This Nick Drake thing

Over the past few months I’ve been listening to one CD on a daily basis, sometimes twice in the same day. Of course I listen to a lot of other music but I keep coming back to this CD. “What is this musical marvel?” I hear you ask…”Sgt. Pepper? Some newly released Arctic Monkeys material?…some new musical revolution from your hero Brian Eno?” Not exactly.

The CD in question is a compilation of material from three albums made in the early seventies by a chap who never had a hit single, who’s last two releases sold less than 10,000 copies between them. And who only ever played a handful of not particularly successful live gigs.

I’m talking about Nick Drake.

Nick was an accomplished acoustic guitarist/singer/songwriter who died in 1974 at the age of twenty six. I guess it’s highly probable that you (dear reader) have never heard of him. If you’d like to hear what I’m prattling on about, what seems to have me so captured personally, I would suggest getting on to YouTube and looking up two songs: “Pink Moon” and “Northern Sky”. These two tracks will give you a little peep into this Nick Drake thing. And if you like introspective, melodic, folkie type stuff and you want to hear more, look up the Island Records compilation: ‘Way to Blue’.

I’d be interested to hear what you think.

Cheers, P

#songwriting