"...Song To The Siren..."
Blessed with an angelic
ring-them-bells voice that would literally make women swoon and Male Sopranos
nervous - Tim Buckley's artistry has nonetheless always been a strange thing in
collecting circles. Despite his stunning set of pipes and beautiful song arrangements
- I've seen this superlative Rhino 2CD Anthology fall as low as 75p on some
online sites – while at the same time his original British sixties vinyl albums
easily command fifty, sixty, seventy pounds – especially masterpieces like
"Happy Sad" on orange-Elektra and "Starsailor" on Straight
Records. Cheap or no - I'd like to argue that this 2CD
star-in-a-reasonably-priced-car is genuinely essential listening you need in
your man cave. Here are the Hellos and Goodbyes...
UK and Europe released 31
March 2001 (April 2001 in the USA) – "Morning Glory: The Tim Buckley
Anthology" by TIM BUCKLEY on Elektra/Rhino 8122-76722-2 (Barcode
081227672225) is a 33-Track 2CD Set in a Card Slipcase and plays out as
follows:
Disc 1 (77:21 minutes):
1. Wings
2. She Is
3. Song Slowly Song
4. It Happens Every Time
5. Aren’t You The Girl
Tracks 1 to 5 from his debut
album "Tim Buckley" – released October 1966 in the USA (December 1966
in the UK) on Elektra Records EK-4040 (Mono) and Elektra EKS-74040 (Stereo) -
same LP catalogue numbers for both countries. The STEREO MIX is used.
6. Pleasant Street
7. Hallucinations
8. No Man Can Find The War
9. Once I Was
10. Morning Glory
11. Goodbye And Hello
Tracks 6 to 11 from his 2nd
studio album "Goodbye And Hello" – released September 1967 (December
1967 in the UK) in the USA on Elektra EKL-318 (Mono) and Elektra EKS-7318
(Stereo) - same LP catalogue numbers for both countries. Reissue copies (about
October/November 1967) have the catalogue number Elektra EKS-74028. The STEREO
MIX is used.
12. Buzzin' Fly
13. Strange Feelin'
14. Sing A Song For You
Tracks 12 to 14 are from his
3rd studio LP "Happy Sad" – released March 1969 in the USA and UK on
Elektra Records EKS-74045 (Stereo only).
15. Phantasmagoria In Two
(Live)
16. I've Been Out Walking
(Live)
17. Troubadour (Live)
Tracks 15 to 17 recorded
Live in London, England on 7 October 1968 – finally released June 1990 in the
UK as "Dream Letter/Live In London 1968" on Demon DFIEND 200 (2LPs)
and DFIENDCD 200 (2CDs) and in the USA on Bizarre/Straight/Rhino R2 70361
(Stereo).
Disc 2 (73:27 minutes):
1. Happy Time
2. Chase The Blues Away
3. I Must Have Been
4. The River
5. So Lonely
6. Blue Melody
Tracks 1 to 6 are from his
4th studio album "Blue Afternoon" – released November 1969 in the USA
and UK on Straight STS-1060 (Stereo) - reissued January 1970 in the USA on
Warner Brothers WS-1842.
7. I Had A Talk With My
Woman (Live)
Track 7 from his 5th album
"Lorca" – released October 1970 in the USA on Elektra EKS-74074
(Stereo) and in the UK on Elektra 2410 005 (Stereo)
8. Moulin Rouge
9. Song To The Siren
10. Monterey
Tracks 8 to 10 from his 6th
album "Starsailor" – released November 1970 in the USA (January 1971
in the UK) on Straight STS 1060 (Stereo) – reissued July 1971 in the USA on
Warner Brothers WS-1881.
11. Sweet Surrender
12. Hong Kong Bar
13. Make It Right
Tracks 11 to 13 from his 7th
album "Greetings From L.A." – released August 1972 in the USA on
Straight/Warner Brothers BS-2631 and in the UK on Warner Brothers K 46176.
