Rick Clark's Music I Love Blog - Artist: Tim Buckley / Albums: Blue Afternoon and Happy Sad
One of the most special live experiences I’ve ever had was watching Jeff Buckley perform unplugged in a Midtown Memphis record store. It is one of the few times I’ve been in a room full of people trying to contain their tears. I was one of them. When I mentioned to people how much Jeff reminded of his father, Tim Buckley, there was always this surprised look like “you mean this guy with THIS voice had a father who sang like this?” As much as I loved Jeff’s voice, his father had even more magic. I would’ve loved to have had to opportunity to have seen Tim Buckley, especially during his late Sixties folk-jazz era.
Both Tim and Jeff had that unmistakable tightly strung emotional element to both of their voices, but Tim Buckley had an aching tremble that was bleeding with soul. It was a sound that possessed a wild card quality that let me know that, underneath the vulnerability was a barely tamed rawness.
Tim Buckley has a number of great albums, but the two I always go to are Blue Afternoon and Happy Sad. Both of these albums are gorgeous fusions of folk and acoustic jazz, thanks to an empathetic ensemble comprised of John Balkin (Acoustic Bass), David Friedman (Vibes), James Madison (Drums), Lee Underwood (Guitar, Keyboards) and Buckley on vocal and acoustic guitar.
Blue Afternoon, my favorite of the two albums, is Buckley’s first self-produced effort and it is a gem. Side One with “Happy Time,” “Chase The Blues Away,” “I Must’ve Been Blind” and “The River” is perfection to me. I get swept away every time I hear this. Happy Sad, which was produced by Zal Yanovsky and Jerry Yester of The Lovin’ Spoonful, maintains the same spirit. Some folks prefer Happy Sad more, but it is such a close call. My favorites on Happy Sad are “Love from Room 109 at the Islander (On Pacific Coast Highway),” “Dream Letter” and “Strange Feelin’.”
Back in 1973, I was a Day Manager for Discount Records in Buckhead in Atlanta, GA. Blue Afternoon coupled with Gary Burton and Chick Corea’s Crystal Silence was often the soundtrack for mellow afternoons. After all these years, these albums still hold up for me. Hope you enjoy checking out these wonderful albums by Tim Buckley. I’ve also attached Tim Buckley’s great live album Dream Letter, Live in London 1968 at the bottom. Thanks for listening.