my track-by-track will be breif. With Nick being who he is (a loner), his vocals are often mumbled and hard to understand, so lyrics aren't easy to interpret. It is easy to hear what he is singing about by the feel of the music. But make no mistake, this IS one of the best albums ever made. For me, this was the best record that came out of the 70s.
Just in case I forget to say it in any track review, the guitar and vocal parts are excellent in every song
Pink Moon - Easily one of the best songs ever recorded. I do not say that lighty. The guitar parts and vocals are wonderful, but the thing that really makes it is the short piano melody, one of the most beautiful parts ever written.
5/5
Place To Be - Very pretty guitar parts and Nick's voice is tops. The whole song is beautiful with lyrics that we can all relate to.
5/5
Road - The guitar is fingerpicked and sounds very raw. Nick's voice is great and it often sounds like the tempo is changing. The song is quite emotional and very pretty.
4.8/5
Which Will - An extremely happy sounding song. The guitar sounds like "Road". The melodies are gorgeous.
5/5
Horn - The best solo guitar instrumental I have ever heard. Quite classical sounding actually. A wonderful piece of music, the only problem is that it is so short.
5/5
Things Behind The Sun - Straight in with a saddish strummed guitar. The chorus' mood picks up a bit though. All the usual, great vocals and guitar.
4.7/5
Know - A bit different from the other tracks. This song is farily jazz influenced. It starts with just Nick humming and a repetetive guitar part. The song gets even better when Nick starts singing lyrics. The song is mainly hummed though. Very pretty.
4.9/5
Parasite - A sad song. The only lyrics I can make out are in the chorus "I am the parasite of this town". Nick tries to fool you though, with an uplifting melody.
5/5
Ride - The song sounds a bit dark at the start but Nick's vocals make the mood quite happy. The guitars are great.
5/5
Harvest Breed - The guitar part is beautiful. Then Nick comes in with the vocals and turns a nice song into a wonderful one. A bit dark as well.
5/5
From the Morning - A happy and fast song. The guitar is excellent as the vocals. The fingerpicked melody is lovely.
5/5
This album is really a must have. I think everyone and their parents should own a copy of this. It is now avaliable with a nice hard cover. If it's diversity you are looking for, then this probably isn't your bag, but if you have an ear for nice acoustic emotional songs, then you won't find a better album than this. Ever. If you want a feel for the whole album, just listen to the song "Pink Moon".
FINAL RATING: 5/5
