The Music of Nick Drake

Nicholas Rodney Drake (June 19, 1948 - November 25, 1974) was an English singer-songwriter and musician best known for his acoustic, autumnal songs. His primary instrument was the guitar, while he was also proficient at piano, clarinet, and saxophone. Although he failed to find a wide audience during his lifetime, Drake's work has since grown steadily in stature, to the extent that he is now widely considered one of the most influential singer-songwriters of the last 50 years.

Drake signed to Island Records when he was twenty years old, and released his debut album Five Leaves Left in 1969. By 1972 he had recorded a further two albums, although none sold more than five thousand copies during their first release, and his reluctance to perform live or be interviewed contributed to his lack of commercial success. Drake battled with depression and insomnia throughout his life, and the topics were often reflected in his lyrics. Upon completion of his third album, 1972's Pink Moon, he withdrew from both live performance and recording, retreating to his parents' home in rural Warwickshire, UK. On November 25, 1974, Nick Drake died from an overdose of antidepressants, at the age of 26.

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A dead English folk singer, a dreamy VW commercial, and a phenomenon

Every once in a whimpering while you have to confess you've succumbed to the advertising ruse, you've been successfully seduced by the smirking leeches of Madison Avenue and fallen for something they've hawked your direction via some otherwise cloying TV commercial, like it or not and usually not.

And it's a rather sad and sickening feeling when you realize you've given in to these ad execs, this nefarious breed who we all know would sell the souls of their own despondent mothers for an irresistible Snapple or aspirin or deodorant catchphrase, ever seeking the perfect marketing campaign swiped straight from youth culture and sold right back to them as nifty repackaged crap-on-a-stick.

But in this case I'll confess: I'm one of those reluctant lemmings who fell for that winsome VW Cabrio ad, the one where a quartet of cute 'n' stubbly youth are cruising down a winding moonlit highway on a warm summer night, top down and stars resplendent and the warm air blowing through one of the precious little blond girls' hair, some deliciously mellow and husky folk singer strumming a quiet ballad in the background.

And I, apparently like about a million others, hook into the song, ears perking up at the slightest hint of authentic musical talent in this prefab prerecorded day and age and saying hey, screw the car, what's this music, this guy's good, who the hell is this and why haven't I heard it before and where can I get it?

A few investigative clicks later and the tune in question of turns out to be "Pink Moon" by an English folk singer named Nick Drake, a total of three CDs the guy has out there on the market (plus one posthumous), terribly underappreciated for a whole lot of years and never really given much airplay, not much of a celebrity either and never a platinum-seller but apparently still enjoying a loyal, mildly cultish following - and oh yes, by the way, the poor chap's been very, very dead for upward of 25 years.

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Nick Drake's untimely death in 1974 not only cut a life tragically short, but also a musical career. Nick released just 3 albums, with a 4th released after his death containing unreleased material, demos and the 4 songs that were to be on his 4th album. Though during his life his music went relatively unnoticed, over the years his popularity and influence has continued to grow.

For the newcomers wishing to hear more Nick Drake, knowing where to start is a tough decision. Way to Blue, the Nick Drake 'best of', does indeed contain many of the highlights of Nick's albums, but with so few albums available, a copy of his 'best of' can quickly become redundant should you decide to explore further.

Dream with the Fishes (1997) - "River Man"
Star Maps (1997) - "Horn"
Hideous Kinky (1998) - "Road"
Practical Magic (1998) - "Black Eyed Dog"
Serendipity (2001) - "Northern Sky"
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) - "Fly"
Me Without You (2001) - "Cello Song"
Garden State (2004) - "One of These Things First"
Fever Pitch (2004) - "Northern Sky"
The Lake House (2006) - "Time Has Told Me"

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