Tim Buckley: Album by Album, note for note appreciation

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by lemonade kid, Oct 20, 2020.

  1. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing Thread Starter

    Tim's Starsailor indeed requires full participation and an active listen; quite brave in sharing this
    fantastic expedition (to borrow from a fellow adventurer in music: Gene Clark).

    The album cover definitely belies the music within.
    Tim looks like the proverbial "cat that ate the canary", contently smiling with a satisfied look that says
    everything about what he has ultimately achieved therein.

    A spot on, and great comparison to Laura Nyro's New York Tendaberry, @jwoverho .
    Although "Tendaberry" is a marginally easier listen, it is no less ambitious, and adventuresome.

    :p

    [​IMG]
     
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  2. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing Thread Starter

    Thanks for sharing this...excellent. I hope it helps others in there quest to become a lifelong fellow starsailor.
     
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  3. mameyama

    mameyama Forum Resident

    Location:
    Wiltshire, UK
    I Woke Up- just love Lee's work on this studio version.

    I Woke Up on The Show (Feb '70)- ?? Recorded 7 months earlier this version is lyrically completely different apart from the line "I Woke Up". That would be understandable if it were Tim's lyrics- he often did that. But this is a Beckett penned song- would Beckett really have completely rewritten the song, just retaining the title? I cant think of any other time Beckett did that. Perhaps its a different Beckett song, to which Tim attached the "I Woke Up" line and used the same melody.
     
    Last edited: Dec 3, 2020
  4. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing Thread Starter

    That is indeed strange about the lyrics, @mameyama .

    Was Tim that completely prone to lyrical improvisation? I don't think so--therefore, did Larry rewrite the lyrics?... a good question.
    At times Tim improvised on the lyrics, here and there, but never so completely.

    Carnival Song from Dream Letter:Live In London is the only one that comes to mind, but that variant isn't on Tim. That actually IS a different song: the authors of the liner notes chose the title, Carnival Song, it seems merely because Tim talked about a carnival in the intro. Unlike The Show's live I Woke Up* , Carnival Song from Goodbye and Hello is actually a completely different song from the Live In London song.

    Though intriguing, sadly these are the kinds of questions that can never be fully answered.
     
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  5. mameyama

    mameyama Forum Resident

    Location:
    Wiltshire, UK
    Getting into Starsailor does take time and patience- whether that's easier in the digital age I'm not sure.

    It was my great good fortune that Starsailor was my album introduction to Tim in around 1980 when I was 15. Older brothers have their uses- mine had heard Tim in '77, become entranced and collected all 9 albums over the following 3 years finishing with the most expensive and difficult to acquire one. He chose that one to home-tape for me. He had already gotten me into the VU, Beefheart, Albert Ayler and Rahsaan Kirk so thought I should start there. I didn't really get it, but it always intrigued me- seemed cool- and stuck with me. If he had copied Sefronia for me instead I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be here now.

    My next Buckley, and the first one I bought myself, was Greetings From LA. Those 2 formative albums remain my favourites and would be my desert island choices.
     
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  6. mameyama

    mameyama Forum Resident

    Location:
    Wiltshire, UK
    Starsailor Live
    Lee says that the Starsailor period lasted 3 years starting in late '69. It featured 4 different bands. The first is the one that recorded the album and appeared on The Show and Boboquivari. Lee says that for the Boboquivari performance Tim deliberately chose some older songs and compromised somewhat to make allowance for the TV audience. We are lucky to have these recordings.
    However the subsequent 3 bands disappeared deeper into experimental and improvisatory performances losing the audience. As you say, Bootlegs from this era are close to unlistenable- due to very poor sound- and there is nothing at all from the final band featuring Emmett Chapman on his Stick.

    My dream boxset would feature a live performance from each of the 4 Starsailor bands.

    Does anyone think there is anything listenable from this period apart from The Show and Bob? Grateful for any suggestions. Thanks.
     
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  7. mameyama

    mameyama Forum Resident

    Location:
    Wiltshire, UK
    Lyrical Changes
    2 good examples of Tim completely redoing his own lyrics for the studio would be the tracks Lorca and Anonymous proposition. Two weeks after the Troubadour performances the studio versions bear little relation to the live versions. This is probably partly due to live improvisation and partly due to significant rewrites for the studio versions.

