Morning Glory: The Tim Buckley Anthology [Double CD]

It seems absolutely incredible in these media crazed days that any one artist in any branch of what is now known as popular music could be as prolific as Tim Buckley truly was. Not only was Buckley ahead of the field at almost every point in his career, he also managed to preserve the integrity for which all great artists are credited long after their (and in this case premature) passing. Anybody familiar with the work of this amazing individual could be excused for being sceptical of a collection which ignores (or at least glosses over) some of the triumphs born of his relentless need for experimentation. It's true, the heights and depths of Buckleys vocal expression best typified on the albums 'Lorca' and 'Starsailor' are not here, but that only serves to make what has been accomplished even more special. Because even though we are served with his most palletable offerings, this collection still completes the far reaching journey of a nine year career in which no two albums were even similar. It begins with five songs from a young Tim and an eponymous solo album drenched in the influence of folk singer Fred Neil. These are followed by six songs culled from what was Tims most commercial offering, 'Goodbye And Hello'. The trio of the beautiful 'Once I Was', the sublime 'Morning Glory' and the complex title track only touch the surface of Buckleys capabilities. The jump to the songs from 'Happy Sad' is enormous. Gone is the folk feel, replaced by a jazz mood typified by 'Buzzin Fly' and 'Strange Feeling'. However, the voice remains pure and strong as ever and leads directly into what are only the tip of the iceberg of Tims live recordings. The vocal bravery of these performances is only the start, and if you are touched in any way by them, just check out the three live albums currently available. Disc two launches with the some real gems (especially as the albums 'Blue Afternoon' and 'Starsailor' are currently unavailable). Just listen to the yearning quality of the vocals on 'I Must Have Been Blind' and 'Blue Melody'. If that is not enough then 'Song To The Siren' is worth the price of the album alone. Possibly one of the most beautiful songs ever recorded it paints a picture of the impossibility of the fates, through the eyes of a hapless mariner. Truly one of a kind ! The remainder is taken from his final three albums, the stand out being the sexually charged 'Get On Top'. Despite the disappointment felt at his latter career, it was still evolving at the time of his death in 1975. Tragedy as ever in Rock n' Roll only adds to the mystique of the songs, but when the songs have the quality of these it touches the listener on an all together different level. As a bonus an early version of 'Song To The Siren' from a TV spot on 'The Monkees' is added and serves as a fine example of how one particular song evolved before its eventual recording. So despite tracks such as 'I Never Asked To Be Your Mountain', 'Starsailor' and 'Look At The Fool' not being included, what is left is a document unlike any other of Tim Buckley. If a true artist pays for his art, this anthology represents 33 installments of a remarkable nine year career. The voice swoops and dives like a magnificent bird of prey in full flight. Listen, absorb, enjoy !

Tim Buckley released 9 studio albums in his (all too brief) career. The way I see it is that there were 3 stages to his career:

the "learning stage" ("Tim Buckley" and "Goodbye and Hello"), which showed potential, especially in Goodbye and Hello, although both albums were a bit over-produced

the "good stage" ("Happy Sad" through to Starsailor"), where Tim came into his own and produced a run of excellent albums

the "he's lost it stage" ("Greetings from LA", "Sefronia" and "Look at the Fool"), where most of the stuff that he released paled in comparison to what went before, although there were still flashes of brilliance

I'm guessing a major problem with this compilation would be due to the fact that Tim's evolving style would have made it dificult to create a fluent album. Thankfully, Rhino have managed to compile something that flows from one track to the next quite well.

Another strong point of this compilation is that it contains songs from Tim's 2 currently unavailable albums (Blue Afternoon and Starsailor), which I also happen to think are his best. Kudos as well for including the version of "Song to the Siren" from the Monkees.

Wisely the "he's lost it" period songs are barely represented, but as with most other artist's compilations, there's gonna be people complaining about what has been missed out. And there have been some things which really should have been included here.

"I Never Asked To Be Your Mountain" and "Dream Letter", 2 songs wildly rumoured to be about his son Jeff and Jeff's mother, have been criminally omitted, as has "Down by the Borderline" from Starsailor, the best song he did not on here. And Lorca doesn't get a proper representation at all (although a lovely live version of "I Had A Talk With My Woman" has been included), even though his "OK-but-nothing-special-at-all" debut seems to warrant 5 tracks

Still, it is a good introduction to his music, and it does contain unavailable tracks, although his available studio albums can mostly be found quite cheaply

Tim Buckley started out as a folk-rocker but ended up as a musical explorer whose sound would extend the boundaries of popular music and defy categorisation. The billowing beauty of his later work, on Starsailor in particular, would only begin to be appreciated after his death in 1975.

His first album Tim Buckley was released in October 1966 when he was only 19 years old. Buckley’s passionate voice exquisitely wrapped itself around lyricist Larry Becket’s romantic compositions like Song Slowly Sung and the lovely Valentine Melody which is absent here.

During the hippy year of 1967 Buckley was doing the folk club circuit in New York City where he recorded his first masterpiece, the accessible Goodbye And Hello which was his breakthrough album and largest seller ever. Classic tracks included the impressive I Never Asked To Be Your Mountain, the moving Once I Was, omitted here, and of course the Dylan-influenced title track.

But instead of consolidating his success Buckley veered off into the most experimental of directions, rather too unusual for his 1960s folk audience to appreciate. Initially he moved into minimalism on the album Happy/Sad (1968), co-produced with ex-Loving Spoonful guitarist Zal Yanofsky. The wistful Blue Afternoon (1969) and Lorca (1970) are jazz-folk fusions.

The next album, Starsailor, was even weirder. It is a strange journey into the realms of avant-garde jazz where Buckley applies his voice as an instrument to spectacular effect. Scott Walker in his weirder moments comes to mind. But it did include two very accessible masterpieces: The poignant Moulin Rouge (sung partly in French) and the exquisite Song To The Siren, which was beautifully covered by This Mortal Coil in 1984.

Considered by many to be his opus magnum, the uncompromisingly erotic Greetings From LA (1973) was an enthusiastic embrace of all things funky, effusive and sensual. Move With Me deals with the wrath of a jealous husband, whilst Sweet Surrender is an explanation of his infidelity. There is great sadness in Hong Kong Bar, social commentary in Nighthawkin’ (unfortunately not present on this compilation) and shades of sado-masochism in Make It Right, a song comparable in theme to Velvet Underground’s Venus In Furs.

Greetings From LA was followed by the unremarkable Sefronia (1973) and Look At The Fool (1974), which proved to be his last album as he died on June 29, 1975 in Santa Monica, California of an overdose. Buckley left a memorable body of work that is being appreciated more and more with the passing time. Although not perfect (vide the omissions listed above) this compilation is a great introduction to the work of a unique musical genius. Like Nick Drake and Tim Hardin, Buckley’s music has stood the test of time very well and his reputation continues to grow. I give the album only 4 stars because of the omissions.