He died on 29th June 1975.
He’s good isn’t he. (no question mark).
The middle bit especially – Happy Sad to Starsailor.
Blue Afternoon, my favourite, is astounding.
He has the advantage of not having a pair of Size 10s (Male) trapsing all over his back catalogue (see Van, Neil, Joni and, unfortunately even Bob and Nick).
Those older ‘singer-songwriters’, if we must use the phrase, need to be fresh, some are fresher than others, some are dead.
An extraordinary talent.
I discovered him first when I bought Greetings from LA. S stupendous album
This is my favourite Tim Buckley. So good.
There was a good career overview in a recent Mojo, including an interview with the man who sold him the drugs he OD’d on.
I got a nice little box of all of his albums which had been a constant companion. All different, all superb.
Superb talent and all that but there is something about his voice that I cannot abide. A touch of Broadway warble sneaks into most of his material and loses it for me. Therefore, my favourite of his is “Sing a Song for You: Tribute to Tim Buckley”
Or I could just listen to the 20+ odd versions of “Song to the Siren”s I have, on repeat.
I’ve been a fan for a very looonnnnggggg time. Great voice, great singer/songwriter.
Am I right when I say folk singers post-60s all broadly-speaking sound like folk singers, but that Tim Hardin, Tim Buckley, Tim Rose (too many Tims!), Bob Dylan – and, yes, Joni Mitchell and Neil Young etc. – sound like… erm… Tim Hardin, Tim Buckley, Tim Rose (too many Tims!), Bob Dylan – and, yes, Joni Mitchell and Neil Young etc.?
They all carved out their own identity.
I pay lip service to folk music, but if I go to an event I buy the T-shirt not the CD.
It’s got to be Starsailor for me – a genuinely timeless, uncategorisable piece of work (see below)
https://open.substack.com/pub/thomasridge/p/dissenting-voices-2-tim-buckleys?r=4niav2&utm_medium=ios
Actually, now:
https://thomasridge.substack.com/p/tim-buckley-starsailor-review
TB had it all – great songs , unique voice, the looks but like so many of his contemporaries of the time it all got lost somewhere along the line. This version of Dolphins from the OGWT remains a personal favourite
Another long time fan of Mr Buckley snr. I can just about remember him opening proceedings at Knebworth way back in ’74. I really should play him more than I do but you know how it is. Too much music, too little time.
I was there that day, too.
Can’t remember if I saw TB or not.
It was the start of a long day. I remember John Peel chucking frisbees into the crowd just before Tim Buckley got things under way. I don’t remember his set list at all though. I was rather stoned throughout the entirety of the 70s let alone that long ago June day.
I seem to recall a thread about offspring who outdid their parents, and someone mentioned Jeff outdoing Tim. This is arrant nonsense; it’s flim-flam of the highest order. Jeff – who I do like – managed one album, where the best tracks are covers. Tim was prolific and, more than occasionally, brilliant: he left a wonderful catalogue of songs.
For the uninitiated, here’s a tune from Tim.
One of the many albums that has mysteriously vanished from my collection – loaned, ‘borrowed” etc – over the years was a copy of ‘Dream Letter: Live In London 1969′ which I bought in the late 80s after a 5 star review in Q. God, it was good. The opener of Buzzin’ Fly worth price of entry alone
‘Dream Letter: Live In London 1969′ is one of the greatest live albums by anyone, ever.
Tim Buckley’s age at the time of the concert? Twenty-one. Absolutely incredible.
This thread prompted me to visit ebay where I’ve just ordered a second hand vinyl copy for around 20 quid. You’re right – it is simply one of the greatest live albums there is. I still remember that hairs on the back of neck moment hearing him go from melancholic to euphoric in Buzzin Fly.
Got that on CD when it came out.
Not played for a few years, so a listen is long overdue