777 Tim Buckley - Happy Sad (1969)

 777 Tim Buckley - Happy Sad (1969)

Studio Album - Psychedelic Folk


About the Act:

Tim Buckley was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter who was moderately successful and active as an artist from 1966 to 1975. He started out doing folk, transitioned into jazz and psychedelia and then into funk.

About the Album:

This was Tim's third album, and the first in a new move away from straight folk. It was also the first where he wrote all his own lyrics.

My History with this Album:

None

Review:

I've heard of Tim Buckley, but I've always kind of confused him with Jeff Buckley, which is crazy because I know quite clearly who Jeff Buckley was. He did "Hallelujah" and a brilliant album of stuff before he sadly died. I know Tim Buckley did an album called Starsailor.

So I listened to this pretty blind, not really knowing what era, where he was from, what style this was supposed to be. My immediate thought was American West Coast, early 70s. There was a reason for this, which is that it reminded me strongly of an album I found cheap in a record shop years and years ago - it didn't even have a cover, just a sleeve - it was Mark - Almond II (nothing to do with Marc Almond of Soft Cell). John Mark and Johnny Almond were a duo from California. It was through that album that I developed an idea of West Coast Mellow, kind of folky, and similar to other post-hippie stuff, with a gentleness that speaks of watching the ocean and relaxing, maybe smoking something medicinal.

So when I looked up details of this album, I was not surprised to find that it was recorded in LA in 1969. The sound fit. I was surprised to find that the Jeff Buckley I talked about earlier was in fact Tim Buckley's son. I had been thinking that it was coincidental that their voices were similar. No, not coincidental, it turns out.

So, it's kind of mellow folky psychedelia, sometimes more intense but generally so laid back it's horizontal. There is a strong use of vibes and some other jazzy elements. There is a tendency to percussion rather than drums, and sometimes quite soaring vocals, which is where he reminds me most of his son. He takes his time, the songs are measured and some are quite long as a result. It has a kind of Carole King, Joan Armatrading feel, with the slightest hint of Jimi Hendrix thrown in. 

I enjoyed it.

7.4/10


Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/20CYfxjKvqXkCXBhAgOE39

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLP8DwHVWRuxx0s1J4EMkbyH_pXoatp4KM

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Sad_(album)



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

840 Various Artists - The Best of Girl Groups Volumes 1 and 2 (1990)

Image
 840 Various Artists - The Best of Girl Groups Volumes 1 and 2 (1990) Compilation (double) - Girl Group (Soul/Bobby Soxer/Do-Wop) About the Album: This is a highly acclaimed compilation in 2CDs by Rhino Records. It's the sort of thing that in this country you might expect to see at 3.99 in a Garden Centre. My History with this Album: None Review: There are not many multi-artist compilations in this series for reviewing. There is not information about it on Wikipedia, but the reception seems to have been positive. It is choc-full of hits with a smattering of lesser-known songs, and it's hard not to imagine Grease or similar situations - girls with cardigans and white socks, listening to the juke box while sipping milkshakes in the drug store. On one level it's a fun collection of songs that you could use to feel nostalgic, or as the music for a themed party. On another level it's kind of like a cultural artefact. I feel honour-bound to describe it, even though if I drop
Read more

944 Manu Chao - Próxima Estación Esperanza (2001)

Image
 944 Manu Chao - Próxima Estación Esperanza (2001) Studio Album - World Music About the Act: Manu Chao is a French-Spanish musician of Spanish descent who grew up on the outskirts of Paris. In the mid-80s he was in a Spanish/English rockabilly group called Hot Pants. In 1987, with his brother and cousin he founded the band Mano Negra, combining punk and world music influences and playing on the Paris Metro. This band took off and had 4 studio albums. In 1995 Manu "went solo", forming the band Radio Bemba Sound System to be his backing band. The punk elements were less prominent, but he started to make music that "replicates the sound of street music and bar scenes from a variety of cultures". He has been really popular in parts of Europe.  About the Album: This album was Manu Chao's second studio album as a "solo" artist. In Spanish, the name means "Next Station: Hope", after a real station on the Madrid Metro. The album reached top 10 slots
Read more

591 Harry Smith, Ed. - Anthology of American Folk Music (1952)

Image
 591 Harry Smith, Ed. - Anthology of American Folk Music (1952) Compilation Album - Americana About the Act: Harry Smith is not the performer here, he is the collector. He was a film-maker, occultist, and eccentric. About the Album: Harry Smith had a collection of early 78rpm records of various "folk" styles dated from 1927 when such things first started to be commercially available to 1932 when the Great Depression put a stop to the sales of folk records. In 1947 he approached a label, Folkway Records, about releasing a collection of them transferred onto LPs. This they did in 1952, without seeking copyright permission, making this technically a bootleg. It was released as three double-LP boxed sets, and sold very poorly. In the first year it sold 50 copies, 47 to libraries and colleges. It was reissued later, and gained traction and sold better. It now has a reputation for being one of the most influential compilations in the history of Americana, and is cited as being a ma
Read more