Nick Drake recommended listening?

matt.drink73

Hi all,
I recently discovered Nick Drakes Pink Moon (took my time I know), it's hauntingly beautiful and I'd love to get more into that kind of thing, folk is a genre I've always liked but never gone out of my way to listen to. I've been through Drakes back catalogue but nothing quite has that same feel, are there any more albums with a similar vibe?

ToneControl

I prefer the ones without the overdone string arrangements

english_bob

I've never heard anything else like Pink Moon. Not that was any good, anyway.

The circumstances around the making of the album are pretty heartbreaking- the label had pretty much written him off because of his extreme depression that had made him reclusive and withdrawn. They didn't even know he was making the album until he turned up at their offices with the master tapes.

I'd persevere with Bryter Layter - it's very different, but very good.

Sesh

All three albums are great. There's a covers cd free with Mojo this month. It's not good. Listening to each song just made me want to listen to the originals. It shows, not just how good the songs are, but the way Nick sung and played them was an integral part of it all.

not_the_dj

Tricky one....Pink Moon is quiet unique.

Have you tried any John Martyn?....I'd say look at "Bless the Weather", "Solid Air" and "One World"

Richard Thompson is worth exploring as well, he's been through various styles after his time in Fairport Convention

Vashti Bunyan perhaps, maybe a bit twee in places but certain parallels with Nick, although she didn't die young just retreated for years after releasing one album in 1970.

matt.drink73

I do still listening to Bryter layter and Five leaves left, great albums in their own right but there’s something about pink moon that really connected to me. I think it’s the sparsity but you can hear his depression.

not_the_dj said:

Tricky one....Pink Moon is quiet unique.

Have you tried any John Martyn?....I'd say look at "Bless the Weather", "Solid Air" and "One World"

Richard Thompson is worth exploring as well, he's been through various styles after his time in Fairport Convention

Vashti Bunyan perhaps, maybe a bit twee in places but certain parallels with Nick, although she didn't die young just retreated for years after releasing one album in 1970.

I’ll check those out, cheers!

english_bob

not_the_dj said:

Tricky one....Pink Moon is quiet unique.

Have you tried any John Martyn?....I'd say look at "Bless the Weather", "Solid Air" and "One World"

Rock trivia time! John Martyn wrote the title track for "Solid Air" for Nick Drake, who was a friend of his.

I wouldn't say that any of those albums sound anything like Nick Drake, but they're well worth listening to.

not_the_dj

english_bob said:

not_the_dj said:

Tricky one....Pink Moon is quiet unique.

Have you tried any John Martyn?....I'd say look at "Bless the Weather", "Solid Air" and "One World"

Rock trivia time! John Martyn wrote the title track for "Solid Air" for Nick Drake, who was a friend of his.

...indeed, and RT played on Bryter Layter.

We could do one of those "rock family tree" diagrams...

Winny_Pooh

Richard Thompson probably. Lots of great American folk but nothing like Pink Moon.

english_bob

not_the_dj said:

english_bob said:

not_the_dj said:

Tricky one....Pink Moon is quiet unique.

Have you tried any John Martyn?....I'd say look at "Bless the Weather", "Solid Air" and "One World"

Rock trivia time! John Martyn wrote the title track for "Solid Air" for Nick Drake, who was a friend of his.

...indeed, and RT played on Bryter Layter.

We could do one of those "rock family tree" diagrams...

Richard Thompson is on "Over The Hill" from Solid Air too.

You'd have a hard time doing a family tree for those 70s Island records- Everybody's on everybody else's albums- various Fairports turn up elsewhere, as do apparently preferred session people like John "Rabbit" Bundrick and Danny Thompson (who I just discovered played bass on the Thunderbirds theme tune!)

It looks like there's an official Fairport Convention Rock Family Tree, and one that covers Free:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-Rock-Family-Trees-Development/dp/0711904650

...although that's just a fraction of the musical bed-hopping that went on.

not_the_dj

english_bob said:

 Danny Thompson (who I just discovered played bass on the Thunderbirds theme tune!)

Now that I didn't know!

AlexC

Early Richard Thompson is a good call - give his first album Henry The Human Fly a listen.

english_bob

not_the_dj said:

english_bob said:

 Danny Thompson (who I just discovered played bass on the Thunderbirds theme tune!)

Now that I didn't know!

And Cliff's "Congratulations"!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny_Thompson

KKJale

^ That's funny, I'd always heard it was John Paul Jones. 

matt.drink73

Just had a listen to John Martyn and Richard Thompson. Both incredible musicians and they seem awesome, thanks! Still not quite got that Pink Moon aura but definitely worth listening to 

not_the_dj

matt.drink73 said:

Just had a listen to John Martyn and Richard Thompson. Both incredible musicians and they seem awesome, thanks! Still not quite got that Pink Moon aura but definitely worth listening to 

No problem, glad you enjoyed them. 

Pink Moon really is quite a unique record. 

AlexC

If it’s that stripped back acoustic vibe you’re after then Bright Eyes or Damien Rice. Great players and song writers.

english_bob

AlexC said:

If it’s that stripped back acoustic vibe you’re after then Bright Eyes or Damien Rice. Great players and song writers.

Likewise, Jose Gonzalez was doing the sparse, moody acoustic thing a few years ago. Similar vibe, although nobody does Nick Drake like Nick Drake.

tone1

ToneControl said:

I prefer the ones without the overdone string arrangements

This in spades... I love Nick Drake but the bloody overdone strings on some tracks are heartbreaking.

matt.drink73

AlexC said:

If it’s that stripped back acoustic vibe you’re after then Bright Eyes or Damien Rice. Great players and song writers.

Never been big into Damien Rice but I'll definitely give Bright Eyes a listen, Ta!

KKJale

Don't forget to get yourself a bit of Bert Jansch, too.