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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
A stark, solo 28-minute adieu, Pink Moon was the last album Nick Drake lived to complete. That it proved to be his last album lends a suicidal urgency, and much has since been read into its staccato bleakness. But even before his previous album, Bryter Layter, was released, Nick had decided that the next one would be just him and a guitar--"no frills" he insisted. There is little comfort to be found in songs like "Know" or "Parasite" but, in an irony Nick would have appreciated, an American car commercial featuring the haunting title track recently alerted a huge new audience to his music. Digital remastering has enhanced the sound of all Nick's albums, but perhaps Pink Moon has benefited most: its aural environment, now all-enveloping, lending a pristine clarity to that matchless singing and playing. Sombre it may be, but it is a mistake to view Pink Moon as a tombstone--or, indeed, Nick Drake as a victim. Enjoy his music. He did. --Patrick Humphries
Product Description
Digitally remastered! Stark 3rd album from 1972, now with expanded artwork.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
56 of 57 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I first heard this album not long after its original release and I wasn't too impressed. Compared to "Five Leaves Left" and "Bryter Layter" it seemed sketchy, unfinished, some interesting ideas which hadn't been fully worked out. Well, I was a whole lot younger then. Returning to this music after a thirty-year break I find it is fast becoming my favourite of Nick's albums (which is saying quite a lot as I love both of his earlier works). The intimacy of this record is the secret of it's appeal. Apart from the fact that the remastered sound is of brilliant quality and crystal clear, this could almost be Nick Drake sitting alone in his bedroom with his guitar, making up simple tunes and singing quietly just to himself. This is no rehearsal tape, however - the songs are fully formed and, without exception, exquisitely beautiful. The apparent simplicity which I had earlier dismissed as "unfinished" is in fact the result of commendable restraint on the part of the artist...less really is more in this case. I deliberately haven't commented on individual songs because the whole album is such a cohesive entity. I just love the whole thing. My only regret is that it took me so long to get around to giving the album another listen.
42 of 43 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I am always searching for the perfect album, the album which is totally faultless, which can be listened to over and over again, where there is not a single track you would even consider skipping, not a moment which drags a little, not one second which it could have done without. Finally, I have found one of these albums. Pink Moon is beautiful, bleak, uplifting, haunting, playful, atmospheric all at the same time. It's short at just under 30 minutes, but that seems just the right length for this album. Nick Drake is one of the most skilled virtuoso guitar players I have ever heard, at times its difficult to believe that there isn't a whole band playing, let alone just one man and his guitar. And not only that, his voice is just about the most perfect I have heard - delicate, honest and up front - almost sounds as if he's singing in your room. The lyrics are fascinating and, if you take the effort, add an extra dimension to the album. He sounds like a man who has finally found an inner piece after much turmoil. He sings of innocence, choice, identity, nature, suicude but the overriding feeling I get from this album is certainly not of a man crying out for help, but a very sensitive man who has finally accepted a few truths about life (read the superb lyrics to 'Road'). He seems tired and almost numb after the years of depression. "know that I love you, know that I don't care".
The most brilliant aspect of Nick Drake's music though is of course the songwriting - often relatively simple, often totally unique, always brilliant. Dont expect his music to come immediately - it takes a few listens to appreciate the melodies.
The most brilliant aspect of Nick Drake's music though is of course the songwriting - often relatively simple, often totally unique, always brilliant. Dont expect his music to come immediately - it takes a few listens to appreciate the melodies.
A perfect album. Not just 5/5 but 100/100.
Get this one first, then get Five Leaves Left and Bryter Layter, which are both near perfection too.
38 of 40 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This was Drake's third and last album and sees him at his most raw. At the time of recording it, he was going through the severe depression which would eventually lead to his tragic demise. During his recording sessions for Pink Moon he simply sat facing the wall with his back to everyone else, concentrating on his wondrous guitar playing and singing.
Drake used lots of different tunings for his acoustic guitar, which lends his songs a darker vibe than more conventional tunings. His voice croons over the guitar in a gentle, soft whisper which is tremendously comforting rather than depressing.
The guitar playing is awesome, and so raw - you can actually hear the sound his fingers make as they dance over the strings. There is no orchestration to speak of, which may disappoint fans of Drake's previous albums, but in my opinion this is the way Nick intended it - a glimpse of his soul, uncovered.
For anyone who has not yet heard Nick Drake, I would recommend Five Leaves Left as the best place to start, as it has a small amount of orchestration to complement the guitar picking and vocals. Bryter Layter, for me, is a little too layered, lush and upbeat, taking on a more country-esque feel. Five Leaves Left and Pink Moon are more folky and dark.
All in all, anyone who has ever loved masterful acoustic guitar playing and deeply sensitive songwriting would be mad to miss out on any of Nick's work, but Pink Moon is perhaps the best bet for fans of contemporary singer songwriters as it sounds so incredibly timeless.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A Simple Message.
Just a quick message, to the people out there, that have not heard any of the THREE Classic albums, FIVE LEAVES LEFT - BRYTER LAYTER and of course this one. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Mild Dill Hotpot
Late comer....but better late than never
I am a later comer to Nick Drake and purchased Bryter Later as the first of the four albums I own of his music. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Newman8or
The last feat of magic, then he was gone
The third and last of Nick's lifetime trilogy marks the point at which those steering his career, and to some extent the artist himself, had sort of accepted that he was not going... Read more
Published 10 months ago by J. A. Harvey
great
Nick Drake's posthumous success is easy to understand. It adds a lot of meaning to his work in the context of his depression and ultimately suicide. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Jack
Very Good Overall But Lacks Variety
Pink Moon and Which Will are the highlights here, both songs as good as anything else Nick Drake ever recorded. Read more
Published 16 months ago by L. C. Warne
Haunting simplicity
I first heard Nick Drake in the mid seventies on an Island compilation album, thought he was ok but didn't properly investigate. It wasn't until the mid 90s I finally "got" him. Read more
Published 19 months ago by D. G. Taylor
Tim Buckley's quieter brother...
I heard this album for the 1st time about 2 hours ago. I bought it completly on a whim. Everything about it is amazing. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Sam
Serene beauty in the pit of despair
Nick Drake is one of the most influential singer-songwriters in rock history despite the fact that his career was short and not prolific. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Daniel Margrain
Rubbish imitation-Beatles cover, haunting album.
'Pink Moon' is only 28 minutes long and apart from a piano overdub on the title track has only Nick Drake's voice and guitar on it. Read more
Published 21 months ago by MR K J DOWNING
Gone but never forgotten
Knowing the tragic history of this young artist, this short album comes across as a sombre and intimate collection - I recall reading that Nick sat facing a studio wall whilst... Read more
Published 23 months ago by J. Guest
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