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"Rise Above" - Maybe it's just Spotify, but the mix on this sounds really low on the bass? And the vocals seem really high compared to what I was expecting? I love and am surprised by how hooky this is. Also, side note, Genius is really convenient for looking at all the lyrics to each song on an album.
"Spray Paint" - This is more what I was expecting from this album compared to "Rise Above". Faster, dirtier, more '''hardcore'''.
"Six Pack" - My first thought? "Oh, this is kind of like a punk version of that JEFF the Brotherhood song that's somehow less loud". This song seems kind of sad, in a way? ("I was born with a bottle in mouth/Now I've got six so I'll never run out" and "Spent the rest on beer so who's to blame") Maybe it's just supposed to be funny. But if it is, it's kind of a dark joke. Ok, "I need to get fucked" was funny.
"What I See" - Okay, yeah, this is getting dark fast. This is the first song I've really heard the bass on, and technically it seems very impressive. I'm thinking about Black Flag's work ethic here, and maybe how the more intricate guitar/drum/bass playing could contrast with someone like the Ramones (not a knock on the Ramones, I like them a lot!).
"TV Party" - This is where this band's sense of humor is really coming through. The handclaps are a nice touch - kind of reminds me of Electric Six's "Gay Bar". Interesting that this is the longest song on the album. Mildly disappointed that Dirty Projectors didn't cover this one.
"Thirsty and Miserable" - Another song that seems more sad than funny (if that's the intent), but I liked that brief guitar solo.
"Police Story" - Henry Rollins called this song "one of the greatest songs ever written" (thanks, Genius!). I haven't finished this album yet, but I don't know if I'd call it the best song on Damaged so far (I think that still goes to "Rise Above"). But important? I could see that.
"Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie" - This is the first song I'm really noticing that bracelet effect on the drums. And going back and forth between the two tempos is interesting. But, again, the lyrical hooks are all over the place on this album, which is not what I was expecting. But I really should have been, in retrospect.
"Depression" - This sounds more like what anxiety feels like.
"Room 13" - I guess more what I was expecting originally from this album was maybe something like a more overtly political Milo Goes to College, where all the songs are like 30 seconds long and have a lot more screaming. Not that this song isn't fast, but it's slower than "Depression", and in general I'm surprised by the stylistic and lyrical diversity (as much as it exists) on this album.
"Damaged II" - I just noticed that there's been that burst of feedback that's started out a lot of these songs. Huh.
"No More" - I love those ominous chords at the beginning and the gradual speedup.
"Padded Cell" - Is that supposed to be a reference to CNN in the chorus?
"Life of Pain" - Lyrically, this seems like a good antidote to the sort of "I don't care and no one cares about me" attitude of some the last songs. Also liked the intro/outro to this song.
"Damaged I" - Henry Rollins kind of sounds like a scary David Byrne on this song. It's an interesting choice to end the album on the weirdest and slowest song, but that's the whole point, isn't it? The lyrics almost make this seem a bit improvisational even if the music doesn't, which is kind of cool.
First impressions: There's a lot going on here. I feel like I understand more now why this band was so tumultuous. It's clear that a lot of the band members were facing pretty strong personal issues. But I also understand more about how their work ethic and diverse inspirations informed their music. Most of the songs on the album defied my expectations of what Black Flag, and by extension hardcore punk, are supposed to be. I was surprised how the album was packed with hooks, . In the end, I think I liked the first half better than the second half largely because I think it has the stronger (and, to be fair, more popular) songs (like "Rise Above", "TV Party", "What I See", "Police Story"). But the second half had lots of memorable individual moments, especially musically (particularly on songs like "Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie", "No More", and "Life of Pain"). I think this is a document of what hardcore punk can be - fast, political, and pissed off while still stylistically diverse, with lots of interesting compositions.
I listened yesterday and I really like your take on this. I too was surprised how many good hooks the album had.
When I was in middle school I got into skateboarding and punk rock as all white, middle class kids with misplaced aggression are wont to do. I really, really liked The Ramones, The Clash, The Stooges, Sex Pistols, Rancid, NOFX, etc. and plenty of pop punk but Black Flag straight up scared me. Still though I remember some of the older kids at the skate park I went to always raved about Black Flag and, like, Minor Threat so I always wanted to like it.
Happy to report that I do think Black Flag is good now. It's not as scary as I remember it being (haha) and it's amazing how thoughtful and accessible the writing is. Rise Above is just a straight up anthem of a song. Most of the rest of the songs feel like ordered chaos which is pretty rad. My favorite run on the album was probably Police Story - No More. I prefer the confessional lyrics over the sarcastic stuff like TV party but it's all pretty good.
