Nick Drake Pink Moon released

Pink Moon Nick Drake

Released: February 25, 1972 Peak: -- Sales (in millions): -- US, 0.1 UK Genre: British folk

Tracks: Song Title (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to charts. Pink Moon (13 DF) Place to Be Road Which Will Horn Things Behind the Sun Know Parasite Free Ride Harvest Breed From the Morning Total Running Time: 28:22

Rating: 4.540 out of 5.00 (average of 25 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: British folk singer/songwriter Nick Drake died in 1974 from an overdose of antidepressants. He was only 26 years but had recorded three studio albums – Pink Moon was his last and “the bleakest of them all.” AM “After two albums of tastefully orchestrated folk-pop, albeit some of the least demonstrative and most affecting around,” AM nobody expected a third album. “Nick was crushed by the commercial failure of Bryter Layter and a complete lack of recognition from the general public…He apparently told his mother he’d thought he’d failed in everything.” AD While he was clearly being hard on himself, “making music this beautiful, pouring your heart and soul into it – to see it largely ignored…must have been truly soul-destroying.” AD Going Down in a Haze of Obscurity Pink Moon “is the sound of Nick Drake cracking up. That’s not exactly true – some have long thought that his death by an overdose of an anti-depressant was an accident, and not suicide – but this album, recorded over two late nights, certainly sounds like a fever dream.” AZ “It is not an easy album to live within, for the creator or the listener.” PM “It’s hard not to see his battle with depression within the haunting and desolate structure of Pink Moon.” PM “This isn't at all an easy record… This is a unique record, a work of beauty and another fine testament to the talents of Nick Drake.” AD “The calm, focused anguish of this album [is] as harrowing as it is attractive.” AM “Drake’s elegant melancholia avoiding sounding pretentious in the least thanks to his continued embrace of simple, tender vocalizing.” AM “Meanwhile, the sheer majesty of his guitar playing…makes for a breathless wonder to behold. If anyone needs confirmation as to why artists like Mark Eitzel, Elliot Smith, Lou Barlow, or Robert Smith hold Drake close to their hearts.” AM It “made Drake the cult figure he remains.” AM The Recording He ”chose a radical change for what turned out to be his final album. Not even half-an-hour long, with 11 short song…he famously remarked…that he simply had no more to record.” AM “Nick was a fan of blues music, and rather taken by Robert Johnson amongst others.” AD Nick even copied Johnson’s technique of recording with just his guitar, facing a fall, and no one else in the studio. AD There are no side musicians or outside performers on the album. “Aside from a splash of piano, the only instrumentation on this stark and spooky collection is Drake’s eloquent acoustic guitar.” AZ “If Bryter Layter for some was over-orchestrated, Pink Moon is too unadorned.” AD It was “recorded by regular producer Joe Boyd but otherwise untouched by anyone else.” AM Engineer John Wood “captures Nick’s voice well, even though it appears he wasn’s singing with any great self-confidence. He’s almost mumbling in places” AD but “it becomes part of the overall mystique and appeal of Pink Moon.” AD The Songs: Here’s a breakdown of each of the individual songs. “Pink Moon” The lead-off title track is the only song on the album to feature any overdubs. AD It was“used in a Volkswagen commercial nearly 30 years later, giving him another renewed burst of appreciation – one of life’s many ironies, in that such an affecting song, Drake’s softly keened singing and gentle strumming, could turn up in such a strange context.” AM “Place to Be” Place to Be features “a beautiful vocal, reaching deep. The lyrics contain less of the imagery present on Five Leaves Left…but still are rooted in nature and emotion. It’s a lovely song.” AD “Road” “Road has some of the most enjoyable guitar playing on the album, hypnotic and beautiful. Nick’s voice comes in, quiet and deep, lost in a world of its own. The guitar is crystal clear and the contrast between the guitar playing and the vocals is striking and very effective.” AD “Which Will” “Which Will contains one of albums happiest guitar melodies, almost back to the kind of sound heard on Five Leaves Left only without all the overdubs and orchestra parts…But these songs are the pure essence of Nick Drake.” AD “Horn” “Horn is sometimes described as filler. It’s an instrumental, just over a minute long. It’s very hard to explain or write about the sound of someone’s inner turmoil, however brilliantly and effectively it’s being expressed. A simple guitar figure, long sustained notes going off into the ground, before a new section comes in – a repetition re-iterating the message of the song. It’s a plea for help without any words…It is utterly haunting and possessing a strange kind of beauty.” AD “Things Behind the Sun” Things Behind the Sun is “even more striking. It sounds full thanks to Nicks guitar playing. The lyrics are back to the symbolic, poetic nature of Five Leaves Left and indeed, this song dates from that era, it’s a song Nick had been working on for a while, playing the guitar pattern to himself over and over. It’s a brilliant song.” AD “Know” Know “is typical of the stark pure beauty of Pink Moon.” AD “A bare, repeating guitar figure. Nick starts humming the melody of the lyric. It's a two and a half minute song. He doesn't start singing until it’s half-way over. When he does though…it’s effective, to say the least.” AD “Parasite” “More beautiful guitar playing, more quietly deep affecting vocals. The lyrical matter here comes across as bitter – reflects Nick’s state of mind at this time. That it’s still utterly beautiful, through the poetic nature of the lyrics and vocal work, says something to me about how developed Nick’s talent was.” AD “Free Ride” Critic Adrian Denning says this song, “is completely impossible to describe. I don’t know what's going on in the song, guitar wise, lyrically..... how do you translate such material as this?” AD “From the Morning” This “was a favourite of Nick’s parents and ends the album on an optimistic note. It’s a song full of spring-time and beautiful air. Wonderful lyrics, vocals and playing – and it does sound happy.” AD Notes: Drake’s three studio albums (Five Leaves Left, Bryter Layter, and Pink Moon) and a posthumous archival collection (Made to Love Magic) were gathered together on the box set Fruit Tree.

