Pink Moon [Remastered] - Nick Drake > Reviews > Pink Moon

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Groundbreaking
Lyrics	Sublime
Quality and consistency of tracks	Flawless
How does it rate alongside the competition	Outstanding
Value for Money	Excellent

Advantages:	Folk rock at it's best, magical lyrics, soothing vocals and enchanting lullabies, a real treat for the ears
Disadvantages:	None

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

As far as solo albums go in the world of folk rock Pink Moon is right up there squeezing it's way in between it's peers. Nick Drake has an enchantingly soothing pitched voice and along with his infamous right hand finger picking guitar style he is held in high esteem among his critics and fellow folk musicians.

Nicholas Rodney Drake born June 19, 1948 in Ranhoon, Burma grew up in a small village in Warwickshire, he learnt how to play the flute at the local public school in which he attended. Drake later went on to study English literature at the University of Cambridge while his sister Gabielle Drake was becoming a highly accomplished actress. While a student Nick performed his solo material at local pubs and coffee shops until being spotted by Fairport Convention's Ashley Hutchings. Ashley introduced Nick to various producers including Joe Boyd and fellow folk musicians. With the aid of these peers record company Island records were convinced to offer Drake a three album contract.

Five Leaves Left (1969) was Nick's first solo album, had a fairly hypnotic orchestral edge to the quality of Nick's light voice. Bryter Layter (1970), Drake's second album was to be one of the most famous folk rock albums of the time along with his final masterpiece. Bryter Layter had a more upbeat, jazzy quality with a sublime subtle bass string arrangement. Like fellow musician Richard Thompson, Nick began to resent the stress and time consumption of touring to promote his solo backlog, resulting in little publicity and dire record sales. Nick was so shy and withdrawn that he would often play his solo material in the studio towards the wall to avoid the gaze of his fellow peers.

In 1972 Nick Drake released his final and most accomplished masterpiece Pink Moon in two, two hour sessions each starting at midnight. Pink Moon was much more bare and naked than the two previous well produced albums, Nick's lost and depressed feel can be felt to vividly in each song. Apparently after recording Pink Moon Drake dropped off the tapes at the front desk of Island Records and left swearing we would retire for good from recording and performing solo material. Pink Moon on a whole is emotionally bleak but along with Drake's soothing pitched voice and fabulous rhythm guitar finger picking it only intensifies the emotion and enchanting quality of the album's sound.

Growing increasingly withdrawn and only surrounding himself with a handful of friends Nick tragically took an overdose of Anti-Depressants and passed away on November 25th 1974. Nick Drake was one of a whole assembly line of musicians emerging from the enormous Folk Rock Boom of 64-74 and his final album Pink Moon is one of the greatest folk rock offerings not only to the era but to those who love, adore and appreciate Folk Rock.

I bought this album while enjoying my Folk music craze of the first year at University, trying to sing and playing various folk ballads on my guitar and violin. I personally hold this album in high esteem, of it's genre it remains a work of art, the cover is well par Pink Floyd the best album cover I've ever seen it's a true folk masterpiece, Nick Drake is the man!

THE TRACKS:

1. PINK MOON - 2:06

Starting with a great set of chords combined with complex finger picking, Drake's voice is awe inspiring it's intensely enchanting. The piano melody at mid-point is superb and just sprays magic dust all over this melodic work of art. The rhythm and pitch of the guitar strums intensify in and out of each other almost, Nick's emotions are flying high here and produce something truly wonderful.

' I saw it written and I saw it say, Pink Moon is on it's way. And none of you stand so tall, Pink Moon gonna get ye all. And it's a Pink Moon, yes, a Pink Moon.'

2. PLACE TO BE - 2:43

The acoustic guitar Nick must be using is superb every chord he plays is so deep and seems to reverberate around the song itself. Place to be seems to be about Nick describing his present condition and where he yearns to be. The repetition of the chords that finger pick up and down is top notch. The song itself seems to smother your mind, Nick wraps it with his own glary emotions and pulls it off suddenly leaving your mind spinning out of control.

' When I was young, younger than before, I never saw the truth hanging from the door. And now I'm older see it face to face, And now I'm older gotta get up clean the place. And I was strong, strong in the sun, I thought I'd see when day was done. Now I'm weaker than the palest blue, Oh, so weak in this need for you.'

3. ROAD - 2:02

I absolutely adore the finger picking on this song especially, the initial guitar introduction is prolonged quite nicely. Drake's voice fills the song with a warm aura, unlike the majority of Drake songs this song is played at a speedy tempo and there are a few repetitions of the same classic Drake lyrics. It's a quite short song like most of the album spanning a minuscule 28 minutes but each song is a treasure chest waiting to be opened, and as you do the glare and the sparkle of the music is so intense it will blind you.

' You can say the sun is shining if you really want to, I can see the moon and it seems so clear, you can take the road that takes you to the stars now, I can take the road that'll see me through, I can take the road that'll see me through.'

4. WHICH WILL - 2:58

There appear to be two guitars here, Nick seems to be playing a great complex melody while a steel string guitar is strumming nicely in the background. Nick's voice flows wonderfully, it's lovely where he slurs his voice nicely to hold the anticipation of the chorus finish. The lyrics are quite unusual for Drake, it's layed out in a poem like structure, with the majority of the lines starting with 'Which Will' the title of the song, this is quite apt and extremely creative as a folk song.

' Which do you dance for, which makes you shine, which will you choose now, If you won't choose mine, which will you hope for, which can it be, which will you take now. If you won't take me, and tell me now, which will you love the best.'