    But this Beckett rewrite intrigues me- my guess would be they are 2 different Beckett songs with the title grafted on. But as you say, it will remain a mystery- unless we ask Beckett himself!
     
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  8. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing Thread Starter

    Can we ask Beckett? If I remember correctly, someone here has a direct line...

    :tiphat:
     
  9. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing Thread Starter

    Really! Greetings From LA?...I look forward to your comments and expressions of love for it when we get there.

    I am sure I'll develop a greater appreciation for it with your help!

    :righton:
     
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  10. mameyama

    mameyama Forum Resident

    Location:
    Wiltshire, UK
    Yes, I have toyed with Happy Sad as a favourite over the decades, but Starsailor and Greetings From LA remain the big 2 for me- perhaps its because of the history I have with them. Some albums from my youth I am afraid to revisit because I know the spell can be broken, but I have remained faithful to these two- my heart says Greetings is my favourite, my head Starsailor. Sefronia is easily my least favourite of the 9- but even there I can see positives.
     
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  11. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing Thread Starter

    I do like Greetings, but Happy Sad and Blue Afternoon are my top two...then Lorca and Starsailor. Goodbye and Hello/debut are up there, but the the last two bottom out for the most part.
     
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  12. mameyama

    mameyama Forum Resident

    Location:
    Wiltshire, UK
    Yeah, that was a Johnny Thunder back on page 1, but he/she hasn't been back since.
     
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  13. Two tracks from Boboquivari were on the My Fleeting House DVD in great quality so it’s reasonable to assume that the whole show exists in similar quality. The versions on YouTube are pretty rough.
     
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  14. mameyama

    mameyama Forum Resident

    Location:
    Wiltshire, UK
    Agreed. I have avoided linking to the Youtube Boboquivari set because of its poor quality. I would love to hear the rest of the set in the same quality as the 2 songs on the DVD. There is a bootleg CD of the set but I have no idea as to its sound quality.
     
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  15. jwoverho

    jwoverho Licensed Drug Dealer

    Location:
    Mobile, AL USA
    GREETINGS was my first Buckley, purchased on vinyl from my college town record store in ‘86 for $2.50. It’s still a burning, wild album. One of my favorites as well.

    I didn’t get STARSAILOR until the early 90s when it showed up in CD cutout bins.
     
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  16. mameyama

    mameyama Forum Resident

    Location:
    Wiltshire, UK
    I Woke Up- Completely Different Lyrics on The Show

    With special thanks to Johnny Thunder and Larry Beckett the mystery of the different lyrics was cleared up very quickly- Tim wrote the lyrics to the version on The Show. Its great to find this out. In Larry's words:

    "We collaborated on the lyrics to the Starsailor I Woke Up. It was performed on the Boboquivari tv show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4M3gz0ngWY. For The Show, he kept the title and the line I woke up, and rewrote the lyrics."
     
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  17. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing Thread Starter

    Many thanks to Larry Beckett, @johnnythunders & @mameyama !!

    :tiphat:
     
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  18. Johnny Thunder

    Johnny Thunder Feeds on Lightning

    I was back a few times but didn't see any new activity and oddly, stopped get any alerts for this thread. I will go back through the entire thing and see if there are any questions for Larry that I missed.
     
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  19. Beatnik_Daddyo'73

    Beatnik_Daddyo'73 Music Addiction Personified

    ...thank you @lemonade kid for this thread. I’ve been going through some sh!t where I go to post something and my inner voice says “what’s the point? Who cares, etc.” so I haven’t been around here much, but damn, Tim Buckley is the quintessential artist if there ever was one. I recently picked up Venice Mating Call and it hasn’t left the CD player for very long. I can definitely say that Tim’s music is some of my favorite ever created. I love the fact that Miles was a big influence. I first discovered Tim’s music in the 90’s when the first Troubadour disc was released. I remember reading about it in Rolling Stone. My young mind wasn’t ready for it though. Thankfully I came around later and now this is some of my favorite music. What a soul. My favorites are Blue Afternoon, Lorca, Starsailor and everything live that I’ve heard, especially the Troubadour recordings. Cheers! :cheers:
     
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  20. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing Thread Starter

    Thanks, @Beatnik_Daddyo'73 ! You have just proved that posting has a point, we're reading them...thanks for sharing. Hope to see you here more and more.

