In the throes of a depression that would see him dead at the age of 26 from an overdose of anti-depression medication, Nick Drake still managed to produce his last album, "Pink Moon." Unlike his first two efforts, which consisted of orchestrated folk-pop music, this 1972 album was just Drake playing his acoustic guitar and singing (with a bit of piano here and there). The result is a bleak testament to melancholy and alienation that has a haunting and pristine beauty. There are only eleven songs, most of which are under three minutes in length, which is why the album is not even a half-hour long, but there is a sense in which anything longer would be too much to bear. "Pink Moon," by itself, justifies Drake's status as a cult figure among those who love folk-rock.

Ironically, you have probably hear Nick Drake's music before, because the title track was used for a Volkswaggen commercial, just another example of how music is perverted to commercial interests (what else is new?). I have been spending the cold winter putting together mixes of folk music (in the broadest sense) and making a concerted effort to get beyond Bob Dylan and the Byrds to explore the likes of Sandy Denny and the Beau Brummels. Checking out Sandy Denny led me to Fairport Convention and Richard Thompson, and eventually to Ralph McTell and Nick Drake. Now I can only wonder what rock I have been living under that I have never come across these artists before.

The title track is a beautiful folk ballad, performed with just Drake's superb acoustic guitar playing and haunting vocal. Throughout the album you notice the depth of his lyrics and his guitar playing. The latter might have been lost in an album with orchestration, but here you have the opportunity to listen to the openings of "Radio" and "Parasite" unadorned. For the former a choice example would be the opening of what is probably the best song on the album (it is hard to choose), "Which Will," which begins: "Which will you go for/Which will you love/Which will you choose from/From the stars above?" There is a simple elegance to the lyrics, captured by the vocals, and complimented by the more complex guitar playing.

Nick Drake only produced three albums, so there is no reason not to have all of them in your music library. These works represent the very best of the British folk-rock scene and Drake is a first rate singer-songwriter whose songs of failed romance, mortality, and depression are quite affective. Drake intended "Pink Moon" to be his final album, saying he had nothing left to record. When you lose yourself listening to these songs, you can actually convince yourself that this was true.

I acquired this album from a friend about 6 months before VW decided to use the title track in their Cabrio commercial. I found it amazing that almost no-one had heard of Nick Drake, prior to the VW ad that is. The cd is 28 minutes or so, and it is purely amazing, just a wonderful way to pass half an hour of time. Most of the songs on Pink Moon are played in alternate tunings which account for their somewhat "different" sound. The cd has a very simple and clean feel to it, likely because it is merely Nick on acoustic guitar with occasional piano parts. So if you're into acoustic guitar music, you should like this album. Overall I find Pink Moon very peaceful, nice to relax to. Just sit back in your recliner, close your eyes, and really *listen*. To me it's mind-boggling that his music has been overlooked for more than 25 years. It's a shame Nick didn't live to see the success of his music.

I found this album in a used LP bin in 1990. I bought it because the cover was cool. At first listen, I was unimpressed. It sounded so... bare, so basic. Nonetheless, I found myself listening to the record again and again... until I suddenly realized I had come to love it. A few years later, I picked up "Fruit Tree" which included everything Nick Drake had ever recorded on 4 CD's. Pink Moon remained my favorite. After experiencing the spare, delicate arrangements of "Pink Moon", it was hard to relate to the horns and strings n "Bryter Layter" and "Five Leaves Left"... the songs are great on those two records, but I feel the production hopelessly dates them.

Just the other day, being an obesessive about sound quality, I bought the new 24 bit remaster of this album. The new CD sounds at least as good as the old LP (although, in honesty, my copy was neither an early pressing on anywhere near mint). Inner details are subtly revealed. Drake's voice has more "air" around it, you can discern the character more readily. The music itself,of course,remains utterly essential. The lyrics are spooky, the guitar playing is intricate. For all the talk about this being a "dificult" album, I feel it is actually very accesible. It is melodic, gorgeously wrought, full of mystery, and at times, full of joy.

I don't mean that title in a bad way, but there's an undeniable dark-hours-of-the-night feeling throughout this album's 28 minutes. Pink Moon is certainly Nick Drake's saddest and darkest work, but ultimately the most timeless. Where Bryter Layter can sound slightly dated and over-orchestrated, I say the simple power of one good voice and a guitar will never age. This album could have been recorded in 1971 or tomorrow.

Someone below used the phrase "pleasantly melancholy" and I entirely agree. Beautiful though short (the longest track "Things Behind the Sun" clocks in at a whopping 3:56), yet nice and moody, this is the kind of music that can make you cry and then make you glad you did. Hope comes and goes here; never really joyful but never really gone. The title track - perhaps a precursor to the harbinger of doom "Black Eyed Dog" which only surfaced after Nick's death - seems a recognition of an omen with almost a weary acceptance. We go out on a positive note in "From the Morning," but that blend of pleasantness and sorrow never really leaves.

If you're reading this, chances are you know and love the treasure that is his music already. For someone who hasn't heard any Drake before I'd recommend the debut Five Leaves Left; there's a single-disc compilation (Way to Blue), but once you get addicted you'll only want to buy them all anyway. Pink Moon is about Nick Drake and about all of us, one of those rare works that truly speaks to something in everyone.

I bought this album without knowing quite what to expect. Nick Drake has a very large underground following and this album will explain exactly why. I picked up this album on a lark when researching the lyrics to a song by Dunan Sheik. Pink Moon is just another example of buried genius. How artists like this never gain a presence in the mainstream American music scene baffles me.

Pink Moon is a very simple construction, with only vocals and acoustic guitar. However, Nick Drake is able to take what would appear to be a limited palette and create a range of melodies that go from lighthearted and sweet to dark and forboding. The title track, Pink Moon, is particularly tragic in light of Drake's eventual fate.

Nick Drake is one of those rare artists that makes me love an album from a genre that I don't typically enjoy (folk acoustic). Absolutely brilliant.