I've gotten really into Nick Drake recently

Bucket

Fucking great wasn't he?

Bryter Layter is an absolute masterpiece of an album.

duotone

Yeah he's brilliant.

Five Leaves Left was the album I have listened to the most. 

richardhomer

And quintessentially English - unlike 'gotten'....

guitarfishbay

Great album, great artist. Pink Moon is my favourite.

Strangefan

He was my inspiration to concentrate on acoustic in the 19s then I was in my teens, I have never looked back,  if only I didint sell my original copy of pink moon in 2010 when I lost my job  it would be worth a fortune now

eSully

Personally I prefer Five Leaves Left and Pink Moon. Amazing artist though.

BigLicks67

Five Leaves Left is my favourite, but I must get Bryter Later on cd some time.

english_bob

Have you ever tried playing his stuff? There's a decent collection of tab for his songs:

http://nickdraketabs.co.uk/

His altered tunings are really interesting, and he's a really impressive picker.

It seems that part of the reason he wasn't more successful in his lifetime was that he was very awkward and shy on stage, and I can't imagine that constantly changing his tunings (because they didn't do roadies and dozens of guitars on tour in the '70s) helped that. 

ICBM

I don't really get him, sorry. I've got Five Leaves Left and I've heard Pink Moon, but… ?

I know he had a tragically short life so I somehow feel I should try to like him, but I don't really understand why he's so rated - his songs don't do anything for me and his voice is slightly annoying sometimes.

If anyone wants Five Leaves Left on CD - apparently it's hard to find - PM me.

BigLicks67

english_bob said:

Have you ever tried playing his stuff? There's a decent collection of tab for his songs:

http://nickdraketabs.co.uk/

His altered tunings are really interesting, and he's a really impressive picker.

Yes, the intro to Cello Song makes me realise I need to work on my right hand technique.

The tab book Way to Blue is pretty good if anyone is interested.

english_bob

ICBM said:

If anyone wants Five Leaves Left on CD - apparently it's hard to find - PM me.

I don't think it is. I think his albums were hard to get before they were reissued on CD (hence @Strangefan's vinyl copy being potentially valuable), but not now.

guitarfishbay

It's his voice I like. More modern artists in a similar vein (for delivery/depressiveness ratio) I like are Elliott Smith and Sufjan Stevens.

Strangefan

Yup  cds are ten a penny and even the reissued vinyl is only a tenner from ebay, 

octatonic

ICBM said:

I don't really get him, sorry. I've got Five Leaves Left and I've heard Pink Moon, but… ?

I know he had a tragically short life so I somehow feel I should try to like him, but I don't really understand why he's so rated - his songs don't do anything for me and his voice is slightly annoying sometimes.

If anyone wants Five Leaves Left on CD - apparently it's hard to find - PM me.

What do you think of Leonard Cohen?

Bidley

He was a genius, IMO. Five Leaves Left is such a fantastic album. Cello Song is so haunting.

mudslide73

Bryter Later is more accessible than the other two imo - and it has Northern Sky on it (very significant tune for me).

Pink Moon is brilliant but a bit dark for the newcomer I think. Parasite is blindingly good.

The box set with some of his mother's stuff shows where he got some of his influence. 

Blueingreen

I'm a big fan of Drake and Leonard Cohen.  I was a bit slow in coming round to both, they both seemed a bit too laid back and fey to me at first, not enough going on sonically. But noways I still listen to their music fairly regularly unlike, say, Springsteen or Neil Young, broadly similar artists whose appeal to me was much more immediate but didn't last so well.

Trude

The first album I heard by him was Time Of No Reply, which is a collection of home recordings, outtakes and demos without much additional fluff.  Just him, his guitar and a tape recorder for the most part.  I loved that record deeply for a few years, and was pretty shocked when I finally heard the studio versions of those same songs with strings, drums, piano, Richard Thompson widdlings etc.  They're still great albums, but seem needlessly overblown to me.  Pink Moon is much more stripped back and that seems truer to the man's talents to me.

not_the_dj

I was leant a copy of BL by a friend when I was at college, just as people started to rediscover his music, I went straight out and got the Fruit Tree box set. 

This VW ad from the 90s sold more copies of Nick's albums than cars. 

BintyTwanger77

Love Nick Drake, Time Has Told Me is one of my favourite songs. You should hear the love of my life Lisa Hannigan covering Black Eyed Dog at the Nick Drake tribute in the Royal Albert Hall. A gem.

ICBM

english_bob said:

ICBM said:

If anyone wants Five Leaves Left on CD - apparently it's hard to find - PM me.

I don't think it is. I think his albums were hard to get before they were reissued on CD (hence @Strangefan's vinyl copy being potentially valuable), but not now.

OK... Skarloey said he was looking for it but couldn't find it - although he turned me down on sending it to him. I'm doing my best to give it away!

octatonic said:

What do you think of Leonard Cohen?

I like him a lot. Great songs, great voice, nice dark sense of humour.