 Dark Was The Night (2009) [ larger cover art ] |
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Musicbrainz DBStrange face, with your eyes
So pale and sincere
Underneath, you know well
You have nothing to fear
For the dreams that came to you
when you were young
Told of a life where spring has sprung
You would seem so frail
In the cold of the night
When the armies of emotion
Go out to fight
But while the earth
Sinks to its grave
You sail to the sky
On the crest of a wave
So forget this cruel world
Where I belong
Ill just sit and wait
And sing my song
And if one day
you should see me in the crowd
Lend a hand and lift me
To your place in the cloud
So pale and sincere
Underneath, you know well
You have nothing to fear
For the dreams that came to you
when you were young
Told of a life where spring has sprung
You would seem so frail
In the cold of the night
When the armies of emotion
Go out to fight
But while the earth
Sinks to its grave
You sail to the sky
On the crest of a wave
So forget this cruel world
Where I belong
Ill just sit and wait
And sing my song
And if one day
you should see me in the crowd
Lend a hand and lift me
To your place in the cloud
| mread (Sun Diego) | Posted: May 08, 2013 - 17:21 rdo wrote: . . . Consider this thought experiment. What would you rate the song Amazing Grace, which many consider the greatest song ever? Does it really even matter who performs it? Certainly, you could rate the performance of the song, as opposed to the song itself, that is your choice. But since John Newton's Amazing Grace cannot possibly be tied to any single recording or performer, you are forced to somehow rate the song apart from any rendition. What do you rate it? I think people should try to rate the songs here, and not the performance. I consider rating the performance something they do on American Idol (nothing wrong with that, BTW), but RP is more about songs on an aesthetic plane high above that. The talent being rated here is the composition. I respectfully disagree. Versions (or covers, or renditions, or whatever) do matter and that's what 99% of RP-listeners do rate. To wit: Elbow produced the fine song Mirrorball (currently rated 7.8 on RP), but there has to be a way to punish Peter Gabriel for what he did to it (currently rated 5.5 on RP, relatively low, as RP ratings go). |
| rdo (DC) | Posted: Apr 07, 2013 - 13:17 jagdriver wrote: This cover is wimpy. Jose's voice isn't anywhere close to the evocative nature of Nick's original. I rate songs, I don't rate versions, renditions, covers, recordings, etc...however it's very hard to separate the song from the original recording of the song which first brought it to my attention. So, I feel no compunction in giving this a 10. Only a complete dufus could screw this song up. For me, it will always be Nick Drake's song, as I first heard it. And most credit goes to him for composing it. He is the one for which the brilliant song will always bring credit, hundreds of years into the future. It would pretty ridiculous for Jose to consider this an achievment of his own, except that he does a fine job here performing it. Consider this thought experiment. What would you rate the song Amazing Grace, which many consider the greatest song ever? Does it really even matter who performs it? Certainly, you could rate the performance of the song, as opposed to the song itself, that is your choice. But since John Newton's Amazing Grace cannot possibly be tied to any single recording or performer, you are forced to somehow rate the song apart from any rendition. What do you rate it? I think people should try to rate the songs here, and not the performance. I consider rating the performance something they do on American Idol (nothing wrong with that, BTW), but RP is more about songs on an aesthetic plane high above that. The talent being rated here is the composition. |
| YourNameHere (Los Angeles) | Posted: Mar 07, 2013 - 01:37 I guess I'm in the minority, I like both versions. For me, on the spectrum of singers, Jose Gonzalez is the perfect voice to listen to in the background while I'm working, it's calming and pleasant. At the other end of the of the spectrum Tom Waits and a rusty saw scraping a chalk board. |
| Bone (Divided States of Sanity) | Posted: Jan 03, 2013 - 09:41 Yeah, this one is kinda like his 'Teardrop' cover... doesn't really add a lot to any new interpretation. =5= |
