Music Feature: Drake Spawned A Monster

There are too many "What ifs" in rock history: What if someone had been there when John Bonham choked on his own vomit? What if someone close to Elliott Smith (other than his girlfriend obviously) had intervened the night of his alleged suicidal stabbing? What if Kurt Cobain had gone into the other room, had a nap and woke up with a fractionally different state of mind rather then going to the gun cupboard? I wonder if, knowing the following his music has today, Nick Drake would have taken a fatal does of anti-depressants back in 1974.

The circumstances surrounding the death of Nick Drake at his parent's home couldn't have been more tragic. Found in his bedroom, the young singer/ songwriter had long suffered from depression, insomnia and also a sense of alienation for his living years didn't provide him with the acclaim he now experiences. There was no question at the time that a rare talent existed within Drake. His music delved deep into the soul with his rich, textured vocals, unique acoustic style of strum-picking and implementation of "cluster-chords", a technique that many have since tried to emulate. However, commercial success eluded him.

Prior his death, Drake had released only three albums, Five Leaves Left (1969), Bryter Layter (1970), and Pink Moon (1972) and at the time not one of them had sold more than 5,000 copies.

"Do you know Nick Drake?" asked a friend of mine in the mid-90's. I knew the name but hadn't heard – at least knowingly – his music. Having been given, Way To Blue – An Introduction To Nick Drake, I'd lay there in bed, earphones in place (the best way to experience new records) mesmerized by what I heard. Every song washed over me like conversations with a new girlfriend where the more you knew, the more you want to know. Timeless, abstract melodies paired with enchanting chords that paradoxically seemed familiar yet nothing like anything I'd heard before.

Review your record collection. There are literally thousands of artists who swear by the tracks Drake left behind but here are just a handful that require no explanation, just a set of ears: Elliott Smith's XO, Belle & Sebastian's…well everything prior to Dear Catastrophe Waitress, Beck's Sea Change (pay particular attention to Round The Bend which I still mistake for Drake sometimes if my iPod is set on Shuffle), Camera Obscura, Beth Orton, Kings Of Convenience, Jose Gonzalez…the list goes on.

Though difficult to track down, a handful of Drake's songs were even covered by a then unknown vocalist called Elton John in 1968. Included in these recordings are versions of Day Is Done, Way To Blue and Time Has Told Me.

Though vocally sounding more in the vein of John Martyn - one of Drake's contemporaries, label-mate and friend - a relative newcomer, Alexi Murdoch has also found inspiration in Drake's concise catalogue. One of the most stunning tracks of 2006 is Murdoch's All My Days which seems to resurrect some of the same acoustic guitar offerings Drake played with such precision 35 years before.

In a rare stroke of genius on the part of an ad agency, Drake's Pink Moon was paired with VW's 2000 campaign for Golf Cabrio In a spectacular clash of cultures, eras, sensibilities, genres and philosophies, the ad threw Drake's music into the consciousness of a new generation of listeners and reignited interest in his catalogue. Shortly after, Island Records who had originally distributed his records re-mastered and re-released his albums to great effect. Drake's music was finally receiving the attention it so rightly deserved.

Though difficult to predict what the next chapter will bring for Nick Drake's legacy, whether it be more inclusions in film soundtracks (see The Royal Tenenbaums, Fever Pitch, Garden State, Serendipity etc) film dramas based on the life of Drake (as has been hinted for years) or simply the continued organic creation of new music by artists that in some small way owe credit to aspects of his music, you can predict with certainty that Drake's music will continue to touch listeners, new and old.

Tags:   A Way To Blue, Alexi Murdoch, Beck, Belle And Sebastian, Beth Orton, Bryter Layter, Camera Obscura, Elliott Smith, Fever Pitch, Fruit Tree, Garden State, Indie, John Bonham, John Martyn, Jose Gonzalez, Kings Of Convenience, Kurt Cobain, Nick Drake, Pink Moon, Serendipity, The Royal Tenenbaums, VW

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Posted on 12/1/2006 ( Permanent Link )
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