Resources and Related Links: AM AllMusic.com review by Ned Raggett AZ Amazon.com review by John Milward AD Adrian Denning (3/30/2007). “Adrian’s Top 100 Albums, So Far” PM PasteMagazine.com (6/3/2024). “The 300 Greatest Albums of All Time” Other Related DMDB Pages: First posted 6/19/2011; last updated 6/15/2024.

 

Led Zeppelin released “Rock and Roll”

Rock and Roll Led Zeppelin

Writer(s): John Bonham, John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant (see lyrics here) Released: February 21, 1972 First Charted: March 11, 1972 Peak: 47 US, 38 HR, 1 CL, 38 CN, 51 AU, 3 DF (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions): -- US, -- UK, -- world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 52.33 video, 131.8 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: In a review of a 1972 Led Zeppelin concert, rock critic Robert Christgau called the band “the personification of heavy rock,” RC specifically referring to “Rock and Roll” as “simply the most dynamic hard-rock song in…music.” RC Rolling Stone said “the music recasts rock & roll as something fierce and modern.” RS In 2002, Q magazine selected the song as one of the 50 most exciting tunes ever. From 1972 to 1975, Led Zeppelin used “Rock and Roll” as the opener for their concerts. WK The song “is based on one of the most popular structures in rock and roll; namely the 12-bar blues progression in A.” SF Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page said the song grew out of a spontaneous jam session. Drummer John Bonham started playing Little Richard’s “Keep A-Knockin,’” which became “the now-famous snare and open-high-hat drum intro to ‘Rock and Roll.’” RS Page followed with a Chuck Berry-style guitar riff. WK Page says the song was “written in minutes and recorded within an hour.” SF Singer Robert Plant wrote the lyrics in response to critics who said their previous album, the more acoustic-folk-sounding Led Zeppelin III, wasn’t really rock and roll. SF He told Creem in 1988, “We just thought rock and roll needed to be take on again…It was time for actually kicking ass.” SF He made references to the Monotones’ 1958 doo-wop classic “The Book of Love” as well as an old dance called The Stroll. RS The song features Ian Stewart, who’d played piano with the Rolling Stones since their 1962 beginning. Led Zeppelin were using the Rolling Stones’ mobile recording unit to record the Led Zeppelin IV album. Stewart came as a technician to assist in recording, but came in handy when the band “needed some serious boogie-woogie piano.” SF Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Led Zeppelin RC Robert Christgau (6/15/1972). Newsday RS Rolling Stone (1/13/2019). “The 40 Greatest Led Zeppelin Songs of All Time” SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 11/5/2021; last updated 8/4/2022.

Harry Nilsson “Without You” hit #1

Without You Harry Nilsson

Writer(s): Tom Evans, Peter Ham (see lyrics here) Released: October 11, 1971 First Charted: December 10, 1971 Peak: 14 US, 12 CB, 13 GR, 12 HR, 15 AC, 12 CL, 15 UK, 11 CN, 15 AU, 4 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 1.0 US, 0.84 UK Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 25.3 video, 120.55 streaming

Without You Mariah Carey

Released: August 31, 1993 (album cut on Music Box) First Charted: January 28, 1994 Peak: 3 US, 12 CB, 14 GR, 2 RR, 4 AC, 14 UK, 4 CN, 3 AU, 20 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 1.89 US, 0.56 UK, 3.5 world (includes US+UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 656.70 video, 146.25 streaming

Awards (Nilsson): Click on award for more details.

