# If I like Nick Drake's music, I should check out.... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 14, 2005, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-like-nick-drakes-music-i-should-check-out/316976 "2005-08-14T16:57:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![drhess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/94ad74/32.png) [@drhess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drhess)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2005, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-like-nick-drakes-music-i-should-check-out/316976/1 "2005-08-14T16:57:02Z")
If I like Nick Drake’s music, I should check out what other musicians? Is there a networking feature somehwhere that shows related artists? I guess [amazon.com](http://amazon.com) sorta has that feature. Anywhere else? Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![marque\_elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71c47a/32.png) [@marque\_elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marque_elf)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2005, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-like-nick-drakes-music-i-should-check-out/316976/2 "2005-08-14T17:05:33Z")
> [@drhess](#): > > If I like Nick Drake’s music, I should check out what other musicians? Is there a networking feature somehwhere that shows related artists? I guess [amazon.com](http://amazon.com) sorta has that feature. Anywhere else? > > Thanks! The site [allmusic.com](http://allmusic.com) is worth checking out. Look up Nick Drake and they’ll give you a long list of artists that they consider have a similar style. You can also search by mood and by over-all style. I use it all the time to find different artists that record in styles I prefer. ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2005, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-like-nick-drakes-music-i-should-check-out/316976/3 "2005-08-14T17:16:53Z")
Music map? [http://www.music-map.com/nick+drake.html](http://www.music-map.com/nick+drake.html) ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2005, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-like-nick-drakes-music-i-should-check-out/316976/4 "2005-08-14T17:50:22Z")
Check out [last.fm](http://www.last.fm/explore/?artistname=nick+drake). ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2005, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-like-nick-drakes-music-i-should-check-out/316976/5 "2005-08-14T21:56:08Z")
John Martyn, an early 70’s {although he’s still going, last I heard} contemporary and friend of Nick Drake. The album to especially check out is **Solid Air** , the title track of which was written about Drake. ---
**Author:** ![pokey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ebca7d/32.png) [@pokey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pokey)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2005, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-like-nick-drakes-music-i-should-check-out/316976/6 "2005-08-14T22:40:42Z")
I was going to say Elliott Smith and he came up on both those sites. I don’t know why, they aren’t that much alike. I like Nick Drake and when I am in an Nick Drake mood I would also be likely to listen to Elliott Smith or Ryan Adams. ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Badger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/848f3c/32.png) [@Dead\_Badger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Badger)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2005, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-like-nick-drakes-music-i-should-check-out/316976/7 "2005-08-14T23:49:51Z")
[M Ward](http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00008LKGL/qid=1124060845/sr=8-2/ref=pd_ka_2/202-0435291-1523838) reminds me very strongly of Nick Drake at times. But then this is said of pretty much every male singer/songwriter with an acoustic guitar, so YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/51bf81/32.png) [@TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2005, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-like-nick-drakes-music-i-should-check-out/316976/8 "2005-08-15T01:53:57Z")
**Belle and Sebastian** have pretty much taken a straight- up Drake (with a bit of Smiths in there) imitation to the bank. Their second album, “If you’re feeling sinister,” remains unmatched in their catalogue and in popular music of the past 15 or so years. Also check out **Jackson C. Frank’s** “Blues run the game” - I describe it to friends as sounding like a Nick Drake record if Drake had made a record **after** he died - it’s _that_ dark. Frank was a contemporary of Drake’s and Drake covered the title track from this album. Another person you might miss (and who remains unknown to most people) is **Judee Sill** - she was a california folkie during the same era that Drake operated in, and she really hits that same vibe that Drake captures on “Bryter Later” on this and her only other album, “Heart Food” (she died of a heroin overdose shortly after its release). While it may come as a surprise, be sure to check out **Badly Drawn Boy’s** “The Hour of Bewilderbeast.” While he’s since gone on to do a particularly boring and embarrassing brand of m.o.r. brit-pop, this, his first album, is the closest thing to another Nick Drake record that I’ve heard, perfectly capturing that feeling of fall with grey skies, a bite in the air, and the smell of burning leaves. I hope these help. I love Nick Drake. ---
**Author:** ![buns3000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c89c15/32.png) [@buns3000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buns3000)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2005, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-like-nick-drakes-music-i-should-check-out/316976/9 "2005-08-15T03:15:42Z")
You might like the two solo albums by Chicago dude **Sam Prekop** if not his stuff with **Sea and Cake**. ---
