This new single CD Rhino compilation of Tim Buckley's music is a beautiful testimony to his incomparable talents.
The remastered material featured here is excerpted from the nine studio albums issued before Buckley's death in 1975. Track 10 is, however, an alternate take already issued on posthumous CD releases.
These nine albums were originally issued on four labels: Elektra (4), Straight (2), Bizarre/Warner (1) Bros and Discreet/Bizarre (2) during the 1966-1974 period.
I have worshipped all aspects of Buckley's music (the singing, the compositions, the arrangements, the musicians' backing) since I bought his "Goodbye and Hello" Elektra LP in 1967. Contrary to some fans, I love (to varying degrees) all of the original Buckley albums (his last three LP's received a lot of, IMO, unfounded criticism from some quarters). To me, Buckley was an extraordinarily gifted singer-songwriter, one of my favourites indeed. The material gathered here ranks from good (and I mean: good!) to truly exceptional. .
Buckey was definitely a LP orientated recording artist. During the course of his career, his music kept evolving at a fast pace and in often wildly different directions. Therefore, any collection is always going to be the subject of some debate. But there is certainly not one track here that I wish Rhino had left out.
I will also add that, in 2001, Rhino issued a remastered, lavishly packaged, 2-CD, 33- track anthology under the title of "Morning Glory". Seven out of the eighteen titles featured on the single CD under review did NOT appear on the earlier set. Moreover, besides the alternate take mentioned above, this CD uses the original studio version of "I Had a Talk with My Woman" which appeared in a live version on the 2-CD set. The scope of this 2-CD set is, of course, broader. It is also more expensive.
Therefore, if you are relatively new to Buckley's oeuvre, and are interested in just the one CD, this compilation will offer you definitely more than a glimpse of the musical treasures he left behind. Prepare yourself for a sheer aural delight!