And truly it did make me want to go dig out my skateboard.
Most of the rest of the songs feel like ordered chaos which is pretty rad. My favorite run on the album was probably Police Story - No More. I prefer the confessional lyrics over the sarcastic stuff like TV party but it's all pretty good.
I think this is an important point, too. So much of the album is really divided along these confessional/sarcastic (or political, since they're pretty intertwined on here) lines. I think I'm more drawn to the more sarcastic stuff because it caught me off guard. I assumed that a band like this would be pretty humorless. Thinking about it now, that seems like a pretty wrong assumption to make, considering that other bands that draw on the same tradition tend to have some pretty funny songs themselves.
Also, I think I'm going to start posting the first album of the week on Monday and the second one on Friday so that there's one to listen to during the week and one to listen to during the weekend.
Post by snowmanomura on Jan 7, 2018 13:43:34 GMT -5
TV party kinda made me laugh this morning, because last night the wife and I just watched TV and drank some brews.
dookie came out when I was in elementary school, and that record and offsprings smash were the first two CDs I ever bought and the first time I was making choices about music that weren't based on my parents record collection. From there it branched more toward the ramones and the clash, and from there more into reggae and ska as the third wave hit (mighty mighty bosstones, rancid, no doubt). My experience with black flag is very similar to 10goldbees, except it wasn't the band I was scared of so much as the guys at school with the black flag t-shirts or patches on their backpacks. Those guys were punk. I was also really turned off by the lo-fi aspect as well, especially as a bass player when half the time you couldn't hear what they were playing.
Album 2 is maybe one of the more controversial choices for inclusion on the list:
38. Frank by Amy Winehouse
Background on Amy Winehouse: Amy Winehouse was an English singer and songwriter. She was known for her deep, expressive contralto vocals and her eclectic mix of musical genres, including soul, rhythm and blues, and jazz. Winehouse's debut album, Frank (2003), was a critical success in the UK and was nominated for the Mercury Prize. Her follow-up album, Back to Black (2006), led to five 2008 Grammy Awards, tying the then record for the most wins by a female artist in a single night.
After toying around with her brother Alex's guitar, Winehouse bought her own when she was 14 and began writing music a year later. Soon after, she began working for a living, including, at one time, as an entertainment journalist for the World Entertainment News Network, in addition to singing with local group the Bolsha Band. In July 2000, she became the featured female vocalist with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra; her influences were to include Sarah Vaughan and Dinah Washington, the latter whom she was already listening to at home. Amy's best friend, soul singer Tyler James, sent her demo tape to an A&R person. Winehouse signed to Simon Fuller's 19 Management in 2002 and was paid £250 a week against future earnings. While being developed by the management company, she was kept as a recording industry secret although she was a regular jazz standards singer at the Cobden Club.
Winehouse's debut album, Frank, was released on October 20, 2003. Produced mainly by Salaam Remi, many songs were influenced by jazz and, apart from two covers, Winehouse co-wrote every song. In contrast to her jazz-influenced first album, Winehouse's focus shifted to the girl groups of the 1950s and 1960s. Winehouse hired New York singer Sharon Jones's longtime band, the Dap-Kings, to back her up in the studio and on tour. Back to Black, an 11-track album completed in five months, was released on October 30, 2006. It was produced entirely by Salaam Remi and Ronson, with the production credits being split between them.
Winehouse died of alcohol poisoning on 23 July 2011, aged 27. Back to Black posthumously became, for a time, the UK's best-selling album of the 21st century.
Background on Frank: Frank is the debut studio album by English singer and songwriter Amy Winehouse. It was released on October 20, 2003, by Island Records. Production for the album took place during 2002 to 2003 and was handled by Winehouse, Salaam Remi, Commissioner Gordon, Jimmy Hogarth and Matt Rowe. Its title alludes to the nature and tone of Winehouse's lyrics on the album, as well as one of her influences, Frank Sinatra.
In a 2004 interview with The Observer, Winehouse expressed dissatisfaction with the album, stating, “Some things on this album make me go to a little place that's fucking bitter. I've never heard the album from start to finish. I don't have it in my house. Well, the marketing was fucked, the promotion was terrible. Everything was a shambles. It's frustrating, because you work with so many idiots—but they're nice idiots. So you can't be like, "You're an idiot." They know that they're idiots.”