| jagdriver (Just a nod and a wink south of Paradise) | Posted: Jul 30, 2012 - 07:50 BonyParadise wrote: I like Jose Gonzalez and it's good to hear someone covering Nick Drake - but there isn't enough in this version to make it stand out for me. This cover is wimpy. Jose's voice isn't anywhere close to the evocative nature of Nick's original. |
| boober (KC,Mo) | Posted: Jul 30, 2012 - 07:49 Soon later they painted their faces blue. NoEnzLefttoSplit wrote: the opening made me immediately think of these guys:  They ("From Scratch") were a great percussion outfit that used batteries of PVC tubing which they hit with flipflops back in NZ in the early 80s. When they performed at the Pacific arts festival people were worried the Pacific islanders would ditch their wooden drums in favor of PVC downpipes (needlessly as it turned out). |
| eswiley2 | Posted: Apr 26, 2012 - 06:26 Would you try to improve on Art Garfunkel's version of Bridge Over Troubled Water?  |
| zenhead (Maine) | Posted: Apr 26, 2012 - 06:24 lovely! |
| BonyParadise | Posted: Dec 21, 2011 - 09:55 I like Jose Gonzalez and it's good to hear someone covering Nick Drake - but there isn't enough in this version to make it stand out for me. |
| NoEnzLefttoSplit | Posted: Dec 08, 2011 - 17:57 the opening made me immediately think of these guys: They ("From Scratch") were a great percussion outfit that used batteries of PVC tubing which they hit with flipflops back in NZ in the early 80s. When they performed at the Pacific arts festival people were worried the Pacific islanders would ditch their wooden drums in favor of PVC downpipes (needlessly as it turned out). |
| Sasha2001 (I can see Zabars from my window) | Posted: Nov 19, 2011 - 16:08 All they've proven is that this is a really good song. It makes me want to hear the original more. |
| Xstar (Florence, Kentucky) | Posted: Oct 19, 2011 - 01:54 Not doing much for me at all really. Just kinda flat  |
| sronis | Posted: Oct 19, 2011 - 01:54 TheKing2 wrote: Hmm, nothing added to ND. Really actually, it's a very different take on the song and i liked it instantly - something that is rare with covers for great songs. and coy -  |
| coy (san antonio) | Posted: Oct 06, 2011 - 13:34 jose and the books ?? nice cover |
| TheKing2 (on Eä) | Posted: Sep 17, 2011 - 11:05 Hmm, nothing added to ND. Really |
| ScottishWillie (The Scottish Lowlands) | Posted: Sep 05, 2011 - 03:11 Businessgypsy wrote: Wow, a group more devoted to fundamental dogma than the Taliban! This infidel says yea, so stone away. As an incentive, I'll begin by stoning myself! Thank you for that comment its brightened my day. By the way stoning…. do you think we are barbarians? I would hang them as befits our enlightened western society. |
| Cynaera (South of Neanderthal) | Posted: Jul 16, 2011 - 17:19 I've got Nick Drake's song on my MP3 player, and now, hearing it performed by someone else, I have to veto this version. No emotion, no nuance, no understanding of what Drake was conveying. It's just words and music. Personally, I have serious doubts that anyone can do Nick Drake's music better than he did. |
| Businessgypsy (Deepest, Darkest Florida) | Posted: Jun 11, 2011 - 12:26 Wow, a group more devoted to fundamental dogma than the Taliban! This infidel says yea, so stone away. As an incentive, I'll begin by stoning myself! |
| kcar | Posted: May 10, 2011 - 21:39 Bad idea for covering a brilliant song. |
| socalhol (Seattle) | Posted: Mar 31, 2011 - 12:11 meh..... prefer the original |
| WayUpNorth (Windswept Exile) | Posted: Mar 31, 2011 - 12:10 Just too darn upbeat for me ... |
| Bleyfusz | Posted: Mar 31, 2011 - 12:09 Kraftwerk beeping Drake? |
| sirdroseph (Yes) | Posted: Mar 31, 2011 - 12:07 I love Nick Drake, Jose Gonzalez and The Books!! This song cannot go wrong!! 10!  |
| musicology | Posted: Mar 08, 2011 - 18:48 6.4 avg rating for this excellent cover? tough audience... |
| shampa1n (Solent) | Posted: Jan 08, 2011 - 16:51 Very good |
| shampa1n (Solent) | Posted: Jan 08, 2011 - 16:41 Too true, but it's damned good |
| inindian (Sea of joy) | Posted: Dec 08, 2010 - 01:53 9 because it's a great song to start with. Jose Gonzo's vocal makes it sound like an Arthur Russell song! |
| rdo (DC) | Posted: Dec 04, 2010 - 13:02 I'd say it'ld be darn near next to impossible to screw this one up. 9. |
| jagdriver (Just a nod and a wink south of Paradise) | Posted: Nov 02, 2010 - 20:24  |
| Jazbo (Beautiful Valparaiso IN.) | Posted: Sep 23, 2010 - 09:11 Nice cover, though Nick is the master......(was) |
| tobstar | Posted: Sep 23, 2010 - 09:08 wow a Nick Drake cover that doesn't suck big hairy donkey balls. Good stuff |
