musicbriefs
Artist

Tim Buckley

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3
briefs
11:00
average
33 min
in total
On music.briefs3
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10:13

Goodbye and Hello

Tim Buckley · 1967

A 20-year-old Tim Buckley, given full creative control by Elektra, recorded Goodbye and Hello in Los Angeles in June 1967. He sang in both lower register and falsetto, played bottleneck guitar, kalimba, and vibraphone, and worked with an ensemble including double bass, harpsichord, and congas. Larry Beckett’s lyrics explored the psychological nature of war; Buckley’s addressed estrangement from his wife and child. Critics noted improved lyrical and melodic qualities. The album peaked at No. 171. It distinguished itself from Buckley’s debut through thematic depth, varied time signatures, and late-1960s poetic sensibility.

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10:08

Greetings From L.A.

Tim Buckley · 1972

Tim Buckley's 1972 album Greetings From L.A. is a funk record made after he disbanded his Starsailor ensemble and assembled a new funk band in 1970. It features sexually frank lyrics that hindered radio airplay and alienated his earlier hippie fan base, though he retained a cult following.

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12:39

Happy Sad

Tim Buckley · 1969

Happy Sad is Tim Buckley’s 1969 third album, recorded at Elektra Sound Recorders in Los Angeles and produced by Zal Yanovsky and Jerry Yester. It reflects folk and jazz influences, features David Friedman’s vibraphone as a defining textural element, and marks Buckley’s first full solo lyric writing after ending his collaboration with Larry Beckett. Its songs are significantly longer than his earlier work, and its vocals are stylized — used as an instrument for the first time. Though it reached No. 81 — Buckley’s commercial peak — it is neither a folk-rock consolidation nor a full avant-garde departure, but a liminal record where structure loosens and sound gains autonomy.