track 1) Morning Glory (Buckley/Beckett) So fine to have this HQ live set! Wow! I know many have issues with Beckett's lyrics but I find this song to be be sublimely beautiful. Lee's playing here is perfect. Just perfect. I like this version best, even over the album cut.
The QEH would've been an ideal venue for Tim Buckley's first British appearance and I would imagine that the underground buzz around him would've been sufficient to sell out the venue.
An Eventful Day In London The same day that Tim recorded his BBC radio session for John Peel he also made his first appearance on BBC TV. On Late Night Line-Up he repeated 2 songs from earlier in the day- I'm Coming Home To Stay (Happy Time) and Morning Glory. Morning Glory closed the show and though the musical backing is a little lost in the fog, I think vocally that this is Tim's best performance of the song. Interesting that Tim brought Carter along in April, and then Dave Friedman in October. Lee Underwood made both trips. In April Tim played at least 2 small venues in London- Middle Earth and Speakeasy- and he also supported the Incredible String Band at the Royal Festival Hall, a large concert venue. Elektra Records London also released a 7" of Wings/I Can't See You to coincide with Tim's visit- a very bizarre choice. The BBC studio for the radio session could only record in mono- the session was broadcast twice, on 7th April and 19th May. During a brief meeting with John Peel, Tim recommended Fred Neil's Sessions LP to John.
track 2) Coming Home To You/Happy Time Another great take here and one of his best live performances we have on tape. Tim was really on, perfectly right on, for the Peel Sessions.
I'm Coming Home To Stay (Happy Time) This is the other song that Tim performed again that same day in London in April 1968, in a foggy-looking BBC TV studio. He changed the lyrics a little for the TV show. After performing in London Tim moved on to Holland in April 1968. He also performed I'm Coming Home To Stay (Happy Time) for Dutch TV as a 3-piece with Lee and Carter. This is a great watch, one of his best sounding TV appearances:
Sorry to jump back folks, but just had to share this. It arrived today and been playing it all afternoon. Tim's voice just shines through clear, clean and you'd swear he was in the room with you. Just awesome! So glad I kept hunting for a new copy:
Vinyl? It is one of the best live recordings ever...indeed. Of course we are a bit like parents with our favorite child!
track 3) Sing A Song For You (Buckley) Still gives me chills...so lovely and devastatingly beautiful. This live Peel Session reading is stunning. Tim...says it all.
Sing A Song For You We have 5 versions of this gem all recorded in the spring of 1968. This was the other song that Tim played on Dutch TV in April 1968 with Carter and Lee. One of the best clips of Tim in action.
I just wanted to jump in here and say that I have enjoyed the discussion of Tim Buckley that you folks have had. I love most of Tim's work but I am most fond of his early to middle period. I love Goodbye and Hello, Happy Sad(my favorite album of his) and Blue Afternoon. I also like Lorca and Starsailor which is very challenging music but I still love it. I really love the Live in London concert. Tim was in the zone on that one. Wayfaring Stranger/You Keep Me Running gives me goosebumps. An amazing performance.
Yep on vinyl for sure That’s pretty much all I buy now, unless it’s something that I really want that’s not available on vinyl, then will go for a CD or HD download. Surprises me though, just how much new stuff is on vinyl.
- “devastatingly beautiful” could almost be an understatement for this song, but I can’t think of a better way to describe it. Thanks LK.
track 4) Hallucinations/ Troubadour Another wonderful live reading...one of Tim's favorites to perform live...how many times? This one is stunning...Lee is as always, remarkable in the live sessions.
Hallucinations/Troubadour Two old songs, though Troubadour would never be recorded for album release. It's the earliest example we have of a medley by Tim- something he did a lot of in 1968- though when it was broadcast it was split into two songs. Hallucinations is lyrically quite different to the album version with the order mixed up and many lyrics omitted- he has taken out all 3 references to the castle. Perhaps he grew tired of some of Larry's lyrics, or just jumbled things up for variety. Troubadour is almost identical to the version he would play when he returned to London in October. At over 10 minutes and with some quite long instrumental passages this has something of the feel of the London concert from 6 months later.
track 5) Once I Was (Buckley) Sublime! "Just tell her to shut up and turn the thing up..." Some of his most heartfelt & heart breaking lyrics and what a performance.
John Peel, and the NME, were the biggest parts of my early teenage musical education. I listened to almost all JP shows from 1980 to 1984. He was on 4 times a week from 10pm to midnight. The next day was always a school day for me so I would listen to the first hour and then attempt to record the rest on my 197os radio/cassette player. The John Peel sessions were often my main focus, and the 3 or 4 tracks would be interspersed throughout the 2 hours. I cant say I was that open minded at the time and would often get frustrated, perhaps by some seemingly endless dub reggae track, waiting for the next session track. The great thing about the Peel sessions were that they were "unadulterated"- there was little time for studio trickery. They usually sound much better than the same tracks recorded for albums in the 80s which can now sound very dated by their production. Tim and the band clearly enjoyed the session and Once I Was was a great way to finish. It's a wonderful session, perhaps only prevented from joining Tim's best by the slightly muffled nature of the sound. In October Tim returned to The BBC for another John Peel session, but sadly it doesn't exist in releasable sound quality, and can only be heard on bootlegs- it included Love From Room 109, Buzzin´ Fly and The Train ("Untitled" at the time).
Next, live set, according to release date (not when recorded) we have: Live At The Troubadour 1969 Live at the Troubadour 1969 is a live album by Tim Buckley. The album was recorded at the Troubadour in Los Angeles, September 3 & 4, 1969. – wiki Track listing All songs composed by Tim Buckley. "Strange Feelin'" – 5:40 "Venice Mating Call" – 3:27 "I Don't Need It to Rain" – 11:06 "I Had a Talk With My Woman" – 7:32 "Gypsy Woman" – 14:31 "Blue Melody" – 5:37 "Chase the Blues Away" – 6:19 "Driftin'" – 7:56 "Nobody Walkin'" – 16:05 Personnel Tim Buckley – Acoustic 12 string Guitar, Vocals, Marimba Lee Underwood – Electric Guitar, Electric piano John Balkin – Bass Carter Collins – Congas, Cymbals Art Tripp – Drums, Marimba
track 1) Strange Feelin' Yep...pretty wonderful. Teased by Strange Feelin... I wonder what the September 3 & 4, 1969 Troubadour crowd thought of Tim's scatting and improv stylings, and shrieks, who were likely hoping for a full set of Happy/Sad – Goodbye & Hello?! Lorca shock (for some) was still to come, ten months later...June 1970. A Strange Feelin' here...it already had a more future Lorca feel to it. Tim never stood still!
The Troubadour I was recently able to ask Pat Thomas some questions about the Troubadour tapes. Pat has produced, and written sleeve notes, for the most recent Troubadour releases. -Everything recorded at the Troubadour has been released. There is nothing more. -All 3 CD releases, and the complete 6LP set, do not feature the setlists in order. The original setlists are known of course, but do not seem to be in the public domain. Pat says he has photographic evidence of the setlists but does not know where it is. It's a real shame that we cant listen to the sets as they were played. Also, by deduction, Nobody Walkin' on side 2 of Lorca must be a studio cut. Strange Feelin' It's wonderful to have a live version of this track. Lyrically almost identical to the studio cut on Happy Sad, it has a very different atmosphere. Over 2 minutes shorter, it is almost anxiety-inducing compared to the languid affair on HS. Both superb though.