In my last review of Nick Drake’s "Five Leaves Left", I concluded with the following lines: "All three [albums] rank among the best singer-songwriter albums of all time. Nick Drake was the John Dowland of the 20th century." I stand by that. Whether the sparse orchestration of “Pink Moon” was a result of Drake’s severe depression, which prevented him from working with more instruments, is purely speculative. Apart from his voice and guitar, only a single piano melody can be heard in the title track. In its sparse simplicity, "Pink Moon" is, in a sense, the essence of Drake’s music. At less than half an hour long, it is pure magic and poetry: a swan song that was never intended as such. Drake’s fame only grew much later, in the late 1990s, thanks to a promotional film featuring the title track. In the raucous rock year of 1972, with its symphonic progressive rock, "Pink Moon" was simply too quiet to be heard above the noise of mellotrons, Rickenbacker basses, and Moog synthesizers. Nick Drake is a tragic hero. I would have liked him to live to see his success and relevance.