Albums I Wish Existed: Tim Buckley

Friday, August 7, 2026

Tim Buckley - Troubadour (1968)

I enjoyed making the three Grateful Dead albums that could have appeared in 1872 so much that I though I'd see if there were any other artists who only had live recordings of their songs, and Tim Buckley jumped out at me. In February 1966, following a gig at It's Boss, the Mothers of Invention's drummer Jimmy Carl Black recommended Buckley to the Mothers' manager, Herb Cohen, and under his management, Buckley recorded a six-song demo acetate disc which he sent to Elektra records owner Jac Holzman, who offered him a recording contract. In August 1966, he recorded his self-titled debut album in three days in Los Angeles, and the album's folk-rock style was typical of the time, with critics taking notice of Buckley's distinctive voice and tuneful compositions. 'Goodbye And Hello' was released in 1967, and featured late 1960's-style poetry and songs in different timings, and was an ambitious release for the 20-year-old Buckley, who had been given free rein on the content of the album. Critics noted the improved lyrical and melodic qualities of Buckley's music, and his voice had developed since his last release, with the press appreciating both his lower register and falsetto in equal measure. After his song-writing partner Larry Beckett was drafted into the Army, Buckley developed his own style, and described the jazz/blues-rock with which he was associated as "white thievery and an emotional sham".

Drawing inspiration from jazz greats such as Charles Mingus, Thelonious Monk, Roland Kirk, and vocalist Leon Thomas, Buckley's sound became different from previous recordings, and in 1968 he 'Happy Sad', which reflected folk and jazz influences, and would be his best-charting album, peaking at No. 81. During 1969, Buckley began to write and record material for three albums, 'Blue Afternoon', 'Lorca', and 'Starsailor', and inspired by the singing of avant-garde musician Cathy Berberian, he integrated the ideas of composers such as Luciano Berio and Iannis Xenakis in an avant-garde rock genre. He selected eight songs for 'Blue Afternoon', which was similar in sound to 'Happy Sad', and it was released in 1969 to scathing criticism, being received as boring and tepid. 'Lorca' followed in 1970, and was a move away from traditional pop music forms, towards a free-form mix of jazz, avant-garde and folk. 'Starsailor' continued this change, and contained free jazz textures under Buckley's most extreme vocal performance, ranging from high shrieks to deep, soulful baritone, and although it included the now classic song 'Song To The Siren', the album was a critical and commercial failure upon release. Between the release of 'Hello And Goodbye' and the recording sessions for 'Blue Afternoon'/'Lorca'/'Starsailor', Buckley toured around Europe, including concerts in Denmark, The Netherlands, and the UK, and some of these performances were recorded, showcasing new songs that he had written which didn't subsequently appear on his albums. As well as those new pieces, he also recorded a number of songs for his 'Happy Sad' album which failed to make the cut, including a lovely cover of the classic 'Wayfaring Stranger', and so by combining these live and studio recordings from 1968 we have an album of new material which could have come out in that year. It's called 'Troubadour' not only after one of the songs, but also because Buckley was the epitome of a modern-day troubadour.