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Awards (Carey): Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Guitarist Pete Ham and bassist Tommy Evans of Badfinger wrote “Without You” for their group’s 1970 album No Dice. While they didn’t release it as a single, it became a twice-over, transatlantic chart-topper, reaching #1 for Harry Nilsson in 1972 and Mariah Carey in 1994. It has been recorded more than 100 times. HL However, “far from being the men with the Midas touch” HL Ham and Evans “became two of rock ‘n’ roll’s most tragic casualties.” HL Both were hit with financial problems and committed suicide – Ham in 1975 and Evans in 1983. Ham wrote the verses after letting down his girlfriend when he’d promised they’d go out and hit the studio instead. HL Meanwhile Evans had written a song called “I Can’t Live” after his girlfriend (and future wife) Marianne left him. WK They ended up merging Ham’s verses with Evans’ chorus to create “Without You.” Harry Nilsson was “a hard-boozing rocker” TB and singer from America. When he heard “Without You” from the latter album, he liked it but thought it was a Beatles’ song. There was, in fact, a link between the two groups. Badfinger, formerly known as the Iveys, were signed to the Beatles’ Apple label in 1968. Paul McCartney then wrote “Come and Get It” for Badfinger and it became a top 10 in the U.S. and UK. “Without You” “gained in stature with Nilsson’s stately interpretation” HL although the dripping-with-sentiment ballad has also been described as being full of “overwrought emotion…with tears to spare.” DT More than 20 years later, Mariah Carey recorded it for her 1993 Music Box album. It was released as the third single – a week after Harry Nilsson died of a heart attack. WK Billboard called it “a faithful rendition of the eternally sweet pop ballad” WK while The Washington Post’s Mike Joyce said, “Unlike Nilsson, Carey has the pipes to pull of this anguished pop aria.” WK However, Entertainment Weekly’s David Browne described it as a “by the numbers remake.” WK Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Harry Nilsson HL Michael Heatley and Spencer Leigh (1998). Behind the Song: The Stories of 100 Great Pop & Rock Classics. Blandford Books: London, UK. Page 32. DT Dave Thompson (2011). 1000 Songs That Rock Your World. Krause Publications: Iola, WI. Page 219. TB Thunder Bay Press (2006). Singles: Six Decades of Hot Hits & Classic Cuts. Outline Press Ltd.: San Diego, CA. Page 131. WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 4/10/2023.

50 years ago: Ray Miller “The Sheik of Araby” hit #1

The Sheik of Araby Ray Miller

Writer(s): Ted Snyder, Harry B. Smith, Francis Wheeler (see lyrics here) Released: November 18, 1921 First Charted: February 15, 1922 Peak: 3 US, 11 GA, 14 SM (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, -- streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: The New York City music publishers and songwriters known as Tin Pan Alley were “ever vigilant to cash in on popular trends” JS and the 1921 movie The Sheik, starring Rudolph Valentino, “was perfect fodder.” JS Valentino was a screen icon who made women swoon. The movie was based on a 1919 Edith Maude Hall romance novel about an English girl kidnapped and seduced by an Arab sheik. “On the heels of its release music publishers Waterson, Berlin and Snyder published ‘The Sheik of Araby.’” JS Composer Ted Snyder said he wrote the song as a romantic number called “The Rose of Araby” but was persuaded to change the title because of the success of the Valentino film. SM The song was introduced late in 1921 with a Victor record by the Club Royal Orchestra (#3). JS The group was led by saxophonist Clyde Doerr, who rose to fame via his work with Art Hickman’s Orchestra. JS Harry B. Smith and Francis Wheeler added lyrics to the song. It is sung from the perspective of the sheik with him “introducing himself and proclaiming ‘your love belongs to me.’” TY2 The first vocal version was sung by Eddie Cantor in his Broadway revue show Make It Snappy in April 1922. WK The Huntington Press wrote that the song was “being sung and played by music lovers throughout the country. The melody has the whole town by the ears.” WK The version done by Ray Miller’s Orchestra ranks as the most successful, reaching #1 according to chart historians Howard Foote Gardner and Sharon Mawer. Little is known about him, but it is believed he came from Reading, Pennsylvania in 1896 and formed his band, the Black & White Melody Boys, after World War I. SM Trombonist Jack Teagarden also charted with the song (#14, 1939). He was “undoubtedly a big reason for the song’s jazz standard status.” JS He first recorded the song in 1930 with cornetist Red Nichols and then in 1939 with his own big band version. JS Others to chart with the song included Spike Jones (#19, 1943) and the Super-Sonics (#22, 1953). It was also featured in the 1940 film Tin Pan Alley as performed by Betty Grable and others. DJ It also appeared in 1943’s Heaven Can Wait and 1977’s Valentino. WK The Beatles, the Everly Brothers, and Louis Prima, have covered the song. WK F. Scott Fitzgerald quotes a verse from the song in his classic novel The Great Gatsby. Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Ray Miller DJ David Jasen (2002). A Century of American Popular Music: 2000 Best-Loved and Remembered Songs (1899-1999). Routledge: Taylor & Francis, Inc. Page 172. JS JazzStandards.com SM Sharon Mawer Charts (1900-1968) TY2 Don Tyler (2007). Hit Songs, 1900-1955. McFarland & Company, Inc.: Jefferson, North Carolina. Page 124. PM Joel Whitburn (1986). Pop Memories 1890-1954. Record Research, Inc: Menomonee Falls, WI. Page 577. WK Wikipedia First posted 1/28/2023.