Pink Moon

The studio was busy by day, so Drake and John Wood began around eleven at night and recorded half the songs each night. When Wood asked what he wanted to add, Drake said he did not want anything; the only addition is a piano melody on the title track. Wood remembered hearing Parasite and knowing the record was different, and said its length was about right: you would not want it longer. He said it was probably more like Nick than the other two albums. The estate has said Drake was not depressed while making it and was proud of it. A story that he left the tapes at Island's reception and walked out is partly legend; the press officer recalled him simply forgetting them in his office.

Island spent its promotion budget on full-page ads, and reviewers were baffled; Melody Maker wondered whether Nick Drake existed at all. It became famous in 1999, when Volkswagen used Pink Moon in a television commercial, and American sales went from around six thousand to more than three hundred thousand within five years. It is on Rolling Stone's 500 greatest albums.