When did you first hear about Nick Drake?

I first heard about Nick Drake around early 1996 and it was through Peter Holsapple of the D.b.'s and Continental Drifters (as well as sideman for R.E.M for several years). Peter lived in New Orleans from the mid-90s through August 2005 (i.e. up until Hurricane Katrina struck). He played lots of solo acoustic shows around town during that time - particularly at the Circle Bar and at Carrollton Station. During these shows he'd always play a couple of Nick Drake songs and he'd also take time to tell the audience about who this incredible musician Nick Drake was and that you should buy all of his albums. I purchased Fruit Tree because of Peter's recommendation and fell in love with Nick's music. Have never looked back.

P.S. Peter recommended Nick's music to Peter Buck and the R.E.M. guys too.

 

That's very true. Jackson's stuff is ripe for something like this. I only discovered him via the early Fairport cover of 'You Never Wanted Me'.

 

I had probably heard some songs without knowing it was Nick Drake, but I found out who he was from
listening to the captured streaming of Radio Nova from Sunday nights back in the mid 00's I used to record.

I distinctly remember riding my bike with my iPod, and hearing "which one of these things first" and i had to
stop and go to the song list to see who the artist was. One of those musical life changing moments.
Then I got the 3 studio albums after that, ordered copies of the 200gram Japanese pressings that Universal
Records did back 8 or 10 years ago.

 

You're probably aware Guy that the promo LP you picture had a Record Store Day release, last year I think it was.

 

1988. I was doing some radio DJ-ing at KPFA, was already fond of the Richard Thompson/Sandy Denny iteration of Fairport Convention, noticed the 'Witchseasons' logo of a bass clef mutated into a Witch on a broom, saw that logo on the back of Heaven in a Wildflower, a Canadian LP compilation. Had the "Fruit Tree" box soon thereafter, played Nick Drake tunes a lot from that point on. Have the 'A Treasury' on SACD along with all the earlier 'official' issues on CD Getting into Nick Drake managed to make me look for related music. Incredible String Band and Tim Buckley help fill up that hole in the catalog.

 

Somewhere in 2001-2002 my dad asked whether I knew his music. I didn't. A friend at his chess club had suggested he should listen to Nick Drake. It made me check out Five Leaves Left at the library (there was no youtube or spotify in those days). I didn't get it. I don't remember what eventually made me pick up the album in 2003.

 

I also saw the VW commercial, but, as I recall it, in a movie theater where it seemed to have a bigger impact than seeing it on television.

 

For years I would tell people about Nick Drake. For the most part my suggestion seemed to fall on deaf ears. After the Volkswagen commercial if I mentioned his name as long as I linked it to the commercial then I would get a response something like "oh yea, thats kind of cool".

 

I did not hear it first from the commercial.

Because I am not YOU.

 

Early 1990 after reading an excellent article on Nick in "Strange Things are Happening" Magazine :-




......went straight out to my local record shop and bought all 3 of the original UK Island CDs (still have them although Pink Moon is bronzing).

 

No, I didn't realize that.

It is a 49-cent regret, to be sure. I think I would have been impressed with his music at age 16 or 17 and it might have led me to some other ear-opening discoveries at a younger age. But it also would have been strange... he never played in the US, there would have been zero information available about him, I doubt I would have heard about his death before reading the liner notes on the Antilles reissues in 1976.

I'm glad I managed to hear his music 39-years ago and it's been fascinating watching his discovery and rediscovery through the decades.

 

When Rolling Stone first put out their Top 500 Albums.

However, I still haven't heard a note by him.

 

Here's a beauty for you:

 

I first heard Drake on WXRT in the 70s, when DJ Terri Hemmert played "The Cello Song." That did it! And you can bet it was hard to track down import lps at that time.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Nick-Drake-Record-Store-Poster/dp/B00CF16TYS

It didn't sell very well, evidently. I still have my copy, sealed, and I think I bought it as a sort of reflex, although i was aware it doesn't contain any unissued material. I didn't know it had ever beeen released before the Record Store Day reissue appeared.

39 years is a long time with ND's music - -about the same as me. I feel that unlike some music of that time it's never dated. I don't like the word 'timeless', but Nick was surely out on his own, and managed to produce a unique legacy.

 

It was via the Nice Enough to Eat sampler which has Time has Told Me on it.

Tim

 

First heard him on the UK 1969 "Bumpers" compilation which had an early version of "Hazey Jane".

 

The best 'hand me down' present I got from my older brother on my 18th birthday when he gave me 'Way to Blue: An Introduction to Nick Drake' with the words "I'm not sure you will like this at first, but stick with him and it will be worth it"
Good advice.

 

I first heard the song Riverman on the radio, then picked up the Way To Blue compilation, then the individual CDs and then each of the remastered LPs.

But I think it was the VW commercial that first caught my attention and got me curious.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIOW9fLT9eY

 

1995.

I was in the UK on vacation and was collecting whatever I could that was even slightly related to Sandy Denny/Fairport Convention. Bought a CD called Folk Routes while I was there, and it had "Road" from Pink Moon on it.

I think I bought "Way To Blue" shortly thereafter (but I don't remember exactly when; 99% sure it was before the VW commercial) and was blown away.

 

My intro to Nick has a strange story. It must have been around 1986 when Fruit Tree came out. I had run an ad in a local buy/sell/trade paper for a 1958 Martin 00-17 guitar that I was parting with (a major mistake in my life) and the guy wanting to look at it suggested we meet at an independent record store that was known by both of us. I got there early and the store owner wanted to know what I had in the case so I pulled out the 00-17 and strummed a few chords and told him about the meet up with the potential buyer. We get to talking about guitar playing and I told him I liked this particular guitar for songwriting. He says...looks like Nick Drake's little brown guitar. You know who that is right? I'm like...no, hip me my man! So, he pulls Fruit Tree from behind the counter and it must have been the store copy because it was open and he handed me the booklet and put on Bryter Layter. I was floored,just frozen in my tracks. My last name is Drake to begin with so I felt something in common right from the get go but when I read that we shared birthdates...month/day..not year.. and we both had little brown all mahogany 00 size guitars and wrote songs,well,it was just weird. Nick is pictured with a Guild M-20,(very similar to a Martin 00-17) in some pics and there is some info out there that suggests it was actually somebody else's guitar and he was just using it as a photo prop. I've also read that Martin Guitar Co. records have a warranty registration from Nick for either a D-28 or 000-28 model. I have no reason to believe either story until verified by facts but the stories are interesting to me . Anyone out there know anything about Nick's guitars? He's also pictured a lot with a gut string folk or
classical,flamenco guitar.

 

"Pink Moon" in the Volkswagen commercial.

 

I had a girlfriend who turned me on to Nick Drake in 1990, she had the Fruit Tree Vinyl Box Set but no longer had a turntable but I did so I wound up with it up. It was nice of her to leave it with me after we broke up, she also turned me on to Richard Thompson which for I am forever grateful.

 

That was a couple years ago, it sounds great and you get the full poster also.

 

Around the late 90's when the David Arquette movie "Dream With the Fishes" came out. "River Man" was part of the soundtrack and I thought it was incredible. I went out and bought all his records after that.