    :tiphat:
     
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  21. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing Thread Starter

    Thanks for returning @Johnny Thunder ...and thanks for the answers from Larry!

    :cheers:
     
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  22. mameyama

    mameyama Forum Resident

    Location:
    Wiltshire, UK
    Yes, thank you for returning. The timing could be perfect. Larry wasn't involved in albums 3 through 5- which we have just completed- but returned with Starsailor to make vital contributions to Tim's last 4 albums. I'm sure that those reading the thread can come up with some interesting questions for Larry. Cheers
     
  23. mameyama

    mameyama Forum Resident

    Location:
    Wiltshire, UK
    Thanks. I agree. The Troubadour concerts are not as well known or celebrated as Dream Letter: Live in London, but are just as vital. We are lucky to have had so many archival releases from Tim in the 21st century- of all of them, I have played Venice Mating Call the most.
    My only slight disappointment is that we don't have the Troubadour sets as they were recorded, rather than the cut-and-paste jobs that have been released.
     
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  24. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing Thread Starter

    Thanks for this. Venice Mating Call is indeed indispensable, and one we all love.

    Great post. I would also recommend "Works In Progress" which contains demoes and various takes that reflect Tim's changing musical mind on songs we know and love.

    And this of course:

    [​IMG]

    All songs by Tim Buckley except: * by Larry Beckett/Tim Buckley)

    1. "Song to the Siren" * – 3:29
    2. "Sing a Song for You" – 5:43
    3. "Ashbury Park" – 2:48
    4. "Danang" – 6:31
    5. "Happy Time" – 3:12
    6. "Buzzin' Fly" – 6:44
    7. "Sefronia" * – 3:36
    8. "Because Of You" * – 4:47
    9. "The Dream Belongs to Me" – 4:56
    10. "Falling Timber" – 4:44
    11. "Stone In Love" – 3:00
    12. "Freeway Dixieland Rocketship Blues" * – 4:40
    13. "Honey Man" * – 2:59
    14. "Quicksand" – 5:35
    • Tracks 1,2,4,6 Recorded March 4/5, 1968 – Mayfair Studio New York, NY
    • Tracks 3,5 Recorded June 17/18, 1968 – TTG Studios Hollywood, CA
    • Tracks 7–14 Recorded February 12, 1973, Sunset Recording Studios Hollywood, CA



    Works In Progress:
    [​IMG]

    Track listing
    1. "Danang" (Take 7 + 8 Intercut) (Tim Buckley) – 6:30
    2. "Sing a Song for You" (Take 11) (Buckley) – 5:43
    3. "Buzzin' Fly" (Take 3) (Buckley) – 6:44
    4. "Song to the Siren" (Take 7) (Larry Beckett, Buckley) – 3:28
    5. "Happy Time" (Take 14) (Buckley) – 3:13
    6. "Sing a Song for You" (Take 8) (Buckley) – 2:40
    7. "Chase the Blues Away" (Take 3) (Buckley) – 4:00
    8. "Hi Lily, Hi Lo" (Take 7) (Helen Deutsch, Bronislau Kaper) – 3:37
    9. "Buzzin' Fly" (Take 9) (Buckley) – 5:07
    10. "Wayfaring Stranger" (Take 4) (Traditional) – 4:24
    11. "Ashbury Park Version 1" (Take 8) (Buckley) – 2:47
    12. "Ashbury Park Version 2" (Take 14) (Buckley) – 3:21
    13. "Ashbury Park Version 2" (Take 25 Labeled "Master") (Buckley) – 3:28
    14. "Dream Letter" (Takes 17-16 Intercut) (Buckley) – 5:13
    15. "The Father Song" (Take 3) (Buckley) – 2:44
    16. "The Fiddler" (Rough Mix) (Buckley) – 3:26
    Personnel
     
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  25. Beatnik_Daddyo'73

    Beatnik_Daddyo'73 Music Addiction Personified

    ...most def! I have the box set that includes that one. :cheers:
     
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