5. HORN - 1:23

Horn is quite unusual as it's the only instrumental on the album, but the fact that it's at mid point feels quite apt, as if it's an outflow for all the energy from the first half yet a power generator for the second half, a nice little interval. An enchanting lullaby, picture yourself on a boat on a river with tangerine trees and marmalade skies is a perfect description for how this lovely guitar melody makes me feel. Horn is a great build up for the most powerful song and to me the best song on the album 'Things behind the sun'.

6. THINGS BEHIND THE SUN - 3:57

Not only the longest and most enduringly energetic song from Drake on 'Pink Moon' but my personal favourite. The more you listen to Drake, the more compelling his music becomes - but all the time it hides from you. On this song Drake sings to me embarrassed and shy, he is speaking to me. The song is so positive in all aspects that the beginning creep of the song seems initially a mistake, it takes a few listens to truly appreciate the true sadness of each note as if it was initially intended only for your ears not others. Perhaps the true meaning of the song is a secret that can only be understood to those who appreciate fine folk music than the clueless pop addicts. The lyrics are solid, sublime and rhythmic masterpieces which rhyme in a poetic fashion 'brain' and 'rain'. Nick's words are sung to such soft perfection that they literally hover around your head and although the song spans a length of four minutes, each word sticks out like a sore thumb.

' And open wide the hymns you hide, you'll find renown while people frown, at things that you say, but say what you'll say. About farmers and the fun, and the things behind the sun, and the people round your head, who say everything's been said, and the movement's in your brain, sends you out into the rain.'

7. KNOW - 2:26

Again an unusual style Nick has adopted here, only four lyrics but they speak for themselves really. Know starts off with a continuous repetitive guitar melody with Nick's soft and enchanting voice humming along to the melody. Although short in length a thoroughly enjoyable folk song which is easy to get excited about and start humming nicely to the melody with Drake. The song itself has a slight element of protest but it's created in such a beautifully apathetic way 'Know that I see you, know I'm not there'.

' Know that I love you, know I don't care, know that I see you, know I'm not there.'

8. PARASITE - 3:36

Parasite is a very tragic song in many aspects, Nick is basically describing and comparing himself to a parasite, every lyric seems to be a negative description of Drake and his emotional feelings. The melody isn't half bad either a meticulous guitar melody, the lyrics are vast on 'parasite' each line seems to tell an individual story. Sailing is the word to describe the journey one embarks on while listening to Drake's 'Parasite'. It's just astounding how in the space of three minutes and a half Drake tells an enchanted and deeply dark mysterious tale, by the time the last twang on the guitar comes you'd forgive yourself for playing it again for the desired effect.

' Lifting the mask from a local clown, feeling down like him, seeing the light in a station bar, and travelling far in sin. Sailing downstairs to the Northern line, watching the shine of the shoes, hearing the trials of the people there, who's to care if they lose. Tale a look you may see me on the ground, for I am the parasite of this town.'

9. FREE RIDE - 3:06

Free ride is one of the more folky offerings from Drake on 'Pink Moon' you can practically almost mistake the melody for being quicker than it is due to Drake's unique folk talent. You could imagine this song being played to Morris dancers and other various folk related displays. Again Nick's lyrics rhyme perfectly like a poem, along with the meaning and the forever changing key of Drake's guitar melodies makes free ride a worthy treat to your ears.

' I know you, I care too, I see through, all the pictures that you keep on the wall, all the people that will come to the ball. But hear me calling, won't you give me a free ride.'

10. HARVEST BREED - 1:37

The shortest lyrical song on 'Pink Moon', Drake uses a clever musical technique commonly emphasised in music to project the vision of one song even further. 'Harvest breed' is a continuation of the previous song 'Free ride'. It's not surprising that Drake has done this to one song in particular because 'Free ride' is the most folk centred masterpiece on the album and well worth a repetition.

'Falling fast and falling free you look to find a friend, falling fast and falling free this could just be the end. Falling fast you stoop to touch and kiss the flowers that bend, and you're ready now, for the harvest breed.'

11. FROM THE MORNING - 2:30

It almost seems sad to listen to the final song on this beautiful album from Drake, you just don't want the magical experience to reach the end of it's journey. The finger picking from Drake is again superb. I adore Nick Drake, this closing song is so clever it's ingenious he not only sings it in a free and enchanting way, but the lyrics themselves describe the end and what one should do after listening to the album 'So look see the sights, the endless summer nights'. Again the superb lyrics rhyme perfectly in a poetic fashion, it really is a magical treat to listen and experience not only 'Pink Moon' but Nick Drake, one of the greatest folk musicians of all time!

' A day once dawned, and it was beautiful, a day once dawned from the ground, then the night she fell, and the air was beautiful, the night she fell all around.'

When looking at the cover of 'Pink Moon' it's a magical experience but a line from a Nick Drake article said once long ago: ' One should play Drake's albums with the sound off and just look at the cover.'

In conclusion, Nick Drake is one of the most talented, magical, spiritually guided and underrated folk musicians of all time and certainly bags the top spots along with Richard Thompson as the finest British folk musician of all time. The cover is also worth a mention as being one of the greatest if not thee greatest cover of all albums. Lyrical perfection which tells a story of a time long forgotten in another world, let Drake send your mind spinning and your ears to heaven high up into the sky where the angels fly amongst the starlit sky.

Track List:

1. Pink Moon
2. Place To Be
3. Road
4. Which Will
5. Horn
6. Things Behind The Sun
7. Know
8. Parasite
9. Free Ride
10. Harvest Breed
11. From The Morning

Many thanks for reading,

Trystan.

 

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