**Author:** ![TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/51bf81/32.png) [@TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2005, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-like-nick-drakes-music-i-should-check-out/316976/10 "2005-08-15T03:59:08Z")
> [@buns3000](#): > > You might like the two solo albums by Chicago dude **Sam Prekop** if not his stuff with **Sea and Cake**. While I agree that the OP may like Prekop’s music, I don’t really understand what this has to do with the request - what does Prekop and co.'s jazzy, groove-based pop music have to do with Nick Drake? ---
**Author:** ![buns3000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c89c15/32.png) [@buns3000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buns3000)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2005, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-like-nick-drakes-music-i-should-check-out/316976/11 "2005-08-16T02:41:14Z")
> [@VCO3](#): > > While I agree that the OP may like Prekop’s music, I don’t really understand what this has to do with the request - what does Prekop and co.'s jazzy, groove-based pop music have to do with Nick Drake? The OP asked for recommendations based on liking Nick Drake. I gave him one. He didn’t ask for references to things _exactly_ like ND and I figured Prekop is not exactly out of the ballpark. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2005, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-like-nick-drakes-music-i-should-check-out/316976/12 "2005-08-16T04:02:46Z")
Early Leonard Cohen including _Songs of Leonard Cohen_, _Songs From a Room_ and maybe _Songs of Love and Hate_. ---
**Author:** ![TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/51bf81/32.png) [@TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2005, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-like-nick-drakes-music-i-should-check-out/316976/13 "2005-08-16T05:13:37Z")
> [@buns3000](#): > > The OP asked for recommendations based on liking Nick Drake. I gave him one. He didn’t ask for references to things _exactly_ like ND and I figured Prekop is not exactly out of the ballpark. Oh - strange. I’d consider Prekop completely out of the ballpark in reference to Drake. ---
**Author:** ![dragongirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b38774/32.png) [@dragongirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dragongirl)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2005, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-like-nick-drakes-music-i-should-check-out/316976/14 "2005-08-16T12:54:30Z")
Give a listen to Duncan Sheik. [http://www.duncansheik.com](http://www.duncansheik.com) There’s a lot of his free, legal music to download on his message board, but you have to register. You can find that here. [http://sheikfreik.com/forum/showthread.php?t=112](http://sheikfreik.com/forum/showthread.php?t=112) ---
**Author:** ![Ichbin\_Dubist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/51bf81/32.png) [@Ichbin\_Dubist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ichbin_Dubist)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2005, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-like-nick-drakes-music-i-should-check-out/316976/15 "2005-08-16T18:03:35Z")
Townes Van Zandt, the Nick Drake of Texas. I think _Live at the Old Quarter_ is out on CD now. Van Morrison, _Astral Weeks_. Has the same gray, drizzly feeling to it. Fairport Convention, _What We Did On Our Holiday_; Richard Thompson, _Small Town Romance_; Sandy Denny, _Who Knows Where the Time Goes?_ Contemporaries of Drake. You might also check out Roy Harper. And the Incredible String Band. Fred Neil, _Bleecker & McDougal_, an American folkie in a similar vein. I haven’t listened to it in a while, but Alexander Spence’s _Oar_ might get you there. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2005, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-like-nick-drakes-music-i-should-check-out/316976/16 "2005-08-16T21:28:14Z")
Joni Mitchell, “Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter”. ---
**Author:** ![kelly5078](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2005, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-like-nick-drakes-music-i-should-check-out/316976/17 "2005-08-16T21:52:06Z")
> [@Case Sensitive](#): > > John Martyn Agreed. But I’d recommend “Bless the Weather” over “Solid Air.” ---
**Author:** ![TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/51bf81/32.png) [@TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2005, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-like-nick-drakes-music-i-should-check-out/316976/18 "2005-08-16T22:03:47Z")
> [@Ichbin Dubist](#): > > Townes Van Zandt, the Nick Drake of Texas. I think _Live at the Old Quarter_ is out on CD now. > > Van Morrison, _Astral Weeks_. Has the same gray, drizzly feeling to it. > > Fairport Convention, _What We Did On Our Holiday_; Richard Thompson, _Small Town Romance_; Sandy Denny, _Who Knows Where the Time Goes?_ Contemporaries of Drake. You might also check out Roy Harper. And the Incredible String Band. > > Fred Neil, _Bleecker & McDougal_, an American folkie in a similar vein. > > I haven’t listened to it in a while, but Alexander Spence’s _Oar_ might get you there. Two big thumbs up to all of these, especially _Oar_ (far more psychy than Drake, but still an incredible record), the Fairport and Incredible String Band stuff, and _Astrak Weeks_ . ---
**Author:** ![drhess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/94ad74/32.png) [@drhess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drhess)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2005, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-like-nick-drakes-music-i-should-check-out/316976/19 "2005-08-22T20:39:51Z")
Thanks, yall!