With influences by: Sharon Jones, Lee Fields, The Mohawks, The Dap-Kings, Bobby Byrd, Fontella Bass, The Beginning of the End, Daptone, Jazzman, Funk 45, Keb Darge, Shadow, Madame Jo-Jos, Timmion, Tim Buckley, Stevie Wonder, BGP, Soulfire, K7, Roy Ayers, Grand Slam Magazine, Jazz Cafe, London, Texas.
Goodbye and Hello
Tim Buckley
Elektra Records
This second album shows more diversity than the first. Still writing with Beckett, some tracks retain the romantic, poetic balladry and medieval sound of the first release 'Tim Buckley', but are less formal. They become looser and more experimental and see Tim Buckleys vocal grow in intensity and variation. Two songs 'No Man Can Fight The War' and 'Goodbye And Hello' are dramatic and highly theatrical protest songs, which reflect their current times, but simultaneously sound like they are played and sung by men dragged from a carnival in the fourteenth century. 'Pleasant Street', 'Phantasmagoria In Two', 'I Never Asked To Be Your Mountain' and 'Morning Glory' are the stand out tracks. 'Pleasant Street' and 'I Never Asked To Be Your Mountain' are epic. 'Pleasant Street' is perhaps the closet Buckley ever gets to rock and is proof of the sheer strength and emotional intensity of his voice. 'Phantasmagoria In Two' and 'Morning Glory' are both beautiful, sparkling folk songs that are in keeping with the general sound of the first album, but are far less stiffly formulated lyrically and more relaxed vocally.
This third album takes on a different direction from the folk rock of the previous two. Medieval poetics give way to a more even keeled jazz vibe and musically the arrangements are far simpler. Tim is the sole songwriter on this album and as a result the songs have none of the rigid structure of the first two. With the exception of 'Gypsy Woman' the songs are less elaborate and daring vocally, but have much more soul. Some newcomers arrive on this album, John Miller on acoustic Bass and David Miller on the Vibraphone, which features heavily throughout. I can't single out stand out tracks from this album, as to be honest, each one is as blinding as the last. There is not one weak track on the album, which despite being on the melancholy side at points, has a chilled summery feel throughout. 'Happy Sad' along with 'Blue Afternoon' is, in my opinion, Tim Buckley at his best, it was also the closest he ever got to large scale commercial success. These album's act as a bridge between the folk/rock of the earlier albums and the duo of more experimental jazz/avant-garde albums, which were to follow.
'Blue Afternoon' has recently been re-pressed on vinyl, which is a god send as it's impossible to find on CD. Although it's not often recognised as one of his best, 'Blue Afternoon' is an amazing album. Style wise it continues along the same vein as 'Happy Sad', but ventures a little deeper into the blues. It has been said that this album was a bit of a let down after the previous three, this is something we cant disagree with strongly enough. Granted it is not as experimental or groundbreaking as 'Lorca' ( which was actually recorded before this) but it is outstanding none the less. So deep and chilled, definitely one for a lazy winter night by the fire. It is a pretty moody collection of tunes, 'Happy Time' being as close as it gets to cheerful, but then Tim Buckley's not usually what you would call jubilant. 'Chase The Blues Away' and 'Café' are both hauntingly beautiful stand out tracks, as are the lighter, jazzier, vibe accompanied songs- 'I Must Have Been Blind' and 'The River. If I could only own one Tim Buckley album it would have to be a coin flip between this and 'Happy Sad'.
Aptly named after the Spanish poet Federico Garcia Lorca, 'Lorca' is one part of the pair of Tim Buckley albums which are generally considered to be the most challenging. There's no getting away from it, this is a difficult album to get into, but isn't this what makes things interesting? This is the beginning of Tim Buckley's more experimental, avant-garde stage. When playing this album for the first time after listening to 'Happy Sad' and 'Blue afternoon' you would be forgiven for expecting to be greeted by gentle acoustic guitar and tinkling vibes. What you get is an opening of organ chords which could be mistaken for the soundtrack of an Amityville horror flick. Quite unsettling. 'Lorca' the title track is dark and really quite menacing, Tim using the deeper ranges of his voice as an instrument. Then, in the midst of all this, strange at first, is 'I had a talk with my woman'. This track is a lovely bongo backed tune, which is more reminiscent of Blue Afternoon. 'Driftin' is a long slow melancholy number, which sees Tim really going off on one with the vocals toward the end. Final track 'Nobody Walking', along with 'I had a talk with my woman' is the most accessible track on the album. It's more straight forward than the earlier half of the album, being an upbeat blues/rock number. This album began to loose Tim Buckley a lot of his following. Having said this is a hard album to get into, I would add that its also very worthwhile. This album demonstrates the very thing that makes Tim Buckley so exceptional, his ability to constantly re-invent musically, and his willingness to push boundaries without the fear losing commercial approval.
This album further develops that which 'Lorca' began, but goes deeper into avant-garde experimentalism and free form jazz. This album is NOT easy listening, it is extreme, but that's what makes it great. This is music from inside. Deep, deep, deep inside. Tim Buckley began using his voice as an instrument on 'Lorca' and he takes this idea much further on 'Starsailor', yelping, wailing, moaning and screaming his way through. The most easily accessible tracks on the album are 'Moulin Rouge' which is a delicate, pretty little tune, though totally at odds with the rest of the album. The hauntingly beautiful 'Song To The Siren' which despite being more conventional in structure than other tracks, fits perfectly. With the exception of the above mentioned two, the rest of the album is a trip and a half. Manic vocals that are unsettling to the point of being almost scary at times and then totally beautiful at others. If chaos could be sung, it would sound like this. True musical anarchy. This album is like the strangest dream you ever had, simultaneously both terrifying and fantastic. Personally, I think this is the bravest record I've ever heard. There is an incredible rawness in this music, unlike anything I've heard before. Love it or hate it, cut the bullshit. There's no denying, this is as REAL as it gets.
'Greetings From L.A' shows a forth transition in style for Tim Buckley. A million miles away from its predecessor 'Starsailor'. All traces of his folk roots are gone, replaced by sexually charged funk, rock, soul rhythms and vocals. In short, this album is one horny beast, the songs are almost exclusively about getting down and dirty. Had you been told at the time of the lyrically innocent, sweet voiced first album 'Tim Buckley' that this is what was to be just four years down the line, you would not have believed it. But he pulls it off and does it damn well. The lyrics, although mostly about sex, are not filled with the same old, same old clichés that were churned out by many rock icons at the time. Tim himself said 'All the sex symbols from Elvis to Jagger had never said anything dirty or constructive about making love, you could never learn anything from any of those songs'. Tim's unique, electric vocal performance also serves to give an added intensity to the songs. Although completely different in style, on 'Greetings From L.A' Tim combines the funk with the improvisational vocal techniques he developed on avant garde jazz albums 'Lorca' and 'Starsailor'. This album was slammed by some who did not appreciate the more light-hearted funkier sound. It's part of a trio of albums that are regarded by some as 'sell outs', unfairly so, I think. There are some really stand up tunes on this album. 'Sweet Surrender' a powerful, soulfully sung story of infidelity. 'Night Hawkin' an extremely funky, rhythmic tune about being an L.A cab driver with a knife brandishing, wino, Vietnam veteran for a fare. 'Hong Kong Bar', a rolling acoustic number, is the most chilled moment on the album. 'Make It Right' closes the record fittingly with a latin sounding, dramatically sung tale of wanting to be, well, spanked by a hooker basically. Listen to this album you?ll want to go out, hit the sauce and be very, very bad indeed.
