Tim Buckley

Biography

Childhood

Wire of an Irishman to the tenor voice, it follows his parents in their successive removals to the United States (Washington, Amsterdam (NY), and Los Angeles). Very young person, he discovers the extent of the register of his voice (five octaves). He begins a career of singer to the college, Orange county, then in the bars, being accompanied with the guitar in the hootenanny . It become acquainted there with Larry Beckett, which composes the texts of the songs of its first albums. At that time, he plays of the music folk, very in vogue with the opening of Bob Dylan. He also discovers under the influence of Larry Beckett the player of sitar Ravi Shankar and the concrete music of Karlheinz Stockhausen.

Period folk

It forms a group with Larry Beckett with the battery, Jim Fielder with the double bass and Brian Hartzler with the guitar, which plays at the time of the concerts of the festivals of college, under the names of the Bohemians and the Harlequins Three . Little by little, they are invited to occur in the cabarets of Strip, in Los Angeles. It become acquainted there with Frank Zappa which plays with the Mothers , which will become later the Mothers off Invention. It is at that time that he marries Mary Guibert. This one made a Pseudocyesis (false pregnancy) in 1966 what causes a distrust at his place in its connection.

It continues to occur in the cabarets, where it meets Herbie Cohen, which makes him sign a contract with the Third story music. This one makes it invite in more prestigious cabarets, of which the Troubadour . He signs then, thorough by Herb Cohen, for the label Elektra Records (which produces the Doors), at which he carries out its first album Tim Buckley . This album folk reveals its extraordinary voice, which it handles with a great control, singing in a very velvety and major way, passing from a voice of head to passages much more serious. Although enough conventional, especially in the label (lately) avant-gardist Elektra, this album sensitive touches by its sides serious and soft-land-mark, and seeks it on sonorities of the music folk.

It separates from his wife Mary Guibert at this time of her life, ignoring his son Jeff Buckley just born (but its chief of work I Never Asked To Be Your Mountain dedicates to him). He lives between New York and Los Angeles and discovers Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk in the boxes of Jazz. He continues to occur in the colleges, or he crosses Donald Fagen (future leader of the Steely daN, and which was marked by this meeting) and recruits Carter Hakes in his group, player of Conga S, instrument then unknown in the groups California NS.

Gradually, its music evolves to a rock'n'roll which is interfered with the folk its beginnings. The album Goodbye & Hello mixes instrumental, frequent experiments at the time (organ, foreign sonorities with the music: noises of circulation, machines) to melodies melancholic persons. The voice of Tim Buckley always makes wonder, rythmée, feverish, passing by many registers. The album Goodbye and Hello contains several chief-of works of Tim Buckley, such Carnival Song, Pleasant Street, Hallucinations, I Never Asked To Be Your Mountain, Morning Glory and finally the piece éponyme. It is as of this time as date the song Song to the siren , ode melancholic person with the inaccessible love (which is published only in the album Starsailor ).

Period folk/jazz

During the year 1968, its style evolves/moves by including influences of Blues. This appears in the permanent renewal in the manner of playing each piece. It includes a player of Vibraphone in its group, then recruits Danny Thompson in Europe, the bass player of Pentangle.

Moreover, in its promotional rounds as in its televised passages, it carries out improvisations more and more. That is seldom appreciated, and serves it commercially. However, in an emission as that of John Peel (which gives place to famous the Peel sessions ), that gives fabulous versions of old songs.

The album left in 1969, Happy sad , confirms this new orientation. The pieces are recorded very quickly, often in only one catch, or even impromptu and ever rejoués. The bases remain folk, even if the manner of playing and of recording is very marked by the jazz: improvisations, long solos (in particular of vibraphone), lasted of the pieces. The general atmosphere is melancholic person, and it is about one of the best albums of the artist. It brought to him moreover one new public of demanding experts.

Although the sales of its albums do not take off, he is certain successes: a concert full house in the prestigious New York Philharmonic Hall , a good classification in the Billboard.