Frank received generally positive reviews from contemporary music critics. AllMusic's John Bush called Winehouse "an excellent vocalist possessing both power and subtlety". Nate Chinen of The New York Times complimented her original lyrics and called the music a "glossy admixture of breezy funk, dub and jazz-inflected soul". The A.V. Club's Nathan Rabin commended its loose, organic songcraft and wrote that it "features languid, wide-open neo-soul grooves and jazzy vamping". Beccy Lindon of The Guardian described Winehouse's sound as "somewhere between Nina Simone and Erykah Badu ... at once innocent and sleazy". MusicOMH's John Murphy said that her lyrics are "commendably feisty and, as the album title suggests, frank". Robert Christgau, writing for MSN Music, was less enthusiastic and graded the album a "dud", indicating "a bad record whose details rarely merit further thought." Winehouse was nominated for British Female Solo Artist and British Urban Act at the 2004 BRIT Awards, while Frank was shortlisted for the Mercury Music Prize that same year. The album earned Winehouse an Ivor Novello Award.
My preconceptions: This is probably one of the more controversial choices I included in the list. I mostly picked it because I wanted to include at least a few albums from the 2000s, and while Frank is largely overshadowed by Back to Black, both critically and commercially, it did appear when I was googling variations on “best albums of the 2000s”. I also happen to like Back to Black, but I’ve never listened to Frank. This seemed as good an opportunity as any.
Maybe like some of you, I mostly remember the time leading up to Amy Winehouse’s death. I remember watching a clip of what would be her last concert on an episode of Chelsea Lately and laughing at it. Of course, looking back at it now, it all seems so wrong, but most of what I remember was people laughing at her. Maybe our cultural attitude has changed. Maybe it hasn’t. I hope it has. I'm trying more to remember the look on her face when she wins her first Grammy.
I’m not sure if I’m going to enjoy Frank or not. It seems to be pretty divisive (as even Amy Winehouse herself said), but regardless I always enjoy revisiting Amy Winehouse’s music and, if anything, it seems like it’ll be pleasant enough to listen to. Even if its hourlong run time is a bit intimidating compared to the significantly leaner Back to Black.
As a footnote, I’d also recommend watching the 2015 documentary Amy (which is on Amazon Prime) and reading Russell Brand’s tribute to Amy Winehouse if you haven’t.
Post by Nathan Fieldcяab on Jan 8, 2018 9:24:54 GMT -5
Glad you included this one! It's a weird mix of fun and kinda dark in spots. Depending on the day, I'd almost say I prefer it to Back to Black just because it's so idiosyncratic and unpredictable.
Hey guys! I've had a pretty bad flu the past few days and I've also been trying to work, so I've been pretty cognitively spent to do anything else at the end of the day, so I haven't wanted to write about this album at all. I'll try and do it tomorrow, but that might mean I have to push back the next album to Saturday. I'll keep you all posted!
"intro/Stronger Than Me" - Yeah, the quick fading scat intro was kind of weird, but I guess it makes sense in that it lets you know that you are listening to a capital-J Jazz album. The production for "Stronger Than Me" sounds kind of dated in a way that I can't quite place (I supposed if I had to, I'd say it just reminds me of the way a lot of early 2000s pop/R&B sounded), but in a way, I like it. As far as jazz pop goes, it's more interesting than than the nostalgia fetishism that someone like Michael Bublé offers. Also, I don't like the use of the word 'ladyboy' in this song (see also: Kesha's "Grow a Pear").
"You Sent Me Flying/Cherry" - Oh, the piano in "You Sent Me Flying" sounds really good, and I love the way the guitar accompanies it. So far, the mixing and the arrangements on this album are really good. The fadeout happened really, really fast though. (Just like the intro. Why?) "Cherry" is okay but kind of nondescript. The guitar kind of reminds me of Jack Johnson, lol.
"Know You Now" - This is the first song I've really liked the drums on, but I don't think they quite match the tone of that guitar. However, I am a fan of the birdsong samples sprinkled throughout the song. I realized that so far, I haven't commented on Amy Winehouse's singing at all, and it's not because it's bad. It's because it's so good, what really is there to say about it? If we're going to pick apart anything, it's going to be everything else surrounding it. Overall, though, I guess I'd say her voice sounds 'looser', with more scattered details throughout (like the scat singing on here) compared to sharp pop instincts of Back to Black. Maybe that was Mark Ronson's doing.
"Fuck Me Pumps" - This is probably my favorite song song far. I think there's an interesting balance of snark and sympathy in the lyrics. It's also the least jazziest. Maybe there's a connection, maybe not. Guess we'll see.
