nick drake

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bunnyben
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nick drake

Post by bunnyben »

thoughts?
'raging and weeping are left on the early road
now each in his holy hill
the glittering and hurting days are alomst done
then let us compare mythologies
i have learned my elaborate lie
of soaring crosses and poisened thorns'
sm-iom
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Re: nick drake

Post by sm-iom »

Nah.
JohnGris
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Re: nick drake

Post by JohnGris »

yeah. Sometimes.
redcloud
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Re: nick drake

Post by redcloud »

"Road" on the 'Pink Moon' LP is one of those songs where you have to stop whatever it is you are doing, sit down, close your eyes and listen. The hairs stand on the back of my neck, my heart sinks and my eyes tear up every time I hear it. It is a work of beauty and easily amongst my favorite songs ever recorded.
toomilk
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Re: nick drake

Post by toomilk »

Pink Moon is perfect. The other two have their moments.
angelsighs
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Re: nick drake

Post by angelsighs »

it's a thumbs up from me. not that impressive lyrically, and parts of Bryter Layter are a bit plush and dated, but there's definitely something that draws me in more than your average folky type.
the fingerpicking is mind boggling.

I know most people say Pink Moon is the best, but I think I slightly prefer Five Leaves Left for its variety.
purespace
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Re: nick drake

Post by purespace »

redcloud wrote:"Road" on the 'Pink Moon' LP is one of those songs where you have to stop whatever it is you are doing, sit down, close your eyes and listen. The hairs stand on the back of my neck, my heart sinks and my eyes tear up every time I hear it. It is a work of beauty and easily amongst my favorite songs ever recorded.
Saturday Sun is that song for me :cry:
I think I feel it coming on
warmgun.
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Re: nick drake

Post by warmgun. »

Definitely worth picking up the Way To Blue, An Introduction To Nick Drake collection (a starting point for many, I think) and going from there if you like what you hear. My personal favourite is Bryter Layter, but I also enjoy Five Leaves Left and Pink Moon a lot as well.
angelsighs
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Re: nick drake

Post by angelsighs »

yep Way To Blue was the first one I got, must have been about 10 years ago now. I still remember distinctly hearing the first song (Cello Song) and being entranced

I'd also add the album Made To Love Magic to the list which mops up outtakes/rarities etc. some impressive stuff on there, including the last songs he ever recorded

steer clear of any other albums, including recordings of his mum singing- the defeaning sound of a barrel being scraped!!
bunnyben
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Re: nick drake

Post by bunnyben »

angelsighs wrote: steer clear of any other albums, including recordings of his mum singing- the defeaning sound of a barrel being scraped!!
:lol: :lol: :lol:

am listening to saturday sun as i type :D
'raging and weeping are left on the early road
now each in his holy hill
the glittering and hurting days are alomst done
then let us compare mythologies
i have learned my elaborate lie
of soaring crosses and poisened thorns'
angelsighs
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Re: nick drake

Post by angelsighs »

bunnyben wrote:
angelsighs wrote: steer clear of any other albums, including recordings of his mum singing- the defeaning sound of a barrel being scraped!!
:lol: :lol: :lol:

am listening to saturday sun as i type :D

did you know that apparently there are demos of Elton John covering some of Nicks songs including that one?
shalloboi
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Re: nick drake

Post by shalloboi »

angelsighs wrote:
I know most people say Pink Moon is the best, but I think I slightly prefer Five Leaves Left for its variety.
i was going to say exactly this. 'five leaves left' has some of the best use of strings i've ever heard. beautiful stuff.
angelsighs
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Re: nick drake

Post by angelsighs »

been listening to a lot of Nick Drake recently. I can't even recall writing the posts above but generally stick by what I said. Bryter Layter still sounds a bit fluffy in parts, and what's with the dated instrumentals? were they songs where Nick hadn't come up with lyrics yet or were they worked up in the studio? they're a bit cheesy.
but then no record with Northern Sky, Fly and Hazey Jane on it can be dismissed. sublime.

when an artists becomes so legendary there's a danger of a mini backlash- "they weren't all that, y'know" but he really was. the fingerpicking still boggles my mind. so complex and not a note out of place. his voice is so calm but also so commanding.
with the possible exception of Bryter Layter, it's amazing how little the records have dated. The arrangements on Five Leaves Left are perfect and never cliched or overbearing. Pink Moon is also pretty much perfect from top to bottom. it's dark as fuck with this weird atmosphere, but the lyrics are still really interesting and not just self indulgent moping. acoustic gothic?

I know above I said that the barrel had basically been scraped, but a couple of years back a copy of his Peel Session was discovered. the nearest thing we will ever get to hearing him play live. he played 4 songs, including, bizarrely, one of those Bryter Layter instrumentals... check youtube!
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