Period free jazz

Its instability appears in all the fields: it leaves Jane Goldstein, its partner since nearly three years, and Marie with Judy Sutcliffe; move on Venice avenue , then buys a house at Laguna Beach (to 80 km of Los Angeles); and its preceding style gives up. It evolves to the Free jazz. The piece Lorca (on which it is tested with the organ) album of the same name is inspired thus by In has silent way (Miles Davis). Other pieces of the same album, he exploits of a guitar Fender with twelve cords. These songs are long pieces almost without rate/rhythm, only Nobody walkin has a refrain. Even if one can regard Lorca as a first attempt, Tim Buckley shows a rare vocal virtuosity, having fun to stretch each sonority in length.

Although recorded after Lorca , the album Blue afternoon however precedes it in the vats. Tim Buckley carries it out for its new label, Straight. This delicate album joins together songs written for other albums, but recorded in several sessions in New York and Los Angeles, with its jazz unit. The tonality remains folk-jazz, mélodieuse, and carries to wonder the velvety voice of Tim Buckley (the piece Blue Melody is perhaps most typical of this style). The eighth and last song announce the continuation: The train is a piece haletant, punctuated of moanings, carried by an acoustic guitar, and on which the singer stretches with pleasure certain syllables, playing several registers of its voice. And then Starsailor arrives. If Lorca comprised traces of free jazz, Starsailor plunges there to feet togethers. Except for 2 pieces ( Moulin-Rouge and Song to the Siren ), the album is only atonal singing exercises whose Monterey is the example more successful, Starsailor (the piece), as for him flirte with the most demanding modern music.

Period funk/Rhythm' blues

After one period of almost 2 years when he exerts various trades (of which driver for Sly Stone), he returns with Greetings From L.A., an album gorged with drunk person and sex ( Sweet Surrender , Move One Signal , Nighthawkin and especially the delirious one and sadomasochistic-maso Make It Right with the Beat me, whip me, spank me and make it right ). Never Tim Buckley had sounded also trustful in him. It can very of its voice: passes from the extreme low register to the acute extreme, whisper with the cry.

In 1973 " appears; Sefronia" : appear in it in particular an exceptional resumption of the " Dolphins" of Fred Neil as well as the piece-title of the album (in 2 parts). The final album Look At the Fool is more colorless (though more muscular).

Discography

Original albums

Albums recorded on scene

Dream letter live in London, Label Demon, recorded in 1968, 1990
Peel sessions (ep), Label Strange fruits, recorded in 1968, 1991
The Copenhagen slaps, Label Pinnacle, 2000

Posthumous albums

The late great Tim Buckley, Warner, 1978
The best off Tim Buckley, Label Rhino, 1983
Peel sessions (ep), Label Band off Joy, 1994
Live At the Troubadour, Label Demon Records, 1969
Honeyman - recorded live 1973, Label Manifesto, 1995
Works in progress, Label Rhino Handmade, 1999
Ounce I was, Label Varese, 1999 ( republication of Peel sessions of 1968 )
Morning glory: the Tim Buckley Anthology, Rhino label, 2001
The dreams belongs to me. Rare & unreleased recordings 1968/1973, Manifesto label, 2001

See too

Artists having begun again works of Tim Buckley

Radiohead took again Sing has song for you
the resumption of the title Song to the siren more with the height of the original (album Starsailor ) is that of This Mortal Coil group of Elizabeth Fraser in collaboration with the Cocteau Twins on an album homage It' L End in Tears (the song can be heard in the film Lost Highway , although not being reproduced on the disc of the original soundtrack); she was also taken again by Susheela Raman (Salt Rain); Robert Plant also made a recovery in 2002 of it, as well as the Chemical Brothers on the album Exit planet dust
Starsailor chose its name in homage to this album (without playing of the whole of the same kind of music)
Dot Alisson also used a title of Tim Buckley.

Biography (and source)

Dream Brother : Lives and Died of Jeff and Tim Buckley , David Browne, Denoël Editions, Paris, 2003

Jeff Buckley

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