"I Heard Love is Blind" - It's kind of odd how much is going on here for a song that barely clocks in at over 2 minutes. Another kind of funny song, and it's got some lovely pieces in the arrangement (that flute!), even with that guitar acting as the driving force behind the album. I remember reading a Pitchfork review of the last Gorillaz album that talked about "the streaking comet-trail synth" that repeatedly claims center stage. I feel like that guitar kind of serves the same function here.
"Moody's Mood For Love/Teo's Licks" - I was still too busy writing about "I Heard Love Is Blind" that I forgot to write anything about "Moody's Mood For Love". Oops. "Teo's Licks" is a pleasant enough instrumental outro, though.
"(There Is No) Greater Love" - That flute, sax, piano, and outdoor nighttime noises make this so charmingly atmospheric. Who cares if it's corny. It's such a winning combination.
"In My Bed" - I like the saxophone solo here and the way Amy sings "reunion", but otherwise this track is completely unremarkable.
"Take the Box" - This is a weird jazz cover of "Irreplacable". But also, I love how Amy gets across the emotion on the "feel so fucking angry" lyric while still being subtle.
"October Song" - This is a weird jazz cover of "I'm Like a Bird". But also, I know I talked earlier about how I liked the mixing, but geez, the drums are mixed waaay too high on this considering it's a song about grieving (even if it's for a bird).
"What Is It About Men?" - Darcus Beese (Amy Winehouse's A&R representative) brings up a good point over at Genius: Amy was only 17 when she wrote these lyrics. That kind of thing makes me wonder how much of the lyricism here is drawn on from experience and how much of it is just storytelling. Hopefully it's more of the latter than the former.
"Amy Amy Amy" - This has both kind of a girl group and a musical theatre quality to it. If this didn't have a swing rhythm and more prominent horns, it wouldn't have been out of place on Back to Black.
"Brother" - I know it's not listed this way on Spotify, but it's kind of weird that there are two hidden tracks on this album. Oh well. The drums on this kind of give me 90s R&B vibes, mostly betrayed, again, by that guitar.
"Mr Magic (Through the Smoke)" - Given the wicked sense of humor that comes and goes throughout the album, I suppose it's only fitting it'd end with a weed song. It's funny, and ties together the jazz and pop elements that coexisted throughout the album. In a way, it's a nice summative, but there's not much more to say other than that.
Overall impressions: In a lot of ways, this isn't what I was expecting. I was expecting this album to have a lot more ballads, a lot more moody love songs, and more orchestral arrangements. Basically, my expectation was that this was going to be something close to a traditional jazz album (whatever that means). Instead, this feels like the groundwork for Amy Winehouse's later pop breakthroughs that made her an (unwanted) star. More importantly, her prodigious singing and songwriting skills are on full display here, singing and writing particularly incisively about bad relationships with a dark humor that certainly keeps things interesting. Sometimes, the production comes across as bland (in the case of "In My Bed") or awkward (as in the case of "October Song"), but by and large the arrangements suit the tone of each song well. I wouldn't call it 'great', but it was certainly good and definitely a gateway into Amy Winehouse's artistry in addition to serving as the jazzier corollary to her crowning achievement in Back to Black.
As a side note, I'm going to do the writeup for the next album later today.
The original plan was to pick every album randomly. But I'll make an exception for this album that was recorded 50 years ago today:
12. At Folsom Prison by Johnny Cash
Background on Johnny Cash: John R. Cash was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, actor, and author. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold more than 90 million records worldwide. Although primarily remembered as a country music icon, his genre-spanning songs and sound embraced rock and roll, rockabilly, blues, folk, and gospel. This crossover appeal won Cash the rare honor of multiple inductions in the Country Music, Rock and Roll, and Gospel Music Halls of Fame.
Cash was known for his deep, calm bass-baritone voice, the distinctive sound of his Tennessee Three backing band, which is characterized by train-sound guitar rhythms; a rebelliousness coupled with an increasingly somber and humble demeanor, free prison concerts, and a trademark, all-black stage wardrobe, which earned him the nickname "The Man in Black."He traditionally began his concerts by simply introducing himself, "Hello, I'm Johnny Cash," followed by his signature song "Folsom Prison Blues".
Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the latter stages of his career. His signature songs include "I Walk the Line", "Folsom Prison Blues", "Ring of Fire", "Get Rhythm", and "Man in Black". He also recorded humorous numbers like "One Piece at a Time" and "A Boy Named Sue"; a duet with his future wife, June Carter, called "Jackson" (followed by many further duets after their marriage); and railroad songs including "Hey, Porter", "Orange Blossom Special" and "Rock Island Line". During the last stage of his career, Cash covered songs by several late 20th-century rock artists, notably "Hurt" by Nine Inch Nails and "Personal Jesus" by Depeche Mode.
Background on At Folsom Prison: At Folsom Prison is a live album and 27th overall album by Johnny Cash, released on Columbia Records in May 1968. Johnny Cash became interested in Folsom State Prison in California while serving in the United States Air Force Security Service. In 1953, his unit watched Crane Wilbur's 1951 film Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison. The film inspired Cash to write a song that reflected his perception of prison life. The result was "Folsom Prison Blues", Cash's second single on Sun Records. The song became popular among inmates, who would write to Cash, requesting him to perform at their prisons. Cash's first prison performance was at Huntsville State Prison in 1957. Satisfied by the favorable reception, he performed at several other prisons in the years leading up to the Folsom performance in 1968.
A few years after attaining commercial success from songs such as "I Walk the Line", "Understand Your Man", and "Ring of Fire", Cash's popularity waned. This was due in part to his increasing dependence on drugs. In 1967, Cash sought help for his escalating drug problems; by the end of the year, his drug use decreased and he sought to turn his career around. Concurrently, the country portion of Columbia Records underwent major personnel changes. Frank Jones and Don Law, who had produced several of Cash's albums, were ousted in favor of Bob Johnston, who was known for his erratic behavior and willingness to disagree with studio executives. Cash saw this as an opportunity to pitch his idea of recording a live album at a prison; Johnston enthusiastically supported the concept. Johnston called San Quentin State Prison and Folsom, with Folsom being the first to respond.
My preconceptions: I've never listened to a Johnny Cash album before (and even then, there's a lot of them) and while I've heard some songs by him, I don't recognize most of the songs on the tracklist. But today, I did read this interview with Roseanne Cash about the album, and based on it I'm hoping to hear what country music might sound like at its somehow most rebellious and organic. I've read a bit up on the Tennessee Three and I'm also curious how his use of a small band like that would influence his sound in a live context. But on a simpler level, I'm excited to finally listen to what is surely one of the most famous country albums of all time.
I can't really do a track-by-track breakdown for this one. Not because I didn't want to, but because when I tried to write it out it started feeling like a futile exercise. Cash's backing band is so consistent (especially rhythmically) and so consistently good; Johnny Cash's soft, warbling baritone shines through in all the ballads, and the songwriting is razor-sharp on each tracks. It's not really just a live album. It's a greatest hits album with a tight, consistent sound. And unless you don't like that sound (or unless you really hate the concept of a murder ballad), it'd impossible to not like this album.
What really is there to say about each track? "25 Minutes to Go" and "Flushed From the Bathroom of Your Heart" are funny? Well, yeah, of course they are. "Dark as a Dungeon" and "Give My Love to Rose" are unexpectedly moving? Well...yeah...of course they are. "Folsom Prison Blues" is a banger? Not to use a word that Columbia Records wouldn't let Johnny Cash use, but shit yeah!
Of course, there's the touches that make it stand out as a live album, like both Johnny and June's laughter as they sing certain lines and the crowd noises during some of the more salaciously anti-authority lyrics in the murder songs. But as a document of both a specific kind of country music and country music as a whole, a collection of songs, and as a live album, it's nothing fancy, but so effective. No song overstays its welcome. There's nothing particularly fancy about the musicianship. Johnny Cash gets his tin cup of water and goes right into the track. What else would you need?
Favorite songs: "Folsom Prison Blues", "Dark as a Dungeon", "25 Minutes to Go", "Jackson", "Give My Love to Rose"
When I was in middle school I got into skateboarding and punk rock as all white, middle class kids with misplaced aggression are wont to do. I really, really liked The Ramones, The Clash, The Stooges, Sex Pistols, Rancid, NOFX, etc.
off topic, but I too was a huge NOFX fan growing up. listening back when i'm older i don't think they get enough credit for being such strong songwriters. the finesse and melodies of their songs get overshadowed by the punkish sloppy playing and attitude.
Shuck what was your exposure to Johnny Cash prior to listening to Folsom Prison? Safe to assume you already liked his music?
I had Ring of Fire on an old iPod and that’s about it. This album is so singular in its sound and aesthetic though that it’s gotta be a love or hate immediately kind of deal.
I also recognized “Folsom Prison Blues” without at least intentionally ever listening to it, so that’s that.
