Have you ever stumbled across music by accident that just gets you, in places you didn't even know you could be got? There might be better music out there, you might discard it later, but at one point in time, in a certain place, that music is your world. It happened to me the first time I heard the euphoric harmonies of the California Girls chorus, it hit me with Fell in Love with a Girl, and now it's happened again.
Up until half an hour ago Nick Drake was a faint name in the memory bank of unknown quantities on the AM artists list. I was working with my iTunes on shuffle and There's a Place by The Beatles came on, and I remember something Ian McDonald had said about the song in Revolution in the Head. Naturally, looking for the slightest distraction, I typed his name in on Wikipedia, and saw Nick Drake's name in the biography so followed the link. River Man and Pink Moon later and I'm completely blown away.
Is anybody else a fan? If so what would you recommend listening to first?
And also does anyone get what I'm talking about when a piece of music, for a couple of minutes, takes over your entire being?
Yeah,for sure. Songs that have had that sort of effect on me before that I can remember:
Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody
Prince - 1999
Joy Division - Atmosphere & Love Will Tear Us Apart(I couldn't imagine the number of times I've listened to those 2 songs back to back off the Substance album)
Lloyd Cole - Forest Fire
Stone Roses - Elephant Stone
Ride - Vapour Trail
And my top 3 albums - The Queen Is Dead,Pet Sounds,OK Computer were all I played when I first discovered them.
Plus probably heaps more.
As for Nick Drake,my favourite is Bryter Layter with a much bigger sound than the other 2 albums,but the other 2 are recommended as well - it's hard to really decide what his definitive album is.
Also,would anyone know what the best Nick Drake compilation is that collects up all his non-album rarities?
For Drake, I think it would be best to listen to his albums in order of release, but it doesn't matter that much. My personal favorite is Five Leaves Left, then Pink Moon and finally Bryter Layter (although all 3 are in my top 250).
As far as compilations go; Fruit Tree is definitely the one to get if you want it all, but if you already have his three albums you can also go for just "Time of No Reply", which is the fourth disk on Fruit Tree, or Way To Blue for all his best songs from all 4 albums.
Regarding the 'Nick Drake Syndrome', I've experienced that a lot with Bob Dylan but lately I've been getting it a lot with jazz albums. During Giant Steps, for example, I was just sitting there and trying to grasp it all. The thing is, though, I rarely get this feeling a second time on the same album with jazz.
For Drake, I think it would be best to listen to his albums in order of release, but it doesn't matter that much. My personal favorite is Five Leaves Left, then Pink Moon and finally Bryter Layter (although all 3 are in my top 250).
Amen to that, that's word by word what I would have said.
My latest instance of what you called "Nick Drake effect" has happened about a year ago while listening to Built to Spill's Perfect From Now On, especially the song The Velvet Waltz which has become one of my favorite songs ever on first listen, but also with the song I Would Hurt a Fly. Two wonders in a great album.
And the 2 strongest times it happened would be the first time I heard "Waltz #2" (yeah, I like waltzes...) by Elliott Smith, and when I stumbled upon Arcade Fire's Wake Up, live, standing on the third row of Rock en Seine Festival main scene.
Step up "Starless" by King Crimson. One bus journey, 2 listens, pure bliss.
And "The Meadowlands" by The Wrens, at the dead of night, at a friends house. The album is largely about lost love and failure (concepts which perhaps I haven't yet experienced), but my word, I was truly gripped.
