Nick Drake’s last album was a tough sell, even when compared to his previous pair. Both of his previous albums were brilliant and in retrospect, easy to appreciate, but nobody seemed to think so at the time of their release, and sales were abysmal.

“Pink Moon” was destined to fare even worse. Gone were the gorgeous arrangements with strings and horn parts. Gone were the great guest musicians who helped to give his songs a lift.  Gone was the production of John Boyd, who held the keel for Drake’s career, and gone was any interest from his record label. The final product was a study in isolation, with Drake as the only musician, whispering his lyrics as if he were too shy to speak out loud. “Pink Moon” would become Drake’s swan song, and it seems as though he may have known it.

The songs on “Pink Moon” are short and direct, curt even. In its original form, it clocked in less than thirty minutes. It was as if Drake boiled his thoughts down to their essence, made his statement, and then moved on.  And why not? None of Drake’s previous albums ever charted, not anywhere, not ever, so why not say exactly what you want to say? Could the consequences make things any worse? They didn’t. “Pink Moon” didn’t vanish from the charts because, like its predecessors, it never appeared in the first place. The odd thing is, in the wake of his death, Drake became a cult figure whose now posthumous sales became respectable and steady.  

For a guy whose catalog consisted of nothing but commercial stiffs, all three of his records remain in print to this day, and sell quite respectably year after year. Volkswagen even utilized this album’s title track for a highly successful sales campaign! How bizarre that a car commercial would choose such a gentle composition as a centerpiece for its television ad, but it worked on every level. The song and commercial were so artful that it even halted the debate about musicians ‘selling out’ for corporate gain, and for the first time, Drake had a song on the charts when Amazon.com placed it at #5 for downloads.

The weird thing about this record is that the more you play it, the more you feel that there is some type of veiled communication that Drake is trying to pull off without any of the ornamentation that interfered with his intent. His delivery is so muted that he may as well be singing up his sleeve, but as the songs reveal themselves, it’s impossible to feel that you aren’t channeling words from a higher consciousness, words that need to be understood, even if they are impenetrable. He was dead soon afterward, which left the rest of us plenty of time – and no assistance – to deal with his intentions, but there is enough here to attract new listeners, even after five decades.

Featured tracks include:

Pink Moon

Place to Be

Road

Which Will

Horn

Things Behind the Sun

Know

Parasite

Free Ride

Harvest Breed

From the Morning

Plus bonus tracks –

Magic

Time of No Reply

Black Eyed Dog

Rider on the Wheel

Hanging on a Star

February 1972 - Billboard Did Not Chart