Shuck what was your exposure to Johnny Cash prior to listening to Folsom Prison? Safe to assume you already liked his music?
I had Ring of Fire on an old iPod and that’s about it. This album is so singular in its sound and aesthetic though that it’s gotta be a love or hate immediately kind of deal.
I also recognized “Folsom Prison Blues” without at least intentionally ever listening to it, so that’s that.
That's interesting. Like Snowman said, he's pretty much pervasive in the South or at least it felt that way growing up. At Folsom Prison is a nice comprehensive overview of his already absurdly prolific career up to that point.
The first two albums I listened to as a kid were New Order’s Republic and Madonna’s Ray of Light, which manages to explain 95% of my music taste today.
Was Frank a little too musically heavy for you? Good news!:
74. Pink Moon by Nick Drake
Background on Nick Drake: Nick Drake was an English singer-songwriter and musician, known for his acoustic guitar-based songs. He failed to find a wide audience during his lifetime, but his work has posthumously achieved wider notice and recognition. Drake signed to Island Records when he was 20 years old, while a student at the University of Cambridge, and released his debut album, Five Leaves Left, in 1969. By 1972, he had recorded two more albums—Bryter Layter and Pink Moon. Neither sold more than 5,000 copies on initial release. His reluctance to perform live, or be interviewed, contributed to his lack of commercial success. No footage of the adult Drake has ever been released, only still photographs and home footage from his childhood.
Drake suffered from major depression, and this was often reflected in his lyrics. On completion of his third album, 1972's Pink Moon, he withdrew from both live performance and recording, retreating to his parents' home in rural Warwickshire. On 25 November 1974, at the age of 26, Drake died from an overdose of approximately 30 amitriptyline pills, a prescribed antidepressant. His cause of death was determined to be suicide.
Drake's music remained available through the mid-1970s, but the 1979 release of the retrospective album Fruit Tree allowed his back catalogue to be reassessed. By the mid-1980s Drake was being credited as an influence by such artists as Robert Smith, David Sylvian, and Peter Buck. In 1985, The Dream Academy reached the UK and US charts with "Life in a Northern Town", a song written for and dedicated to Drake. By the early 1990s, he had come to represent a certain type of "doomed romantic" musician in the UK music press. His first biography was published in 1997, followed in 1998 by the documentary film A Stranger Among Us.
Background on Pink Moon: Pink Moon is the third and final studio album by the English folk musician Nick Drake, released in the UK by Island Records on 25 February 1972. It was the only one of Drake's studio albums to be released in North America during his lifetime: the only previous release there had been a 1971 compilation simply entitled Nick Drake featuring tracks from both his first two albums, which were not released in North America in their original forms until 1976.
Pink Moon differs from Drake's previous albums in that it was recorded without a backing band, featuring just Drake on vocals, acoustic guitar and a brief piano riff overdubbed onto the title track. Drake appeared to have made a decision before recording his third album that it would be as plain as possible and free of the numerous guest musicians that had been employed on Bryter Layter. Released two years before Drake's death in November 1974, at the age of twenty-six, the lyrical content of Pink Moon has often been attributed to Drake's ongoing battle with depression. The songs are shorter than on his previous albums, with a total album running time of just over twenty-eight minutes.
Pink Moon, like Drake's previous studio albums, did not sell well during his lifetime but has since gained in critical acclaim and record sales.
My preconceptions: I think more than anything, I'd heard about Pink Moon's reputation as a really good folk album and one of the best albums of the 70s, but I had no idea it was supposed to be...sad. I think maybe based on the cover I was envisioning something more psychedelic. As such, for right now I'm expecting maybe more languid guitars and possibly Nick Drake having a baritone register, with songwriting that's sharp but with the opposite effect that, say, Johnny Cash's has. As a whole, I'm not particularly the biggest fan of sad music - not out of personal dislike or anything, but just because when I'm feeling down I tend to like listening more aggressive music (unless you consider Portishead's "Machine Gun" sad). I'm also not the biggest fan of folk music either (I just don't care much about acoustic guitars!). As such, I feel like I'm going to have my horizons expanded regardless of whether I end up wanting to come back to this album or not. This al makes it sound like I'm disposed to not liking this. I'm really not! Based on what I've read, Pink Moon may not exactly be in my wheelhouse at all, but certainly there's going to be a degree of musicianship, songwriting, or both that's got to remain unmatched at some point. Regardless, I've now managed to somehow both overhype and undertalk this album, so I might as well just listen to it.