14. Sally Go 'Round The
Roses
Track 14 from his 8th album
"Sefronia" – released September 1973 in the USA on Discreet MS-2157
and May 1974 in the UK on Discreet K 49201.
15. Who Could Deny You
Track 15 from his 9th and
final album "Look At The Fool" – released November 1974 in the USA on
Discreet DS 2201 and in the UK on Discreet K 59204.
16. Song To The Siren (From
'The Monkees TV Show' - Introduced by Mickey Dolenz)
Recorded live on set in
November 1967 - it features Tim Buckley on Vocals and 12-String Guitar and is
PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED.
"Morning Glory" is
housed in a fetching card slipcase (dig that Velvet Underground & Nico
advert on the wall behind him) that houses a three-way foldout card digipak
within with a 32-page oversized booklet in one of its flaps. JAMES AUSTIN does
the 'foreword' that's followed by comprehensive liner notes from BARRY ALFONSO
and Lead Guitarist on Buckley's first few albums LEE UNDERWOOD. There's
track-by-track annotation, the 10 LPs from "Tim Buckley" in October
1966 through to the posthumous "Dream Letter/Live In London 1968" 2LP
set in June 1990 are pictured too. But the best news is the Audio that after
years of crappy 80s CDs is fab across the board. Long-time engineer associates
with Rhino DAN HERSCH and BILL INGLOT have handled the transfers and remasters
and done a wonderful job. It's thrilling after all these years to hear gems
like "Once I Was" and "Buzzin' Fly" sound this good. Sure
there's hiss on some tracks but the music is alive and clear and tracks like
"Happy Time" and the ethereally atmospheric "Song To The
Siren" make the hairs on the back on my neck stand up.
As you can see from the
detailed track list above – Disc 1 concentrates on 1966 to 1968 – his first
three albums "Tim Buckley", "Goodbye And Hello" and
"Happy Sad" encompassing the fantastic Demon Records 2LP reissue
"Dream Letter" (Live 1968 recordings finally released in 1990). You
can chart his journey from straight-up Folky on the lovely "Wings"
through the Harpsichord 60ts Pop of "Pleasant Street" on to his
exploration of vocals and jazz rhythms on "Buzzin' Fly" and
"Strange Feelin'". Buckley's 12-String Guitar and Lee Underwood's
Lead Electric underpin the mournful "Chase The Blues" (a little hiss
on this one) while the duo appear again on the beautiful live cut "I Had A
Talk With My Woman" recorded at the Troubadour in West Hollywood in
September 1969 for the "Lorca" album. I can only imagine what it must
have been like for that audience to hear this extraordinary vocal come out of
that microphone – "I Had A Talk With My Woman" is showcase - amazing
stuff.
It's a damn shame that only
3 tracks turn up from the ever-elusive "Starsailor" LP - but at least
the cod-French "Moulin Rouge", the beautiful "Song To The
Siren" and the slightly Zappa-esque "Monterey" all sound great –
the remaster really lifting them. Having said that only 1 track from
"Lorca" and "Look At The Fool" isn't enough. I would have
liked his covers of Fred Neil's "Dolphins" and Tom Waits' "Martha"
from 1973's "Sefronia" on here too as well as the Soulful title track
"Look At The Fool" – all songs that still showed his magic at a time
of drugs and problems. And the "Forever Changing..." 1999 Box Set
covering the history of Elektra Records uncovered the magnificent 1967 outtake
"Wayfaring Stranger" - the set is a little less by their absences. By
way of compensation there's a previously unreleased solo acoustic take of "Song To The Siren" introduced by
Mickey Dolenz of The Monkees. It's pure Buckley magic and at 3:18 minutes – a
warm and musically fitting way to end this exceptional retrospective.
As I replay the oh-so-pretty
"Morning Glory" and he sings "...tell me stories...I call to the
hobo..." – I'm awash with admiration – moved too.
Tim Buckley was a musical
genius, a mercurial talent and a songsmith you need in your home. This is the
one to buy...