| GirlFriday (Hippieland) | Posted: Sep 23, 2010 - 09:08 Please play more from Dark Was the Night! |
| helgigermany (Germany) | Posted: Aug 22, 2010 - 08:49 Nice! |
| Jeff09 (Gainesville, Florida) | Posted: Aug 22, 2010 - 08:48 romeotuma wrote: This song is good for the external auditory meatus... ...and for the internal spiritual apparatus to which it is connected. |
| haresfur | Posted: Jul 01, 2010 - 21:33 Ok vocals are kind of weak and the cello could be um, more-differenter. But pleasant to listen to and adds a fresh take on the original. |
| window (Richmond, VA) | Posted: Jun 28, 2010 - 08:00 sdn wrote: Drake's version is almost minimalist — as is the case with much of Drake's music. He paints his songs with pale washes of color — there is just enough there to make the song beautiful, and not a hint more. It's a masterpiece of subtlety. Gonzalez, for the most part, honors this simplicity with the vocal and bass line. In my opinion the rhythmic synth line is an unnecessary distraction. Perhaps I was a bit harsh when I called it a "pale imitation", but then, Nick Drake is a God!  Maybe you already realized this, but the rhythmic synth is re-creating Nick's acoustic guitar finger-picking. |
| peter_james_bond (The Burg) | Posted: Jun 28, 2010 - 07:59 When the song started I was reminded of the old instrumental Popcorn...  But, it's actually a nice cover. |
| window (Richmond, VA) | Posted: Jun 28, 2010 - 07:59 I don't particularly care for his changes to the vocal phrasing, but all in all I like this take on Nick Drake's fantastic song. |
| Bleyfusz | Posted: Jun 19, 2010 - 13:04 ianmoff wrote: Oh! Its a Nick Drake cover. No way Jose! Sorry, but it had to be said Ian Thanks for taking the trouble! |
| twitterpated | Posted: May 27, 2010 - 12:12 You can never tell. I heard Nick Drake's version of this yesterday. So I recognized it immediately when this version started. Interestingly, although I love Nick Drake's music, I like this version a little more. It sounds like an electric cello, which has a wonderful sound. |
| willmcnaught (Eugene Oregon) | Posted: May 27, 2010 - 12:12 agree with most, not quite Nicks version, but glad to "hear" it! Long Live Nick Drake!!!  |
| muxz0r | Posted: Apr 29, 2010 - 08:46 I so dont like this version lol, my opinion... |
| Vandy005 (dreaming of Jeanie in Cocoa Beach) | Posted: Apr 29, 2010 - 08:46 NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! Nick Drake original only... please Bill. (2—>1) |
| (former member) (hotel in Las Vegas) | Posted: Apr 25, 2010 - 19:18 This song is good for the external auditory meatus... |
| fredriley (Nottingham, UK) | Posted: Mar 25, 2010 - 04:30 All that water makes me want to go for a pee . |
| sdn (Philadelphia) | Posted: Mar 16, 2010 - 10:18 badstudent wrote: I think that the Books and Jose draw out all of the undercurrents of the original arrangement beautifully. All of the subtle bass movements come forward as the guitar twinkles like some distant star. The cello noodling at the end may be a little excessive, but I think it is a far cry from hollow. Could you expand your thoughts about it some? Cheers. Drake's version is almost minimalist — as is the case with much of Drake's music. He paints his songs with pale washes of color — there is just enough there to make the song beautiful, and not a hint more. It's a masterpiece of subtlety. Gonzalez, for the most part, honors this simplicity with the vocal and bass line. In my opinion the rhythmic synth line is an unnecessary distraction. Perhaps I was a bit harsh when I called it a "pale imitation", but then, Nick Drake is a God! |
| badstudent (Burnaby, BC) | Posted: Mar 16, 2010 - 09:55 sdn wrote: It's not bad... but it's a pale hollow imitation of the original. But it's interesting to hear Gonzalez's interpretation. I think that the Books and Jose draw out all of the undercurrents of the original arrangement beautifully. All of the subtle bass movements come forward as the guitar twinkles like some distant star. The cello noodling at the end may be a little excessive, but I think it is a far cry from hollow. Could you expand your thoughts about it some? Cheers. |
| sdn (Philadelphia) | Posted: Mar 16, 2010 - 09:35 It's not bad... but it's a pale hollow imitation of the original. But it's interesting to hear Gonzalez's interpretation. |
| Randomax (Wimberley, TX) | Posted: Mar 16, 2010 - 09:33 pretty good channeling! |
| EssexTex (Gitche Gumee) | Posted: Feb 25, 2010 - 03:49 Very nice |
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