Nick Drake

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A friend handed me a compilation of this guy about ten days ago—and honestly, I haven't listened to anything else since. I’m sure there are hardcore fans in here who have been obsessed for years, but they’re keeping him a total secret just to be gatekeepers. I can't believe that out of all the music snobs on this forum, nobody has ever started a thread on him—I actually had to learn about Drake from some random late-night talk show! Since I've gone completely off the deep end for this music, I did a little digging, and beyond the usual bio stuff, I read that there's a massive movement to revalue his work right now—he's become, to quote Pitchfork, a "near-household name." So yeah, I'm one of those losers who is only discovering him now because of this revival, but hey, better late than never. Those lyrics! That voice! That guitar playing! It sounds pathetic and dramatic, I know, but in the ten days I've been listening, my entire musical hierarchy has been flipped upside down. It's like some cheesy romance novel where you finally meet "the one"—which reminds me how much English grammar bugs me—like, people always say things are "wrong" when they should really just say they're "incorrect," but whatever, I'm just obsessed with how words work.

We’re bad news! Seriously, we're so twisted we give the devil himself an inferiority complex. Just go ask any death metalhead.

n/p Nick Drake - Mazzy Star

I mean, seriously—no sleep for me tonight until I've memorized this entire album. And honestly? Even then, I’ll probably still be learning.

It’s never too late, Rutvice. I haven't listened to Nick Drake in at least a year, so thanks for the reminder. It's such a waste of talent, though—he just vanished right after dropping those few masterpieces. But you're spot on about everything he said.
That talent, that voice... and that look. Nick was pure eye candy.

-Haven't listened to him in ages, but let me flex a little—first heard him about ten years ago, and I’ve got his entire discography at home...😁

-If you think he's good, then you really ought to check out Morphine too, just to hear THAT voice!... (and seriously 😁 )

'i feel lucky'

...I guess I just feel that way, I'm on a bus heading to Atlantic City... maybe later today, yeah!...

Jesse Wells8 said:I've got his whole discography at my place...😁

Man, you'd think the guy dropped like 25 albums or something.

What on earth does that have to do with soccer?

stormyviper11 said:What on earth does any of this have to do with football?

😂

Last summer, during that one month when everything went south—from the moment my mom was diagnosed with aggressive cancer until she passed away—Waiting for a Call was basically the only thing I could listen to. (And look, even in normal times, I can't function without music playing in the background). His regular albums have always been great, but they never hit me quite like this one did. Even now, I find myself circling back to it constantly... there isn't a two or three-week stretch where I don't put it on. I'm not saying you need to be going through a mental breakdown like I was back then, but it definitely helps... In the meantime, I’ve been preaching this album to everyone I know, and one buddy just told me, "I don't even know how I lived without this until now." Don't feel bad if you didn't discover Drake sooner; better late than never. Besides, there are hundreds of incredible musicians out there that, by sheer luck of timing, we might never even get around to hearing.

Is it called Five Leaves Left? I think that might be it.

I've had this CD for about three years now, though I suppose I've only actually sat down to listen to it maybe three times. I promise, I'll grab it for the road trip tomorrow; I've been mulling over what to bring along...

Nick Drake was the real deal...

Gonna blast some Five Leaves before I crash out tonight...

"...i was born to love no one, no one to love me..."

I've been living with the ghost of Nick Drake for seventeen years now...

My husband owns his entire discography, which means I own it too. He played him for me for the first time a few years back, and I fell head over heels for Drake. I’ve been playing him constantly, and honestly, everyone I play him for just loses their minds.
Last summer, I finally read his biography; I actually have the book on my shelf.
It’s wild how he was practically unknown while he was still alive—even his inner circle didn't really get him. His live shows were pretty rough, too; he had massive stage fright, would just mumble through things, and sometimes even walked off mid-song. From what I know, there isn't any decent video footage of him performing. Apparently, a documentary was filmed about him, but I haven't seen it. There is some incredible material for a movie here. Hollywood, what are you waiting for??
🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏

velvetotter26 said:I read his biography last summer; I actually have the book sitting at home right now.

I actually just picked up a copy at Best Buy for $30 the other day. 😎 It looks pretty solid. I’ve only made it through the foreword and the intro so far, but even that was enough to drop some knowledge on me about stuff I never even considered. For instance, he’s buried in the same small local cemetery as another guy I have massive respect for, Mario Andretti—an absolute legend on two wheels, and one of the best to ever do it. Plus, the guy was a hero for stepping up to help pull other drivers out of burning wrecks back in the day, especially when he moved over to Formula 1... If I'm ever in that neck of the woods, I'll definitely stop by to leave some flowers on both their graves.

Just finished reading The Biography. Honestly, pretty gripping stuff. It’s wild when you realize that just thirty years ago, someone could churn out three whole albums, yet leave behind nothing but the music and a few grainy photos... there isn't any other physical trace left. It really makes you stare at how insanely fast the world moved toward digital media. Drake did one interview once, and there's only this one single recording of him speaking that survived by pure luck—not a single scrap of film or TV footage to be found.

Can we just get the book title here?!

thanks 🙂

I just wanted to give a quick shout-out again to wicked messenger for filming those documentaries about him; it was such an incredible experience 😢—that gut-wrenching moment where his sister reads the lyrics his mother wrote specifically about him 😢.

Nick Drake would be the absolute perfect addition to my favorite snow-folk compilation 😍. Honestly, he was a total piece of sky 😳; perhaps the most beautiful way to frame such a tragedy, just too pure 😢.

For anyone else who finds solace in his music, I can't recommend Marissa Nadler enough
.
n.b.—Marissa Nadler, Horses and Their Kin

Brian Smith said:Wait, you can only give me the book title?!

thanks 🙂

Way to Blue, if I recall correctly.

I know it's somewhere in this room, but... 😳 that doesn't mean I can actually find it right now.

Brian Smith said:wait, can I just get the book titles?!
thanks 🙂

The Biography by Patrick Humphries - the older one

Darker Than the Deepest Sea: The Search for Nick Drake by Trevor Dann - newer (better)

His debut album is easily my favorite.